NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Steering complaints
19 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Oct 23, 2024
Steering
The steering gear has failed and is making a popping noise every time you steer to the left or right. The steering gear has been recalled for certain models but not all, my car has the exact same issue but its not listed on the recall. This problem could lead to loss of steering and a crash per the Safety Recall V99/NHTSA 19V-63…
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The steering gear has failed and is making a popping noise every time you steer to the left or right. The steering gear has been recalled for certain models but not all, my car has the exact same issue but its not listed on the recall. This problem could lead to loss of steering and a crash per the Safety Recall V99/NHTSA 19V-637. The car has been inspected by a Jeep dealer and they confirmed the steering gear is the problem. The symptoms have been present for at least a year, and has been getting worse. I am concerned for my safety and I do not have to means to pay for this repair.
NHTSA ODI #11621454
56,800 miles · Aug 5, 2024
Engine And Engine CoolingSteering
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the steering wheel seized and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the fai…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the steering wheel seized and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the failure could not be replicated. The local dealer informed the contact that the coolant temperature warning light was inaccurately illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,800.
NHTSA ODI #11606416
Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineSteering
Car continuously shows multiple codes (10+)then won’t shift to neutral or drive and car won’t even turn off. Has happened multiple times with no resolution various codes (dynamic tourque steering, service hill holder , service 4WD, service transmission, anti lock brake system fail, fuel service cut off, U1110, speed control fail…
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Car continuously shows multiple codes (10+)then won’t shift to neutral or drive and car won’t even turn off. Has happened multiple times with no resolution various codes (dynamic tourque steering, service hill holder , service 4WD, service transmission, anti lock brake system fail, fuel service cut off, U1110, speed control fail, and multiple others
NHTSA ODI #11594300
Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2024
EngineService BrakesSteering
I was driving into a busy intersection and briefly stopped. When I took my foot off the brake to go, the car completely froze. The brake pedal was hard and the steering wheel was locked. The lights were on, however I couldn't turn the car off to restart it. It would not move. A police officer had to push the car over to the sid…
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I was driving into a busy intersection and briefly stopped. When I took my foot off the brake to go, the car completely froze. The brake pedal was hard and the steering wheel was locked. The lights were on, however I couldn't turn the car off to restart it. It would not move. A police officer had to push the car over to the side. After waiting a while (25 minutes) for the tow truck, I was able to turn the car off. The car was towed to the nearest mechanic, but he can't find anything wrong with it. Despite, hundreds of online complaints about this same thing happening to Jeep Compasses, Jeep will not take a look at it unless I pay $490 for a diagnostic test. I already had to pay for the towing and a mechanic to look at it. Jeep Chrysler needs to recall these cars before someone is killed.
NHTSA ODI #11593051
Mileage unknown · May 15, 2024
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemSteering
It is not allowing me to check everything but the bottom line is this. It is highly inappropriate to know that there were three recalls on this vehicle it says 2 were completed there were investigations done and I do not have the ability to view them as a consumer especially whrn I was trying to buy it and now when I am trying …
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It is not allowing me to check everything but the bottom line is this. It is highly inappropriate to know that there were three recalls on this vehicle it says 2 were completed there were investigations done and I do not have the ability to view them as a consumer especially whrn I was trying to buy it and now when I am trying to find out if it is related to a problem I am having. I need the full detailed list. I have asked the dealership and not received the documentation, please provide them. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11588999
66,000 miles · Mar 29, 2024
SteeringSuspension
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds and turning, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side and passenger's side control arms were fractured, and the inner and oute…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds and turning, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side and passenger's side control arms were fractured, and the inner and outer tie rod had failed. The mechanic determined that the parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
NHTSA ODI #11580066
63,000 miles · Nov 29, 2023
Electrical SystemSteering
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was a thumping sound coming from the front-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the auxiliary battery which reset the check engine warning light. The thumping noise coming from th…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was a thumping sound coming from the front-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the auxiliary battery which reset the check engine warning light. The thumping noise coming from the front-end of the vehicle persisted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer who determined that the rack-n-pinon failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
NHTSA ODI #11557497
Mileage unknown · Feb 24, 2023
Steering
2019 JEEP COMPASS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO BROKEN LEFT FRONT KNUCKLE.
NHTSA ODI #11508894
Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2022
Lane DepartureSteeringCrash
- Unsure of fault as it hasn’t gotten inspected by mechanic or insurance but when start it indicates issue with steering and ESC system - Safety of self and others was severe if wasn’t controlled or in un-ideal conditions - Condition has yet to be reproduced or confirmed, sitting in mechanics lot now, not inspected yet - no mess…
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- Unsure of fault as it hasn’t gotten inspected by mechanic or insurance but when start it indicates issue with steering and ESC system - Safety of self and others was severe if wasn’t controlled or in un-ideal conditions - Condition has yet to be reproduced or confirmed, sitting in mechanics lot now, not inspected yet - no messages or warnings but the steering would auto correct to left and right randomly when straight driving on the highway
NHTSA ODI #11483715
Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2022
Steering
While driving on the highway, my car shut down and when I attempted to restart I got a “power steering system hot, performance may be limited” message. Had no steering control and unable to power on until the system cooled. It happened a few times while driving home and almost got rear-ended. Currently unable to drive the car be…
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While driving on the highway, my car shut down and when I attempted to restart I got a “power steering system hot, performance may be limited” message. Had no steering control and unable to power on until the system cooled. It happened a few times while driving home and almost got rear-ended. Currently unable to drive the car because it continues to power off while driving with the above message appearing. I took the Jeep Compass to the dealership and was not told what the issue could possible be.
NHTSA ODI #11455089
NHTSA investigations
1PE22013 · False Overheat Leading To Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Dec 2, 2022 · Closed Dec 10, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine; Engine And Engine Cooling
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Engine
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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