Jeep Cherokee vs Chevrolet Trax: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Trax is ahead of the Jeep Cherokee on the federal record, 74/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
Chevrolet Trax
- 10 model years scored
- 932 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 20 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (94/100) · worst 2024 (44/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Cherokee against Trax
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
Jeep Cherokee
- Power Train — 1,357 complaints
- Engine — 680 complaints
- Electrical System — 591 complaints
Chevrolet Trax
- Engine — 261 complaints
- Electrical System — 239 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 151 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Cherokee's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Trax'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
Jeep Cherokee — avoid: 2018, 2019.
Chevrolet Trax — avoid: 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 Jeep Cherokee prices at about $27,900 and a Chevrolet Trax at about $30,500 — the Jeep Cherokee is roughly $2,600 less, and they return 24.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Cherokee or the Chevrolet Trax more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Trax scores 74/100 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 Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Trax years should I avoid?
Jeep Cherokee: 2018, 2019. Chevrolet Trax: 2024, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Jeep Cherokee and the Chevrolet Trax?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Cherokee is Power Train (1,357 complaints); on the Chevrolet Trax it is Engine (261).
Is the Jeep Cherokee or the Chevrolet Trax cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Cherokee prices at about $27,900 and a Chevrolet Trax at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.