Model Year Index

Which Jeep Compass years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2018, 2019 and 2017 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Jeep Compass Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2018 vs model median 8.3×
Model median3× median
Engine 326
Electrical 184
Drivetrain 103
Avoid

2018 · 2019

Best

2010 · 2013

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The 2018 Compass records 988 complaints at 8.3 times the model’s own median — the eighth-highest multiple among the 2,142 model years scored on this site, and roughly nine times what the 2015 car attracted.

Engine leads it at 326 reports, a third of everything filed, and electrical follows at 184. The accounts across both describe the same class of event: the vehicle failing to start, starting intermittently, or stalling in traffic without warning. One 2019 filing describes more than thirty stalls. Engine leads 2019 and 2020 as well, so this is not confined to the first year.

2017 opens this generation of the Compass, and the elevated period runs from 2016 through 2020 — five consecutive years at or above the model’s median, with 2018 far above it.

The years either side are genuinely quiet. The 2010 car records 22 complaints across its full window at 0.16 times the median, and 2012, 2013 and 2015 all sit under 0.55. The 2021 car returns to that range at 106 complaints, with electrical leading but at a fifth of the 2018 volume.

Between the 2010 car and the 2018 one the annual complaint count moves from 22 to 988, which is the widest spread of any model year pair in this file.

Reviewed Claude, 11 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.16× 22 A
2011
0.66× 79 B
2012
0.42× 62 B
2013
0.47× 60 B
2014
1.82× 265 D
2015
0.53× 54 B
2016
1.72× 199 D
2017
1.99× 266 D
2018
8.34× 988 F
2019
3.01× 333 F
2020
1.25× 172 C
2021
0.75× 106 B
2022 P
2.56× 390 F
2023 P
0.50× 76 B
2024 P
0.77× 110 B
2025 P
0.32× 43 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 F 988 reports · median 19,500 mi

  1. Engine 326

    My fuel efficiency (MPG) is very poor my vehicle, I have 9.4 MPG power loss and the mpg's shown in the official manufacturing web page is epa est. MPG 22 city/30 hwy. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 184

    I had my vehicle diagnosed due to interior lights do not dim at night leaving the jeep very bright and dangerous. I have called jeep and they refuse to fix the issue or give me a solution on what to do! owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 103

    It makes a humming noise and it sounds like when you are slowing down it's almost like it's shifting down. Been doing since I picked it up from the dealer on 01/19/2018. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

35 crash · 9 fire · 22 injuries

2019 F 333 reports · median 6,673 mi

  1. Engine 98

    This is a rand new vehicle with less than 100 miles. Intermittent starting. Will not start consistantly. Known problem with the vehicle, needs a software upgrade but still do not have one. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 84

    The contact owns a 2019 jeep compass. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled more than 35 times without warning. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 28

    Leased a brand new car on 3/23/19. The same day the car made weird noises, informed dealership brought it back 2 days later and I was informed after not having the car for almost 3 weeks that the entire brake system… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

18 crash · 3 fire · 4 injuries

The best year for the Compass

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2010 is the best-scoring Compass model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 91 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2010 0.16× 22 A
2013 0.47× 60 B
2021 0.75× 106 B

Recalls

22 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
16V668000 SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER 2010–2014 1,435,625
24V436000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2022, 2023 1,033,433
20V208000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES 2019, 2020 425,599
13V233000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2010–2012 254,396
23V576000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2022, 2023 181,999
18V523000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER 2018, 2019 154,335
17V824000 EQUIPMENT 2017 61,791
15V878000 STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS 2015 60,140
16V907000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 2016 42,231
17V732000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2018 27,210
17V740000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2017, 2018 25,823
13V120000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2012 20,799

+ 10 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 19,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Jeep Compass years should you avoid?
2018, 2019, 2017 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Jeep Compass model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Jeep Compass?
2010 is the best-scoring Jeep Compass model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 91 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Jeep Compass have?
22 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Jeep Compass model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2018 Compass
Complaints in window
988
Severity-weighted
1,865
Model median (weighted)
224
vs model median
8.34×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
6
Open investigations
0
Score 10 F