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What 927 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Compass

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (927)Crash / fire / injury (33)Engine (466)Electrical system (370)Transmission & drivetrain (151)Lights (64)Fuel system (63)Brakes (62)Driver assistance (37)Speed control (32)Steering (28)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (25)

2 of 927 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 23, 2021SteeringCrash1 injury

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Jeep Compass Latitude. The contacts daughter stated while driving approximately 20 mph when the vehicle pulled to the right without warning, which resulted in hitting a parked vehicle. The air bags were deployed minus the rear driver-side air bag. The contacts daughter sustained some bruising on her legs, chest, and hands but did not seek medical treatment and a police report was taken. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was awaiting diagnosis. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444851

Sep 14, 2019SteeringBrakesCrash

THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE JEEP COMPASS 2018 LOCKS UP CAUSING THE BRAKES TO NOT WORK AND AS THE DRIVER I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE STEERING DIDN'T HAVE FULL FUNCTIONALIY. THE VEHICLE STALLS, AND BRAKES DON'T WORK PROPERLY. THERE HAVE BEEN TIME WHERE THE CAR RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY AFTER A SHARP TURN. LOSS OF POWER STEERING COMPOUNDS THE PROBLEM BY MAKING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER OFF THE ROADWAY OR HIGHWAY AND CAUSED A COLLISION. THE ENGINE HAS ALSO RANDOMLY SHUT UP, AND CAR HAS JOLTED IN THE PAST A FEW TIMES CREATING A MAJOR PROBLEM AND HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES WHILE DRIVING. THERE ARE OVER 1,000 OF COMPLAINTS ON LINE ABOUT THIS VEHICLE, MAKE AND MODEL. THE VEHICLE KEEPS MOVING AND LOSES CONTROL LEAVING THE DRIVE UNABLE TO HAVE CONTROL TO STOP AN ACCIDENT OR DRIVE.*DT CONSUMER STATED I DON'T REMEMBER IT HAPPENED A FEW TIMES, THE EARLIEST I RECOLLECT IS WHEN I WAS BETWEEN 4,000-7,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIE, DEALERSHIP TOLD CONTACT IT IS NORMAL FOR THE CAR TO DO THAT SOMETIMES.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11255461

Working with the data? Download all 927 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Jeep Compass verdict →