1 Star Reviews for Jeep Compass

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

3.99/5 Average
317 Total Reviews
Model Overview:

Most people think of Jeeps as tough off-road vehicles that love to get muddy, but when the Jeep Compass debuted for 2007, it wasn't like other Jeeps. It didn't look rugged, it wasn't trail-rated, and as far as we could tell, it didn't even like dirt. Instead, it was a car-based design built for the majority of small-SUV buyers who wanted a fuel-efficient runabout that was easy to drive around suburbia. Four-wheel drive was available, of course, but it was a single-speed system -- enough to get you through a snowstorm and that's about it.

As you can imagine, Jeep purists didn't much care for the Compass, which they regarded as the antithesis of all things Jeep. The company evidently took this early criticism to heart, because the latest iteration has revised styling and newfound capabilities that edge the Compass closer to "real Jeep" status. Even so, the Jeep Compass faces stiff competition among today's compact, car-based SUVs. Its low base price and interesting features may be compelling at a glance, but for those who dig deeper, its subpar engines, modest cargo capacity and relatively crude driving dynamics will likely prove significant liabilities.

Current Jeep Compass
The Jeep Compass is a compact SUV offered in Sport, Latitude and Limited trim levels. Standard equipment on the base Sport includes alloy wheels, full power accessories, cruise control, air-conditioning and an auxiliary audio jack. Stepping up to the Latitude gets you heated front seats, a height-adjustable driver seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with auxiliary audio controls, while the Limited gets items like leather upholstery, a power driver seat, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, a rearview camera and automatic climate control. Notable options include a navigation system, Bluetooth and a USB port.

Every front-wheel-drive Jeep Compass Sport or Latitude model comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 158 horsepower. A 2.4-liter 172-hp four-cylinder engine is standard on the Limited and all four-wheel-drive Compasses. It is optional on the others. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the Sport, but a six-speed automatic transmission can be specified instead. The Latitude and Limited come standard with the six-speed automatic.

Of the two available four-wheel-drive options, the light-duty "Freedom Drive I" system operates in front-wheel-drive mode under normal conditions and automatically sends power to the rear wheels only when needed. The Freedom Drive II Off-Road package (available on 4WD versions) includes hill ascent/descent assist and a host of other all-terrain equipment, but unfortunately it requires the undesirable continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) -- which also comes standard with the optional Altitude and High Altitude packages.

In reviews, we've found the Jeep Compass to be one of the least appealing compact SUVs. At its core, the Compass still shares its underpinnings with the thankfully departed Dodge Caliber hatchback, and suffers from the same weak and noisy engines. Acceleration is slow regardless of which engine you opt for, though the six-speed automatic does improve on the CVT's whiny, sluggish operation. In terms of refinement (or lack thereof), the 2.4-liter is almost as rough and loud as the 2.0, and neither achieves impressive fuel economy.

To be fair, the Freedom Drive II package makes the Compass an unusually capable crossover in the dirt, but if that's what you're after, there are superior alternatives, including Jeep's own Cherokee. And aside from Freedom Drive II, there's little else to recommend the Compass over its peers. Rear passenger space is adequate overall, but legroom is tight back there relative to the norm, and the harsh, bouncy ride haunts both seating rows. Maximum cargo space behind the front seats also trails the pack.

Used Jeep Compass Models
Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Jeep Compass is in its first generation, but there have been significant changes made. From 2007-'10, the Compass featured different exterior styling that was less indicative of other Jeep models. It was rounder, a little more avant garde, and if we're honest, not very attractive. Prior to an interior overhaul for 2009 that addressed both design and materials quality, the cabin was one of the worst on the market. It was upgraded yet again for 2011, which was also the first year for the current car's more capable Freedom Drive II equipment and "baby Grand Cherokee" styling. The six-speed automatic debuted for 2014 as a considerably more civilized alternative to the CVT, though the underlying shortcomings of the engines were not addressed.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 317.00
  • Heartache with Chrysler - 2009 Jeep Compass
    By -

