AutoUtility currently tracks 935 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Jeep Compass. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 434 complaints (46.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 28 filings cite a crash, 5 cite a fire, 14 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 935 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (434 reports • 46.4% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (374), Powertrain & Transmission (151)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 28 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 14 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
935
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
28
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
5
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
14
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2018 Jeep Compass

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 46.4% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

434 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 7 crash reports 🔥 2 fire reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 40% of complaints

Electrical System

374 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🔥 3 fire reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#3 Problem Area 16.1% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

151 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 7 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 9.6% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

90 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 5 crash reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 8.9% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

83 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Jeep Compass

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Engine & Cooling 3.4% of complaints

Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown

32 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Powertrain & Transmission 3.1% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

29 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Jeep Compass

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11760138
Filed: 08/27/2026

"The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment center display intermittently was distorted, flashed on and off, and independently initiated calls; the contact stated that the failure occurred every time the temperature was warm..."

Incident Date: 03/11/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: EQUIPMENT
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11758451
Filed: 08/21/2026

"The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message that the vehicle would shut off was displayed several times, requiring the driver to pull over. Additionally, while the contact's husband was driving, the vehicle stalled. The driver pulled..."

Incident Date: 10/21/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758044
Filed: 08/19/2026

"I have had this car for a little over a year and it has given me nothing but problems they won’t let me out of my contract. It’s a 2018 Jeep compass and I’ve already had to replace the thermostat. My service transmission light is coming on all of a sudden, I’m having to put the oil in all the time..."

Incident Date: 03/11/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11758038
Filed: 08/19/2026

"Subject: Vehicle Lost Power While Driving – Potential Battery/Electrical Safety Issue On August 15, 2026, my vehicle suddenly began malfunctioning and lost power while I was driving my daughter to a medical appointment. I was on/near Highway 20 and had to maneuver the vehicle into a parking lot to..."

Incident Date: 08/15/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11756084
Filed: 08/10/2026

"My odometer flashes since buying. Bluetooth connection causing screen to glitch and jump between settings. Screen turns blue and back up camera doesn’t work randomly. Overheating issue came out of nowhere. No check engine lights. The jerking is a hazard while driving. The vehicle has been inspected..."

Incident Date: 06/14/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Jeep Compass

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Jeep Compass 113 4 1 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Jeep Compass 292 9 1 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Jeep Compass 228 10 4 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Jeep Compass Current Page 935 28 6 Current
2019 Jeep Compass 326 13 2 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Jeep Compass 137 3 1 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Jeep Compass 77 5 0 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Jeep Compass 219 11 4 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Jeep Compass 45 2 2 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Jeep Compass 52 6 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Jeep Compass 21 4 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Jeep Compass 0 0 1 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Jeep Compass

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 148 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 184 2 0 1 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 72 0 1 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 67 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 59 0 1 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 32 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 1 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 27 2 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 25 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 25 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 24 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 19 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 15 1 0 1 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 15 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 12 2 0 2 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 0 0 1 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 10 5 0 5 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 9 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 8 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 7 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 6 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 6 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 1 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 5 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 4 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 3 1 0 1 0
STEERING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 1 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 1 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 1 2 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
BACK OVER PREVENTION,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY,SEATS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE 1 1 0 2 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (935). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.