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2018 Jeep Compass: jerking or lurching

38 of the 951 complaints about the 2018 Jeep Compass describe jerking or lurching.

owner complaints
38
of this car's complaints
4%
typical mileage
21,831
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 31 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Jerking or lurching by model year

What owners say

Filed Sep 24, 2026 · Acceleration, Electrical · OH

Aux battery failed; start/stop, stopped at a red light car shut off in start/stop mode, when I went to drive my car went into limp mode and emergency break engaged and every single light on my dash came on. I had to turn car off in the intersection. Once I turned the car back on every light came back on and when I shifted it into drive the transmission slammed so hard it jerked the entire car. This has issue started around 60,000 miles. I have 131,000miles now. Being broke down in the middle of an intersection is extremely dangerous especially with a new born in the car and it reoccurs every couple of months. Also wheel speed sensor has frequently loosen since 60,000 miles. This caused every light to come on the dash and car go into limp mode. It happened the first time on the highway going 70mph. The car lost drivetrain we almost lost control. It’s has not been inspected by a “certified tech” but a backyard tech has. No accidents have been caused. Also oil leaks where the dipstick meets the block and has since I purchased the car at 34,000 miles. I’ve spent well over $1000 in main batteries and auxiliary batteries since 2020 (year of purchase) to fix the stalling issues each time they occur. If I don’t catch the aux battery dying in time it kills my main battery and I have to purchase both just so my car doesn’t stall in the middle of the road and possibly cause a life threatening accident.

Filed Sep 6, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Vehicle 2018 Jeep compass, 2.4 l tiger shark multi-air space safety defect summary, my vehicle is experiencing a severe recurring safety hazard causing unexpected vehicle stall and loss of power while driving at high speeds on the highway while operating normally the vehicle abruptly jerks and immediately forces itself into neutral or defensive lip mode leaving me unable to accelerate and placing me in immediate danger of a high-speed collision concurrently the dashboard displays severe failure messages including service electronic throttle control and service transmission the vehicle is also suffering from the documented 2.4 l tiger shark excessive oil consumption defect burning oil at a rapid pace and shutting down without a low oil warning indicator light additionally the coolant levels behave erratically causing the vehicle to falsely signal overheating and the vehicle has previously dropped six active safety recalls from its public then history without the mechanical defects actually being repaired the manufacturers temporary software patches have failed to resolve the structural engine and powertrain failures. I have also going to attach a screenshot of the six open recalls I found with my specific Vin number from the Kelley Blue Book website last July in 2025. And now searching my VIN number there’s no open recalls and this is very concerning. This has became a huge safety issue with me and I’ve tried reaching out to y’all before and y’all still have not tried to reach out to me, I’m taking it to the dealership this week.

Filed Aug 10, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · MI

My odometer flashes since buying. Bluetooth connection causing screen to glitch and jump between settings. Screen turns blue and back up camera doesn’t work randomly. Overheating issue came out of nowhere. No check engine lights. The jerking is a hazard while driving. The vehicle has been inspected and repaired by multiple shops. All these issues have been hazardous to me and my family.

Filed Mar 23, 2026 · Body, Engine · OH

failing component: Transmission / Powertrain. The transmission is jerking aggressively when shifting into gear. yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. I currently have the vehicle in my possession. How was safety put at risk? The vehicle jerked violently into gear while accelerating from a stopped position at an intersection. The force was strong enough to physically jolt both the driver and passenger. This creates a safety risk due to unpredictable vehicle behavior during acceleration and could lead to loss of control or increased risk of collision. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed? YES – the issue has occurred after the vehicle was returned following transmission replacement. The dealership has attempted multiple transmission replacements, indicating an ongoing unresolved issue. Has the vehicle been inspected by anyone? YES – inspected and repaired multiple times by dealership service department. Transmission has been replaced multiple times, including a failed replacement while still at the dealership. Warning lights or prior symptoms? NO warning lights were present. Prior to the failure, a whining noise was present, which was previously reported to the dealership as a suspected transmission issue. The vehicle was brought to a dealership for a transmission-related issue and has undergone multiple transmission replacements. After the most recent repair, the vehicle was returned with the issue unresolved. On March 22, 2026, while accelerating from a stopped position at an intersection, the vehicle jerked aggressively into gear. The force was significant enough to physically jolt both the driver and passenger. Despite multiple repair attempts, the transmission is still not operating correctly. This creates a safety concern due to unpredictable shifting behavior. Additionally, the dealership drove the vehicle approximately 3,000 miles while in their possession, yet the issue remains unresolved.

Filed Feb 5, 2026 · CT

Hello my truck is having issues stalling, noise like grinding, rattling, or some kind of clunking sounds especially during acceleration. It jerking movement. My car will shift into neutral by itself and sometimes it won't even shift into gear at all when trying to put it into drive.

Filed Apr 27, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · MI

My start/stop system stopped working suddenly and it jerks forward almost stalling as it accelerates and decelerates. The radio glitches and flips between settings at a fast pace. It randomly loses power when accelerating and traction control flashes on dashboard. The check engine light came on for a few days then went off.

Filed Feb 26, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · NJ

Transmission hard shift especially when cold. Makes grinding noise when shifting into 3rd. We have not taken it to a dealer cause we bought it used and it’s 62 thousand miles on the car and 60 thousand is supposedly the limit for the warranty. Car has also stalled while making turns to the left or sometimes when driving straight. At highway speeds when I have gone and tried to accelerate more I push the accelerator down and nothing happens. Then all of a sudden the car takes off with a jerk and I have to hit the brakes cause it was not expected. Auto engine shutoff failure light comes on for no reason. Continually get number 4 cylinder misfire check engine warning which disappears after the car is restarted. Consumes oil like nothing I have ever seen always adding oil. Can’t check the transmission fluid level cause manufacturer did not put a dipstick for the transmission so I have to take it to the dealer to see if that is low. Don’t need the cost just for them to tell me it’s fine.

Filed Mar 26, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · NJ

When I drive the car jerks and often speeds up or slows down on its own, it hesitates and sometimes I am afraid some one will hit me from behind

Filed Mar 21, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · NJ

I purchased the vehicle on [XXX] from Mall Chevy in Cherry Hill NJ. From the first day, i was getting an intermittent A! warning for the vehicle start/stop function. The vehicle would feel like it is trying to turn off when not active. Finally on [XXX], it stayed on. The entire time i have been trying to get the dealership to fix it, they refused to look at it. The transmission keeps slipping, jerking forward and back, wants to take off at a stop. They refuse to acknowledge. I finally took it to Performance Dodge in Woodbury NJ, they determined it was a defective IBS( Intelligent battery sensor). Then a BCM issue was determined and 2 wires had insulation exposed, an OHMED was needed as well as HVAC and DTCM updates. It still needs ABS and TCM module work. The vehicle still feels like it wants to shut off, jerks while accelerating and makes a banging sound INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 10, 2024 · Engine · 32,500 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was jerking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence and used an ODB scanner but was unable to retrieve a fault code. The contact started the vehicle and the vehicle drove as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on 3 separate occasions. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,500.

Filed Aug 10, 2023 · Driver assistance, Engine · MI

My car keeps jerking. I’m not over the line. My car keeps sounding like engine is revving or down shifting while I’m driving and I’m doing the same speed limit. I’ve taken it in multiply times for this. I’m told it is normal. I don’t believe it is. My interment panel will not show me anything except safety & assistance or display. When I go to display. I can only go to nav. Repetition. If I click ok. It shows on off ok to select or arrow to left to exit. Those are the only options on that on setting. and the only other setting offered is safety and assistance. The options there are buzzer volume, speed warning, and Hill start assist. Ok to select or left arrow.

Filed Apr 30, 2023 · FL

As I accelerate the car while driving or from a start motion the car occasionally kicks back (jerks), causing me to immediately slow down to avoid the car from not stopping. It has never shut off, but I am concerned that it will while in moving traffic…I have noticed that cars behind me have stopped suddenly when my car jerks….feels like the back wheels are not moving for seconds but enough to cause an accident.

Questions about the 2018 Jeep Compass jerking

Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2018 Jeep Compass?

38 of 951 owner complaints about the 2018 Jeep Compass (4%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2018.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Jeep Compass?

There are 0 recalls and 31 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2018 Jeep Compass

Stalling 280Check engine light 118Oil consumption 116Backup camera 64Start-stop 57Won't start 57Headlights 45Engine failure 38Loss of power 30Overheating 21Warning lights 19Screen failure 18Won't shift 18Power steering loss 15ABS 12Hesitation 12Key fob 12Ball joint 11Harsh shifting 11Misfire 8Adaptive cruise 7Grinding brakes 7Steering lock-up 7Battery drain 6Wipers 6No deployment 5Door locks 5

All model years of the Jeep Compass

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