2016 Jeep Compass

Typical pattern

2.6% of complaints about the 2016 Jeep Compass came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2016 vehicle — around the middle of the 199 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (135 complaints), typically at 4.8 yr or about 55,000 miles.

Complaints: 460
Median age at failure: 5.1 yr
Median mileage: 55,000 n=268
Crash / fire / tow: 7.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

135 reports · 55,000 mi

4.8 yr

4.4%

Electrical system

62 reports · 57,000 mi

5.1 yr

3.2%

Other

47 reports · 64,505 mi

4.7 yr

2.1%

Power train

44 reports · 58,000 mi

5.3 yr

2.3%

Speed control

30 reports · 53,675 mi

5.9 yr

6.7%

Engine cooling

25 reports · 79,000 mi

8.1 yr

20%

Steering

16 reports · 55,213 mi

5.3 yr

Fuel / propulsion

16 reports · 55,213 mi

5.4 yr

Electronic stability control (esc)

15 reports · 51,000 mi

3.8 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

16V907000 2016-12-16

Engine and engine cooling:engine

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2016 Dodge Journey, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot vehicles manufactured May 9, 2016, to July 15, 2016. The crankshaft or camshaft sensor may only work intermittently, causing the engine to stall.

If the engine stalls, there is an increased the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Steering mileage not reported 4 mo in service

WHILE AT MILOSCH PALACE CHRYSLER JEEP DEALERSHIP IN LAKE ORION I NOTICED THE POWER STEERING RETURN HOSE WAS CONTACTING THE FRONT SUSPENSION SWAY BAR AT STATIONARY CURB CONDITION. THIS IS A DESIGN VIOLATION WHICH I TOLD FCA ABOUT WHEN I WORKED THERE IN 2014. THE ISSUE HAS EXISTED NOW FROM JULY OF 2014 UNTIL NOW. THE HOSE CAN WEAR A HOLE IN IT DUE TO A 2 INCH RUBBING INTERFERENCE WITH SUSPENSION MOVEMENT AND THE VEHICLE WILL LOSE STEERING ASSIST AND POWER STEERING FLUID CAN SPRAY IN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSING A FIRE.

Steering 37,800 mi 3.5 yr in service

MY CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AND CAUSED MY WHEEL TO LOCK UP. MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE UNTIL I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON

Steering 51,000 mi 4.3 yr in service

2016 JEEP COMPASS WITH 51K MILES. I TOOK IT IN FOR A TIRE ROTATION AND MY DRIVERS SIDE TIE ROD WAS WARN SO MUCH THAT THEY WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DRIVE IT OUT OF THE SHOP. MY 90K MILE TIRES NEEDED REPLACED AT 30K MILES.

Power train 48,000 mi 2.5 yr in service

MY MECHANIC BELIEVE'S I HAVE A SENSOR ISSUE GOING ON WITH MY TRANSMISSION. IT SEEMS TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AS OTHER CERTAIN MODEL YEARS AS MINE. EVERY DRIVE I TAKE, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS. HE HAS RULED OUT EVERYTHING ELSE, AND ONE OR TWO OF THE SENSORS ARE POINTING TO MY TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME AN ACCIDENT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TIMES. AT THIS POINT I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT.

Other Compass model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.