2020 Jeep COMPASS

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Jeep COMPASS has 248 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (33% of all complaints), specifically: purchased a 2020 compass on may 28th, 2020 within the first week it shut down or stalled completely at a stop street, had to put the car in park and hit the restart button. i was not sure if this had something to do with the auto stop/start so i switched this function off and in the following weeks . ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 3 crash reports

248

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

82 complaints

33%

• PURCHASED A 2020 COMPASS ON MAY 28TH, 2020 WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK IT SHUT DOWN OR STALLED COMPLETELY AT A STOP STREET, HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND HIT THE RESTART BUTTON. I WAS NOT SURE IF THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AUTO STOP/START SO I SWITCHED THIS FUNCTION OFF AND IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS
• TWICE NOW, THE VEHICLE HAS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME HAPPENED AT A RED LIGHT. THIS VEHICLE HAS AUTOMATIC ENGINE SHUT OFF WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE BRAKE, BUT WHEN YOU RELEASE THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO COME BACK ON. WHEN I WAS AT THE RED LIGHT, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHUT O
• VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“PURCHASED A 2020 COMPASS ON MAY 28TH, 2020 WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK IT SHUT DOWN OR STALLED COMPLETELY AT A STOP STREET, HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND HIT THE RESTART BUTTON. I WAS NOT SURE IF THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AUTO STOP/START SO I SWITCHED THIS FUNCTION OFF AND IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

62 complaints

25%

• VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES
• DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, IN NEIGHBORHOODS, INTERSTATE, ETC - RANDOM TIMES THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WILL OVERHEAT UP TO 295 DEGREES, AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL ENGINE WISE. ALL POWER IS LOST TO THE GAS PEDAL AND I'M NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE. SOMETIMES THE ELECTRICAL WILL SHUTTER, LIGHTS WILL DIM. ANO
• MY CAMERAS QUIT WORKING FIRST. 2ND TIME IN THE SHOP, DUE TO STALLING WHEN DRIVING. 3RD TIME LOOSING POWER/STALLING WHILE DRIVING. LOOSING ALL POWER TO CENTER CONSOLE. RADIO, HEAT, PHONE WOULDN'T CONNECT, SCREEN WASN'T WORKING. NOTHING. CAME.BACK ON WHEN DRIVING.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

30 complaints

12%

• VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES
• 8/30/2022 Started the vehicle in the drive way foot still engaged on break and the vehicle accelerated forward with my foot on break and damaged my home and vehicle. 8/28/22 Emergency Break engaged on its own and we couldn’t move the vehicle it was turned off and restarted. 8/27/22 vehicle informati
• Vehicle started indicating High Coolant temperature then engine would shut down. It would restart after shut off. Radio would fade in an out . While vehicle was in motion the engine should shut down and had to pull over and restart the vehicle. This happened on several occasions before the vehicl

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

25 complaints

10%

• I WAS FILLING UP MY GAS TANK, THE AUTOMATIC STOP ON THE GAS PUMP NEVER SHUT OFF. GAS BEGAN SPILLING OUT OF MY CAR ONTO THE GROUND. I PLACED THE GAS PUMP BACK AND ATTEMPT ED TO START MY CAR, MY CAR STARTED BUT SHUT OFF RIGHT AFTER SIGNALING MY OIL WAS LOW. I JUST GOT MY OIL CHANGED A WEEK BEFORE. MY
• The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that her son was driving at undisclosed speeds when he arrived at his destination turn into a parking lot. Placed the gear actuator in park, within second a warning indicated that the vehicle was not in park however, the contact stated that th
• Vehicle jolts back and forwards while shifting while driving

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“I WAS FILLING UP MY GAS TANK, THE AUTOMATIC STOP ON THE GAS PUMP NEVER SHUT OFF. GAS BEGAN SPILLING OUT OF MY CAR ONTO THE GROUND. I PLACED THE GAS PUMP BACK AND ATTEMPT ED TO START MY CAR, MY CAR STARTED BUT SHUT OFF RIGHT AFTER SIGNALING MY OIL WAS LOW. I JUST GOT MY OIL CHANGED A WEEK BEFORE. MY ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

9 complaints

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 JEEP COMPASS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FAILED FUNCTION AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEED WAS NOT REDUCED NEITHER WAS THERE A WARNING OF STOPPED VEHICLES AHEAD. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ST
• WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH WITH NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME THE CAR STARTED DINGING AND THE WORD BRAKE! CAME UP ON THE DASH - AGAIN, NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I PUSHED THE BRAKE AND IT WENT AWAY - TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE FRONT CAMERA WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT. ABOUT A WEEK LATE
• WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH WITH NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME THE CAR STARTED DINGING AND THE WORD BRAKE! CAME UP ON THE DASH - AGAIN, NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I PUSHED THE BRAKE AND IT WENT AWAY - TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE FRONT CAMERA WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT. ABOUT A WEEK LATE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 JEEP COMPASS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FAILED FUNCTION AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEED WAS NOT REDUCED NEITHER WAS THERE A WARNING OF STOPPED VEHICLES AHEAD. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ST”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 248 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: PURCHASED A 2020 COMPASS ON MAY 28TH, 2020 WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK IT SHUT DOWN OR STALLED COMPLETELY AT A STOP STREET, HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND HIT THE RESTART BUTTON. I WAS NOT SURE IF THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AUTO STOP/START SO I SWITCHED THIS FUNCTION OFF AND IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP AND WHEN I HIT THE GAS TO REACCELERATE AT A GREEN LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF. THE INFOTAINMENT SCREENS REMAINED ON AND THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT KNOB STARTED TO BLINK. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, TURN IT OFF AND RES
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: I WAS FILLING UP MY GAS TANK, THE AUTOMATIC STOP ON THE GAS PUMP NEVER SHUT OFF. GAS BEGAN SPILLING OUT OF MY CAR ONTO THE GROUND. I PLACED THE GAS PUMP BACK AND ATTEMPT ED TO START MY CAR, MY CAR STARTED BUT SHUT OFF RIGHT AFTER SIGNALING MY OIL WAS LOW. I JUST GOT MY OIL CHANGED A WEEK BEFORE. MY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)