Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 402 per 100,000 against 565 for the Ford Explorer, or 29% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2016 and 2020 for the Grand Cherokee and 2019 and 2022 for the Explorer.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Ford Explorer
By age group
| Model years | Grand Cherokee | Explorer | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 876 | 805 | About even |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 226 | 629 | Grand Cherokee |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 170 | 273 | Grand Cherokee |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | Grand Cherokee | Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,062 | 505 |
| 2013 | 462 | 1,163 |
| 2014 | 1,299 | 802 |
| 2015 | 700 | 729 |
| 2016 | 147 | 992 |
| 2017 | 151 | 632 |
| 2018 | 380 | 280 |
| 2019 | 152 | 162 |
| 2020 | 115 | 554 |
| 2021 | 199 | 210 |
| 2022 | 206 | 131 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | Too new | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the Grand Cherokee or Explorer more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 402 per 100,000 against 565 for the Ford Explorer, or 29% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2016 and 2020 for the Grand Cherokee and 2019 and 2022 for the Explorer.
Which Grand Cherokee and Explorer years should I avoid?
For the Grand Cherokee: 2012, 2014. For the Explorer: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020.