2017 JEEP COMPASS Owners Manual

•In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission in
NEUTRAL, but do not increase engine idle speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down an
impending overheat condition:
• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C
system adds heat to the engine cooling system and
turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum
heat, the mode control to floor and the blower control to
high. This allows the heater core to act as a supplement
to the radiator and aids in removing heat from the
engine cooling system.
WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot engine
coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If you
see or hear steam coming from under the hood, do not
open the hood until the radiator has had time to cool.
Never try to open a cooling system pressure cap when
the radiator or coolant bottle is hot.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your
vehicle. If the pointer rises to the H (red) mark, the
instrument cluster will sound a chime. When safe, pull
over and stop the vehicle with the engine at idle. Turn
off the air conditioning and wait until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on the H (red) mark for more than a minute,
turn the engine off immediately and call for service.
GEAR SELECTOR OVERRIDE
If a malfunction occurs and the gear selector cannot be
moved out of the PARK position, you can use the following
procedure to temporarily move the gear selector:
1. Turn the engine OFF.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Using a small screwdriver or similar tool, remove the
gear selector override access cover (located on the right
side of the gear selector housing).
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 271

4. Turn the ignition switch to the ACC or ON/RUNposition, but do not start the engine.
5. Press and maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal.
6. Insert the screwdriver or similar tool into the access port, and push and hold the override release lever
forward.
7. Move the gear selector to the NEUTRAL position.
8. The vehicle may then be started in NEUTRAL.
9. Reinstall the gear selector override access cover.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it can
often be moved using a rocking motion. Turn the steering
wheel right and left to clear the area around the front
wheels. Then shift back and forth between DRIVE and
REVERSE (with automatic transmission) or 2nd gear and
REVERSE (with manual transmission), while gently press-
ing the accelerator. Use the least amount of accelerator
pedal pressure that will maintain the rocking motion,
without spinning the wheels, or racing the engine.
CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead to
transmission overheating and failure. Allow the en-
gine to idle with the transmission in NEUTRAL for at
least one minute after every five rocking-motion
cycles. This will minimize overheating and reduce the
risk of clutch or transmission failure during prolonged
efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
Gear Selector Override Access Cover
272 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

NOTE:Push the ESC Off switch, to place the Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) system in Partial Offmode, before
rocking the vehicle. Refer to “Electronic Brake Control” in
“Safety” for further information. Once the vehicle has been
freed, push the ESC Offswitch again to restore ESC On
mode.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces generated
by excessive wheel speeds may cause damage, or even
failure, of the axle and tires. A tire could explode and
injure someone. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels
faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for longer than 30
seconds continuously without stopping when you are
stuck and do not let anyone near a spinning wheel, no
matter what the speed.
CAUTION!
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by shifting between
DRIVE/2nd gear and REVERSE, do not spin the
wheels faster than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drivetrain
damage may result.
• Revving the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transmission overheating and failure. It
can also damage the tires. Do not spin the wheels
above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear (no transmis-
sion shifting occurring).
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 273

TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE
This section describes procedures for towing a disabled
vehicle using a commercial towing service.
Towing Condi-tion Wheels OFF
The Ground Manual Trans-
mission 6-Speed Auto-
matic (FWD Only) 6-Speed Auto-
matic 4WD CVT Automatic
Transmission
Flat Tow NONE
•Transmission
in NEUTRAL
• Key in ACC
or ON/RUN
position
If transmission
is operable:
• Transmission
in NEUTRAL
• 25 mph
(40 km/h)
max speed
• 15 miles
(24 km) max
distance
If transmission is operable:
• Transmission
in NEUTRAL
• 25 mph
(40 km/h)
max speed
• 15 miles
(24 km) max
distance
NOT ALLOWED
Wheel Lift or Dolly Tow Rear
NOT AL-
LOWED NOT
ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED
Front FWD Models ONLY OK
NOT
ALLOWED FWD Models
ONLY
Flatbed ALL BEST METHOD BEST METHOD BEST METHOD BEST METHOD
274 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

