Common problems
Jeep Compass common problems
What MOT testers find on the Jeep Compass: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 31,820 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025. These figures cover cars first used 2017 or later. Earlier cars sold under the same name are not included; see Jeep Compass cars first used before 2017.
MOT data updated
At 4 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- Tyres fails show up on 6.4 of every 100 MOTs of a Jeep Compass at 4 years old (n=8,830), against 4.7 for all cars of that age (n=8,699,937).
- The fail item testers record most often at 4 years: wipers not clearing screen, on 3.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.5).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 16.2 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 4 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 6.4 | 4.7 | 26.0 | 20.4 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 5.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| Lights and electrics | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Brakes | 1.4 | 2.2 | 11.8 | 12.0 |
| Suspension | 1.4 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 2.8 |
| Seat belts and airbags | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Body and structure | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Road wheels | 0.2 | 0.2 | under 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Steering | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
What testers fail most on the Compass at 4 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers not clearing screen | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 3.5 | 2.5 | £15 to £30 per blade |
| Tyre tread below 1.6 mm | Tyres | 2.7 | 1.4 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Tyre with cords exposed | Tyres | 1.6 | 0.9 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 1.3 | 1.5 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 1.2 | 0.7 | £2 to £14 per car (rough guide) |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 1.2 | 0.6 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 0.8 | 0.3 | diagnosis from £39 (rough guide) |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative | Tyres | 0.8 | 0.3 | £53 to £125 per wheel (rough guide) |
| Anti-roll bar link worn | Suspension | 0.7 | 0.1 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
| Brake pads under 1.5 mm | Brakes | 0.6 | 1.3 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 4 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 16.2 | 12.4 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Tyres | 9.8 | 6.3 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 7.3 | 5.2 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Brakes | 4.1 | 6.9 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
| Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt | Other | 3.5 | 2.2 | |
| Nail in tyre | Other | 2.8 | 2.1 | |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 2.6 | 1.8 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Wipers: blade defective | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 2.4 | 1.3 | |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively | Brakes | 2.2 | 1.7 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play | Suspension | 2.1 | 0.1 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Tyres | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | Lights and electrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 7,713 | 7.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| 4 years | 8,830 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 3.1 |
| 5 years | 7,244 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 3.4 |
| 6 years | 5,598 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 5.1 |
| 7 years | 2,435 | 7.6 | 5.7 | 7.1 |
Mileage
At 4 years, Jeep Compass cars showing under 30,000 miles failed 13.4% of MOTs (n=4,837); the band that failed most, 30,000 to 60,000 miles, failed 19.3% (n=3,685). For pass and fail rates by age, see Jeep Compass MOT fail rates.
What to check on a viewing
On the Jeep Compass, testers most often record wipers not clearing screen; tyre tread below 1.6 mm; tyre with cords exposed. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Tyres
- Check the tread across the full width of all four tyres, and the spare if there is one.
- Look for cuts, bulges and cracking in the sidewalls.
- Wear on one edge only can point to worn suspension or the tracking being out.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
- Look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
- Run the wipers and washers: they should clear the screen without smearing.
- Check that the mirrors are present, secure and not cracked.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the Jeep Compass?
At 4 years, the age with the most MOT tests (8,830), the fail items testers record most often on the Jeep Compass are wipers not clearing screen (3.5 per 100 MOTs), tyre tread below 1.6 mm (2.7 per 100 MOTs), tyre with cords exposed (1.6 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (16.2) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (9.8).
Which parts of the Jeep Compass fail more often than on other cars?
At 4 years: tyres (6.4 per 100 MOTs against 4.7 for all cars); windscreen, wipers and mirrors (5.2 per 100 MOTs against 3.6 for all cars). Compared with 8,699,937 MOTs of all cars the same age.
Jeep Compass problems by area
More on the Jeep Compass
Other Jeep models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Jeep Compass?
These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.
See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record
Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources