FaultScore

2017 Jeep Compass engine problems

71 of the 385 complaints about the 2017 Jeep Compass are about the engine — 18% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 29,000 miles.

C

71

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Engine 71 100.0%

Engine & Cooling across every Jeep Compass year

2007 42 3.3%
2008 13 1.0%
2011 40 3.1%
2012 38 3.0%
2013 10 0.8%
2014 93 7.3%
2015 32 2.5%
2016 160 12.5%
2017 71 5.5%
2018 476 37.2%
2019 165 12.9%
2020 82 6.4%
2021 20 1.6%
2022 38 3.0%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 100,851 miles Greenacres, FL

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH in the middle lane, the vehicle stopped unexpectedly. While accelerating, there was an abnormal grinding and clanking metallic sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. After three hours of being stranded on the roadway, the vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic determined that the failure was related to the drive shaft, transfer case, and driver’s side front half shaft. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,851.

NHTSA complaint #11715198 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sun Prairie, WI

ENGINE

I was approaching a stoplight and every light on the dash lit up, the car wouldn’t go after stopping and it wouldn’t turn off when put in park. I also couldn’t shift into any other gear. This is seriously dangerous and not the first time I’ve had major mechanical issues with this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11714975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Houston, TX

ENGINE

While attempting to do a U-turn on two different occiasions once the U-turn has been completed the car would stop and turn off. There was not power. Would attempt to restart the car and it would not. Needed to get a jump-start for the car to start. One other time when attempting to do a U-turn the car would act as if would stop, in this case did not but took about 2 miles before it would accelerate properly

NHTSA complaint #11686836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Dowling, MI

ENGINE

When driving my Jeep Compass, there have been numerous instances of the vehicle stalling out when slowing down or stopping at a light/stop sign. This has happened on busy roads, at busy intersections, and on country roads. When it happens, I cannot control any aspect of the vehicle; the breaks no longer work, I cannot turn the wheel, I cannot change gears or easily put it into park, and it takes multiple attempts to turn it off and back on. There are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the incidents occurring, which started on 4/22/2025. Today, 4/29/2025, I checked my oil level and found that it was extremely low, although it should not be and I'm not yet due for an oil change. The Jeep Compass is going through more oil than usual and there is no message or notification showing at any time. I believe that this is the cause of the issues, and makes it extremely unsafe for myself, my passenger and other drivers/vehicles as it has happened on the highway and at intersections, where it could easily result in a serious accident.

NHTSA complaint #11657423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Cuyahoga Falls, OH

ENGINE

When driving the vehicle it has shut off the engine and stalled, it also shut off and a few milliseconds later restarted on the highway has done the multiple time

NHTSA complaint #11653786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Port Leyden, NY

ENGINE

Wiring compartment under the front wheel well is completely eroded away which caused my vehicle to completely stop driving and turning on. When looking at the whole wiring harness under the wheel well, wires were completely falling out of where they connect to the fuses because of how bad the erosion is. I was driving my car with my 4 year old child in it on the highway and it started to jerk, lights started flashing on the dash, including the airbag light, and then all at once shut completely off, lights went out, would not start back up at all. I had it towed back to my house and now it will not start up at all. I replaced a bunch of parts to it and then that is when I discovered that it was the whole wiring box under the wheel well that had corrode a bunch of wires. When hooking up the battery to try and jump it to. see if it would start, the wires that were loose started sparking and almost caught fire.

NHTSA complaint #11643897 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Raleigh, NC

ENGINE

Auto stop/start will malfunction and show a message saying to cut the car off and start it again. This poses a huge safety issue as it can cause an accident from not starting up and shutting off when it stops. Car also says “please park safely car will shut off soon”. My alternator has been checked and the aux battery and regular battery have been replaced as well so they are unable to figure out why I’m getting this message.

NHTSA complaint #11566123 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Pittsburgh, PA

ENGINE

The engine malfunctioned on the freeway causing my brother to have to pull to the side as safely as possible. The engine was smoking and all of the electrical systems started to fail. It said it was overheating.

NHTSA complaint #11559069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Killeen, TX

ENGINE

I was traveling northbound on ih35 near exit 329 outside of Waco, Tx travel to Dallas Tx I was in the middle of the highway during rainfall when my jeep completely shut down on me without warning all lights came on radio went black, brake was stiff, steering wheel locked. I had to have my jeep towed $300 later. My vehicle was in park and the vehicle said not in park. Vehicle wouldn’t start up. I was in the 3rd lane of a 4 lane highway when the vehicle stalled and shut off easily could have gotten hit from oncoming traffic. I was on the side of the road for 5 hours not knowing what was wrong with my vehicle. I had a full tank of gas and fluids were A1. I looked up my vin with no recalls being shown. Googled the issue and nothing has been done for anyone that has experienced this scary situation.

