2018 Jeep Compass: What to check before buying

Sudden shutdowns while driving lead these reports. A "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon" warning appears, then the engine quits and power steering goes with it, sometimes at highway speed. Batteries go dead again and again, and owners replace the auxiliary battery more than once. The touchscreen goes black, which also takes out the backup camera, often around 40,000 miles. Other reports describe flickering dash displays, key fobs that go undetected, and headlights that work only sometimes. Three reports involve fire, including smoke from under the hood after a jump start.

Heavy oil use is the core problem. Owners add a quart every 500 to 2,000 miles, and some find the engine nearly dry before the next scheduled change. When oil runs low, the engine shuts off while driving, a low oil pressure warning flashes as it dies, and the parking brake may engage on its own. Many reports start within the first few thousand miles. Dealers often find no leaks and order oil consumption tests, and some engines get replaced. Two crash reports describe the car shutting down and then lurching or accelerating at low speed.

Service Transmission and check engine lights come on, and the car slows, stalls, or refuses to go above 30 or 40 mph. Several owners report code P1DD2, the shifter changing gears on its own, and messages saying it cannot shift while moving. In some cases the transmission warnings clear once low engine oil is topped off. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault. Six reports involve crashes, including a car that drove forward when put in reverse and a steering failure at 65 mph that led to a total loss.

Headlights fail at random. Sometimes only the driver side works, sometimes only the passenger side, and sometimes neither, often while driving at night with no dash warning. Many reports involve the Bi-Xenon (HID) lamps. Owners and dealers replace bulbs, relays, ballasts, fuses, switches, and whole headlamp assemblies, often without a lasting fix, and dealers frequently cannot reproduce the fault. Reported failures range from about 15,000 to 56,426 miles. One owner reports a central display too bright to use at night that cannot be dimmed.

Most steering complaints describe the wheel going heavy or locking after the engine stalls. The car loses power steering and acceleration at highway speeds, in intersections, and at stoplights, and several owners link the stalls to low oil. Some reports pair the stalls with dash lights flashing or a false high-temperature warning. One crash report describes the car pulling right without warning at about 20 mph. Another owner reports a clunk from the steering gear rack at 61,000 miles, and a third describes ABS and steering warning lights that come back after a sensor replacement.

Front suspension parts wear out early. Sway bar links break, sometimes more than once, and are replaced at around 25,000 to 35,000 miles. Struts clunk or fail between 10,000 and 20,000 miles, and lower control arms and bushings rattle over bumps and potholes. Owners hear rattling and clunking that gets worse over time, and some are told their VIN is not covered by a recall. Three reports involve crashes, including a snapped tie rod and a broken front suspension component.

The electronic parking brake engages by itself, usually while pulling away from a stop or at low speed, and the car stalls in traffic. Recovery can take several minutes of cycling the brake switch. Other reports describe the car braking hard on its own, including a drop from 73 mph to about 45 mph on cruise control. Separate complaints cover pulsing and shaking from warped rotors, grinding brakes, and a crash in which the brake pedal did not respond at about 45 mph. Dealers often find no fault codes.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes. Reports describe a rear-end collision at about 50 mph, a driver-side impact at about 40 mph, and a deer strike with no deployment, plus one case where airbags fired only after a rollover. Seven of the 15 reports involve crashes. Separately, the airbag warning light keeps coming on even after dealers replace the wiring harness and occupant restraint controller, and one dealer quoted $5,000 for a harness. Other owners describe long waits for a passenger airbag module repair, with dealers saying parts are not available.