Jeep Compass Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2018 and 2022 At least twice the 72.5 complaints of a typical Compass year. Most described: stalling.
Best years: 2021 and 2023 Under three quarters of the 72.5 complaints of a typical Compass year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2016 also drew few complaints, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 27 mpg combined, arrived in 2023. Includes the previous-generation Compass, which Jeep sold alongside the new one for 2017.

Compass problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Compass year drew 72.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (41.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (72.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2018 Compass Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	421	951	6
2022 Compass Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	178	226	4
2017 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	96	229	4
2019 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	92	333	2
2014 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	64	308	2
2016 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	53	294	1
2020 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	44	143	1
2023 Compass Best Most described: auto start-stop problems	39	49	2
2012 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	37	184	4
2021 Compass Best Most described: auto start-stop problems	29	82	0
2011 Compass Most described: rust or corrosion	28	188	3
2015 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	16	113	1
2013 Compass Most described: loss of power or limp mode	15	80	1
2010 Compass Most described: stalling or shutting off	9	81	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Compass for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Jeep dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	5
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	0	30
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	0	55
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	2	49	Not rated
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	4	226
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	0	82
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	143
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	2	333
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	6	951
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	229
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	294	Not rated
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	113	Not rated
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	308
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	80
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	4	184	Not rated
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	3	188	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	81	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2018: 951 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Jeep Compass
Model year	Complaints
2010	81
2011	188
2012	184
2013	80
2014	308
2015	113
2016	294
2017	229
2018	951
2019	333
2020	143
2021	82
2022	226
2023	49
2024	55
2025	30
2026	5

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 25 to 27 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2023.

2026: gas 26 mpg

Show as a table

Jeep Compass best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	25
2011	25
2012	25
2013	25
2014	25
2015	25
2016	25
2017	26
2018	26
2019	26
2020	26
2021	25
2022	25
2023	27
2024	27
2025	27
2026	26

Every Compass year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Jeep Compass years should you avoid?

The 2018 and 2022 Compass are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 72.5 owner complaints of a typical Compass year in its first three years. Owners of the 2018 most often describe stalling. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Jeep dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Jeep Compass years?

The 2021 and 2023 Compass are the best years: they drew 29 and 39 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 72.5 complaints of a typical Compass year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2016 also drew few complaints, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Jeep Compass years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2018 (421) drew the most, then the 2022 (178). Owners of the 2018 most often describe stalling or shutting off.

Which Jeep Compass years have the most recalls?

The 2018 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (6), then the 2022 (4). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Jeep Compass problems?

In the 3,351 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (918 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2018, and 2019); loss of power or limp mode (234 complaints); and auto start-stop problems (231 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Jeep Compass year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 27 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.