NHTSA complaint #11552592 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

District Heights, MD

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep compass. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The message to “Stop Safely - Vehicle Will Shutoff Soon” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure could be related to the electrical system. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11547124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

APO, NY

ENGINE

the auto start/stop function shuts vehicle off and unable to start gain my safety and of others was high as it happens on multiple lane highways unable to reproduce as it can happen randomly, there were no warning lights or any other sign of future stalling or complete shut down when stopping.

NHTSA complaint #11532724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lees Summit, MO

ENGINE

My Jeep was manufactured August 2016 directly after a recall for camshaft position sensory and crankshaft position sensor. For the past 3 years I have gotten a periodical check engine light for the camshaft position sensor in bank 1. Two weeks ago the engine began to stall at random times and the camshaft position sensor light came back on. I replaced it this weekend and the issue is persisting. I've checked everything else and there are no other codes that are pulling. I have had it inspected at my employment since I work for a dealership. The engine stalling on the highway is putting me and other drivers at a huge safety risk. I have almost been hit three times when it has stalled and there is nothing I can do in the middle of the road.

NHTSA complaint #11532766 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 121,000 miles Coventry, RI

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. After several minutes the vehicle accelerated at a high speed with the check engine warning light, and the electric parking brake warning light illuminated. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle come to a stop and started jerking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the electronic brake pedal however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the throttle body was replaced but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there was no recall for the failure. No additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 121,000.

NHTSA complaint #11530683 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Peachtree Corners, GA

ENGINE

While driving at highway speeds, the engine shut off and power steering is disabled. The dashboard says that the car is still on and will not restart the car. This is an EXTREEMLY dangerous situation, and my family is lucky to be alive. The problem had been reproduced by Christian Brother Automotive. They have replaced the camshaft sensor as well as the batteries and updated the firmware of the car. The issue continues to persist, and Christian Brothers will not release the car to me. No the Vehicle has not bee inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative. No Warning lamps, messages or other symptoms presented themself prior to the problem. After about 20 minutes the car is can be restarted and will operate as normal until it automagically cuts out the next time.

NHTSA complaint #11520454 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Springfield, IL

ENGINE

Coolant temperature heating with no root cause issue. Dealership cannot diagnose. And no recalls when there are tons of people posting about this

NHTSA complaint #11518372 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 67,000 miles Douglasville, GA

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled a second time. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 67,000.

NHTSA complaint #11499982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Cinnaminson, NJ

ENGINE

Issues staring the car, dealership makes me buy a new battery and that’s not the problem. Still after spending money on a new battery, it’s a problem. 13.4 v and it still has issues starting. Sometimes it starts and will NOT let me leave park. I am exhausted of these issues and constantly missing work because of this car the whole point in buying a 2017 car was for it to be reliable, and instead I’m having a problem even starting it!!!!

NHTSA complaint #11483686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Spotsylvania, VA Crash

ENGINE

On July 9th 2022 the car showed a low oil pressure warning then shut down going around a curve but I was able to restart the vehicle. Within a few minutes I was stopped at an intersection and the car stalled again and I was unable to restart it which resulted in my car being rear ended. On July 12 th I contacted my Jeep dealership to discuss this and I was told that a recall was done on the car due to this same problem. Apparently the repair did not fully correct the problem as it happened to me AFTER the completed recall. Fortunately no one was seriously injured this time but…

NHTSA complaint #11473613 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Oakville, CT

ENGINE

Engine shuts down while driving. I could be in traffic and car just shuts down, could cause major accident if I'm not by side of road or on highway! I brought it to my mechanic. The oil pressure low light came on only once .... not even due for oil change!

NHTSA complaint #11462654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Steubenville, OH

ENGINE

I got my 2017 jeep compass in 2018 had no issues truly until about a year ago. The check engine light came on and it would jerk a little goin up hill well got a coder and it said o2 so I changed all the spark plugs and o2 and it still is on now the thunder bolt light flashes I loose power and the yellow skid mark comes on I have to turn car off let it reprogram like 10 min and it acts ok for a few min now it's so bad it won't even go 10 miles . I'm goin to have the throttle and sensor changed hopefully that fixes it.

NHTSA complaint #11451711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Colleyville, TX

ENGINE

My vehicle continually stalls when driving or at stop lights. Sometimes it will start back up other times I have to have it towed.

