Brand new Jeep Compass with smoke coming out of engine bay: What actually happened

The Jeep Compass became one of the most anticipated cars in Indian market before its launch. The surprise price tag on the Compass attracted a lot of customers. According to the sales data, Jeep sold 935 dispatched of the vehicles in July, and the deliveries have started across India. Here is a video that became viral on social media that shows smoke coming out of the Compass’ engine.

The case of the Jeep Compass with the smoking engine bay – initial info

The video shows the open hood of the Compass and smoke coming out of it. The video describes as “Engine smoke form Jeep Compass just after delivery.” The post also claims that driver was driving in second and third gear for almost 160 km which caused the clutch to burn and engine to overheat.

The video surfaced is from Kerala, and the Compass is the manual variant. The number plate sticker on the Compass confirms that the vehicle is indeed brand new and has been bought from Hyson FCA. The video has been circulated in various social media platforms and has become viral too.

Smoke coming out from a brand new vehicle is sure a cause of worry, but we have got hold of a video that shows the owner talking about the incident.

The Compass owner explains

In a later video, the owner explains what happened. The owner is speaking in the local language – Malayalam, so our translation is below.

The owner says that they were stuck in a heavy traffic jam and he moved the vehicle for 100-200 meters with clutch partially engaged. The owner, who was also driving the car, does not remember which gear he was in at that time. He claims that a few passerby said that some smoke is coming out of the vehicle.When he stopped the vehicle, a crowd gathered around the vehicle and started looking for the source of the smoke.

The owner says the smoke may have been out of some burnt insulation near the clutch, but he is not too sure about it. Someone from the crowd poured water in the engine bay which caused a lot of steam to come out. What looks like smoke in the video is actually steam! The owner also claims that he is very satisfied with the vehicle and it is in perfectly fine condition.

So no, he did not drive 160 kms as was initially believed in the second or third gear. And neither was the Compass churning up smoke from the engine bay!

The assumptions

A new vehicle and a lot of untrained people around it can cause a lot of confusion as we just saw in this case. It is crucial to take the vehicle to trained professionals in such situations.

• Modern vehicles have different engine architecture and technology; it is safest to take the vehicle to the authorized service stations.
• If the car has broken down on the road, it is better to tow the vehicle to the nearest station instead of taking it to a roadside mechanic.
• Always use genuine parts for the vehicle, the fake parts are not built with quality and precision and can irreversibly damage the vehicle.
• Always read the owner’s manual to understand the vehicle better.