Jeep bulletin 08-281-26
What it saysNot applicable to vehicles built for US market. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Jeep filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 17, 2026, received Jul 23, 2026, about the engine. It names 1 model year (2026). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationNot applicable to vehicles built for US market. Engine Will Not Start If Fault Code P0AA1-09 Is Present Customers may experience the following: ● The engine will not start with display of the message "Electric drive system fault" in the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) - if fault code P0AA1-09 is present.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08-281-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 17, 2026 | 11035181 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 08-19-49-91 | Traction Battery - Replace | 2.4 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 pages), read Sep 29, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Jeep’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
While cruising at 36mph, we decided to initiate the cruise control. Upon reaching a slow-down traffic ahead, the brakes were applied to slow the vehicle, however the cruise control did not disengage and the brakes did not stop the vehicle. The brakes were pressed three times and still the car could not stop.
2026 Jeep Compass · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 12, 2026
Safety defects: Forward collision braking system indicates OFF while driving automatic emergency braking unavailable related lane assistance failure history. This is intermittent safety system disablement. Fuel system: Fuel level gauge inaccurate.
2026 Jeep Compass · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 28, 2026
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group51 other manufacturer communications filed against the Jeep Compass under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Jeep list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2609000011 | Service bulletin | Sep 11, 2026 | MIL-On and/or Engine Oil Leak |
| 09-010-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Oil Leak Through The Rear Crankshaft Oil Seal (Flywheel Side) Customers may comment on the f… |
| 09-022-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Right Engine Insulator Noise **Customers may comment on the following:** SYMPTOM: ● Metallic… |
| 9100363 Rev 3 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | Turbocharger Kit Please note many parts of the Turbo Assembly can be serviced separately and complete turbo replacement may not be necessary… |
| 09-021-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Noisy Timing Chain Tensioner Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● A metallic k… |
| 09-018-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 7, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Cylinder Head Screw Not Specific Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp… |
| 09-015-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Whistle Noise From Engine Area Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Whistle no… |
| 07-005-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 21, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. M1 H1 Coolant Leak Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Possibl… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Jeep, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Jeep 08-281-26 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 08-281-26 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does 08-281-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2026 Jeep Compass. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.