NHTSA complaint #11438936 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

North Chesterfield, VA

ENGINE

Was towed into shop on 4/13/20 jeep would not start, the dealer said it was the battery. Took to shop on 3/9/21 the jeep was stalling out at red light and would not start back up, it took several times to start on a busy highway! Dealer said oil was low and did a consumption test! On 8/17/21 the jeep stalled at a busy light and would not start back up, I had to call 911 to get a officer behind me so I wouldn’t get hit, I had to tow the jeep back to the dealer . The dealer said the oil was low again . On 10/4/21 the jeep stalled out again at the light and would not start it took me over 5 minutes to get it stated! The only light that came up was the transmission need service now, the dealer look at the jeep and said it was both batteries gone bad! My concern is it keeps stalling out at lights in drive and will not start back up! Which puts myself at risk of being hit from behind! Another thing is when this happens there is no warning lights coming up to let me know what is wrong!

NHTSA complaint #11435628 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 30,000 miles Midland, TX

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shutoff without warning. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts. The vehicle had to be jump started. The vehicle was taken to Classic Honda of Midland (3705 W Wall St, Midland, TX 79703) and they offered no assistance. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they discovered that the battery was defective; however, after multiple replacements, the failure continued. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA complaint #11433395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ocean Springs, MS

ENGINE

I COULD NOT START MY JEEP FRIDAY MORNING BY PUSHING IGNITION BUTTON. THE DASHBOARD AND LIGHTS ALL CAME ON BUT THE JEEP WOULDN'T TURN OVER. YES, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKES, TANK HAS GAS, DOOR WAS CLOSED. AFTER 3 FAILED ATTEMPTS I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND TRIED STARTING JEEP WITH MY KEY FOB, NO LUCK. LOOKED INSIDE DASH AND IT READ AUTO START DISABLED. I TRIED TURNING OFF JEEP SINCE THE DASHBOARD AND LIGHTS WERE STILL ON AND NO LUCK, THEY STAYED ON. MY NEIGHBOR DROVE ME TO MY ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON APPT. WHEN WE RETURNED, THE JEEP WAS STILL ON AND MY FAMILY SHOWED UP TRYING THE FOLLOWING: CHANGE BATTERIES TO KEY FOB. CHECKED CABLES AND CAR BATTERY. AFTER THOSE THINGS THE DASHBOARD READ "PUT CAR IN PARK" MY CAR OF COURSE WAS IN PARK. I COULDN'T GET IT OUT OF PARK SINCE IT NEVER STARTED!!! I BOUGHT AT A DEALERSHIP IN MOBILE AL WHEN I LIVED IN BILOXI. CAN'T TAKE IT BACK TO THAT DEALERSHIP UNTIL AFTER HIP SURGERY HERE IN FLORIDA'S VA. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU, [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #11390848 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 71,649 miles Brunswick, OH

ENGINE

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS BACK N FORTH VERY BAD. ONLY 71,649 MILES. NEED TO FIX IT. PLEASE.

NHTSA complaint #11375118 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 92,000 miles Parma, OH

ENGINE

I WAS GETTING ONTO THE FREEWAY GOT UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR I SAW MY ALTERNATOR LIGHT BLINK THEN MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MOTOR LOST ALL POWER AND NOW THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT MY THROTTLE BODY IS BAD AND I SEE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT JEEP COMPASS THROTTLE BODIES

NHTSA complaint #11374858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 29,000 miles Mills River, NC

ENGINE

MY LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO GET THE OIL CHANGED AS IT WAS DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE ANYWAY. THEY TOLD ME MY OIL LEVEL WAS 3.5 QUARTS LOW AND THAT I NEEDED TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT BECAUSE IT SHOULDN'T BE USING THAT MUCH OIL BETWEEN REGULAR OIL CHANGES. I TOOK IT TO JEEP WHERE THEY DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND JUST TOLD ME THAT THIS ENGINE IS KNOWN TO BURN THAT MUCH OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND JEEP DEEMS IT AS 'ACCEPTABLE' BECAUSE THE OWNERS MANUEL STATES TO CHECK OIL LEVELS AT EVERY FILL UP AND ADD OIL AS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN A SAFE OIL LEVEL. HOW IS IT EVEN ACCEPTABLE FOR A BRAND NEW 2017 VEHICLE TO BURN 3.5 QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN REGULAR OIL CHANGES? WHY DOES JEEP FIND IT ACCEPTABLE THAT I NEED TO CARRY OIL AROUND IN MY CAR 'JUST IN CASE' IT GETS LOW? WHY ARE THEY NOT FIXING THIS ISSUE?!

