Hyundai Tucson vs Jeep Cherokee: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Tucson and the Jeep Cherokee are level on the federal record — 66/100 against 66/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Tucson
- 8 model years scored
- 4,101 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 20 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (89/100) · worst 2016 (37/100)
Jeep Cherokee
- 6 model years scored
- 2,801 owner complaints on record
- about 68 complaints per year on the road
- 29 recall campaigns, 11 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (92/100) · worst 2019 (25/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Tucson against Cherokee
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 Tucson
- Engine — 1,759 complaints
- Power Train — 999 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 536 complaints
Jeep Cherokee
- Power Train — 1,357 complaints
- Engine — 680 complaints
- Electrical System — 591 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Tucson's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Cherokee's in Power Train. 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 Tucson — avoid: 2016, 2017.
Jeep Cherokee — avoid: 2018, 2019.
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 Tucson prices at about $21,900 and a Jeep Cherokee at about $27,900 — the Hyundai Tucson is roughly $6,000 less, and they return 23.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Jeep Cherokee more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Tucson scores 66/100 against the Jeep Cherokee's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Tucson and Jeep Cherokee years should I avoid?
Hyundai Tucson: 2016, 2017. Jeep Cherokee: 2018, 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Tucson and the Jeep Cherokee?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Tucson is Engine (1,759 complaints); on the Jeep Cherokee it is Power Train (1,357).
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Jeep Cherokee cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Tucson prices at about $21,900 and a Jeep Cherokee at about $27,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.