[Seagondollar]

The right headlight went out on my wife's 07 Compass. I'm an electrical engineer with troubleshooting experience and figure the usual checkout sequence.

Check the bulb. When I start to unplug the socket the headlight comes on. So it must not be the bulb. But seeing as it seems to be intermittent, I suspect the socket. I replace that (and did a fine job, I might say), but still no right headlight.

Hmm, maybe the fuse. I search the internet, and previous jeeps had high beam fuses, and separate right and left low beam, but I can't seem to find a specific headlight fuse. There is one 30 amp that feeds the "module-totally integrated power" and I see another person that can't get the HID lights that they installed to work. So I start to have my suspicions. Then I see the "magic" canbus mentioned. Oh, oh...

Called the dealer and figured the service rep will need to check his documentation, but no. Directly he agrees that is is a problem with some module. That we can bring it in, they read the error codes, and reprogram. It will only be $99.50!

Progress, hunh!?

 

[ImperialCrown]

The TIPM is a 'smart' power management box.
Outputs are controlled by solid state drivers. No more fuses and relays.
The TIPM can store fault codes and can be addressed with a scan tool.
The dealer may be premature in his over-the-phone diagnosis and estimate. The $100 is just a diagnostic fee or minimum charge. If it goes over, they will call you.
The modules themselves are fairly trouble-free and robust. It could be a wiring harness issue (short-to-ground) that is putting the headlamp circuit into protection from overcurrent. Is the correct headlamp bulb part being used?
There may be no software update (reprogram) that fixes this.
Back to old-fashioned diagnosis: Is there continuity to ground in the headlamp power wire with the power disconnected and the bulb out of the socket? Is it both low and high beam?
This issue would have be caught while the circuit is acting up as nothing but a stored fault code may be found with the headlamp in a working state.

 

[Seagondollar]

Both sides to center of the lightbulb show resistance, and there was that period when I unplugged it and plugged back in that the light worked. So I'm going to consider there is an intermittent fault and what better than a "smart" device?

And the service rep was fairly quick in his response that this was the problem. I hope he's not just an opportunist.

 

[Seagondollar]

Just got back from the dealership. $151 ($31 of it for a replacement headlight bulb, and I paid $22 for one like it at the parts place!) for diagnosis & reprogramming of the TIPM. Doesn't sound like the sort of things you can fix by the side of the road (or in front of the parts place, either) with a new fuse. I'm getting to wonder if new technology is worth it.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Were you given the wrong headlamp bulb at the parts store? If the bulb current draw was too high (> 55/65 watts), it could trip the circuit protection. Some higher wattage (brighter/Silverstar) bulbs can do this and shouldn't be used. I think that someone here tried Hella lighting and wasn't successful.
Can you get your money back on the bulb that you purchased? If you presented your dealer repair order it could help with the refund. I show an H13 or 9008 as being the correct bulb.
The new technology, for better or worse is here to stay.

 

[Seagondollar]

I never got the aftermarket bulb installed. This failure happened on one of the car's original bulbs.

Yeah, they fixed it. But reading the error codes and reprogramming it? All of the engineering I've done over the years required a what-if failure analysis. Their solution is costly. I would have had the power module check it on each start of the car, and once the fault is cleared return to the original parameters it was designed to. I mean we're talking about solid-state relays. The equivalent of a circuit breaker that is controlled by the power module. Circuit breakers reset! It save money over fuses. Much less near $100 for what may have been an intermittent issue!