    I had an Intrepid which required a fair amount of front end suspension parts and accepted this because of the design of the car (front-end heavy and so on) when we purchased the Compass one thing that returned was front end part issues and lots of them, started at 20,000 kilometers. Because front-end issues can cause havoc with tires and steering in general, I like to have this in top shape, but it is a never-ending issue every time it goes in for regular service. It still goes on today with the most recent lower control arms being replaced for the second time before 100,000 kilometers. At 25,000 kilometers we started having the sun roof leak into the car. Being told that the drain lines in the roof needed cleaning periodically seemed a problem because you really dont know when this can happen. You tube had ways that people gave up with Chrysler and came up with their own solution although extensive it dealt with a lot of modifications to the drain line and this meant taking parts of the interior off. Then, the front drivers side pan just in front and the back would fill with water - up to 2 inches of water, no rhyme or reason, cleaned this out several times before the dealership finally gave up on the issue of the drain lines and found a body molding without the proper seal in place. The drain lines are still an issue but instead of paying $126 to have these blown out with compressed air, I do it myself. The last thing to go wrong is the K frame when the lower control arms were being replaced. The place where I have my maintenance done on the Jeep now has a mechanic that used to work for a Chrysler dealership and alerted me to the fact that the K frame is rotting and that I seek out the dealership warranty, should there be one. Right now Im staring at $500 getting it done myself or $900 through the dealership - not even 100,000 K on the vehicle! The only good thing I have to say about the Jeep is in the snow, you cannot beat it, it is a tank with Blizzaks for tires. However, when we get a wet snow/rain and it freezes, the doors will not latch after opening, major problem since the only way to rectify this issue is to leave the vehicle heat-up, with it not locked (not good!) So, we are getting rid of the Jeep soon. All of the review of this and also the fact that there is always some sort of hassle with Chrysler has made the decision of what to purchase next, which does not include any type of Chrylser product what-so-ever!

  • DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2007 Jeep Compass
    By -

    This car has more issues and definitely does not age gracefully. The issues are very expensive ones to repair, I would never recommend anyone to by a Jeep Compass. Keep searching!

  • Not worth buying worst car I ever owned - 2007 Jeep Compass
    By -

    Only had my Jeep Compass for 9 months I bought it used with 90 k miles since owning it the 9 months dumped about 6 grand into it def. not worth what the resale value is it does drive and I feel it is reliable to a point but every part that needs to be replaced when I had the issue was a arm and a leg I feel Chrysler and the jeep dealerships now this so everytime I bring it in its o this much time this much to fix while the parts are no where near what they cost or I feel they just try to get money from u I have a aftermarket exhaust which comes from the cat back which is not a no name brand it has a life time warranty on it and there telling me it all has to be replaced that my cat is aftermarket too lol I helped put it on I know theres only one cat and it goes from the cat back it was just the muffler and the pipe that went to the cat lol. But any way just trying to say that Im very disappointed in this vehicle and jeep themselves

  • Worst car I have ever owned - 2011 Jeep Compass
    By -

    Yesterday was the 3rd greatest day of my life. 1. My daughters birth in 2011. 2. My wedding in 2001. 3. The day I got rid of my Jeep Compass in 2016. Ok, so this car never left me on the side of the road, but it was the worst investment I have ever made. It did not hold value well at all and every time I turned around, some small part was breaking. There is a LOT of plastic on this car. And the seats are extremely cramped and uncomfortable for long drives. Very little cargo space. The power is dismal. Something is also flawed in the design to the point you have to roll all of the windows down if you roll down one window. It makes a very strange vibration if you dont. The transmission whines after long drives. Nothing wrong with it, it just whines. If youre looking for a car at this price point and have a family, go with the Kia Sorrento like I should have.

  • NOT A SAFE CAR - DOES NO HANDLE IN WET - 2007 Jeep Compass
    By -

    This car is almost 3 years old and since the beginning I have told the dealer it slides when braking and taking off on wet roads - badly. They always have said nothing is wrong. Now they tell me it must be the tires and I should spend $600.00 on different tires, to my reply was so you sold me a car with unsafe tires. I got a shrug of shoulder response. This coupled with horrible rear and rear sides visibility due to huge v shaped metal between rear and side windows and non-movable headrests make it an unsafe vehicle. I will not even take it on a trip or out if it is raining or about to rain.

