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KLUNK
KLUNK

2016 Jeep Compass

The Verdict

45 Proceed with Caution

The 2016 Jeep Compass has 286 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (165 complaints) and body (56 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 45/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Jeep Compass, consider the 2025 model year which has 93% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2025 has 93% fewer complaints

View the 2025 Jeep Compass dashboard →

45

Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution

About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2007223183412732
20081054153513
2009401896
201031427154
2011734314831
2012470417421
2013181221425
201472139411017
201541623376
20165663316526
20175215517732
20181254019849569
201956246416513
202024321826
202122323226
20225181083713
20231531395
20242131465
202542941

By Category

Engine
165
Body
56
Electrical
33
Transmission
26
Brakes
6

By Severity

1
133
2
138
3
4
4
11

Worst Problems

Complaints

Engine 2

The crankshaft position sensor is throwing a code , and the car want turn over .

10d ago
Body 2

The seatbelts in the drivers and passenger sides are disconnecting without pressing the release button

21d ago
Transmission 1

Brake caliphers went bad 2 days after I purchased, now a heavy humming sound that I literally feel vibration in my seat, loud weird noise when making sharp turns, turning the wheel while in park grinding noise, loud rumbling when air conditioner is on, jerking forward when press on gas. This car is horrible

25d ago
Engine 1

The reason for the recall on this make and model is what I'm experiencing now. The whole car will shutdown power while driving with no warnings. In traffic the car will just roll to a stop with cars closely behind me. I bought the call September 2016 yet I just saw a recall when I signed up for triple a. The last 12 months I have been on n and out of shops trying to find the reason. Starter was fixed. Battery replaced. Cables replaced. Throttle body replaced yet the car still shutdown in traffic. I don't want to cause an accident.

1mo ago
Electrical 1

Relay box underneath drivers side headlight prone to corrosion, causes jeeps from this era to stall and die randomly.

2mo ago
Electrical 2

Electrical components failed car shut down while driving and put me and my daughters at risk I had to have a part with the lightning bolt that come on the dash replaced but that's all the inspection there was no warning only flashing engine light and it shut down it first happened June 2025 and has happened 3 times since. Also the cruise control when set will accelerate on its own and I have to hit the button multiple times and the brake to get it to stop and shut off.

3mo ago
Engine 2

While driving at any time, the speedometer will instantly drop and the car feels like it's about to shut itself off. After a diagnostic with a mechanic, they stated this was the crankshaft issue; similar to a recall for other 2016 jeep compass. My vin is not currently associated with this recall notice, however based on these safety defects, it seems it should be considered under the recall

3mo ago
Body 1

The crankshaft sensor has failed.

4mo ago
Engine 2

Continuously stalls out regardless of speed it has stalled on the highway, in the middle of intersections losing power steering. sometimes restarts right away, sometimes not. leaving me stranded in in the middle of highway/intersections sometimes in very dangerous places. It has had a recall repaired in 2017 before I owned the vehicle however it has had the exact same issues as the recall since I’ve bought it. I’ve spent the past few years trying to look up recalls and communicate with the dealership with zero luck at all. I’ve been told time and time again that it has already been repaired and the 2 years warranty is has expired since. (expired before I even bought the car) Yet the car clearly has has not been properly fixed for the same issues to keep happening. Because lack of help to resolve this issue I have paid out of pocket to have these issues repaired. However again the same issues keep happening leaving me and my family in very dangerous positions time and time again at the mercy of other drivers paying attention. What am I to do? I Cannot afford to keep replacing something that isn’t fixing the problem and leaving us in dangerous positions. Check engine light comes on after the car stalls but goes away after a little bit of driving.

4mo ago
Engine 2

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted. The driver waited for several minutes before attempting to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Midas, where it was diagnosed with a CAM shaft sensor failure. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. Approximately one year later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to Midas. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor connector, CAM shaft sensor, crank shaft, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor was the only part available. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft sensor connector, crank shaft, and the wiring harness were not available and were on back order. The CAM shaft sensor was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

4mo ago
Engine 1

The engine failed while driving on the expressway putting us in a dangerous spot on the outer lane. It was towed to Etscorn’s in Louisville, KY and we were told despite everything looking ok on the outside, there was an internal engine failure of some kind and it would cost $900 to take it apart just to find out. I don’t have that kind of money.

