2015 Jeep Compass Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2015 Jeep Compass most often describe the engine stalling or losing power while driving, frequently with the throttle control and check engine lights coming on, and they often report that dealers could not reproduce or diagnose the problem. A second common theme is the active head restraint on the front seats deploying or breaking apart without an impact. Complaints are spread fairly evenly from low mileage up to well over 100,000 miles, with many in the 40,000-100,000 mile range.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or loses power while driving

   • 54 complaints (48%)
   • median 62,000 mi at 5.0 yrs old (39 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $719 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle shutting off or dropping to limp mode while moving, sometimes at highway speed, with reduced or no accelerator response and the check engine, throttle control, traction control, or stability lights coming on. Owners often say restarting clears the lights temporarily and the problem returns. Several report dealers found no stored codes or could not reproduce the stall, while others had a throttle body, crankshaft sensor, or camshaft sensor replaced. Reported from under 10,000 miles to over 150,000 miles, with many between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles and no consistent weather pattern in the sample.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for any stored diagnostic codes and service history for throttle body, crankshaft, or camshaft sensor replacement. A test drive should include a stretch where the car is asked to accelerate from a stop and at highway speed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My electronic throttle body failed while driving. I noticed the flashing lightning symbol. This made my vehicle rapidly lose power so I had to stop vehicle immediately. I had vehicle towed to rick hendrick Jeep dealership which diagnosed and fixed issue. This was a very expensive repair.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326304, filed 2020-05, 62,000 miles

   “I purchased my Jeep Compass january of 2020. Summer of 2020 my camshaft and crankshaft sensor went out completely shutting down my car, then january of 2021 my camshaft sensor went out again. This time I was driving on the highway and my cars check engine and traction control light switched on at the same time and slowed the speed of my car. I've replaced my camshaft 3 times already this month and I'm still getting the same code of p0365”

   NHTSA complaint #11388830, filed 2021-01, 133,132 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Throttle control light and limp mode

   • 17 complaints (15%)
   • median 67,225 mi at 5.0 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2022

   Owners describe a flashing or steady throttle control warning light followed by the vehicle refusing to exceed about 20 mph or losing power altogether. Some report rough idle, bucking, and intermittent repeats after restart, and a few mention diagnostic codes for throttle position. Complaints describe replacements of the electronic throttle body or throttle sensor, sometimes without a lasting fix. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles, often during highway driving or acceleration.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body or throttle position sensor has been replaced and whether the powertrain control module reprogram described in a service bulletin was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Rough idle, spotty acceleration, remote start cuts out, engine light, ebs light, throttle control light all come on, higher RPM this issue sounds like multiple others that people have had, but there's no recall for my VIN?. The attached description from another person is exactly what is happening to mine. My vehicle has 62500 miles.”

   NHTSA complaint #11281006, filed 2019-11, 62,600 miles

   “Back in june/july 2018 my vehicle would keep bucking while driving and the throttle light and check engine light would come on. I called dealership and they told me not to drive it until it was serviced. The vehicle only had 53,000 miles but was over the warranty and was not covered under the powertrain warranty. I feel this should have been covered. I see a lot of other people are complaining about this. Will this be recalled. It cost me over $500.00 to fix this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11269526, filed 2019-10, 53,000 miles
3. 3
   Seats

   Front head restraint deploys or breaks without impact

   • 18 complaints (16%)
   • median 82,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe the active head restraint on the driver or passenger front seat popping loose or deploying on its own, sometimes while parked and sometimes while driving, with broken plastic clips holding it in place. Owners report the assembly cannot be reset and needs replacement, and that they found similar reports from other owners online. Reported from about 50,000 to over 150,000 miles, both while parked and while driving.

   What to check: Check both front head restraints for looseness, broken clips, or a deployed appearance, and ask whether either has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The headrest on the driver's side seat exploded against my head while I was driving. I took it to the body shop and the mechanic saw that the plastic piece that holds the headrest down broke. Looking at the headrest you can see jagged pieces of plastic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11129861, filed 2018-09, 52,650 miles

   “The right front passenger headrest deployed while car was parked and not in use. The plastic retainer clips are broken and it can not be fixed. This is a safety issues that has been documented repeatedly on Jeep forum so it is a manufacturing problem. Jeep needs to replace this free of charge as it deployed on its own while the car was parked and not in use”

   NHTSA complaint #11318806, filed 2020-03, 87,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light or airbags not deploying

   • 10 complaints (9%)
   • median 39,445 mi at 3.3 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2025

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light coming on intermittently or staying on, sometimes tied to a seat belt sensor, and some report that airbags did not deploy in a front-end collision. Owners describe repeated dealer visits, replacement of an airbag component, and cases where the light returned afterward. Reported from near-new mileage through about 150,000 miles, with several early-life complaints under 5,000 miles.

   What to check: Confirm the airbag warning light goes out after the bulb-check period at startup and ask whether any airbag or seat belt sensor repairs were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We purchased the Jeep Compass on 11/15/14. Within the first week of ownership, the airbag light came on. We returned it to the dealership a total of 5 times between 11/15/14 and 12/12/14. On 12/12, they replaced the airbag. Within another week, the airbag light started coming back on again. We have reported it again and took it back to dealership. They said the last time that there was no one there that knew how to fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10706112, filed 2015-04, 100 miles

   “I was proceeding through a green light. A car coming from my left ran their red light at full speed (approx. 30 MPH) and crashed into my car. My entire front end was damaged. It was pushed in at least 10-12 according to the responding fire department & emt's my airbag should have absolutely gone off and it did not. I was transported to the hospital for neck pain. Luckily nothing is broken but I have severe neck, back, and head pain almost a full week later. I am starting physical therapy next week.”

   NHTSA complaint #10712623, filed 2015-04, 4,950 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   No-start or battery and electrical faults

   • 28 complaints (25%)
   • median 66,700 mi at 4.1 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle not cranking with a dark dashboard, then starting normally after a wait, and in some cases complete power loss that required a jump start. Complaints also mention batteries and charging warnings, wiring harness problems, and a dealer replacing the computer module in one early case. Reported from very low mileage up to about 150,000 miles, with several cases in the 50,000-100,000 mile range.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about battery age and any charging or no-start history, and confirm whether the intelligent battery sensor service procedure in a bulletin has been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car has shut off multiple times while driving on the road. I have had the transmission flushed, replaced the battery, had the throttle sensor control replaced, had the crankshift replaced, and the catalytic converter replaced. I took the car to the Jeep dealer and even after replacing the catalytic converter the car still shuts off, and they cannot tell me why. The dealer stated that no codes are coming up so they cannot identify the issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11344066, filed 2020-08, 97,400 miles

   “I seen on the internet there was a recall on my Jeep make and model for catalytic converter problems...I just had to spend a little over $4,000 in repairs because my vehicle caught on fire. When I got it to my insurance they couldn't find anything wrong but wouldn't start. When I took to garage they found that both my catalytic converters had disintegrated from the inside out and I had to replace both among other things. Is there any way I can get compensated? …”

   NHTSA complaint #11407166, filed 2021-04, 167,592 miles

Buying note. Check the service history for throttle body, sensor, and battery work, and drive the car at highway speed before buying to see how it accelerates and whether any warning lights appear. Have a mechanic scan for stored codes and inspect the front head restraints, since several complaints involve faults that do not always leave an obvious symptom.

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.