Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint Problems of Jeep Compass

Informed by dealer that vehicle could not be properly aligned without replacement of both front suspension lower control arms. Vehicle has 58,334 miles on it and was showing excessive wear on front tires. Had control arms replaced, which contained sealed lower ball joints, was told by service technician that this was a know weakness in this vehicle's design/construction and common replacement procedure. Vehicle was driving/tracking fine otherwise, but was told this was a safety issue that needed to be addressed. Have never seen failure of critical suspension component on vehicle with so few miles on it.

See all problems of the 2014 Jeep Compass 🔎.

I took my Jeep Compass in for a routine oil change when the mechanic discovered that the subframe (cross member and control arm) which secured the engine and transmission was completely rusted through. The mechanic asked me to take a look. The hole was so large I could put my hand in it and the crack ran along the entire crossmember. He cautioned me to not drive it until it was replaced, saying that the engine and transmission could fall out at any time and could lead to a very serious if not fatal accident. Also noted was play in the right outer tie rod and right lower ball joint. My vehicle had just turned the 100k mile mark. I am the original owner and have routine maintenance performed. If I had not take to a local mechanic, this may have not been discovered resulting in serious consequences. Calls to Chrysler customer service eventually resulted in a reduction in the cost of parts (2007 Compass was recalled for same issue). My bill is still over $1,000 and would like Chrysler to cover the cost of labor and parts. The replacement parts used were from the 2007 recall. This is unsafe and should not be happening to a vehicle 7. 5 years old. I was told it was because salt is used on the roads. If that's the case, they should issue a disclaimer or safety warning when selling Jeeps in areas that have snow and salt. I am very concerned that I had been driving for months, if not longer, in a very unsafe vehicle. The Jeep Compass 2007 was recalled and Chrysler pacifica for the exact same problems. Apparently, not enough complaints have warranted a 2008 recall.

See all problems of the 2008 Jeep Compass 🔎.

Dealer service department stated that both lower ball joints are bad, vehicle is unsafe to drive as is.

Had vehicle in shop to do a routine oil change and tire rotation, was told that both lower ball joints were bad and they would not recommend driving vehicle was 40 miles from home with no way to get there had to drive they say it was unusual for both to go at that low mileage but the could not find a recall so I googled the problem there is numerous complaints of this. This is a saftey hazord they need to recall before someone is hurt or killed.

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The contact owns a 2010 Jeep Compass. The contact noticed that the inside of the tire tread was prematurely worn. The contact took his vehicle to a tire shop mechanic and was advised that the lower front control arm and ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000. Updated 8/11/cn.

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The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, it was advised that the lower passenger side ball joint and control arm needed to be replaced. In addition, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the front end suspension needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact previously had the right control arm repaired under a manufacturer recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000. Djr.

Ve hicle began making a noise in the front at low speed, when backing at low speed and slight front vibration at normal driving speed. Vehicle has been maintained at manufacturer's recommendations and driven at normally expected conditions, never involved in accident or mishap causing problems with failed parts such as being driven into a ditch, etc. Tires were replaced at around 45,000 miles. Inspection at dealer showed both lower ball joints failed inspection and the tires were "abnormally worn" at less than 20,000 miles of usage. Mechanic and service manager explained that vehicle was too dangerous to drive since there was a risk of the front wheels sheering or breaking off due to the condition of the ball joints. I had the repair completed immediately at a cost of $833. 01. When researching auto parts online I have found that replacement parts are available as oem at around the cost the dealer charged me or a "problem fixer" part was available for an additional cost. This problem fixer part was a greasable ball joint and the oem as well as the factory original parts are not greasable. It seems that the part manufacturers if not the automaker is well aware that a non-greasable ball joint is a built in defect as well as a safety hazard. The vehicle did not seem to have a handling or driving issue, only an annoying and occasional noise and slight vibration and at less than 55,000 gently driven and careful miles it was never thought that there could have been any potential safety hazard with this vehicle. I do not believe that such a vital part should fail so relatively early without abuse or incident to cause it to fail.

See all problems of the 2009 Jeep Compass 🔎.

Purchased Jeep Compass new, Nov. 2007, it's driven 99% of the time by wife to/from work at hosp. Driven less than 6,000 miles per year. Wife stated hearing a creaking/ squeeking noise from front of car. I took the Compass to the dealer to have it checked out, they stated it was the front left lower ball joint. They replaced the left lower control arm/ball joint assembly and a front end alignment. I feel there is a defect with this part failing after only 25,000 miles ( maybe whole front suspension). This vehicle is well taken care of, the Jeep dealer does all oil changes, tire rotation, filters on schedule. This Jeep is kept in a garage at home 100% of the time and garaged at work except for the last 2 years. Jeep has never been off road. Purchased 4x4 so wife could safely drive to work in snow as she works at a hospital and needs to be there during all types of weather. I know how this Jeep is cared for and to have this type of major part failure is unacceptable, with an undue cost of over $ 500. 00 not to mention the safety issues involved. Not a happy person with this Jeep Compass with only 25,777 miles on it.

