Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Jeep Compass owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Jeep Compass. The contact initially became aware that the rear passenger's side tire was resting at an angle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to have the rear struts replaced; however, the mechanic informed the contact that the rear suspension was extremely corroded. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not safe to be driven. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.
I was informed about my rotting subframe on my 2009 Jeep Compass about a year ago. I took it to a Jeep dealer for a second opinion as well as contacted Jeep. I was told about some extended warranty that I was not eligible for. Now, 1 year later, my vehicle will not pass inspection without replacement of the subframe. I contacted Jeep again. Of course, since this was extension of warranty, only the original owners were notified. This should have been a recall. This is a safety hazzard and should not have happened to vehicle just over 10 years. Jeep purposely did not issue a recall to save money.
The front subframe is completely rusted out. Had to have vehicle towed home because the front wheels look like a bow-legged cowboy because the subframe basically snapped as we were driving. Apparently this has been an ongoing issue and Jeep refuses to recall this. 2007 had the same issue and they extended a "warranty" to get this fixed. 2009 is made, obviously with the same junk metal, and yet they refuse to fix their incompetence. Wonder how many people have died due to this negligence. Not happy Jeep.
I was driving to work dec 23 morning and rear sub frame broke away from control arm sending me in the ditch..lucky it was 25 MPH. Had local Chrysler dealer look at it and because it was.made it Canada they won't fix it under the extended warrnty.. I just got this in June, and still owe 6500 on it.. Chrysler needed to step up.. What does it matter were the Jeep was made.your parts were the problem so fix it..I could have died because of frame rot.. Never had a issue in my 95 blazer!!
2008 Jeep limited 4 x 4. When cleaning the garage, I noticed the head from a very large bolt on the floor. Upon crawling under the car, I noticed that a bolt had rotted off where the rear frame right side by the shock tower attaches to the body. I have had noises coming from the area and was told that the shocks needed to be replaced. With this bolt missing there is some chance there is excess bounce between the upper shock tower and the frame. My local body shop told me the only way to fix this would be to drop the entire rear axle and get the broken bolt out to replace. Very expensive. There is no way a bolt like this should rot off, unless the bolts were bad to start with. If this happens to a few more I could hit a bump and have the body fall off the frame while driving.
When coming to a quick stop at a traffic light on a very rough road surface, a loud clunk in the front end was heard. When the light turned green, the steering wheel had to be turned right to go straight, along with a loud tire squeal. We pulled into a parking lot to find the left front tire was contacting the rear of the wheel well. Inspection underneath revealed a rotted out subframe/crossmember which is split all the way across the back. It also has some leaking fluid coming down from above the crossmember while the engine is running. This is Saturday and the incident was followed by a $135 flatbed trip to a dealership for what should be an interesting Monday morning conversation about the horrific possibilities if this suspension had collapsed at speed.
While driving the left (front driver side) lower control arm fell free from the steering knuckle which attaches it to the wheel, causing significant reduction in the ability to steer and eventually the lower control arm (moving lose under the car), became lodged between the wheel rim and the brake assembly causing the the left front tire to shift forward into the front fender / bumper and become immobile. Luckily the vehicle made it home and it was in parking the vehicle that the lower control arm became wedged between the tire inner rim and brake assembly, so no crash or injury occurred, but it could have been very serious.
Subframe rot. At 70,000 mile steering control was lost due to a crack in the front subframe caused by excessive rust/rot. Luckily there were no injuries since this happened at low speed. The front subframe had a complete failure with a 12 inch lateral crack through the cross member. This caused total front suspension and steering failure. The car was not able to be driven or moved under its own power. This problem has been reported for Jeep Compass, Jeep patriot and Dodge caliber. Chrysler needs to address this problem before some one gets hurt or killed!
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame that holds the motor was corroded and was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified to the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.
In the last four years, I have had to replace the control arms on both the driver side and the passenger side, I just found out that both are need of replacement again and it the cost is out of this world. Jeep needs to take care of this. I understand I am not the only one with this issue.
Suspension complaints in other Compass years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2009 Jeep Compass?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the suspension of the 2009 Jeep Compass, 34% of the model year's 64 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › lower arm (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Jeep Compass suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2009 Jeep Compass, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Jeep Compass suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.