Jeep Compass
Problems & Worst Years

Stalling is the throughline of the Compass's complaint record. Nearly every model year in the data — 2016 through 2020, then 2022 — features an engine stall complaint in the top five, but 2018 stands well apart from the rest: 682 total complaint occurrences, four safety-severity problems, and a top list packed with "Engine stalling during driving" (136), "Engine oil pressure issues leading to engine stalling" (131), and two separate electrical-system complaints about the vehicle randomly shutting down while in motion (113 and 93 occurrences). That combination of engine and electrical faults converging on the same failure mode — the car simply quitting while underway — makes 2018 the year to approach most carefully.

The years bracketing it tell a gentler version of the same story. In 2016 and 2017, engine stalling and misfiring were already present alongside electrical dashboard malfunctions and, in 2017, a touchscreen delamination complaint. By 2019 and 2020, complaint volume fell to 150 and 101 occurrences with no safety-severity flags at all, though stalling tied to the stop-start system and coolant temperature warning malfunctions persisted at lower levels. The 2022 model year pivots toward electrical dashboard lighting and instrument cluster dimness, plus a forward collision avoidance system malfunction tagged safety-severity.

Recalls track the stalling years closely: 16V907 covers 2016, 17V740 spans 2017-2018, and 18V523/18V524 apply to 2018 and 2019. Only the 2020 model year carries no recall at all.

None of this amounts to a condemnation — these are simply the most-reported issues, and a 2019 or 2020 Compass with a clean service record and confirmed recall completion looks considerably calmer than an early one. Still, remember these figures are self-reported complaints, not a lab-measured defect rate, and a pre-purchase inspection tells you more than the model year does.