NHTSA has received 143 owner complaints about the 2020 Jeep Compass, or 21.1 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.52, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 83 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #40 of 83 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Jeep models its rate is 68% lower; against other Compact SUVs it is 65% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2020-03-25 and 2026-10-13. Median delay from incident to filing: 8 days.
143Complaints
21.1Complaints per year on the road
0.52Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
3.5%Share involving a crash or fire
23Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 42.4 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 14.0 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 23 complaints, 59% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (58.0% of complaints), followed by Electrical (14.7%) and Unspecified or other (8.4%). Engine complaints are 2.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 5 reports (3.5%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 3 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 46 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (39% of incidents). In the last 12 months 23 new complaints were filed, versus 26 in the 12 months before — down 12%.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “False overheat leading to loss of motive power” (preliminary evaluation, opened 2022-12-02, closed 2023-12-10).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.52
vs. other Jeep models0.32
vs. other 2020 models0.56
vs. other Compact SUVs0.35
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (23)0.41
On December 9th, my Jeep compass caught fire in Tyson’s corner parking lot (1750 Tysons BLVD). The fire department believes it came from the engine. No warning signs such as engine lights or temperature overheating prior.
Engine · 2025-12-15 · ODI 11705159 · Fire
8/30/2022 Started the vehicle in the drive way foot still engaged on break and the vehicle accelerated forward with my foot on break and damaged my home and vehicle.
Brakes · 2022-08-30 · ODI 11482006 · Crash
Carvana falsifying 150 inspection on tie rods that's having issue with two different vehicles on 2020 jeep compass and 2021 jeep compass
Steering · 2026-10-13 · ODI 11770971
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. While driving for 5–10 minutes at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated, and a "Pressure Overheating" message was displayed.
Engine · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770212
My 2020 Jeep Compass develops significant shaking and vibration when I apply the brakes while traveling above approximately 70 mph.
Brakes · 2026-09-30 · ODI 11768127
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles. The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver's visibility in certain weather conditions.
Risk: Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper nuts, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W25.
False overheat leading to loss of motive powerClosed
PE22013 · preliminary evaluation · ENGINE · Opened 2022-12-02 · Closed 2023-12-10 · Model years: 2019, 2020
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles a…
