Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Jeep Compass owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The first time the situation occurred we were out of town. Warning lights appeared. The car had sluggish acceleration, noisy, rough ride, hesitating, jerking type movements . We thought it was going to stop. The message appeared "Do not drive the vehicle." My husband took the Jeep to the dealer and they were supposed to have fixed it. He was told it was the throttle. We drove the Jeep and the problem stopped for a while. It occurred again on May 25, 2023 and we had to turn around and go back home and park the vehicle and we have not been able to drive it. I found the following information; 2014 Jeep Compass Among Chrysler Vehicles Recalled for Stall Risk. We have never received a letter about a recall. Warning lights came across the board.
ABS module is faulty causing other issues including problems with electronic stability, no speedometer, no cruise control, no abs brakes. Apparently Jeep is no longer making this part as it has been on backorder for months. I feel it is unsafe as winter weather is nearing and abs brakes would be essential for safe driving. At [redacted] old I feel it is an essential part of safe driving for myself and my wife. I've been communicating with Jeep customer care for several weeks with absolutely no resolve. It appears they are not even producing the part that would seem essential for safe driving.
The car broke down the very first day I got it! The alternator had to be changed I took it back to Auto connection where I got it from and they replaced it. Since then the car has been breaking down, I have had to pay for out of pocket for a new thermostat, another alternator, hoses, fuel pump, and I have only had the car a yr. Now it's making a loud hissing noise after I just paid for brand new spark plugs and it's not accelerating and ver 40/45 mph! Which is costing me more money to pay for a uber to work and everywhere I need to go while still making car payments! My insurance doesn't handle these repairs. I need immediate help please!
I was slowing to make a left turn and the engine began to sound like it was accelerating. A lightning bolt light, skid warning light and check engine light all came on. I needed to get it home, but the car wouldn't go above 25mph. Googling says that it has a stuck throttle body. Have not attempted to fix yet.
The Electronic Throttle Control light(steady) and the Electronic Stability Control Activation/Malfunction Indicator Lights came on. There are times the engine light comes on. The vehicle would not accelerate, jerking kind of movement, going 20 miles.
3rd times a charm 2014 Jeep Compass the first time it happened to me in July or aug (4 months after I got the car) and I thought it was my fault, while parking and hitting the brake my car accelerated out of nowhere. I thought I had hit the accelerator by mistake. Thank god there was a cement thing on the floor 2nd time: my sister and I around the holidays, we were in my Jeep Compass, also parking at the local mall this is where I knew it wasn't me but again there was a cement barricade and prevent anything bad from happening, so I thought it was a fluke now today again this happened while parking and stepping on the break out of nowhere my car accelerated this time nothing on the floor and ran into a post. Bam!! My cars hood is all messed-up and so is the bumper!! Has anyone else had this issue with the accelerator? Idk what to do!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Jeep Compass. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated rapidly. As a result, the contact crashed into a sign. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the body repairs were performed; however; the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000.
While getting off of pm shift, around 2330, I was driving and all of a sudden my car began to slow down only 3 miles into driving. I could not accelerate more than 15 miles an hour in a 40mph zone. The lightning bolt for electronic throttle control was flashing, then stopped, then my check engine and my anti skid(?) was lit up. I pulled over to a side street, put in park only to have my engine idle at 2K RPM. Thank goodness I had my phone and a friend with some car knowledge. Told me to leave in park and restart my car. Turned on and once I shifted out of park it happened again. He stayed on the phone with me for the rest of my drive home that took me 45min because of not being able to accelerate any faster than 15. A drive that usually would take me 15 minutes took much longer. Glad my kids weren't in the car because I almost got hit 2x by 18 wheelers coming off of the highway. …
Cruise control did not disengage in a dangerous situation. Cruise control was on going down I-20 interstate near shrevport louisana,,, coming around a curve I noticed all traffic had stopped,both lanes due to some type construction and as I tried to brake,,,the cruise control would not disengage with my emergency braking ,,,I had to go into the side ditch and finally put the transmission in neutral to stop ! Extremely dangerous in which myself and wife could have been easily killed.! Later,on checking the internet to see if this was a condition other Jeep Compass owners had had,,,,I found 'recalls' on other Jeep products ' notifying other Jeep owners of Jeep cherokee, Jeep grand cherokee, and Jeep wranglers' specifically with problems of Jeep cruise controls not disengaging' ,,,,but no recalls on Jeep Compass',,,, which I had just had that same extremely dangerous situation happen ! …
I was driving my car and it was not getting any speed with the pedal floored. The car started making loud noises from engine and the etc light came on, check engine light came on which is the MIL light, also the ESC light,I was driving and almost got hit because of it driving fine speed limit and then down to less than 5 MPH on a very busy street and intersection. There is a major issue as I had it in the shop a month ago for another malfunction. I was driving 55 MPH and suddenly it just lost all compression to less than 5 MPH. I was able to finally pull over to an area that had no shoulder so I was half in the road and turned the car off. Read the manual and said to cycle the engine several times to see if better. Ir wasn't better,and now trying to go into reverse, pedal to the ground it creeps 1 to 2 MPH.
Acceleration complaints in other Compass years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2014 Jeep Compass?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2014 Jeep Compass, 11% of the model year's 307 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Jeep Compass acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2014 Jeep Compass, though it has 2 recalls 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 2014 Jeep Compass acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.