- The problem
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
- The risk
- If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
- The fix
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Vehicle safety record
2012 Jeep Compass Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 184 complaints about the 2012 Jeep Compass with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system (44) and the engine & cooling (38). Those complaints describe 3 crashes, 5 fires, 2 injuries and 1 death. It is covered by 4 recalls, the latest in September 2016 for the pretensioner. For comparison, the 2011 has 188 and the 2013 has 80.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical Compass year, for its age
#68 most complained-about 2012 vehicle
- Complaints
- 184
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes
- 3
- Fires
- 5
- Injuries
- 2
- Deaths
- 1
Most common 2012 Jeep Compass problems
Share of all 184 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2012 Jeep Compass recalls 4
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Jeep Compass and Patriot vehicles manufactured May 6, 2008, through July 20, 2012. The affected vehicles have a software error which may result in a delayed deployment or non-deployment of the seatbelt pre-tensioners and/or side airbags.
- The risk
- In the event of a rollover necessitating airbag deployment, the software error can lead to a delayed deployment or non-deployment of the side curtain airbag and/or seatbelt pre-tensioners. As a result, vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury in a crash.
- The fix
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will correct the software free of charge. The recall began June 21, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall number is N01.
- The problem
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2012 Jeep Patriot and Compass vehicles manufactured October 18, 2011, through May 7, 2012. Due to an incorrectly manufactured transfer tube, the transfer of fuel from the secondary side to the primary side of the fuel tank may be interrupted, causing the engine to stall.
- The risk
- If the engine stalls while driving it may increase the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank transfer tube free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on May 30, 2013. Owners were notified by Chrysler on July 19, 2013, that parts are now available. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N17.
- The problem
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 jeep patriot and compass vehicles manufactured from december 17, 2011, through january 2, 2012. Some vehicles may have been built with a fuel tank assembly containing a damaged roll-over valve.
- The risk
- In the event of an impact or roll-over, fuel leakage could occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 25, 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
What owners say
Problems or none - your experience is exactly what the next buyer is looking for. Write it now
184 complaints about the 2012 Jeep Compass
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 8.
2012 Jeep Compass has excessive rust and corrosion from the frame to the chassis. Vehicle has 69,000 miles on it and after each snow storm undercarriage was washed. I was told this vehicle is now unsafe and I need to purchase a new car. I really do like my Jeep Compass, is there any remedy to this situation. I have the report in a email sent to me and can send the report to you if I have an email address to send it to.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred in the middle of the road. The vehicle was pushed to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was jumpstarted and...
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driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while attempting to refuel the vehicle, the contact was unable to pump more than one gallon at a time. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the roll-over valve was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V142000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
When I attempt to fuel the car, the gas pump immediately shuts off regardless of the gas station or the pump that I am at. The gas also seemed to not want to go into the tank, as I could see some of the gas leaking out around the rim of the tank even though it was empty when I began to fuel.
I have had problems with a hitch or pause in the acceleration of my 2012 Jeep Compass since at least April of last year. I purchased the vehicle used in January 2021. In and of itself, the hitch would be a minor thing, but I think it's related to other problems I'm having with the vehicle losing acceleration, which has become a real point of concern. This has occurred multiple times when I start accelerating from a stop, such as when I'm at an intersection. The car loses acceleration, the traction control light...
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sometimes will come on, the steering will tighten up like I've lost power steering, and the car will come to a halt and stop idling. Nothing happens when I give it gas after it's stopped in these circumstances. I learned that if I turn the car off and back on, that will serve as a sort of reset, and I regain power and can get back on the road. The car has had active codes for a catalytic converter and a crankshaft position sensor. I replaced the crankshaft position sensor in April of last year (with an OEM sensor) after losing power while merging onto an interstate. That seemed to resolve the loss of acceleration problem, but it recurred starting in December of last year. I replaced the crankshaft position sensor again recently, this time with an aftermarket sensor, as I thought the sensor I put in previously may have been defective, but the problem has started occurring more frequently. Losing power while turning into or crossing intersections is a scary thing, and I've begun to feel I cannot drive the car safely. I've read accounts online of many Jeep Compass owners having problems with losing acceleration, and I've begun to suspect that the problem is not simply related to the parts associated with the active codes. The sad thing is that I just finished paying off the loan I took out for this car, and I have little extra money. I don't know what I'm going to do. Please investigate these vehicles (problem affects various Compass model years).
