Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vs Jeep Grand Cherokee L: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the federal record, 74/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 1,266 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 22 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2018 (37/100)
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- 5 model years scored
- 450 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 10 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (85/100) · worst 2022 (55/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Santa Fe Sport against Grand Cherokee L
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
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Engine — 720 complaints
- Service Brakes — 225 complaints
- Hydraulic — 154 complaints
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- Electrical System — 151 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 106 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 59 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Santa Fe Sport's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Grand Cherokee L's in Electrical System. 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
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport — avoid: 2017, 2018.
Jeep Grand Cherokee L: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025.
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 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100 — the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is roughly $22,000 less, and they return 22.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Jeep Grand Cherokee L more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Grand Cherokee L scores 74/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Jeep Grand Cherokee L years should I avoid?
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: 2017, 2018. Jeep Grand Cherokee L: 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the Jeep Grand Cherokee L?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is Engine (720 complaints); on the Jeep Grand Cherokee L it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Jeep Grand Cherokee L cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.