2011 Jeep Compass Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2011 Compass most often describe stalling and transmission trouble — engines shutting off while driving, transmissions that won't engage or slip at speed — many of them reported in the first few thousand miles. A second cluster centers on severe corrosion of the front and rear subframe, which owners usually find at state inspection, alignment or routine service, most often past 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Rusted subframe / cradle (front and rear)

   • 41 complaints (22%)
   • median 129,500 mi at 9.1 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Complaints describe the front or rear subframe and cradle rusting through, sometimes with holes or snapped sections, found at state inspection, alignment or routine service. Owners report shaking, wheel wobble, banging over bumps, difficulty steering or the rear end stepping out. Mechanics told several owners the vehicle was not safe to drive until the subframe was replaced; some owners say repairs or related parts were quoted at their own cost. Found mostly between roughly 100,000 and 150,000 miles, often on vehicles used in winter-road states.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look under the front and rear with a light and probe the subframe and cradle for flaking rust or holes before buying, especially on a vehicle from a salt-belt state. Ask whether the subframe has been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I got a recall for a rusted sub frame, front and back in which one has a hole from rust. I take it to courtesys in altoona, pa. The guy earnie tellsme there will be parts surrounding the subframe not included with the recall that must be paid for out of pocket. I think everything to fix my car should be covered. They saw a woman coming! Pisses me off to no end.”

   NHTSA complaint #11344269, filed 2020-08, 77,000 miles

   “My wife and I noticed alot of hard banging in the rear and front of vehicle , at the speed of idling out of our parking. Crossing any rail service no matter how new and we'll built the loud bangs in the front and rear are there at even the slowest of speeds. I have crawled around under our Jeep best I can , the front member and rear are beyond rotted, I can only get pictures of the rear damage but the front is horrible also..”

   NHTSA complaint #11404142, filed 2021-03, 121,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine stalls and shuts off while driving

   • 26 complaints (14%)
   • median 63,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • filed 2011–2024

   Complaints describe the engine quitting with little or no warning — at a traffic light, during a slow turn, after refueling, or at highway speed. Steering and power assist go heavy once the engine stops, and owners say restarting usually brings it back until it happens again. Dealers reportedly diagnosed crank or cam sensors, throttle body, catalytic converter, or could not reproduce the fault; several owners report the stall returning after repairs. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 130,000 miles, often at low speed in turns, after refueling, or on cold days.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: On a test drive, do a couple of full stops and slow turns and try a restart after refueling. Ask for any stored codes and whether the PCM/throttle-body bulletins were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving down the road on route 73 in cinnaminson nj at 930 pm with my 15 year old daughter. All of a sudden, without warning - the engine shut off and my car had zero power. The power steering was locked up and we almost got rear ended by a huge truck. It was terrifying. I called road side assistance and had to wait in a dark car with no heat. This is horrible”

   NHTSA complaint #11400069, filed 2021-03, 100,000 miles

   “I left work from downtown pittsburgh at 4:15 pm, and while crossing outbound on the vetrans bridge, my Jeep turned itself off. The steering became extremely tough, and I was barely able to get to the side of the road. I turned off the Jeep, turned it back on, and thankfully it started again. If traffic was moving faster, like it usually does, I would have caused a wreck.”

   NHTSA complaint #10485803, filed 2012-11, 16,080 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slips, jolts or stops driving

   • 35 complaints (19%)
   • median 75,900 mi at 5.9 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • filed 2011–2026

   Complaints describe the transmission revving without pulling, jerking or surging, whining, refusing to move after a stop, or losing drive at highway speed. Some owners had a transmission or torque converter replaced, occasionally more than once, and problems returned; others were told the fluid overheated or that no fault could be found. Cold starts sometimes bring a shudder before the vehicle drives normally. Range from under 1,000 miles to above 150,000 miles; several reports mention cold weather or long highway runs.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive it cold and warm, including a long highway stretch and a hill start, and watch for slipping or delayed engagement. Ask whether the transmission has been replaced or reprogrammed and request service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While I was driving to work, the car started to feel like it was going over a speed bump, it was pushing forward but just enough for me to get out of the road into a gas station. When I finally stopped, I turned the car off and back on. It would start but would not move. Took it to a transmission shop and that what they said is the problem. I only have about 160k miles and should not have to replace my transmission so soon!”

   NHTSA complaint #11301055, filed 2020-01, 160,000 miles

   “I was driving the car in the freeway about 70mph . Out of no where car can not be accelerated and lost all power. I was lucky that traffic was not bad otherwise I would have got other and myself hurt. Call Jeep customer service and they advised me to pull over and put the car in neutral for 15-20 minutes to let the transmission cool off and to try it again. To my surprised it work. However about an hour later same thing happen. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11121017, filed 2018-08, 105 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Wipers, lights and electrical faults (TIPM)

   • 13 complaints (7%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2020

   Complaints describe the Totally Integrated Power Module failing — wipers stopping mid-swipe in rain, headlights and dash lights flickering or quitting, the vehicle not starting, and power loss. Owners say a replacement module is the usual fix and costs around a thousand dollars or more. Some mention wipers quitting when turning or signaling. Reported mostly between about 50,000 and 105,000 miles, plus a few near-new examples.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the wipers in every mode, all exterior and interior lights, and shut off/restart a few times. Ask whether the TIPM has ever been replaced or repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Have been experiencing electrical issues, headlights not working, interior lights work and then dont, dashboard lights work and then dont. Had engine light come on but when I tightened gas cap it went off. Staring having really hard time upon acceleration, felt like the enging was working really hard and then engine light came on. Took it to my mechanic who said he was sure it was tipm and was trying to see if he could fix it withtout total replacement. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11180219, filed 2019-02, 72,000 miles

   “On 8/20/2014, my windshield wipers stopped working after a couple miles driving in a downpour. I feared for my safety and the safety of other vehicles on the highway from the point the windshield wipers froze vertically in my field of vision until I could pull over to safety. From that day on, my windshield wipers were inconsistent and they would work about every other time I started my 2011 Jeep Compass. Sometimes they would work when I started my car, but quit sometime during my commute. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10631886, filed 2014-09, 52,000 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light / airbags did not deploy

   • 13 complaints (7%)
   • median 49,215 mi at 6.1 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2020

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light staying on for long periods without a clear cause, and side or frontal airbags not deploying in collisions. Some owners link the light to the recall notices and had trouble getting the parts; a few said the horn in the same area also stopped working. Reported from under 5,000 miles on up, with several cases tied to recall paperwork rather than mileage.

   Recall 16V668000Recall 13V233000

   What to check: Turn the key and confirm the airbag light goes out after the self-test, and ask the seller for proof that recalls 16V668000 and 13V233000 were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Involved in side impact vehicle collision on passenger side of my 2011 Jeep Compass. Side air curtain did not deploy resulting in my wife being knocked unconscious and suffering a concussion from hitting the passenger door glass. Impact was to her door and should have set off the air bag system and avoided her injury.”

   NHTSA complaint #10439201, filed 2011-12, 4,000 miles

   “For over two years my air bag light has been on. I tried to located the a possinle fuse but found the fuse box was mislabled on the diagram. Check you tube and diagram in manual did not match. So I lived with the issue because for inspection it did not affect emmissions. Now thar I am passing the vehical to my daughter I found there was a recall on the airbag and seatbelt along with a steering nut to check. I want the vwhicle to be safe for her. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11354661, filed 2020-09, 120,000 miles

Buying note. Ask for recall completion paperwork, then check the subframe for rust and drive the car enough to test for stalling and transmission slip before committing. Service records showing transmission and electrical work are worth reviewing closely.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.