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while refueling the vehicle, the nozzle kicked off and shut down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V142000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was due to the fuel tank rollover valve being defective. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 63,176.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the right or the left. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the front cross members were severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle was not safe to be driven. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Everytime I drive it acts as if it's not getting sufficient fuel to the engine . Have had multiple things replaced to try and fix the problem but still not helped . Whole Engine sputters when I stop and acts as if it's not getting any fuel to accelerate. Has almost caused a few crashes . To my surprise recalls have been made for my vehicle but says they have been repaired. I personally don't think they have
The vehicle just went through an inspection with the dealership before being sold to me. The vehicle is stalling when making turns and driving. There are no warning lights, there is a full tank of gas, no warning of it going to happen and it just stalls. The Jeep stalled at an intersection, stalled driving through a parking lot and again today stalled turning from an intersection. It almost caused me to get rear ended in an accident. Luckily they did not but that was scary enough for me to check for recalls and to my surprise there is for my year and type but not my VIN, my vehicle was manufactured April 2012, does not have high miles and should not be having these issues.
My Coils had to be replaced several times. Last week I started to drive my car on a major road, shaking and no power. My car had to be towed once again. My mechanic told me the Jeeps have issues with the Coils. Not sure why this keeps happening but now It's scary to drive my vehicle and not knowing how quick this happens again. Recently my check engine light came on and off, changed the fuel gas cap, and had a code read. My mechanic mentioned that there was a safety recall regarding the manifold ? if so was...
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this ever done and where I would like documents provided. Please respond Via email [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The catalytic converter is failing on this vehicle. The vehicle had been maintained pre manufacturer specifications. Check engine light came on without warning. Crank shaft and cam shaft sensor both Failed on vehicle and had to be replaced. All bearing had to be replaced. Two of which were fixed before 60,000 miles. Hood rusted completely through. Cross members are rusting through.
The contact's daughter-in-law owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that an additional 20-30 minutes was needed to fill the fuel tank while refueling. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed, and it was determined that the roll-over valve was damaged. The failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V142000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The dealer later...
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referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for additional assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
I'm in Bradley, Illinois, and after the first snowfall, these indicators lit up. The ABS, the ESC, and the 4WD. I thought because of inclement weather, they would go off, but have remained lit for a couple of weeks now. One day, while driving to work, the throttle lagged, and I couldn't accelerate past 20 mph for over 10 minutes amidst heavy traffic. When this occurred, the ABS light turned off, then suddenly lit up again, and the truck sped up. This has happened several times. I was told all recalls were repaired, so I am wondering if this is a new concern? Please advise. Thank you for your help and time.
- The passenger headrest of my 2012 Jeep Compass Limited deployed while the car was in motion on the highway with no reason to deploy. Yes, the component is available for inspection. - This created a distraction to the driver that could have resulted in an accident and also could have injured the passenger. - The dealer mentioned that the issue has happened to other cars, but in my case they could not help me because my car is not under warranty. They told me they could not assist and requested I call Jeep...
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Customer Care. - Jeep Customer Care replied ""We have review the information on your case and sadly found that we are unable to offer any assistance with the head restraint repair." - The vehicle component has not been inspected. - No warning lights, messages or symptoms of the problem
The rear suspension crossmember and suspension control arm rotted out on my 2012 Jeep Compass. Also, cross member cracked. Two repair shops inspected the damage and told me that I should be very careful driving the vehicle to get it repaired because there wasn't much hold the rear wheel on. They both said that the problem cause cause a catastrophic failure, which would lead to the rear wheel falling off. At highway speeds this might cause a serious accident. Both repair shops also said they have seen a lot of...
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Jeeps with this type of rust damage. The steel used for the components must have been inferior or the factory rust protection on these components was inadequate. There are probably thousands of older jeep models (Compass, Patriot, etc.) driving around in a dangerous condition. The only warning that I got was a slight squeaking noise when I went over bumps. The sound would be fairly normal for an eleven year old vehicle. But, I decided to get under the car and spray some liquid lubricant to try to eliminate the squeak. The crack in the crossmember was up high on the underside of the car and it was difficult to see. Luckily, I noticed that the component was entirely cracked in two pieces. The second repair shop told me that Jeep extended the warranty on the components to 10 years. This was due to the large number of similar issues reported. Although the 10 year period ran out in my case in September 2022, I still plan to contact Jeep to see if they will reimburse me for a portion of the repair. But, I believe that a recall should be issued before some Jeep owner is seriously injured due to this problem. The repair cost is in the thousands of dollars. I have attached a photo showing the crack in the crossmember.
The passenger active restraint headrest exploded spontaneously. The vehicle was not in any accident. I happen to notice one morning that the headrest was deployed due to no known issue. Appears this has happened to numerous other people and not sure why this make/model issue has not come under a manufacturers safety recall.
Brake light in dash would come on and off then go out for a day or so and then will stay on all the time. Also seatbelt light is on and wont go off.
My car caught a fire while in the parking while sitting in an parking lot.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while having a routine check on the vehicle by an independent mechanic, the mechanic stated that the front and rear subframe of the vehicle was extremely rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer replaced the crossmember of the front and rear subframe. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the extended warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 63,513. The contact stated that the vehicle has been repaired.
This vehicle has shut down while on the street & on the dangerous highway with vehicles behind me. It wouldn't start back up either I had to keep playing with the key or try starting it & it wouldn't turn over
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for inspection prior to a road trip, he was informed that the rear cross members were severely corroded and had holes. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear cross members needed to be replaced. The dealer also informed the contact that he had to pay for a diagnostic test and the repair because the VIN was not included in TSB Number: 23-007-17. The vehicle was not...
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repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the dealer could repair the vehicle under the TSB; however, the dealer declined. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
When driving the vehicle will hesitate then stall after refueling. Happen after almost every refueling case. Believe it is a stuck rollover valve that is allowing gas to enter vent lines and causing the stall. When accelerating the vehicle suddenly dies and there is a complete loss of all systems. No power steering to help get off the side of the road. Often there are no Check Engine Lights or other warnings. Obviously if your engine suddenly dies when accelerating this can cause major safety concerns. I had this...
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happen 3 times while trying to merge onto an interstate. Thankfully I was in the right lane and able to get off to the shoulder and avoid an accident. Have not had a mechanic verify but it is a very common problem with these vehicles and the manufacturer needs to address this.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that previously there was a recall for the catalytic converter and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed a failure with the oxygen sensor and threading with the stream sensor of the catalytic converter. The sensors were replaced; however, the vehicle was taken to another dealer for the catalytic converter replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.
I've recently out of the blue developed problems with my car. For some reason it want crank ( 2), air-conditioner making popping noise as well stopped working, and it also jerks shortly after cranking ( like a hiccup. Please let me know something as quickly as possible if my vehicle has any recalls. I would highly appreciate it.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle seized and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the catalytic convertor to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light turned off independently but would intermittently illuminate. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Jeep Compass: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 294 | 1 | D |
| 2015 | 113 | 1 | B |
| 2014 | 308 | 2 | D |
| 2013 | 80 | 1 | B |
| 2012 | 184 | 4 | C |
| 2011 | 188 | 3 | C |
| 2010 | 81 | 2 | B |
| 2009 | 64 | 1 | A |
| 2008 | 172 | 0 | C |
2012 Jeep Compass vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Jeep Compass | 184 | 4 | C | |
| 2012 Ford Escape | 604 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 2012 Honda CR-V | 403 | 3 | F | Compare |
| 2012 Kia Sportage | 392 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2012 Toyota RAV4 | 266 | 5 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Hyundai Tucson | 255 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan | 153 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 2012 Subaru Forester | 107 | 15 | B | Compare |
| 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander | 36 | 6 | B | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2012 Jeep Compass
Does the 2012 Jeep Compass have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2012 Jeep Compass: pretensioner (September 2016); side / window (June 2013); fuel system, gasoline (April 2013); tank assembly (April 2012). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Jeep Compass?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the fuel system (44), engine & cooling (38), airbags (28).
How many complaints has the 2012 Jeep Compass had?
184 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on March 27, 2012 and the latest on July 9, 2026. Of these, 3 describe a crash and 5 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 1 death.
Is the 2012 Jeep Compass a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 50 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Jeep Compass year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Jeep Compass years have the most complaints?
2018 (952), 2007 (434), 2019 (333). See every Jeep Compass year compared.
What should I do if my 2012 Jeep Compass has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data