Had to have lower ball joints replaced. At only 26,000 miles all under normal driving conditions.

The lower ball joints were loose and the lower control arm bushing were worn out. The mechanic replaced right and left lower control arms and installed new pinch bolts, nuts and washers. My vehicle had only 43,000 miles when the issue was detected. I do not drive on dirt roads and/or do any off roading. Jeep does not recognize this as an issue although there are several blogs and forums with Jeep Compass and patriot owners experiencing the same issues with vehicles having fairly low mileage.

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep campus fwd. The contact stated that there was an abnormal metal noise heard from the front end of the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for a state inspection when the contact was advised that the front driver¿s side lower ball joint and tie rod failed due to defective material. The driver¿s side lower ball joint and tie rod was replaced. The contact stated that once year prior to the recent failure, the front passenger¿s side lower ball joint failed and was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000 and the current mileage was 44,500. The VIN was not available.

Replace driver side lower ball joint and both tie rod ends.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the vehicle would drift from lane to lane abnormally when driving 60 mph in rainy weather. The vehicle was taken to have the tires replaced when he was advised by the mechanic that the front lower ball joints would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 58,000.

I was just had my tires replaced at 60,000 miles and was told that both lower ball joints were bad . This is a very low milage for this to occur. . I was quoted over $900 usd to replace both lower control arms (with new ball joints) plus alignment.

2007 Jeep Compass 4x4 with approx. 48,0000 miles has undergone it's 4th replacement of the front lower ball joint/arm. The replacement is not under warranty with Jeep nor recalled at this time. Every year at time of inspection, the Jeep Compass fails inspection due to bad lower ball joint. Replacement costs the owner approx. $500 annually. Jeep has not done anything to correct this defect at the time. The defect in the ball joint also causes owner to pay out of pocket for alignment and replacement of tires since defective ball joint causes tires to wear unevenly.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a loud squeaking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The technician stated the rear lower ball joints would have to be replaced. Prior to the failure with the lower ball joints the contact stated the front drivers and passenger side tie rod had to be replaced. The contact did not experience a failure with the tie rod. The lower ball joints were not replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000. Updated 05/11/12 updated 05/21/12.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass 4x4. The contact was driving in reverse approximately 5 mph in a residential driveway. The brakes were applied and the vehicle exhibited a loud clunking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they detected that the front lower joints were defective. The contact scheduled an appointment for the vehicle to be repaired. The failure mileage was 56,702. The VIN was not available.

2007 Jeep Compass lower ball joint failure at 53,654 miles. Completely unacceptable. Took my Jeep in for routine maintainance and found my drivers lower ball joint very close to seperating. Not only that but the vertical lower control arm bushing was seperated from the arm !! only reason there was not damage to my vehicle or my life was I had my Compass serviced early for the 60k service.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass 4x4. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken in for routine maintenance when the contact was advised that the front lower ball joints were extremely loose and dislodging from the socket abnormally. The dealer was contacted who informed the contact that there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The vehicle was repaired by an independent mechanic. The failure mileage was 37,820.

2007 Jeep Compass= went to get oil change and was told lower ball joints were shot and unsafe to drive. How long before you make Jeep recall this junk? do people have to die first?.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass 4x4. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle began pulling to the right. The contact slowed down to keep control. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the front lower ball joints were defective. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 53,000.

Took my 2007 Jeep Compass in for an oil change and tire rotation and was told that the lower ball joint on the front passenger side was bad and that I should get it repaired as soon as possible; that it was very dangerous to leave it as is. I found this website and found that this seems to be a very common problem. My car has 36,600 miles on it. The warranty was up at the end of July. How convenient. I plan on calling the Dodge Chrysler dealership in the morning and seeing if they will be able to help me out without this costing me a fortune. Seems to me like this is a parts problem and that a recall should be issued.

Tl- the contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that he has replaced the lower ball joints 4 times and tie rod end 3 times. The vehicle was repaired at a independent mechanic twice and dealer once. The technician was unable to pin point a reason for the failures but mentioned that this was a known problem for the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 60,259. Sr.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. The vehicle was being serviced at an authorized dealer when the mechanic advised the contact that the front tie rods and lower ball joints would need replacing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repairs. The failure and current mileage was 16,430.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Compass. The contact was reversing when an abnormal noise was heard from the front driver side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local automotive repair facility where he was advised that the lower ball joints were loose and would need to be replaced. The dealer was unable to service the vehicle stating that the vehicle was outside of factory warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 36,000 and the current mileage was 37,000.

2007 Jeep Compass rallye edition with 37,000 miles. There was a metallic creaking / clunk from the front of the vehicle, and had it inspected by a local mechanic . Both lower ball joints were found to be bad with excessive play. . . Ball joints were replaced w/ new. Engine oil pump also failed @ approx 15,000 miles and caused engine failure was replaced under warranty after a month of waiting. .