4mo ago
Engine 1

The Airbag light keeps coming on. And I regularly diagnose and service my car by the Jeep dealership and the diagnostic scan shows that everything is good with the car, still the airbag light keeps coming up on the dashboard. This is highly concerning and I'm afraid that it might blow up anytime while in driving. The car also has some transmission issue that is not showing up on the diagnostic scan report. But because of this issue I can't and haven't been driving on the highway for 1 year now. Because everything when I drove the highway, after 20 min of driving the car suddenly slows down and does not move forward even though I press the gas pedal. And this happens while I was driving on the highway, in the middle of the highway. It is very dangerous. I think there is a factory fault with this car. And I'd like to get help with this. Thanks.

5mo ago
Engine 2

“The vehicle stalls while driving and restarts after cooling down. This matches a crankshaft position sensor failure. This has accrued while driving on the highway. Sounds like the Safety recall S89.

5mo ago
Engine 2

My vehicle is experiencing the same symptoms as Recall 16V907 (S89). Crankshaft shift sensor but the vin was not bringing up the recall.

5mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle stalled again. The contact waited for several minutes to let the engine cool down and the vehicle eventually returned to normal operation. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the crankshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 137,757.

5mo ago
Engine 1

The vehicle is having issues with power loss while driving and issues with starting at times of cold weather where it cranks very hard for extended periods of time without being able to fully start. I took the vehicle to a local shop to be looked at. They did a diagnostic and physical inspection and identified the issues as a catalytic converter and senor issue. When they looked up the vehicle vin number is showed two NHTSA recall Bulletins: 16V907000 and Emissions recall u67. Jeep when I called them to figure out how to address them said that there are no recalls on this vehicle. They wont fix anything. WHY are there recalls on the vehicle listed and they are saying there are "none that need fixed". Did jeep lie when I had it in their shop before and say they fixed them and they were not?

5mo ago
Electrical 1

Head rest on passenger side popped out while driving and hit me, the passenger, in the head. I found that this particular model did have a recall a few years back as said below, however, our car was not recalled, why not? We went to the dealership to get this repaired and was told there was a warranty but because this head seat was no longer made they couldn't replace it. What can we do to get this repaired, shouldn't Jeep be responsible and should have notified us of a recall? The Jeep Compass front passenger headrest recall involves issues with the active head restraint (AHR) that may deploy unexpectedly, posing a safety risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received nearly 500 complaints regarding headrest failures, with at least 71 involving injury. 1 The recall affects certain 2022 Jeep Compass vehicles due to improper welding of the head restraints, which violates safety standards. 1 Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service for more information and to check if their vehicle is affected. 1 If your vehicle is affected, dealers will replace the front seat head restraints free of charge. 1 For further details, you can refer to the official recall notice or contact your local Jeep dealership.

8mo ago
Body 2

I’m having problems with my Catalytic converter

9mo ago
Transmission 2

I have had problems with Jeep suddenly losing all power while driving with NO WARNING! Everytime ive had it checked they could not find anything wrong with it. Just recently it happened again and since then when I drive it doesn't seem to want to accelerate. There are no noises,instrument lights on any codes showing up. I had to wait a month for my appointment at the dealership and then another month for them to even tell me what was wrong. They said i need a new transmission which is ridiculous since my car only has 89,956 miles and a majority of those miles are from military moves. The only thing they did was run a diagnostic test (nothing showed up) and said they had 2 people test drive it ( but my mileage was the same going in and going out) They told me it would cost 7500 before taxes for the transmission. They could not give me a clear answer when I asked what exactly is wrong with the transmission. I was told that its something internal but they couldn't tell me exactly the problem because that would require them to take it apart. I asked if I should get a transmission flush to make sure it wasn't that since I just learned that cvt should be flushed earlier than usual and he told me probably not. I decide to take my car home and will never use them again. I went two months without a car and was unable to work because they did not offer me any time of vehicle while I had to wait. Im concerned because Mopar discontinued the transaxle package with torque converter, part number 68000676AH that is for my vehicle because it is known to be defective. I bought this car brand new and thought it was clear of any defects or safety issues. A new transmission for a car that is less than 10 years old is ridiculous and seems like a lemon. Since Jeep knows this Jatco transmission is defective and also discontinued it with a different part then why arent they offering a goodwill repair or at least a warranty adjustment. I will now have to quit my job or buy a new car.

10mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had progressively worsened. Most recently, the vehicle stalled while driving at an undisclosed speed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

11mo ago

286 total

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