Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Jeep Compass owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that her son was driving at undisclosed speeds when he arrived at his destination turn into a parking lot. Placed the gear actuator in park, within second a warning indicated that the vehicle was not in park however, the contact stated that the vehicle was in park. The gear actuator seized not allowing the contact to change gears. The contact attempted to turn the vehicle off however the vehicle failed to turn off. Unknown if any odor appeared. The police department was contacted and came out and try to assist. Within a second the vehicle went up in flames. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention contacted was contacted. The vehicle was towed by the police department to a tow yard (unknown location). The police department deemed the vehicle a total loss. …
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. While driving for 5-10 minutes at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated, and a "Pressure Overheating" message was displayed. The Automatic Emergency Braking feature activated. The contact called roadside assistance and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the valve cover gasket, spark plug, and battery. The failure persisted. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a second independent mechanic, who checked the cooling system, performed a coolant test, and completed an oil change. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was towed back to the mechanic, who flushed the coolant and replaced the coolant hose, radiator hose, and coolant reservoir tank. The failure continued with a collapsed radiator hose. …
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the 4WD engaged and disengaged while driving down the road. The contact stated that the brakes locked up while 35 MPH. Additionally, the computer became inoperable. The contact stated that the battery was replaced, but the vehicle failed to charge. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The Service 4WD message was displayed and the Auto START/STOP feature was inoperable. During inclement weather of snow or rain, the 4WD failure was more prevalent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, a low oil pressure warning light illuminated intermittently, and the gears failed to shift as designed. The contact also stated that the front of the vehicle was shaking, causing an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer the low oil pressure sensor was replaced. After the repair, the failure reoccurred and the vehicle was taken to another dealer, Harr Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (110 Gold Star Blvd, Worcester, MA 01606) where the service tech was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
On 4 occasions, months apart, my 2020 Jeep Compass has given me a dashboard alert stating "coolant temperature too high" and the engine immediately stalls and shuts down. The first 3 times this occurred, the check engine light would come on and the vehicle would not restart and other alerts such as "service 4WD system" and "EBS not available" would display. At no time was the vehicle overheating or the actual coolant temperature above normal operating temperature. After sitting in the middle of an intersection for 5-10 minutes, the vehicle would finally turn on with the check engine light being off and no alerts displayed. The vehicle would then drive like nothing ever happened for a few months. …
At approximately 35,900 miles, vehicle failed a block test indicating combustion gases in the cooling system. Cylinder head gasket was replaced, cylinder head was machined, and exhaust valves were replaced at an independent shop at a cost of over $5,000. Shortly after, at approximately 36,300 miles, vehicle was towed in with sudden loss of power and would not accelerate. Diagnostic codes P1064 (cylinder 4 oil supply solenoid stuck), P0171 (fuel system lean), and P0304 (cylinder misfire) were found. The MultiAir/VVT actuator was confirmed to have an internal failure. Both the independent shop and a Jeep dealership parts department confirmed the component was on indefinite national backorder due to high demand caused by widespread failures of this part. At approximately 37,500 miles, vehicle failed a second block test. …
While turning out of a parking lot, onto a side street, a suspension component failed without warning, causing the front axle to pull out of the transmission. The vehicle immediately became unsafe, as I was unable to turn the wheel (it wasn't connected) to get me out of the middle of the road. This was a sudden, catastrophic mechanical failure with no prior warning lights, messages, or symptoms. It had to be towed. I called a corporate phone number, to create a case number, and heard back from Jeep Autonation immediately. The gentleman who spoke to me, was extremely rude, and told me this was a normal wear and tear situation, and just to "bring it in so they could get to fixing it." I believe a full diagnostic report is necessary, and I'd like to know WHY this failed. I was on the highway just earlier the morning that this happened. …
I was driving home and got an error message that the coolant temperature was too high, even though the gauge showed it to be right in the middle at the normal level. The car then locked up and I was unable to turn the steering wheel for a terrifying few seconds. The car then restarted itself and I was able to drive home. a while later, I tried to start the car and it would not start and kept giving me the error message that the coolant was too high even though the gauge shows the level to be The very bottom of the temperature on the cool side. I checked the coolant levels and they were a little low so I added more coolant up to the max level and waited a few hours. Then I tried to start it again and it still will not start. Additional error messages are now popping up, including saying, the emergency brake needs to be serviced. …
Driving down a busy street going about 40MPH and the car spontaneously turned off and completely lost power while I was driving. It was off for less than a minute and when it turned back on the yellow "start/stop function " dashboard indicator light was on. The car restarted on its own but that light remained on until I got home and turned the car off. When I turned the car back on the light was gone. It has not happened again, I took the car to a local Jeep dealership and they said it might be a battery issue. The car is available for inspection. Nobody was hurt but I am concerned because if this were to occur on the highway it in a location where I was not able to pull over it could cause a serious accident as the car was driving at 40MPH at the time of the incident and then completely lost all power without warning.
Transmission complaints in other Compass years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2020 Jeep Compass?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2020 Jeep Compass, 20% of the model year's 143 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2020 Jeep Compass transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2020 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 2020 Jeep Compass transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 97,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.