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.
Body, doors & structure
Jeep Compass Body problems by year
209 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Jeep Compass's body, doors & structure. Doors, hoods and latches, frame rust, sunroofs, leaks, trim and structural failures.
Body complaints by model year
Latest Compass body complaints
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while the rear lift gate door was opened as intended, the rear lift gate failed to support the rear trunk upward. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed at the contact's residence by an authorized Jeep mechanic; however, the failure was not identified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
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...
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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.
Accident On [[redacted]] at [[redacted]], I headed out of the Timberlane Estates neighborhood to go to volunteer at the NWR in Crystal River and was behind 3 other cars going out of the same neighborhood. As I started to turn from [[redacted]] (25 mph) to [[redacted]] (decelerating to about 10), I had to fight the steering wheel trying to straighten it out but instead the car continued left and hit a car at the stop sign. This shook me up quit a bit. When I got out, the driver of the hit car and I traded...
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information. We both have State Farm Insurance. Called State Farm to report the incident and took pictures of the front of both cars and of the skid marks. Called my husband and as we waited for the tow truck, we realized that the CV joint (?lower all joint) was totally out, which also caused the tire to flatten as well. We realized from the skid marks that this occurred as I was starting my turn. That's why I lost control. There were no injuries, though I was shook up thru the next day and sore in my right wrist, shoulder and neck. Car went to Jim Hudson Collision Center Crystal River, FL. Car was inspected by them and the State Farm Insurance adjuster. The attached photos are from the Hudson Collision Center. I have a few taken at the accident site if you want them too. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the sound increased while accelerating to 25 MPH. The contact decelerated to 15 MPH and drove to the residence, where the contact inspected underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that he was an independent mechanic and noticed that the frame was detaching from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving over a railroad track at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and was difficult the steer. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the front subframe had failed due to severe corrosion, causing damage to the engine bay, and causing the engine and transmission to lower. The subframe and front lower control arms were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Recently, while the vehicle was in for...
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routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the rear subframe was corroded. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 98,500.
Two bolts that hold the wheel assembly to the frame of the vehicle have broken off. The first in April 2025 was on the passenger side, and the second in July 2025 was on the driver side. The Jeep service personnel provided no explanation for how this could happen or seemed to have inspected the other components after the vehicle was serviced for the first broken bolt.
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.
Since 2023, my vehicle has had water leakage coming from the back right passenger side from the seat belt opening and right side of the back trunk. This is a major concern because my son's car seat is seated on the right back seat where the water leakage is coming from. I don't want any mold to grow under his car seat or on his car seat. Also I gave jumper cables in the back of my trunk for safety. What if they were to get soak and wet then they are not able to work. Also I put my groceries in the trunk of my car. I don't want them to get spoiled or become contaminated.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel was turned to the left, and the sway bar link detached from the front driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the sway bar link was made of plastic. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to National Automotive Parts Association Auto Parts and the contact was informed that the sway bar link on the front of the vehicle should be made of metal. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,870.
The rear subframe and suspension are rusted. I have been hearing a rattling sound for the past couple of weeks, especially when driving over bumps. When I took the car to my mechanic, he detected a cracking in the rear subframe/suspension due to the rust. If this would totally break it would be a substantial safety risk to myself, the driver, as well as other drivers on the road. No warning lights or messages appeared on the car to warn of this problem.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in a heavy rainstorm, the front driver's side floor and rear passenger's side floor became flooded with rainwater, that had entered the vehicle from a failed floor seal. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the brake pedal, her foot had slipped off the pedal several times due to the water inside the vehicle on the floor. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the...
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floor seal had corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 42,000.
Was told that the sub frame is bad. After looking into it, it seems to be a known issue with the jeep compass.
The contact rented a 2023 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled inadvertently, and the rear driver's door opened unintendedly, and the rear seat shifted forward. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated, and the traction control feature independently shifted into snow traction mode. The contact was made aware by the rental agency of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 460.
Prior to the failure of the rear drive axles there were 2 instances of the 4WD lamps coming on. Reset the lever and light went out.Another instance had the ABS light come on.After several miles the light went off. The next morning while driving to the independent repair shop the car completely stopped on a Blvd in the middle of traffic.Luckily I was not rear ended by another vehicle.The car needed to be towed to the shop. Upon inspection by the tech was the rear drive axles had become corroded and needed to be replaced.As well as the backing plates.The vehicle is 8 years old and has 62,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data