2016 Jeep Compass

Above average

Owners filed 293 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 1 time.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
55,000 milesMedian miles at failure

181 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 60,00075,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine100
020
Electrical System35
000
Unknown or Other24
000
Engine and Engine Cooling24
000
Power Train22
000
Electronic Stability Control (esc)14
000
Air Bags13
408
Seat Belts10
101
Vehicle Speed Control9
000
Service Brakes8
201

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine16V907000
Filed Dec 16, 201642,231 vehiclesChrysler (fca Us Llc)

Defect. Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2016 Dodge Journey, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot vehicles manufactured May 9, 2016, to July 15, 2016. The crankshaft or camshaft sensor may only work intermittently, causing the engine to stall.

Risk. If the engine stalls, there is an increased the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft or camshaft sensor connector, free of charge. The recall began February 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S89.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Aug 31, 202679,000 milesWY

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The failure was a recurring failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed from the scene. The dealer was contacted, and the camshaft sensor was updated; however, several weeks later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Engine
Filed Aug 16, 2026MD

Component: Engine / Electrical System / Power Train VIN [XXX] Description of Safety Defect: The vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of engine power and completely shut off while traveling at highway speeds. This total engine failure disabled the vehicle on an active highway, forcing an emergency maneuver to reach the shoulder. This incident occurred less than four months after an authorized manufacturer dealership charged over $3,400 to repair the engine's air-induction vacuum and fuel systems. The sudden stalling on a high-speed roadway directly endangered the driver and a [XXX] passenger who were left stranded on the highway shoulder in extreme weather conditions. The vehicle was completely inoperable and required an emergency flatbed tow from the highway back to the repair facility. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Seats
Filed Aug 12, 2026FL

Spontaneous deployment of passengers headrest . A safety system defect causing passengers concerned discomfort ! Plastic mechanism failure CANNOT be repaired. Headrest must be replaced by Jeep covered regarding the safety & security of their customers. Headrest deployed problem encountered has been reported in many Jeeps. FCA US LLC due to safety should correct the problem , at no charge , even if the vehicle is out of warranty and are not the original owner…. Please contact me aSAP THANK YOU.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jul 31, 202659,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate, shuddered, and the air conditioner was inoperative, and the vehicle coasted before coming to a complete stop. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle returned to normal operation. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact researched and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was suggested that the contact should take the vehicle to a dealer and that the crank shaft position sensor wiring connector or sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the crankshaft position sensor wiring connector or sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 21, 2026IN

Since purchasing this vehicle in 2022 the crankshaft position sensor has been replaced 4 times (twice by the dealer in 2022, once in 2023 and once in 2024) and now it is dying while driving once again with the check engine light indicating that it is once again the crankshaft position sensor

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jul 17, 2026100,000 milesOH

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for approximately 20 minutes before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The contact stated that at the residence, the vehicle remained running but failed to operate properly. No warning light was illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); as a possible cause for the failure; however, the vehicle was repaired, but the failure occurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Electrical System
Filed Jul 16, 2026CA

Car stalls turns off by itself could be at red lights or even while driving twice already!! Needs to be recalled as well and repaired pls repairs cost thousands!!! Not safe!! I have owned it for 4-5 years and it has happened maybe 7-8 times but most recently this week twice!!

Engine
Filed Jul 8, 2026FL

The crankshaft position sensor is throwing a code , and the car want turn over .

Seat Belts
Filed Jun 27, 2026NY

The seatbelts in the drivers and passenger sides are disconnecting without pressing the release button

Suspension
Filed Jun 23, 2026NJ

Brake caliphers went bad 2 days after I purchased, now a heavy humming sound that I literally feel vibration in my seat, loud weird noise when making sharp turns, turning the wheel while in park grinding noise, loud rumbling when air conditioner is on, jerking forward when press on gas. This car is horrible

Electrical System
Filed Jun 4, 2026OH

The reason for the recall on this make and model is what I'm experiencing now. The whole car will shutdown power while driving with no warnings. In traffic the car will just roll to a stop with cars closely behind me. I bought the call September 2016 yet I just saw a recall when I signed up for triple a. The last 12 months I have been on n and out of shops trying to find the reason. Starter was fixed. Battery replaced. Cables replaced. Throttle body replaced yet the car still shutdown in traffic. I don't want to cause an accident.

