2017, 2018 and 2019 Jeep Compass owners are reporting two different dangerous issues with their vehicles. Some owners have reported that the vehicles are shutting off while driving at highway speeds. Other Compass owners have experienced stalling immediately after the vehicle restarts at stop lights or stop signs.
For the first problem, Jeep Compass vehicles have shut off without warning at highway speeds, including up to 65 miles per hour. When this has happened, the vehicle was no longer able to accelerate, and the power steering did not work. Loss of acceleration at highway speeds can quickly result in a collision when drivers following behind can’t slow down in time. Loss of power steering compounds the problem by making the vehicle difficult to steer off the roadway.
With the second problem, when the vehicle stops at a stop light or stop sign, it shuts off with the normal function of the auto stop/start feature. When the driver takes the foot off the brake to go, the car may start up again just briefly and then stall out. By this point, the vehicle is stopped in the middle of an intersection, again at high risk for an accident. Sometimes the vehicle can be restarted but some vehicles have to be towed.
The manufacturer, FCA (formerly Chrysler), has not come up with a fix for these issues or even acknowledged that there is a problem. The reports of the shutting off and stalling issues in the Compass vehicles have been associated with at times the auto start/stop system, excessive oil use or an emergency brake error message. On some of these vehicles, the start/stop system has failed to work. The start/stop feature is a fuel saving feature that is supposed to turn the engine off automatically at brief stops and start the engine up again automatically when the driver takes their foot off the brake. When the system operates as designed, there is no delay or hesitation once the driver takes their foot off the brake and no need to manually restart the engine. Because manufacturers base reported fuel economy with the start/stop system operating, the start/stop system in the Jeep Compass, like most other vehicles with this feature, can be turned off each time the driver gets into the car but cannot be permanently turned off by the driver. I have seen several Jeep Compass vehicles with a malfunction causing the start/stop system to not work, and some owners have noticed that the start/stop system fails to work shortly before the vehicle shuts off while in motion.
If your Jeep Compass has shut down while in motion at highway speeds or just after a stop or if the stop/start feature has stopped working, get your vehicle in as soon as possible to a Jeep dealership for repair. Many state Lemon Laws have limitations on the time and number of miles for the first report of a problem to qualify, so if you delay taking your vehicle in for repair, you could lose your Lemon Law claim but still may have a breach of warranty claim. If the dealership claims that it cannot duplicate the problem, tell the dealership to go on a test drive with you driving to try to recreate the issue. Consumers should also report incidents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at www.safercar.gov. If the problems with your vehicle are not fixed under warranty, contact Attorney Christina Gill Roseman at www.helpforlemoncars.com or 1-800-745-5259 for free Lemon Law help.