 

[ImperialCrown]

I can't agree with what they wrote down as an explanation for the repair on the work order.
The only 'reprogramming' on the TIPM was for a recall for enabling daytime running lights (DRL) on recall G18 for some Compasses built from Jan-Mar 2007.
They might use the word 'reprogram' inaccurately. If there was a short to ground in the right headlamp low-beam circuit, it would have set fault code B162F and the TIPM would have disabled the circuit. The short would have to be located and remedied and the fault code then erased.
If the short was intermittent, the fault code would have been stored in TIPM memory and not displayed on the tool as an active fault. The fault would probably reset, but go from active to stored at the next key-cycle and if no fault was detected and the TIPM would then allow power to the right headlamp low-beam circuit.
I guess that if it is fixed and working, that is all that matters at this point. About an hour's labor and a new bulb doesn't sound too bad. Was there any mention of the real cause? Was it the bulb itself?

 

[jurkka]

interesting, just purchased a brand new may2013 built compass, with right side (inner)headlight/parklight out. luckily noticed it and they promised to look into it free of charge. drove the car home and just peeked to bulb, easy to rehu, easy to measure; its ok! so i have this same programming problem in BRAND NEW car. yes, its been sitting in storage for over a year, that might affect to it... i keep posting what happends in future. i hope this doesnt lead to something really interesting...

 

[MoparNorm]

I'm wondering if the lamp was broken, but still intermittently connected?
That is more common than not.

 

[Rick Anderson]

I have had older sealed beam headlamps intermittently fail, cracks in the bayonets that inserted into the connectors.

Like IC was speculating, it might have been the dealer just cleared the codes on the module and charged you a $100 to do that for a bad bulb.

 

[Kenneth Bouchard]

The right headlight went out on my wife's 07 Compass. I'm an electrical engineer with troubleshooting experience and figure the usual checkout sequence.

Check the bulb. When I start to unplug the socket the headlight comes on. So it must not be the bulb. But seeing as it seems to be intermittent, I suspect the socket. I replace that (and did a fine job, I might say), but still no right headlight.

Hmm, maybe the fuse. I search the internet, and previous jeeps had high beam fuses, and separate right and left low beam, but I can't seem to find a specific headlight fuse. There is one 30 amp that feeds the "module-totally integrated power" and I see another person that can't get the HID lights that they installed to work. So I start to have my suspicions. Then I see the "magic" canbus mentioned. Oh, oh...

Called the dealer and figured the service rep will need to check his documentation, but no. Directly he agrees that is is a problem with some module. That we can bring it in, they read the error codes, and reprogram. It will only be $99.50!

Progress, hunh!?

My Jeep Compass has many ground problems. I had same Headlight issue, and it is bad ground wires. I was able to reground the ground wires. Measuring it with voltmeter or test light works. You will get 12 v on all 3 wires, but tear into the harness and discover that the ground wire on both the fog light, turn signal, and headlight have no ground, and that is the reason.

Now all those grounds meet up at G110 which is underneath the Coolant Overflow Tank. Remove the top right bolt holding the Tank onto the metal tab up at the top, twist and set it aside, do not disconnect it or you will lose antifreeze.
Underneath it right on the frame is the ground connector, remove it clean it with sandpaper a lot, clean the bolt area as well, put in a star washer if you can. Then strip back the tape and check to see that all the wires are not corroded. If they are, fix them before reconnecting the ground. This ground ALSO grounds the A/C compressor, ABS Module, and O2 Sensors. It may set code P0023 and P2010 and fix that you can borrow a code scanner and reset the codes (Clear Codes) with the code scanner. It will also cause your check engine light to come on underneath the [P] of the PRNDL display on the dash. It may also cause ABS failure.

 

[Kenneth Bouchard]

I have had older sealed beam headlamps intermittently fail, cracks in the bayonets that inserted into the connectors.

Like IC was speculating, it might have been the dealer just cleared the codes on the module and charged you a $100 to do that for a bad bulb.

Most time the bulbs turn black, and since they are 2 or 3 filament can cause a partial problem such as no high beam or no low beam, and turn signal cause no signal or no parking lights. Again the Grounds. BAD GROUNDS are a big problem on Jeep Compass. Well I suppose all cars have ground problems. Frankly, they make wiring way too small on modern cars and is why they break.