With Ignition Key
Automatic Transmission
•Front Wheel Drive (FWD) vehicles can be towed with
the front wheels elevated, or on a flatbed truck (all four
wheels OFFthe ground).
• Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) vehicles can be towed on a
flatbed truck (all four wheels OFFthe ground).
If the transmission is operable, Front Wheel Drive (FWD)
and Four Wheel Drive (4WD) vehicles, with the 6-speed
automatic transmission only ( NOTthe Continuously
Variable automatic transmission [CVT]), may be flat towed
(with all four wheels on the ground) under the following
conditions:
• The transmission must be in NEUTRAL.
• The towing speed must not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h).
• The towing distance must not exceed 15 miles (24 km).
Front Wheel Drive (FWD) models (with 6-speed automatic
only) may also be towed (under the same limitations
shown above) with the rear wheels elevated.
CAUTION!
• DO NOT flat tow any vehicle equipped with a CVT
automatic transmission. Damage to the drivetrain
will result. If these vehicles require towing, make
sure all drive wheels are OFF the ground.
• Towing this vehicle in violation of the above require-
ments can cause severe transmission and/or transfer
case damage. Damage from improper towing is not
covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty..
If the vehicle’s battery is discharged, refer to “Gear Selector
Override” in this section for instructions on shifting the
automatic transmission out of PARK for towing.
Manual Transmission
• Front Wheel Drive (FWD) or Four-Wheel Drive (4WD)
vehicles can be flat towed (all four wheels on the
ground) with the transmission in NEUTRAL.
• FWD vehicles can be towed with the front wheels
elevated.
• FWD or 4WD vehicles can be towed on a flatbed truck
(all wheels OFFthe ground).
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 275

CAUTION!
•DO NOT flat tow any disabled vehicle if condition is
related to the clutch, transmission or driveline. Ad-
ditional damage to the drivetrain could result.
• Towing this vehicle in violation of the above require-
ments can cause severe engine, transmission, or
drivetrain damage. Damage from improper towing is
not covered under the New Vehicle Limited War-
ranty.
All Transmissions
If you must use the accessories (wipers, defroster, etc.)
while being towed, the key must be in the ON/RUN
position, not the ACC position. Make certain the transmis-
sion remains in NEUTRAL.
CAUTION!
•Do not use sling-type equipment when towing. Ve-
hicle damage may occur.
• When securing the vehicle to a flatbed truck, do not
attach to front or rear suspension components. Dam-
age to your vehicle may result from improper towing. Without The Ignition Key
Special care must be taken when the vehicle is towed with
the ignition in the LOCK/OFF position. The only approved
method of towing without the ignition key is with a flatbed
truck. Proper towing equipment is necessary to prevent
damage to the vehicle.
ENHANCED ACCIDENT RESPONSE SYSTEM
(EARS)
This vehicle is equipped with an Enhanced Accident
Response System.
Please refer to “Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) — Air
Bags” in “Occupant Restraints” for further information on
the Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS) function.
EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Recorder
(EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations, such as an air bag
deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist
in understanding how a vehicle’s systems performed.
Please refer to “Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) —
Air Bags” in “Occupant Restraints” for further information
on the Event Data Recorder (EDR).
276 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE
CONTENTS
SCHEDULED SERVICING ..................279
▫ Maintenance Plan .......................280
 ENGINE COMPARTMENT .................284
▫ 2.0L Engine ..........................284
▫ 2.4L Engine ..........................285
▫ Checking Oil Level .....................286
▫ Cooling System ........................286
▫ Adding Washer Fluid ...................287
 DEALER SERVICE .......................287
▫ Engine Oil .......................... .288
▫ Engine Oil Filter .......................289
▫ Air Conditioner Maintenance ..............289
▫ Engine Air Cleaner Filter .................291
▫ Body Lubrication ..................... .292▫
Windshield Wiper Blades .................292
▫ Exhaust System ........................293
▫ Cooling System ........................294
▫ Brake System ........................ .299
▫ Manual Transmission — If Equipped ........301
▫ Automatic Transmission (Six-Speed) — If
Equipped ............................301
▫ Automatic Transmission (CVT) — If Equipped . .302
▫ Rear Drive Assembly (RDA) — AWD/4WD Models
Only ...............................304
▫ Power Transfer Unit (PTU) — AWD/4WD Models
Only ...............................304
 RAISING THE VEHICLE ..................305
 TIRES ............................... .305
▫ Tire Safety Information ..................305
8

▫Tires — General Information ..............313
▫ Tire Types ............................319
▫ Spare Tires — If Equipped ................320
▫ Wheel And Wheel Trim Care ..............322
▫ Tire Chains (Traction Devices) .............323
▫ Tire Rotation Recommendations ............324
 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UNIFORM
TIRE QUALITY GRADES ..................324
▫ Treadwear ............................325
▫ Traction Grades ........................325
▫ Temperature Grades .....................325 
BODYWORK .......................... .326
▫ Protection From Atmospheric Agents ........326
▫ Body And Underbody Maintenance ..........326
▫ Preserving The Bodywork .................326
 INTERIORS ............................328
▫ Seats And Fabric Parts ...................328
▫ Plastic And Coated Parts ..................328
▫ Leather Parts ..........................329
▫ Glass Surfaces ........................ .329
278 SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE