JEEP COMPASS · model year

2021 JEEP COMPASS

117 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

4 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021JEEPCOMPASS carries 117 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 3/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 COMPASS is electrical system with 28 filings, followed by unknown or other (24) and engine (14). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2021 COMPASS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

117
Complaints
6
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
2021 JEEP COMPASS — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2021 JEEP COMPASS. Overall composite: 4.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 4.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 3.0 ★
NHTSA overall 4.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

117 filings

Crashes Reported

6 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 4/5 — Strong NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 3/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM28
UNKNOWN OR OTHER24
ENGINE14
POWER TRAIN8
STEERING5
SERVICE BRAKES5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS3
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING3
SEAT BELTS2
SUSPENSION2

Recent Complaints

20260203FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Gas pedal broke off while driving. It is made of plastic and the arm that attaches to the pedal snapped off. We towed to a shop to have repaired today. No warning lights or sounds. Thankfully I was going slow and not on a busy street. It could have been a bad outcome if I was merging into on coming traffic. My safety and others were at serious risk due to my car not being able to accelerate with no warning.

20260201UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The LCD radio screen goes in and out, mostly out. Can't see information projected on infortainment screen hence can't see for back up camera situations. If it does come on fully meaning seeing all the controls, sometimes all the letters and numbers are projecting upside down. If the car is hugely warm enough from long term driving the screen will be normal. I have read some reviews and it seems like this is a jeep problem. This issue has never been with other cars I owned. This poses a safety risk especially because it makes a back up camera issue.

20260128ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving, the 2021 Jeep Compass displays "Coolant Temperature High: Shutting Down" even though the car temperature gauge indicates normal engine temperature. Following the warning notification, the vehicle came to a complete stop. Fortunately, I was not going fast and was able to drift into a parking lot space. After several minutes, the vehicle started again and drove normally. If this was to happen at high speed or on a congested highway, someone could be seriously injured or killed. I have seen on other online forums that this is a somewhat common issue with the Jeep Compass. However, after many different service procedures have been attempted from reports online, it appears that no solution has been determined or suggested by the manufacturer.

20260127ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The high coolant temperature light cut on and turned my vehicle off while driving. This problem has been reported on older model Jeep compasses. The car never turned back on and I had to get my vehicle towed home.

20260127ENGINE

The high coolant temperature light cut on and turned my vehicle off while driving. This problem has been reported on older model Jeep compasses. The car never turned back on and I had to get my vehicle towed home.

20260127VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The high coolant temperature light cut on and turned my vehicle off while driving. This problem has been reported on older model Jeep compasses. The car never turned back on and I had to get my vehicle towed home.

20260104ENGINE

Multiple times now at random, car will go from normal temp to overheating on the gauge for a moment. Shuts down in doing so regardless of being driven. Then will instantly think its cooling back down to normal. When it reaches normal it resumes normal driving abilities. While the temp is going up and down on the gauge the center of the cluster tells you "high coolant temperature". No codes or pending codes can be found. Thermostat housing and sensor have been replaced and still occurring at random. Researching online forms, lots of complaints of same issues with no resolve, spending thousands of dollars and trips to dealers and shops to not be resolved. This is a huge safety hazard as you can not move out of the way of others when it happens and occurs both when driving and stopped situations.

20260104ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Multiple times now at random, car will go from normal temp to overheating on the gauge for a moment. Shuts down in doing so regardless of being driven. Then will instantly think its cooling back down to normal. When it reaches normal it resumes normal driving abilities. While the temp is going up and down on the gauge the center of the cluster tells you "high coolant temperature". No codes or pending codes can be found. Thermostat housing and sensor have been replaced and still occurring at random. Researching online forms, lots of complaints of same issues with no resolve, spending thousands of dollars and trips to dealers and shops to not be resolved. This is a huge safety hazard as you can not move out of the way of others when it happens and occurs both when driving and stopped situations.

20251125ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On November 1, 2025, while backing my 2021 Jeep Compass out of the driveway, I noticed the rearview camera started 'jumping' and displaying colored lines. I pulled the vehicle in front of my home, and suddenly there was loud banging and the engine light started flashing. I immediately turned the vehicle off, and it would not start again. I contacted the Jeep dealership Monday morning, November 3, 2025 to advise the vehicle started making loud noises, engine light flashing, rearview camera not displaying properly. The Jeep was subsequently towed to the dealer. I was advised by service tech that there was a fluid leak in the trans pump area. I was also told the vehicle did not pass a battery check, and gave authorization to replace the main battery. The service tech advised the radio needed to be replaced, I told him the radio played fine, but the rearview camera malfunctioned while backing the car out. He said the rearview signal is from the radio, I declined to replaced the rad

20251024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Back up camera goes blank

20251011ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My vehicle information screen is not working. I cannot connect my phone; therefore cannot talk hands free. So this seems like a safety issue. I do not have access to my back up camera.

