10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,918 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Jeep Compass engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Jeep Compass Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #111

Jun 052023

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

UNKNOWN my car has less then 50,000miles on it and it keeps stalling usually it starts right back up but twice it took about 5 minutes to start back up it gets regular oil changes

- Mansfield, OH, USA

problem #110

Sep 172023

Compass

  • miles
The vehicle stalls while driving. Completely shuts down and locks up the steering wheel and causes dangerous circumstances. Also, turns off at times while stopped. Can happen at all speeds.

- West Columbia, SC, USA

problem #109

Jun 102023

Compass

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and failed to exceed 60 MPH. The RPM was fluctuating with the temperature gauge showing that the engine was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer however, a cause for the failure was not found. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Anna, TX, USA

problem #108

Aug 012023

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car is showing symptoms of crankshaft failure. Car is shaking when accelerating, low gas performance, and accelerating is sometimes unresponsive. Other 2016 Jeeps of the same year, make and model have been given a recall for the same problem but this vehicle has not been included in the recall even though it has the same problems.

- Brookfield, IL, USA

problem #107

Jul 062023

Compass

  • miles
I bought my car in Oct 2022 and it ran fantastic until this summer (July 2023) when it shut down while drive. The shop told me it was the crank shaft sensor. FIXED it. But that didn't fix the stalling issue. Had my car towed back in and they ran it, ran a lot of test on it. Finally they let it run for 30mins and found out that when the car heats up, it stalls. They told me this has to do with the sensor/engine/transmission and basically since it's hot outside as the car heats up it sends a message to the engine/transmission to shut down.

- New Castle, DE, USA

problem #106

Jul 172023

Compass

  • miles
The car just shuts off on me while driving. All lights come on on dash and car shuts off and I have to get it off the road stop it and turn it off wait for about three to five mins. Restart it and it turn back on and goes. This happens quite often check engine light came on and has since stayed on. Im in far of driving it because you dont know when its going to happen and could cause a bad wreck. It also does it when im turning a sharp turn it will just shut off! It also when I park my car and I shut it off and take key out its still running and I have to wIt for it to big out and die for it to shut off. I have not taken it to get looked at yet or fixed or nothing I just bought the car less then thirty days ago.

- Tracy, CA, USA

problem #105

Jul 122023

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased the vehicle in dec 2018. The odometer read 40248. I had to replace the alternator 3 times. Last one in 2021. the vehicle would loose power on the road causing a safety hazard. Since I bought the jeep the vehicle would stutter when pressing the gas pedal. 2021 at 100,000 miles Check engine light came on and stalled driving home and had to be pushed out of the lane by police. Diagnosing code said misfiring. Took to a small mechanic and replaced engine. After repair still had the stutter. and a year and a half later stalled on highway. The vehicle code now says misfiring on po302. Parked vehicle for now.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #104

Mar 312023

Compass

  • 124,958 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact then stated that her daughter-??s friend inspected under the hood of the vehicle; however, the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to O-??Reilly-??s where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 124,958.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #103

Jan 012023

Compass

  • miles
When turning key stalling to start car. Finally car wouldn-??t start and I went to auto services and they said I probably needed a new battery. So I purchased a new battery. Now it-??s about two months later and car is hesitating/stalling to start again as I try crank the car up.

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

problem #102

Mar 082023

Compass

  • miles
While driving, our jeep suddenly turned off. We had to immediately pull over to get out of traffic. When we tried restarting it would act like it wanted to start but the engine would never actually start, & we noticed the ETC dash light was lit. Pulled out the manual, followed the instructions with no luck. My husband got out & opened the hood & noticed a burning smell. That is when we decided to call a tow truck. I had driven the jeep earlier that day to & from work & for an errand after work with no problems & no warning lights. The vehicle is @ the dealership now, but since we didn't have an appointment I've been told it may take up to 3 weeks before they can get to it.

- West Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #101

Feb 132023

Compass

  • 107,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact's wife owns 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the vehicle experienced a lost of power steering assist. The contact stated he self inspected the vehicle and code P0339 (Crank Shaft A Sensor) was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where they diagnosed the vehicle as as crank shaft sensor failure. The mechanic referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #100

Dec 292022

Compass 4-cyl

  • miles
Yesterday I had the Crankshaft Position Sensor replaced because of the ongoing stalling while idle and stalling while in motion issues. Today it has stalled 5 times while in motion on surface streets and the highways going over 40 mph and twice in a parking when sitting idle or initial startup. For the times when in motion and it stalled I was able to get off the road and avoid any collisions. This is unsafe, the truck must sit for an unknown period of time before it will restart. I am currently sitting on the freeway with hazards until it restarts. I spoke with Chrysler recall and they say there is nothing wrong with the truck and the information online showing multiple 2016 Jeep Compass stalling issues doesn-€™t mean anything because it-€™s not in the Jeep database. In the past when it stalls the check engine light normally does not come on. In my research it shows other owners being told the dealer cans dx anything because no errors. We are supposed to just drive these death traps until one of us dies before Chrysler will do anything. I am not financially able to go to a dealer and pay for diagnostics and repairs. As it stand I paid over $400 yesterday for that one part to be replaced. When will Chrysler be held accountable for these safety issues related to driving a vehicle that stalls and loses power while in motion. Then will not restart for an unknown amount of time. Why do we have to possibly pay with our lives. If this truck actually held value l could trade it in. But I can-€™t it-€™s worth 5k on kbb and the note is at 17k. In a previous complaint I got the mileage wrong and stated 116k.