NHTSA complaint #11372930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 44,000 miles Davenport, IA

ENGINE

2ND TIME THIS HAPPENED WITHIN A MONTH. DEALER CHANGED BATTERIES 1ST TIME. COMPUTER SYSTEM RUNS THROUGH A NUMBER OF MESSAGES STATING VARIOUS SETTINGS ARE NOT WORKING. EXAMPLE: ENGINE LIGHT, AIR BAG, OIL, WITH EVERY WARNING LIGHT THERE IS. VEHICLE JUST SHUT DOWN ON A BUSY ROAD. VERY DANGEROUS. 15 MIN LATER IT STARTED BACK UP LIKE THERE WASNT A PROBLEM. THERE IS EXCESS OIL USE ALSO. CHANGED OIL, A MONTH LATER, ITS A 1/4 LOW. NO DRIPS EITHER. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD.

NHTSA complaint #11363790 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 5 miles Dallas, GA

ENGINE

THE ENGINE RUNS VERY HOT AND IT BURNS OIL LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THE SERVICE MANAGER KNOWS ABOUT THIS AS WELL AS THE ADVISORS ALL INFORMED ME THAT THIS ENGINE DOES RUN HOT. IT BURNS OIL SO QUICKLY THAT YOU HAVE TO CHECK IT EVERY TIME YOU FILL UP ON GAS. IF YOU DO IT MONTHLY..YOU WILL WIND UP LOW AND WHEN THIS ENGINE IS LOW ON OIL...IT WILL SHUT OFF SOMETIMES WITHOUT NOTICE AND IT HAPPENED TO US IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY ON A RAINY DAY. THIS VEHICLE SHUT DOWN ON US 2 TIMES IN LESS THAN A YEAR AND WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING SO HOT...THE DIP STICK IS LITERALLY ALMOST TO HOT TO HANDLE IF YOU STOP TO CHECK THE OIL. IT HAS ALSO CAUSED THE AUXILIARY AS WELL AS THE MAIN BATTERY. I REPLACED THE AUXILIARY BATTERY IN DECEMBER 2019 THEN BOTH BATTERIES IN SEPTEMBER 2019. ALSO ANOTHER REASON FOR THIS VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL SORTS OF BIZARRE NOTICES CAME ON WHEN THE BATTERIES WENT. THE ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES WHEN IT RUNS LOW ON OIL AS WELL AS WHEN THE BATTERIES ARE LOW AND/OR DIE. NOT A GOOD THING AS YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE CENTER SHIFT COUNSEL TO UNLOCK THE GEAR SHIFTER IF YOU NEED TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO PUSH IT IN A SAFER PLACE OR GET IT TOWED. WITH AS HOT AS THIS ENGINE RUNS AND BURNS OIL SO RAPIDLY...MY CONCERN IS THAT IT WILL COMBUST AS WHEN OIL BURNS AT SUCH A FAST RATE IT WILL LEAVE A RESIDUE AND IF THE DIPSTICK GETS THIS HOT...I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW HOT EVERYTHING ELSE IS. AS SOON AS I POPPED THE HOOD...I FELT THAT HEAT. NOT A SAFE VEHICLE. I NOW KNOW WHY IT IS A DUAL AIR PORT AS WELL AS THE (AUTO STOP) THAT STOPS THE ENGINE WHEN IN IDLE...BOTH ARE THERE IN AN ATTEMPT TO HOPEFULLY KEEP THIS ENGINE COOL ENOUGH TO NOT COMBUST. FRIENDS WITH THIS SAME ENGINE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES THAT CAUSED THEIR VEHICLE TO STOP WHILE DRIVING. MY OTHER CONCERN IS THAT IT MAY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION OR GET REARENDED. NOT A SAFE VEHICLE!!!

NHTSA complaint #11362288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 53,000 miles Edwardsville, IL

ENGINE

THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES. THE VEHICLE IS OFF FOR MAX OF 3 HOUR PERIOD. UPON STARTING VEHICLE TO DRIVE, IT RUNS IDLE AND ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER. THE COMPUTER SYSTEM RUNS THROUGH A NUMBER OF MESSAGES STATING VARIOUS SETTINGS ARE NOT WORKING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. DRIVER'S SIDE CAN'T CONTROL PASSENGER SIDE FUNCTIONS. CLICKING SOUNDS HEARD FROM UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. FOG LIGHTS REMAIN ON AND BLIND SPOT LIGHTS ON SIDE MIRRORS REMAIN ON. VEHICLE WILL NOT TURN OFF.

NHTSA complaint #11352141 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2017 Jeep Compass problems

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