Honda Ridgeline vs Jeep Gladiator: which is more reliable?
The Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 65/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Honda Ridgeline
- 8 model years scored
- 1,211 owner complaints on record
- about 37 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2025 (48/100)
Jeep Gladiator
- 5 model years scored
- 497 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 25 recall campaigns, 16 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (84/100) · worst 2021 (31/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ridgeline against Gladiator
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
Honda Ridgeline
- Electrical System — 265 complaints
- Engine — 253 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 143 complaints
Jeep Gladiator
- Steering — 145 complaints
- Electrical System — 103 complaints
- Power Train — 100 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ridgeline's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Gladiator's in Steering. 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
Honda Ridgeline — avoid: 2025.
Jeep Gladiator — avoid: 2021.
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 Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Jeep Gladiator at about $55,800 — the Honda Ridgeline is roughly $4,100 less, and they return 21.0 against 19.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Jeep Gladiator more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Ridgeline scores 68/100 against the Jeep Gladiator's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator years should I avoid?
Honda Ridgeline: 2025. Jeep Gladiator: 2021. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Ridgeline is Electrical System (265 complaints); on the Jeep Gladiator it is Steering (145).
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Jeep Gladiator cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Jeep Gladiator at about $55,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.