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

problem #99

Dec 272022

Compass

  • miles
While driving the vehicle shut down, I lost all steering. It has a history of stalling while driving, stalling while idle, and not restarting for random periods of time. After getting the vehicle restarted it stalled again two more times while driving. I parked in a parking lot for a shopping center. When I cam out after a period of 30-45 minutes - the vehicle will not start and just turns over and over. I used FIXD to determine the camshaft position sensor was listed as a "major" issue - error P0335. I believe this vehicle is unsafe and it is only a matter of time when I will be injured due to the stalling and non-restarting issues. I also believe Chrysler is responsible for this problem. Considering the vast amounts of user evidence online of other owners having the same issues - Chrysler is just waiting for them to age off the road. I purchased the vehicle from Carmax on 6/18/2022 and feel I was sold a lemon. I have made a complaint on this site before. I have called Chrysler and they say there is nothing wrong with my vehicle - it has been repaired and they did their part. Obviously this is not the case for mine and thousands of other owners across the country. Why are we the ones who have to suffer at the negligence of the automaker" Do I have to die or become severely injured for them to take responsibility for their design and manufacturing flaws? Do others have to suffer irreparable damage also? Why won't the government do something about these unsafe vehicle we were sold" It is not enough to say "well there are no active recalls".

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #98

Nov 092022

Compass

  • miles
11/9/2022 2016 jeep compass shaking and shuts off randomly, won't reverse, turning off and on engine fix the issue for a few minutes.

- Van Nuys, CA, USA

problem #97

Oct 162022

Compass

  • miles
Driving on the highway, the check engine light came on as well as the abs, 4wd, and the traction light came on, than the car lost all power, stalled and cut out, try to restart it than it begin to shake very hard.

- Brookyln Park, MD, USA

problem #96

Sep 042022

Compass

  • miles
Vehicle will stall and die while driving for no reason. It happens everyday at least once a day. No check engine light, no warning. It's extremely dangerous to just stop moving in the middle of an intersection. Or on the highway. When I turn the key to try and start it again it gets stuck cranking even when letting go of the key. I have to turn it off to stop the cranking. I've had a mechanic look at it multiple times and they don't know what the fix would be or what is wrong.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #95

Sep 012022

Compass

  • miles
My engine is shutting down, sometimes in the middle of me driving. My car will shut done and I will stop in the middle of merging into traffic. Or waiting at a light my car will shut down. I almost got rear ended today because my car randomly shut down. No warning lights are on. I have looked up information and this exact problem is happening with other 2016 keep compasses. The dealer I contacted just told me that there were no codes that could be read so he couldn-€™t tell me what was wrong. I also took my car to advance for them to check everything and the gentleman there also told me no codes were reading. This has been happening for about a month.

- Fort Belvoir, VA, USA

problem #94

Aug 242022

Compass

  • miles
I have taken my jeep to get the thermostat sensor put in for the second time. This jeep has multiple mechanical issues that i have taken into a mechanic shop for fixing now the check engine light on.jeep came from drive time with these issues since I had the car they need to recall these jeep because it's a safety issue for possible accident.the issues have been a problem since 2020 when I got it and every year from then

- Landers, CA, USA

problem #93

Aug 102022

Compass

  • miles
In May 2020 as I was driving down the road at approximately 50 mph I suddenly lost the ability to accelerate and dropped down to 25 mph immediately. I tried to accelerate, but the vehicle would not go over 25 mph. The check engine, traction control and another light illuminated on the dash. I pulled the vehicle over and shut it off. I waited approximately 5 minutes and restarted the vehicle. All of the lights went off except the check engine light. I started to drive again and it appeared that I had function back with the accelerator. This happened again several days earlier. It seemed to happen most when I needed to accelerate to climb a hill or slight incline. This is not safe, especially when in traffic or with traffic behind you. I brought it to my local garage and it was diagnosed with a bad throttle body sensor. The sensor was replaced in May 2020. I have just begun having similar issues again recently. The vehicle seems to hesitate when the accelerator is pressed as though it is not getting enough gas. I brought it is to the garage again, and again it was diagnosed with a bad throttle body sensor. This is not something that should be replaced twice in 2 years?

- Morrisville, VT, USA

problem #92

Dec 012021

Compass

  • miles
Engine would intermittently stall while driving without warning. Some cases the engine would go into limp mode and other cases the engine would completely shut off. Problem occured while driving on city streets as well as driving on highway at highway speeds. Severe risk of collision occurred multiple times to myself and all other vehicles around me. A local repair shop misdiagnosed the problem multiple times as there was no check engine light present. A private mechanic determined that my vehicle needed the Chrysler s89 recall fix. A licensed dealership declined to perform the recall because my vehicle was manufactured in November of 2015. The private mechanic replaced the three electrical terminals that connect to the crank/camshaft sensors which unofficially completed the Chrysler s89 recall fix. Vehicle ran problem free for two weeks with about 300 miles driven before engine stalled again this time with check engine light illuminated as well as an emissions light. Vehicle was towed to a licensed dealership. Licensed dealership found codes C2101 and P2173. Dealership replaced throttle body and a sensor. Between a local repair shop, a private mechanic, a licensed dealership and multiple tow companies I spent over 3,000 dollars (assuming the throttle body failure is a result of the Chrysler s89 recall).

- Blue Springs , MO, USA

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