Dodge Journey vs Jeep Patriot: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Patriot is ahead of the Dodge Journey on the federal record, 78/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Dodge Journey
- 10 model years scored
- 2,843 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 41 recall campaigns, 20 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (92/100) · worst 2015 (49/100)
Jeep Patriot
- 6 model years scored
- 1,852 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 9 recall campaigns, 7 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (94/100) · worst 2014 (61/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Journey against Patriot
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Dodge Journey
- Electrical System — 711 complaints
- Engine — 633 complaints
- Service Brakes — 511 complaints
Jeep Patriot
- Engine — 631 complaints
- Electrical System — 313 complaints
- Power Train — 291 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Journey's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Patriot's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Journey — avoid: 2015.
Jeep Patriot: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Dodge Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Jeep Patriot at about $21,800 — the Jeep Patriot is roughly $4,800 less, and they return 21.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Journey or the Jeep Patriot more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Patriot scores 78/100 against the Dodge Journey's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Journey and Jeep Patriot years should I avoid?
Dodge Journey: 2015. Jeep Patriot: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Journey and the Jeep Patriot?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Journey is Electrical System (711 complaints); on the Jeep Patriot it is Engine (631).
Is the Dodge Journey or the Jeep Patriot cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Jeep Patriot at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.