Check a VIN

2020 Jeep Compass engine complaints

Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 83, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2020 Jeep Compass engine problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 28, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · OH

Coolant temperature warning and sudden engine shutdowns. This has occurred multiple times in 3 months. started when car was at 50K miles. we have been unable to control the vehicle in traffic when this happens. Dealership (Dave Denis jeep-Dayton, Ohio) was unable to find a problem.

Filed Sep 9, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · 97,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the 4WD engaged and disengaged while driving down the road. The contact stated that the brakes locked up while 35 MPH. Additionally, the computer became inoperable. The contact stated that the battery was replaced, but the vehicle failed to charge. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The Service 4WD message was displayed and the Auto START/STOP feature was inoperable. During inclement weather of snow or rain, the 4WD failure was more prevalent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

Filed Aug 27, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · 40,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed driving visibility and prevented the safe operation of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at a slow speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. An unknown warning light was flashing on the gear shift lever. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, there was an abnormal humming sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Filed Jul 28, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · GA

The (A) this automatically temporarily pause the idling of the engine when stopping at a light or stop sign. I’ve noticed that it’ll shut my car off completely as if the battery has died. I’ve been put in scary situations due to heavy traffic. I’ve held up traffic for at least 3-10 minutes. ( my battery is less than 2-3 yrs old). So, for now I’ve started turning that function off upon starting the car before I put it in gear. Any complaints about that anyone know of?

Filed Jul 17, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · MA

Driving down a busy street going about 40MPH and the car spontaneously turned off and completely lost power while I was driving. It was off for less than a minute and when it turned back on the yellow “start/stop function “ dashboard indicator light was on. The car restarted on its own but that light remained on until I got home and turned the car off. When I turned the car back on the light was gone. It has not happened again, I took the car to a local Jeep dealership and they said it might be a battery issue. The car is available for inspection. Nobody was hurt but I am concerned because if this were to occur on the highway it in a location where I was not able to pull over it could cause a serious accident as the car was driving at 40MPH at the time of the incident and then completely lost all power without warning.

Filed Jun 7, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · CT

I was driving down the road going about 40mph. The car stopped abruptly and displayer low coolant warning. Car would not restart. I towed it to a local mechanic who replaced the auxiliary battery. Car has been working and hasn't shut off but warning lights sometimes pop up for a split second. I'm worried it's going to happen again while driving.

Filed Jun 5, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · PA

My car shut off and wouldn’t start it said the asc failed I took it to the dealership they did a diagnostic test said my aux battery level was low need replaced I replaced that my engine light is still on I have to put it on a battery charger everyday so I can go to work then it wouldn’t start at work I needed someone to give me a jump it’s stills said I needed mine esc service and it saying my temperature is too high it only has 58.884 miles on it I wish I never got this jeep I bought it brand new and I had to replace both front tire rod ends I’m beyond upset it also said my car was not in park when it was it wouldnt start I overrided the gear shift but it still wouldn’t start

Filed Jun 3, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · MO

I had to get my engine replaced a year after I got it. The vehicle has an overheating issue. The vehicle oil pressure sensor goes off. The emergency break comes on. I don’t know where the engine light flashes the EI had to get my engine replaced a year after I got it. The vehicle has a overheating issue. The vehicle oil pressure sensor goes off. The emergency brake comes on. I don’t know where the engine light flashes the ECS light come on the cooling and oil mix together out of nowhere

Filed Apr 8, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · GA

The vehicle mostly jerks when in drive mode/accelerating. There is possible oil leakage (slightly for the time being).

Filed Jan 31, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Car won’t start due to Low Coolant error, fluids are fine.

Filed Jan 15, 2025 · Engine · PA

The engine is shutting down in the middle of Driving. While driving and happening at random the vehicle will have a message populate stating coolant temp high. the engine will turn off and turn back on if the vehicle is being driven. IF the vehicle is stopped and this happens the vehicle will shut down with same message car needs to be put in park from the drive mode and restarted. This has happened countless times and Jeep cannot fix the issue nor replicate as it happens randomly. This is a safety concern as it has happened on the highway and just stopped at time while driving. At the same time of this happening the check engine light comes on as well. The car has been to separate dealerships with neither of them being able to replicate the issue.

