Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Jeep Compass owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, a message indicating that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and added water to the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was not running properly while driving. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a burned coolant mark underneath the engine. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The contact's daughter resumed driving; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was able to restart. The overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running, the brake warning light began flashing. The vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Action Number: PE22013 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE). The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
The Jeep's engine decided to shut off at a red light. This jeep has the automatic shutoff for the engine when idling too long. I could not restart the engine. I blocked 2 lanes of traffic, and was unable to push the vehicle out of the way. I Tried restarting the engine several times. The accessories would come on, but the parking brake would NOT disengage and I had several issues trying to get the shifter into neutral to push the car out of an intersection. The fire department lucky was behind me after this happened, and helped me so did local police. 5 different people could not get the car to start or engage into neutral and disengage the parking brake to move the vehicle to a safe location. This was a rental so lucky I am not the owner of a failure of a jeep. This was an emergency situation while it was raining in traffic at an intersection. …
My 2021 jeep Compass transmission and front camera has been causing me problems. My car for months has been jumping out of gear and jerking forward. The jerk get to a point where it feels as if someone just hit me from behind. These jerks almost caused me to get into about 3 accidents where I almost hit the person in front of me. In addition one time when I was at a red light and switched from brakes to gas as I was in drive my car did not go forward but reversed instead. My car has been in the shop for over 150 days with 7 different service orders. They tried to fix the jerking but was unsuccessful since it would go away for a short period and then get worse each day. Now for the front camera when I first bought the car about brand new I turned on the lane departure warning and a light popped on saying that it was not working. …
My 2021 Jeep Compass Trailhawk has been in very good condition until the ac recently just started to blow hot air. When I took my jeep in for a routine oil/filter, my local auto mechanic said that upon visual inspection the a/c clutch (part of the a/c compressor) was melted and that I would need a whole new a/c compressor assembly, possibly replace the drier, and completely flush the system. I can't believe that for a fairly new car in very good condition this type of problem shows up. I called Jeep and they said that there is no recall on the a/c compressor for my jeep. However, my mechanic that is now working on fixing the issue said he has to wait a few days for the compressor kit parts as it was on backorder, so there must be other similar issues ongoing. I would like to know how I can get reimbursed for a problem that should not be happening with a 2021 Jeep in very good condition? …
While driving my vehicle the parking brake engaged itself and my vehicle stopped suddenly without me engaging the brakes. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they stated it was an issue with the emissions system that caused the vehicle to do an "emergency stop". I paid the amount required by the warranty and they stated they fixed the issue. However, while driving in the freeway (approximately 75 mph), the vehicle began to have the same issue and began to stop while I was driving. My daughter and myself were in the vehicle, during high traffic and we were fortunate not to be hit while driving when this happened. I have contacted the dealership again to have them inspect the vehicle again. I am concerned there is a manufacturing issue that is causing this problem and I am afraid to drive my vehicle especially with my children in the car.
The engine will shut off completely while traveling a a normal rate of speed. The temperature gauge will malfunction and report high temperature (when there is none) and the engine will shut off. It cannot be restarted without putting the car in park and pressing the brake while in the midst of moving traffic. This has happened to me multiple times. At first, turning off the auto stop/start feature would prevent this form happening but turning it off no longer prevents this. This happens randomly and cannot be reproduced manually. It is also extremely dangerous and upsetting when this happens in highway traffic at speed. The Jeep also seems to have a parasitic drain on the battery and both batteries had to be replaced by the dealer. My research shows that there have been alt least 15 similar complaints filed.
Multiple times now at random, car will go from normal temp to overheating on the gauge for a moment. Shuts down in doing so regardless of being driven. Then will instantly think its cooling back down to normal. When it reaches normal it resumes normal driving abilities. While the temp is going up and down on the gauge the center of the cluster tells you "high coolant temperature". No codes or pending codes can be found. Thermostat housing and sensor have been replaced and still occurring at random. Researching online forms, lots of complaints of same issues with no resolve, spending thousands of dollars and trips to dealers and shops to not be resolved. This is a huge safety hazard as you can not move out of the way of others when it happens and occurs both when driving and stopped situations.
For 6months I have a low oil pressure light come on before my oil change is due. Dealer has ran 3 oil consumption test pass/fail/pass the next one will fail as I had to add 2 quarts or oil this week and my oil change isn't due for 2k more miles. There is no leak visible so it must be within the motor. As well as I have already replaced start/stop battery as well as main battery bc if the start/stop and it hasn't been a year and the lights are back on and I can't engage it. The oil issue start before the warranty went out the first time. Now I have no warranty and have to feed the car oil. It is ridiculous. This needs to be a recall. 2018 had a recall for this same oil issue. Now we need it for newer models.
Engine complaints in other Compass years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2021 Jeep Compass?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2021 Jeep Compass, 26% of the model year's 81 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2021 Jeep Compass engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2021 Jeep Compass. 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 2021 Jeep Compass engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles.
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.