Common problems

Jeep Compass (before 2017) common problems

What MOT testers find on the Jeep Compass (before 2017): the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 9,223 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025. These figures cover cars first used before 2017. Later cars sold under the same name are not included; see Jeep Compass cars first used 2017 or later.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 11 years, the most tested age

Suspension fails per 100 MOTs (n=2,635)20.8

All cars at 11 years (n=8,087,514)11.6

Suspension advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=2,635)37.5

All cars, same age (n=8,087,514)21.6

What stands out

Suspension fails show up on 20.8 of every 100 MOTs of a Jeep Compass (before 2017) at 11 years old (n=2,635), against 11.6 for all cars of that age (n=8,087,514).
Tyres fails are less common: 5.9 per 100 MOTs against 7.0 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 11 years: suspension ball joint worn, on 7.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.1).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 18.4 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 11 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.

Jeep Compass (before 2017) at 11 years (n=2,635) against all cars at 11 years (n=8,087,514). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Suspension	20.8	11.6	37.5	21.6
Lights and electrics	14.7	13.3	7.9	7.5
Brakes	7.5	7.3	25.2	22.8
Tyres	5.9	7.0	27.4	27.2
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	5.9	4.8	4.1	4.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.5	3.2	5.2	5.3
Steering	3.3	2.5	6.1	2.8
Body and structure	2.5	3.5	4.7	5.1
Seat belts and airbags	0.8	0.9	0.2	0.5
Road wheels	0.6	0.4	0.5	1.0
Number plates and VIN	0.2	0.3	2.0	2.4

What testers fail most on the Compass (before 2017) at 11 years

Fail items on the Jeep Compass (before 2017) at 11 years (n=2,635), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=8,087,514).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Suspension ball joint worn	Suspension	7.5	2.1	£75 to £237 per side (rough guide)
Suspension arm bush worn	Suspension	5.6	1.7	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	3.7	1.9	£18 to £86 per lamp
Headlamp: not working on main beam	Lights and electrics	3.1	0.3	£18 to £86 per lamp
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.0	1.9	£15 to £30 per blade
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	3.0	3.2	£10 to £47 per lamp
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	2.8	2.8	£88 to £145 per tyre
Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened	Suspension	2.6	0.1
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	2.6	0.9	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	Steering	2.1	1.6	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 11 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).

Advisories and minor defects on the Jeep Compass (before 2017) at 11 years (n=2,635), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=8,087,514).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	18.4	17.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	15.3	6.6	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	14.1	10.0	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	10.4	7.8	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)	Other	7.9	1.7
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil	Suspension	7.7	3.6	£122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide)
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	7.6	8.7	£88 to £145 per tyre
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	Suspension	6.2	2.1
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated	Suspension	5.1	0.8
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	4.9	3.9

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

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 11 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Suspension	Lights and electrics	Brakes
9 years	1,017	13.5	11.4	5.4
10 years	1,881	17.6	13.3	7.0
11 years	2,635	20.8	14.7	7.5
12 years	2,122	22.3	16.0	9.2
13 years	1,568	23.5	17.5	10.1

What to check on a viewing

On the Jeep Compass (before 2017), testers most often record suspension ball joint worn; suspension arm bush worn; dipped headlight not working. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

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.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

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 (before 2017)?

At 11 years, the age with the most MOT tests (2,635), the fail items testers record most often on the Jeep Compass (before 2017) are suspension ball joint worn (7.5 per 100 MOTs), suspension arm bush worn (5.6 per 100 MOTs), dipped headlight not working (3.7 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (18.4) and suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (15.3).

Which parts of the Jeep Compass (before 2017) fail more often than on other cars?

At 11 years: suspension (20.8 per 100 MOTs against 11.6 for all cars); lights and electrics (14.7 per 100 MOTs against 13.3 for all cars); windscreen, wipers and mirrors (5.9 per 100 MOTs against 4.8 for all cars). Compared with 8,087,514 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Jeep Compass (before 2017) problems by area

Other Jeep models

All Jeep models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Jeep Compass (before 2017)?

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