Filed Dec 17, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · GA

My trancontrol started to run hot,and the vehicle started to jerk when it in motion and My driver shaft went bad and the transfer case assembly went outthe jeep compass is broken down

Filed Nov 22, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · WV

Car had high coolant temperature warning come up on dash and car went into limp mode but then just cleared and continued to drive fine. Recently had auxiliary battery replaced due to auto start/stop not working.

Filed Nov 7, 2024 · Engine · 64,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. After the first failure, the contact waited for a while before restarting the vehicle and then drove to a dealer. Despite the failure, the contact was informed that no defect was found in the vehicle. During the second failure, the contact stated that a high coolant temperature message had flashed on the instrument panel. As a result of the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was provided the same information when the initial failure occurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Filed Oct 19, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NY

Car engine turned off while driving, e brake was activated with out warning. Car stopped, and the D on the shaft was flashing, vehicle placed in park and was turned off by driver. Car would not restart and could not depress the brake. Car was stuck in the middle of road. After several attempts car sputtered on and was able to be driven to a safe location. No warning lights activated on car, initial eye inspection didn’t see anything out of place. No fluid leaking. Battery was operational entire time

Filed Oct 18, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · 98,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

Filed Aug 26, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · GA

2020 Jeep Compass ran hot and started beeping. First was told it needed a system flush by mechanic. There was no prior warnings of any sort as the car has has had regular fluid changes (Oil etc) it appeared on 8/17/2024. Now its a 'transmission coolant fail' I have no idea how this happened at 91k miles.

Filed Aug 22, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · UT

This issue has been happening sporadically over the last couple of years, but it's starting to happen more often. When driving normally, the check engine light will flash, a message "Coolant temp too high" will appear in red, and the car turns off. Sometimes it will turn back on immediately and drive fine, other times I have to leave it turned off for up to 2 minutes. This happened to me twice on my drive to drop off my kid at school, and on my way to the office, on a busy highway during traffic. All maintenance has been done on time, and there are no error codes when I get it scanned. I get met with shrugs and "could try ..." I see others have been having similar issues, so I am going to post here as well.

Filed Aug 19, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · KY

I was driving home and got an error message that the coolant temperature was too high, even though the gauge showed it to be right in the middle at the normal level. The car then locked up and I was unable to turn the steering wheel for a terrifying few seconds. The car then restarted itself and I was able to drive home. a while later, I tried to start the car and it would not start and kept giving me the error message that the coolant was too high even though the gauge shows the level to be The very bottom of the temperature on the cool side. I checked the coolant levels and they were a little low so I added more coolant up to the max level and waited a few hours. Then I tried to start it again and it still will not start. Additional error messages are now popping up, including saying, the emergency brake needs to be serviced. I am going to have to get it towed into the service shop tomorrow.

Filed Jun 26, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · VA

At first my car would only display the “Coolant Temp Too High” message if I came to a complete stop, and went again.. or if i would go over a certain speed. At that time, i could pull over, turn it off, wait a few minutes, and turn it back on and i could watch my coolant temp drop drastically.It has progressively gotten worse to the point that i cannot drive the vehicle longer than five minutes without it overheating. I do the same thing, pull off and wait and turn it back on. It starts to go down a bit, however, as soon as i pull out and begin to drive it, it starts to raise back up immediately. There have been times where the message will display as soon as i turn the car on in the morning.. Please help me. I am a young college student and I have not been able to drive my car for over 6 months. We have changed the thermostat, flushed the coolant, checked for leaks, replaced the radiator cap, and water pump. I don’t know what else to do..

Filed Jun 22, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · UT

Yes, I bought a brand new 2020 Jeep Compass North Edition from a Wisconsin dealer in June 2020. I drove across country to Utah where I know reside. Had no problems on that trip. About 10 months later I started experiencing a "High temp coolant" light come on and the vehicle shuts off and locks up. Very dangerous while driving. After about 30 seconds I could restart it. It happened about 10 times. Then another alarm came on stating "Service electronic throttle control." As well as the "High temp coolant" warning. Milage at this time was 21K. Took it to a dealership because of the extended warranty I purchased. They replaced both batteries but could not get it to "error out" again. They also stated that there were no error codes stored in the memory, even though I had pictures of the dash showing the error codes. I could not get a picture if the "High temp coolant" error because it happens so fast while driving. So, I took it back 2 more times when it did it again. The first time they said I had a cracked head and replaced it, but 2 days later it shut off again with the "High temp coolant" error. No answers or explanation for this issue again. The last time they charged me over $250.00 for a diagnostic charge and an air filter. Still continues to shut off periodically. It's very disheartening to buy a new vehicle with an extended warranty and have this dangerous situation happen while driving with children in the vehicle. Why doesn't Jeep stand behind their vehicles and fix this issue or recall these vehicles? Does it take someone to be killed and they have a class action lawsuit against them to do something? Wouldn't it be better to be proactive then sorry? I am scared to drive this vehicle other than to work and back because of this issue.