20250831POWER TRAIN

Every single time I seen the climb McDonald pass in Helena, Montana the car freaks out says service transmission now no matter if I do it at 55 miles an hour or 75 miles an hour, which is about as fast as it’ll go up the pass, it goes in the limp mode, shuts off the fuel pump says service transmission now every single light on the dash that could come on comes on. I don’t know what’s going on with it. I’ve taken it to the dealership. They can’t seem to figure it out.

20250828SERVICE BRAKES

Stop/start system malfunction this is the 2nd time I've had to fix this problem the first time was with dealership in Henderson ky and it will cause more problems later big expenses and a whole vehicle failure so before im out to much money and left with no working vehicle that I still got to pay for i will be returning it this system failure has almost caused a major crash and has caused missed days at work

20250828ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Stop/start system malfunction this is the 2nd time I've had to fix this problem the first time was with dealership in Henderson ky and it will cause more problems later big expenses and a whole vehicle failure so before im out to much money and left with no working vehicle that I still got to pay for i will be returning it this system failure has almost caused a major crash and has caused missed days at work

20250812ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Purchased Jan 20 2024 Battery issues started in April 2024, battery started melting a particular component, i had to replace the battery, the melting was still happening, I went to another jeep location, to get a fuse component that keeps wires separate, the melting still happened. I told the original Jeep dealership about each thing, they told me to bring it in finally and told me I had to pay for a wire harness to be run throughout the car, 3000, to 1800, and then 0, for a "malfunction they found and fixed" After Wire harness situation and price de-escalation after i told them they shouldjust take the car back because i dont have 3000; the start stop now not cooperating, has been happening since Aug 2024 in daytime with lyft rider in car. Stopped for a few months then repeated in October at night with other guests in car. Today (07/14/2025) Before 2 shift of lyft (before 7:50pm) The car stopped 6 times, 2 times with 2 different lyft riders in car. 4 times by myself, 1 time on the

20250812ENGINE

Purchased Jan 20 2024 Battery issues started in April 2024, battery started melting a particular component, i had to replace the battery, the melting was still happening, I went to another jeep location, to get a fuse component that keeps wires separate, the melting still happened. I told the original Jeep dealership about each thing, they told me to bring it in finally and told me I had to pay for a wire harness to be run throughout the car, 3000, to 1800, and then 0, for a "malfunction they found and fixed" After Wire harness situation and price de-escalation after i told them they shouldjust take the car back because i dont have 3000; the start stop now not cooperating, has been happening since Aug 2024 in daytime with lyft rider in car. Stopped for a few months then repeated in October at night with other guests in car. Today (07/14/2025) Before 2 shift of lyft (before 7:50pm) The car stopped 6 times, 2 times with 2 different lyft riders in car. 4 times by myself, 1 time on the

20250812VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Purchased Jan 20 2024 Battery issues started in April 2024, battery started melting a particular component, i had to replace the battery, the melting was still happening, I went to another jeep location, to get a fuse component that keeps wires separate, the melting still happened. I told the original Jeep dealership about each thing, they told me to bring it in finally and told me I had to pay for a wire harness to be run throughout the car, 3000, to 1800, and then 0, for a "malfunction they found and fixed" After Wire harness situation and price de-escalation after i told them they shouldjust take the car back because i dont have 3000; the start stop now not cooperating, has been happening since Aug 2024 in daytime with lyft rider in car. Stopped for a few months then repeated in October at night with other guests in car. Today (07/14/2025) Before 2 shift of lyft (before 7:50pm) The car stopped 6 times, 2 times with 2 different lyft riders in car. 4 times by myself, 1 time on the

20250721UNKNOWN OR OTHER

After going on and off intermittently for the last year, the rear view camera system stopped working altogether! There is a recall for my Year (21) and model (Jeep compass) but unfortunately my vin number is excluded from this recall and Stellantis says there's nothing they can do on their end to assist me with this issue. This creates a safety issue whenever I'm backing up anywhere. To diagnose the problem, my dealership wants to charge me $210.00 just to look at it. There are no warning lights except words on my black screen that say "camera system unavailable"

20250604EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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 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.

Mileage: 103,000

20250604ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 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.

Mileage: 103,000

Compare 2021JEEPCOMPASS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 JEEP COMPASS have?
The 2021 JEEP COMPASS has 117 NHTSA complaints, 6 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2021 JEEP COMPASS?
The 2021 JEEP COMPASS received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 4/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 3/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 JEEP COMPASS?
The most-complained component for the 2021 JEEP COMPASS is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 28 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ENGINE.
Is the 2021 JEEP COMPASS safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2021 JEEP COMPASS has an NHTSA safety rating of 4/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.