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Jeep Compass Lighting problems by year

181 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Jeep Compass's lights. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals and interior lighting failures.

Lighting complaints by model year

YearLighting complaintsCrashesInjuriesRecalls
20253000
20243000
20234000
202251000
20214000
20203000
201910000
201864000
20178000
20161000
20152000
20146000
20121000
20113000
20103000
20091000
20085000
20079000

Latest Compass lighting complaints

2019 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLights

I am reporting ongoing safety concerns involving my 2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk, including unexpected engine shutdowns, repeated battery failures, electrical malfunctions, and recurring check engine warnings despite regular maintenance and multiple repairs. In 2023, the vehicle's automatic start-stop system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to shut down completely while I was traveling on the expressway. This created an extremely dangerous situation. The vehicle was towed for inspection, but no problem was...

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identified. After being jump-started, the vehicle operated normally. In September 2024, both the main battery and auxiliary battery were replaced. However, the vehicle continued shutting down and requiring jump-starts. I subsequently took it to the dealership, where wiring connected to the battery system was replaced. The vehicle operated normally for several months following this repair. Since purchasing the vehicle, I have also experienced intermittent electrical malfunctions involving the radio and infotainment system. The radio unexpectedly shorts out, and the display screen goes completely black before eventually restoring itself. Additionally, during each of my last four routine oil changes, the vehicle has died or failed to restart, requiring a jump-start. Approximately one to two weeks after these maintenance visits, the check engine light illuminates. The vehicle has consistently received regular maintenance, yet these problems continue despite battery replacements and dealership repairs. My greatest concern is the possibility of another unexpected engine shutdown while driving, particularly at highway speeds. The 2023 expressway incident placed my safety and the safety of other motorists at risk. I am requesting an investigation into potential defects involving the automatic start-stop system, electrical system, battery management system, and related components. I am also requesting a review of similar complaints, recalls, and manufacturer servic

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11773359
2025 Jeep CompassSuspensionElectrical systemLights

Car was shaking violently and was steadily getting worse. Automatic light dimmer had malfunctioned resulting in several instances of being pulled over. Luckily never got a citation. Started chewing the rear tires off from the first 3k miles dealer never would address the problem. Had to voluntary surrender the vehicle cause we couldn't pay for it and not have a driving vehicle

Filed Incident Suspension · Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11771308
2018 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsEngine & cooling

The headlights and interior lighting flickers when turned on. The vehicle often will not start, but once hooked up to a jumper pack starts immediately despite the batteries being inspected previously and being okay. The start/stop function doesn't always work, and the engine stalls while driving, causing a massive safety issue.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · EngineNHTSA 11738275
2025 Jeep CompassLights

See attached document for complaint.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11730870
2019 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsAcceleration & cruise control

It appears to be the Body Control Module that gave out. While driving home in the evening from work, the vehicle stopped accelerating beyond 20 mph. Further, the passenger windows stopped working, as did exterior tail, emergency, and turn signal lights. The dealer was unable to directly confirm that the BCM was the problem, however, it was confirmed the problem was not fuse, battery, or engine related. No inspection of the component or vehicle to date. No warning lamps or messages appeared. It was raining...

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outside, the vehicle started as normal, and moved as normal for approximately five minutes, then suddenly the vehicle stopped accelerating forward placing myself and others in harm's way.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 11727851
2018 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLights

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while receiving an oil change, the contact was informed that the passenger's side headlight failed to operate. The contact attempted to replace the light bulb; however, the headlight failed to illuminate. The original light bulb was reinstalled. The contact stated that the START/STOP system failed to restart the vehicle after an idle stop. The message "Battery Charging System Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11726914
2024 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsDriver assistance

Vehicle started show MULTIPLE errors on dash from blind spot not working , lane assist not working, AEB need to be checked,rear brake light not working, turn signal not work, lane assist not working and other errors. Went to dealership for these errors where they repaired a faulty sensor on the front for the lane assist and from collision. Said it was fixed...It was not. Within a hour leaving the dealership, if you pressed to turn off the power save button for when the vehicle when it comes to a stop and not idle,...

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the errors all pop up one after another.. they did not correct any of the errors. I check back lighting and they are on and working but errors say they aren't. Front collison day is it not on but it works and alarms a sound. This is dangerous and if it will have dangerous outcome given it would not correct. Also was receiving notification.to pay into a program for future problem the moment it started again (i paid for extra coverage at signing) I don't know if it's electrical, auto start stop, the lights or something else. Car is barely 2 years old with less than 10,000 mi on it (straight for dealership). Dealership do not clear codes or correct the errors no matter me mentioning them to them.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Lane departureNHTSA 11719163
2025 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsDriver assistance

12/16/25 I almost was hit by a Mac truck the car kept saying my blind spot was temporarily unavailable and also states auto high beam unavailable service required, in which my screen went black, and the car completely turned off. I took the car into have services on 12/19/25. My car was kept for a week and the service department stated they were unable to created it. My car kept having the service lights come on every day that I drove it. On 12/31/2025, I brought the car in again with a picture of the incident...