Filed Jun 21, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · OR

The driveshaft failed at only 32,000 miles and the engine is failing. The dealership confirmed this is happening for other vehicles of my make and model.

Filed Jun 19, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · IL

I was dropping someone off at work, stopped at the front door, after it said high coolant temperature and my car shut off and rolled, I was about to get in a parking spot. Then I had to get my car towed because I did not want to risk it happening again. My engine and whole car shut off. It was towed to a certified dealership upon request, and is still being checking out. I could have put anyone at risk being in a public area with other cars and people around me but luckily no one was injured. The problem has not be confirmed yet. No the Vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. It was given to Jeep. The only warning sign was the high coolant then it shut my car off. It first appeared right before it happened.

Filed May 16, 2024 · Engine, Steering · FL

Since i bought this , he gave me a lot of trouble, i though thay gave me bad car is lemon car, when i went to the dealer it take month to fixe , i though they fixe but nothing happen, right know they have the car and when never someone like diagnostic can fixe the problem, i want to change

Filed May 11, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NY

We drove to the grocery store 5 minutes away. After being in the store for about 15 minutes we returned to go home. We tried starting the car and it wouldn’t start, message “High coolant temperature” came on with orange engine light. We waited 5 minutes, started again and all the warning lights flashed and the car locked up. Nothing would engage, even the brakes. We had to abandon the car in the lot and walk home.

Filed Feb 27, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · IL

Coolant mixing with oil three times in a month span with new parts being replaced. With further inspection, driver was not at fault. Vehicle malfunctioned. Overheating after replacement of thermostat, head gasket, and water pump. Auto start/stop goes on and off requesting service.

Filed Jan 25, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · NV

The first incident happened with my 2020 jeep Compass on 12/27/23 while on the freeway the temp light flashed the gage didn't indicate overheating I got off the freeway check the engine no sign of overheating waited for awhile then started the car again within five minutes car gage went to overheating had it towed the oil cooler went out out mixed with the coolant paid big bucks for the repairs. I got my jeep back on 1/10/2024 drove it for one week then on 1/16/2024 while driving the dash panel flashed car lost speed even pressing the gas peddle to the floor no acceleration while pulling over the emergency break engaged stoping the car in the road. restarted still no acceleration and car won't move in natural or reveres wheels lock can only move forward at low speed, 01/25/2024 car towed from my mechanic to dealership. Scared to keep car the if it's gonna turn itself out while driving that's an accident waiting to happen

Filed Jan 20, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NM

My 2020 compass keeps shutting off on its own. I will be driving and next thing you know it will start saying "key has left vehicle " or a different message saying a long the lines of its over heating. After the over heating message, the car will completely turn off on me making it hard to steer out of the road. I somehow have yo make it safely out of the way to turn it off and restart it. Im just scared one day it will happen on the highway when cars are going by so fast and ill end up getting in a collision. No solution to the problem. The dealership doesn't know whats going on or even have a clue as to what to look for. This is definitely a safety issue and im upset because no one knows how to fix it. I spent my hard earned money to get this vehicle only to have it be a safety issue for me and my kids. Its been going on for months already. Sooner or later this car is going to be the reason I get into an accident.

Filed Jan 18, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · MD

engine shutting off at highway speed, loss of acceleration at highway speeds and shutting down and not restarting at stop signs or stop lights.

Filed Nov 3, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · 34,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while at the traffic light, the auto Stop-Start feature turned off the engine; however, the engine failed to restart. The message "Stop-Start Unavailable" was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle and manually disengaged the auto Stop-Start feature. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The message "Coolant Overheating" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start the following day. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the two batteries needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2020 Jeep Compass?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history