Electrical System
Filed May 12, 2026VA

Relay box underneath drivers side headlight prone to corrosion, causes jeeps from this era to stall and die randomly.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Apr 9, 2026IL

Electrical components failed car shut down while driving and put me and my daughters at risk I had to have a part with the lightning bolt that come on the dash replaced but that's all the inspection there was no warning only flashing engine light and it shut down it first happened June 2025 and has happened 3 times since. Also the cruise control when set will accelerate on its own and I have to hit the button multiple times and the brake to get it to stop and shut off.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 24, 2026CO

While driving at any time, the speedometer will instantly drop and the car feels like it's about to shut itself off. After a diagnostic with a mechanic, they stated this was the crankshaft issue; similar to a recall for other 2016 jeep compass. My vin is not currently associated with this recall notice, however based on these safety defects, it seems it should be considered under the recall

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 15, 2026CA

The crankshaft sensor has failed.

Engine
Filed Mar 6, 2026CA

Continuously stalls out regardless of speed it has stalled on the highway, in the middle of intersections losing power steering. sometimes restarts right away, sometimes not. leaving me stranded in in the middle of highway/intersections sometimes in very dangerous places. It has had a recall repaired in 2017 before I owned the vehicle however it has had the exact same issues as the recall since I’ve bought it. I’ve spent the past few years trying to look up recalls and communicate with the dealership with zero luck at all. I’ve been told time and time again that it has already been repaired and the 2 years warranty is has expired since. (expired before I even bought the car) Yet the car clearly has has not been properly fixed for the same issues to keep happening. Because lack of help to resolve this issue I have paid out of pocket to have these issues repaired. However again the same issues keep happening leaving me and my family in very dangerous positions time and time again at the mercy of other drivers paying attention. What am I to do? I Cannot afford to keep replacing something that isn’t fixing the problem and leaving us in dangerous positions. Check engine light comes on after the car stalls but goes away after a little bit of driving.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 3, 2026OR

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted. The driver waited for several minutes before attempting to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Midas, where it was diagnosed with a CAM shaft sensor failure. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. Approximately one year later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to Midas. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor connector, CAM shaft sensor, crank shaft, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor was the only part available. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor connector, crank shaft, and the wiring harness were not available and were on back order. The CAM shaft sensor was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Engine
Filed Feb 25, 2026IN

The engine failed while driving on the expressway putting us in a dangerous spot on the outer lane. It was towed to Etscorn’s in Louisville, KY and we were told despite everything looking ok on the outside, there was an internal engine failure of some kind and it would cost $900 to take it apart just to find out. I don’t have that kind of money.

Air Bags
Filed Feb 12, 2026CA

The Airbag light keeps coming on. And I regularly diagnose and service my car by the Jeep dealership and the diagnostic scan shows that everything is good with the car, still the airbag light keeps coming up on the dashboard. This is highly concerning and I'm afraid that it might blow up anytime while in driving. The car also has some transmission issue that is not showing up on the diagnostic scan report. But because of this issue I can't and haven't been driving on the highway for 1 year now. Because everything when I drove the highway, after 20 min of driving the car suddenly slows down and does not move forward even though I press the gas pedal. And this happens while I was driving on the highway, in the middle of the highway. It is very dangerous. I think there is a factory fault with this car. And I'd like to get help with this. Thanks.

Engine
Filed Feb 3, 2026CA

“The vehicle stalls while driving and restarts after cooling down. This matches a crankshaft position sensor failure. This has accrued while driving on the highway. Sounds like the Safety recall S89.

20 of 293 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2018
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20264100Routine
202526010Routine
202452010Routine
202345200Routine
2022222400Above average
202180020Routine
2020139120Routine
2019329220Above average
2018941650Above average
2017228430Above average
2016 — this page293120Above average
2015113120Routine
2014306270Above average
201380150Routine
2012184451Fatalities reported
2011187320Routine
201071230Routine
200944100Routine
200893000Routine
2007259360Above average

Compare every Compass year →

Reading this record

Complaint volume is well above typical for a single model year.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Dec 16, 2016. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.