Started hearing a tire noise and clunking when turning or going over bump. Took it to my service man. Car unsafe to drive. Dangerously bad lower ball joints. Had to replace brakes due to this and tire has started to separate due to the looseness of the tire. I have the defective ball joints. My 2007 Jeep Compass has 41,000 miles on it and this should not have happened. Multiple vehicles have had this problem yet no recall. There was a recall on this 2003 through 2006. Obviously there is still a problem. This problem could be life threatening if the wheel comes off. I was lucky.

I went to get a state inspection for my 2007 Jeep Compass 4x4, it has 48,000 miles on it and I was told that both lower ball joints were worn out, upon futher investigation it was found that there was little or no grease in the ball joints. After searching for replacement ball joints I found my only option at the time was to buy two used control arms from a junk yard, the ball joints on these control arms were also void of grease. . After talking with other owners of Jeep Compass 4x4 I have found that all 5 of the other owners of these vehicles in this area have also had to replace ball joints, all of them were also under 5,0000 miles. This is unaceptable, ball joints should last a lot longer than this and would if they had adequate grease and grease fitting where grease could be added to the ball joints. Just so we are clear, the boots covering the ball joints where the grease should be were in perfect conditionso this was not a problem with somethings be torn of misused.

My Jeep Compass 2007 went in to have the two front tires repaired. The repair man found that my lower ball joints and left outer tie rod were "trash". The left side had fallen apart. I called Jeep to speak to them in regards to this after checking it out online to find that many Jeep Compass owners have had the same problem. Obviously the equipment they are using or the people who are putting them together are not either faulty or not well done. This is a wide spread problem. Jeep did offer to pay for the repair in the "event that it truly was a defect". The problem is my Jeep is not a Chrysler dealer and where it's at and the condition it is in, it would cost me nearly $500 plus to get to one. With that Jeep would not help me. I am stuck paying for the repair of a vehicle that has faulty parts and workmanship. This is not a single event. . . And I ask that you force Jeep Chrysler to recall this vehicle for this defect. I will be getting my car repaired right where it's at, but I will be pursuing Jeep legally through the attorney generals office, better business bureau ect until this matter is resolved.

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Compass sport 4x4. The contact stated that when attempting to decelerate in snowy weather, the brakes would not function properly and would exhibit an abnormal noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The failure recurred and the dealer advised that the rear lower ball joints, which were fractured and causing the tires to wear prematurely, would need replacing. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. Updated 03/24/lj the consumer was informed both lower ball joints were bad. Updated 04/29/11.

Went in for new tires and the store reported to me that the lower ball joints were lose and it present a very serious safety issue. This was brought to my attention because the Jeep Compass had only 27,740 miles on it.

I went in to get my oil changed and my tires rotated and was told my car is unsafe to drive and here is what they put on my invoice (verbatim) "needs both lower control arms passenger side front has a really bad ball joint and left outer tie rod end is bad also price to replace both outer tie rod ends and both lower ball joints $1083 plus tax and that includes the alignment!!!!!!!!! vehicle is unsafe to drive with ball joint is this condition!!!!!!!!!" (literally with all the exclamation marks. ) I took the car somewhere else to get repaired (for half the cost) however I believe this is a part failure as I have less than 50k miles.

My 2008 Jeep Compass, with approximately 32,000 miles, required the lower ball joints to both be replaced or risk a serious potential safety hazard. These parts should have lasted at least twice as long as they actually did and the technician at the Jeep dealership I spoke with said this is a reoccuring problem on this model of Jeep with this specific part. We took the vehicle in to have it inspected because it was riding rough. If we had not taken this vehicle to the dealership for inspection at the time we did then there was a strong possibility that the parts failure (lower ball joints) could have caused a catastropic failure of the front end resulting in the wheel and tire separating from the vehilce. This is a definite safety concern for any family who owns this model of Jeep. We have written a letter directly to chysler customer care describing the problem and telling them of our dissatisfaction with the part both needing replaced well before this part should normally be due for inspection. We feel this is a serious safety concern and should be considered for a parts recall by Chrysler. We solely wish to forward on our safety concern to your organization for further review. We suspect that this issue might be a trend and we want to make sure our concern is voiced; mainly in order to prevent a future incident in which a family is driving down the road and their wheel separates from the vehicle causing a serious collision or possibly a death. Thank you for your consideration.

I have a 2007 Jeep Compass with 55,000 miles, the lower ball joints and tie rod ends have to be replaced. In my opinion and the repair shops opinion this is extremely premature for replacement of these parts. The cost of replacement of these parts are not cheap either. I know I am not the only one with this same problems with this vehicle or the sister vehicle to this, the Jeep patriot. I have read numerous other complaints on various websites about this same problem with Jeep customers with less miles than mine. What really frustrates me the most is that Chrysler will not even acknowledge the problem. And keep charging $800. 00 to repair this part that will happen again and again! this is a very dangerous problem. My vehicle was at the point where the ball joints and tie rod ends are about ready to break. Thanks for your time.