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that kept occurring several times on 12/30/25. The service department is stating that they were unable to duplicate the issue, and I picked up my car on 01/09/26. My car continued to have the same problem when I almost home. On 1/11/26, the error message for the blind spot and high beam errors came on 13 times when I was out and about. It seems to happen when making turns, going over small bumps, switching lanes, going around curved ramps, and when picking up speed. I need an email from the corporation to send the video clip to that happened on 01/11/26.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Lane departureNHTSA 11710209
2022 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLights

The odometer cluster light is too dim and I can't see it during the daytime

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11706890
2023 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsDriver assistance

I am submitting this complaint to report a serious and repeated safety-related electrical failure involving my 2023 Jeep Compass. While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous electrical malfunction. The windshield wipers activated on their own, both digital screens began flashing uncontrollably with warning messages, headlights and dashboard controls turned on and off without driver input. Most critically, the automatic emergency braking system became disabled while the vehicle was in motion. ...

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During the first service visit to an authorized Jeep dealership, I was informed that the Body Control Module (BCM) was not responding, and that multiple vehicle systems showed inactive status and communication failures. The dealership stated they could not identify the root cause. Instead of repairing the issue, the system faults and communication errors were cleared/reset, the battery was replaced "as a precaution," and the vehicle was released without a confirmed repair. The next day, the same failure occurred again while driving on the highway. The windshield wipers activated randomly, the screen displayed a red warning stripe, multiple system failure messages appeared, and the emergency braking system was disabled at highway speed. This created an extremely dangerous situation. The vehicle behaved unpredictably, critical safety systems were unavailable, and I could have been involved in a serious or fatal accident, putting my life and the safety of others at risk. Thankfully, my children were not in the vehicle at that time. Due to the severity of the malfunction, the vehicle was unsafe to operate and required towing back to the dealership. The issue remains unresolved. This appears to involve a serious defect with the Body Control Module (BCM), vehicle communication systems, and possible wiring or grounding faults, which directly affect vehicle safety and warrant investigation.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11705938
2024 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLightsDriver assistance

Fog lights go off and on by themselves at times. Forward collision warning continues to trigger and have to be reset. Automatic braking has engaged several times without reason.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Forward collision avoidanceNHTSA 11699772
2018 Jeep CompassLights

Headlights work intermittently. Driver side comes on but passenger side doesn't or vise versa. Also sometimes neither come on. No warning messages or anything. Yes the jeep dealership saw the issue with the lights and so did an independent mechanic.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11693722
2024 Jeep CompassLights

On [[redacted]], a rental vehicle issued by Enterprise was stopped due to an expired North Carolina license plate [[redacted]] ) and a defective taillight. The expired plate was physically affixed to the Jeep Compass at the time of rental, yet Enterprise's rental receipt showed a different plate number [[redacted]] ). This discrepancy was never disclosed before the stop and was repeatedly denied by Enterprise staff for months. Multiple Enterprise representatives - including the branch manager where the vehicle was...

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rented - insisted the Jeep had "only ever" had the [[redacted]] plate in their system, despite the North Carolina plate being listed on the signed rental agreement and cited by law enforcement. Later, Enterprise claimed the vehicle was re-registered in another state after impound, which altered internal records. This retroactive change created a misleading paper trail that misrepresented the actual tag on the vehicle during the rental period. The expired plate and defective taillight directly triggered a law-enforcement stop, exposing the authorized driver to legal risk, arrest, and vehicle seizure. This unsafe condition should have been identified and corrected before releasing the vehicle, per standard fleet-safety procedures. After impound, personal property left in the vehicle - including electronics - was denied by Enterprise staff as ever existing, despite multiple third-party witnesses confirming its presence. One electronic item was later tracked via GPS to a private residence unrelated to any Enterprise location, after which it was abruptly "found." Other property remains missing. failure to ensure vehicle roadworthiness, improper record-keeping that concealed the true plate assignment, and mishandling of customer property after impound. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Incident Exterior lighting · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11678806
2018 Jeep CompassLights

My driver's side headlights stops working intermittently. This occurs quite randomly. I have replaced the bulbs, the switch, and after taking it to a dealer, I ended up replacing the driver's side headlight assembly. Nothing has worked, and now I am hundreds of dollars poorer for my trouble. This is clearly a safety issue, and judging from what I have seen in online forums, there are a great many others with the same problem. This is a safety issue that falls squarely on the manufacturer to remedy, and to compensate its customers for our losses.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11666975
2021 Jeep CompassElectrical systemLights

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked at a store front in the evening, both headlights were operational. The contact returned and restarted the vehicle; however, the driver's side headlight was inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the headlight and the electrical connectors and harness had melted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after the...

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headlight failure, the vehicle was difficult to start one morning. The contact stated that the instrument cluster and the overhead map lights were flashing off and on. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11664881

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

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