  • DO NOT BUY THIS CAR - 2017 Jeep Compass
    By -

    If I could rate this car zero stars I would. Just leased it a week ago 4x4 latitude with all the gadgets etc. Anyway, I was driving down a busy street and It was a red light so the "start stop" system which turns off the engine at stop lights to save fuel started working (You can turn it off by hitting a button everytime you get in the car, but is that really the solution to hope this never happens again). Normally, this system has worked fine. HOWEVER, as I felt the engine turn off, all of a sudden, the car went CRAZY. The parking brake was on and I couldnt turn it off, the wheel wouldnt move, the gears would shift but they flashed, the screen turned on and off, and I COULDNT TURN THE CAR OFF. I was sitting in the middle of a busy one way street on a green light, people were honking, and I couldnt move. I was stuck and couldnt do anything about it. I tried to hold the push to start button down but to no avail, my car WOULD NOT MOVE NOR RESTART. I was sitting in the road for about 10 minutes freaking out and about to call AAA. It was like the car was off, but it was on. Cars wouldnt move around me so it might even be possible that the emergency lights that I turned on werent even on. Suddenly I tried the on button again and it worked. So I turned the car around and gave it to a dealer and explained my problem. They said it would be done in a day. TWO WEEKS LATER, I still do not have my car. No one could figure out what was wrong with it. They told me since the car was so "new (It came out in feb and its July) that they didnt have the technology to figure out what the problem was. The had to call Chrysler who STILL hasnt send over the parts. It was a computer problem, but it took them a week to figure that out, when I told them that the first day. I am very upset that a new car would just stop working like that and I could do nothing about. The dealership and even the own JEEP company didnt know anything. Its scary to think that when they get the replacement part they are going "to fix it" but yet they couldnt even figure out what was wrong with my car. Before leasing this car I checked what people had to say about it, and not once did someone say it stopped working. Well that happened to me and I want everyone to be aware before they think about the New Jeep Compass. (By the way the replacement courtesy vehicle they gave me was NOT sufficient at all. It was a base model with no backup camera, no blind spot, and no automatic headlights. The vehicle I brought in was equipt with everything, even a sun/moon roof. It would be nice if they gave me a car to drive that was somewhere close to that. If I had brought in an SRT Jeep GC would they give me a Dodge Dart?)

  • BUYER BEWARE! RUN AWAY - 2007 Jeep Compass
    By -

    This Jeep is horrible! i originally wanted a jeep wrangler but settled for the compass because i read it had good mpg, bought used with only 15k couple months in and had front end issues, have replaced front rotors,front and rear brakes, new tires .. has had multiple alignments, three months ago needed new ETC system ! Im at 87k and now the alternator gave out today! something rattles when i hit any bump and slips even with a little bit of rain or snow on ground ,

  • 2018 jeep compass sport - 2018 Jeep Compass
    By -

    the dash dimmer dont work(software problem, all models) backup screen is so bright at night you have to cover it to see out of the car no dimmer option, my traction control and abs both made noise when driving in just a mist and something was pulling the steering wheel out of my hand for some reason later found out this is some kind self correcting steering but it kept trying to steer me into on-coming traffic so you have to be ready to fight this all the time, check engine light came on 43 miles from the dealer, didnt have it looked at because the company gave me the car and we are usually stuck with them after i told them i didnt want it in the first place, i carry a obd2 reader so i just pulled over and hit erase codes to get the light to go out, i havent drove it since...gas mileage is only about 12.8mpg because you have to run it almost floored to keep a speed of 70mph which is the avarage speed limit around here...i think the stock tires are too small for the size and weight of the car...which wound cause the hydroplaning and from the hydroplaning would cause the traction control system to kick in...not a good car for everyday use...sunday car for grandma maybe...hell my was free and i thought it was so dangerous that i only drove it once in 2 weeks because im afraid to get caught in the rain in it

  • Look elsewhere - 2011 Jeep Compass
    By -

    I had my compass not even 2 weeks after I bought it before I had transmission issues. Every time I tried going on a road trip and it went past an hr of driving, the transmission light would come on, the rpms rose and the speed decreased.... It has been in the shop 9x over the last 7 months and between the dealer and Chrysler I cant seem to get them to realize the importance of having a car that you are paying on (ins and car payment). It has been at a dealership waiting for Chrysler to give the go ahead for a new transmission for 3 weeks now... A nightmare! If they hadnt guaranteed me a manufacturer warranty on the transmission I would be responsible. But the car is under the 100,000 mile warranty mark. Problem!?! The car and the fact that I was sold a Canadian car without my knowledge and that is the loophole that is screwing me. Do yourself a favor, dont think twice about a compass and make sure it wasnt brought over the border!!!

  • Get ready to put every penny you earn into this ve - 2007 Jeep Compass
    By -

Jeep Compass Reviews By Year:
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