Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
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 contact owns a 2014 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the center of the steering wheel was protruding outwards, and while attempting to sound the horn, the horn failed to operate. While entering the vehicle, the headrest on the driver's side was bumped and the headrest deployed. Approximately 2 months later, while entering the vehicle, the passenger's side headrest deployed without impact. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer referred the contact to another facility to replace the air bags; however, the air bags were not replaced. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the driver's side headrest had deployed from the bottom of the headrest and was partially separated. The contact stated that while driving, the headrest was sticking out and poked her in the back of the neck. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.
driving vehicle and a torrential down pour of water came out of the front interior light which is located at the windshield . The water fell onto the entire entire of the car onto me driving and almost caused an accident as I was shocked and surprised. I have a sunroof in this vehicle and in researching it find that prior lawsuits have been filed and won. Jeep is aware of this and does not inform the buyers instead ignores it. I researched and saw that the drainage tubes were too small and tend to clog up and Jeep does not inform the customer of this. When researching further this has happened over and over and no recall has ever been started. …
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The headrest in the passenger seat deployed without a car accident. Just randomly when the car was parked. Jeep dealership wants to charge me 140 dollars to inspect this and the air bags. Supposedly both have recalls but they have "expired". How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It hit my husband in the head while he was sitting passenger. Now no one can sit comfortably in that seat and I'm scared the air bags are going to also deploy while I'm driving the car which could injure me and my kids in the process. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No they are trying to charge me to look and told me it would be over 800 dollars to fix, which I do not have right now. The headrest is VERY obviously deployed. …
The 2014 Jeep Compass was in a parking lot and the driver side head restraint opened up as though there was an accident, but there was no accident and no warning system, message, or other symptoms. There is broken plastic inside the headrest, so it cannot be reassembled. It is a safety issue because the part cannot be put into the original configuration that was intended by Jeep, so the current safety of my neck while in this car is unknown. Police and insurance were not involved because there was no accident. Dealer claims that (a) Jeep will not pay for a replacement despite the existence of multiple TSB's, and (b) there is a federal law preventing replacement parts from being manufactured on hand, so they must be ordered for every occurrence of a complaint, meaning I have been waiting for months to get this replaced - while in an uncertain state of safety. …
Headrest deployed, it can be inspected upon request. Headrest eployed after just closing the door, it impacted hard against the back of my head while parked, had this happened while driving it would've caused a serious accident. After getting home safely I did a quick resesrch of this issue with several reports from other car owners, plan on going to the dealer tomorrow to report the issue with them. Since it just happened I will report it to the dealer tomorrow but will keep a record for insurance report. No, there was no signs or alarms when the system failed, just with a visual inspection you can see broken plastic where it was supposed to be connected.
While driving on the road my passenger side headrest deployed. I was not braking just driving at a cruising speed. I have a picture of the headrest deployed. The sound of this unit activating distracted me from my driving and the sound was quite loud and very unexpected. I have not brought it to the dealer as I see this is not an active recall for my vehicle for this malfunction, but I am afraid if this happens with the driver headrest it may cause injury and a accident. There were no warning lights prior to the unit deploying and this was the first time this occurred.
While driving home from work one day I heard a loud sound like a gun. The headrest to the passenger seat just deployed on its own. Took it to my mechanic to be corrected and he said it couldn't be reset the clip or a pin must have broke. Then on Wednesday July 28th I got a warning light on my dashboard pertaining to airbags. Puts fear in me because I need to know that my airbags are there for me if needed. C&H AUTO CARE is aware of the problems with my vehicle. They are located in Joppa Maryland.
The headrest of my passenger seat deployed while I was driving on the highway. My twelve year old was sitting in the seat as it happened, and was hit in the head by the front of the headrest. There has been no formal inspection about it yet, but I witnessed it first-hand. There were no warning signals, lamps, or warnings associated with the incident and it happened very suddenly.
The drivers side headrest active restraint deployed, there was no accident or hit to it. Upon inspection there was broken plastic peices found and the head rest could not be reset. I saw on some sites that this was a known issue and the warranty was extended 10 years from 2022.
NHTSA investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early…
Seat complaints in other Compass years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2014 Jeep Compass?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the seats of the 2014 Jeep Compass, 8% of the model year's 307 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Jeep Compass seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats 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 seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to seats 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.