[KrisCompass]

I have a new to me 2020 Compass Latitude, 4x4 w/Automatic transmission with about 13.5K miles on it. pristine service record, one prev owner and certified from a lot. I have only driven small older toyotas before, so upfront i want to say this might just be me as my older corolla was just wind up and go.

But I'm noticing an intermittent roaring sound in my compass that seems to occur when it's downshifting. like a roaring as it maybe cycles gears? seems most noticeable at 50mph-ish but its happening at all speeds and seems to be in traffic where there is speed up/slow down more frequently. my smaller cars never did this and Im concerned the transmission has issues. also just feels like clunky shifting in general.

I took it to the dealership 2 weeks back for one of those 10pt inspections and an oil change etc and they said it wasn't throwing any codes so it should be fine, but just curious if anyone else has experienced the roar? should I just not worry about the clunky/jerky shifting and this is just what a jeep does?

I noticed many say software updates might be in order for other engine issues. Does anyone know if this can ONLY be done at Jeep? I would take it in for this but no dealership near me can schedule a service appt for 2-3 weeks (!).

any thoughts would be so appreciated. I just don't want to harm the transmission if something is wrong, but am having a hard time deciding if what I experience is something wrong.

thank you everyone!

 

[Jasmine]

I think your noise is normal. When the transmission downshifts the engine RPMs go up. The sales engineers at Jeep tried to make the Tigershark (Kittenfish) engine sound beefier than it is. They've done pretty well, but of course that means you will hear more sound when the engine is at higher RPMs when you downshift.

If you're describing a hum/grumble/roar from the drive-train in the 25-35 MPH range, there was an update. You can read the discussion on our site here: TSB 08-095-18 Is this the fix for our drivetrain issues? I believe the update is dealer-only, but I could be wrong. At least Jeep didn't charge me when I asked them to install the update.

I don't know if all years of the Compass qualify for the update. I had it done on my 2018. My 2019 doesn't make that much sound so I suspect they started making the change at the factory. By all accounts the update moved the sound up to higher speeds so at 45+MPH the road noise pretty much drowns it out.

If you want to hear a noisy drive-train, take a ride in a Subaru! Their noise sounds like the noise my 2018 made, only louder.

 

[Jasmine]

PS, I think the Compass ZF-9spd tranny is pretty smooth, but with so many gears it does a lot of gear-hunting on hills and so it does seem clunky. I live in a hilly area so I do notice that. The tranny also tries to help on downgrades and it will downshift on its own, especially if you. There is a huge gap between 5 and 4 when descending a hill, but if you're climbing a hill the downshift is seamless.

 

[JonnyG]

I have the same issue on a 2020 Jeep Compass 4x4. Its so annoying it sound like the rpms are revving up but they don't move also i feel the vibration by my feet.