Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk vs Mazda CX-9: which is more reliable?

The Mazda CX-9 is ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk on the federal record, 84/100 against 77/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.

The record, side by side

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

77/100 mean
  • 4 model years scored
  • 1,116 owner complaints on record
  • about 38 complaints per year on the road
  • 0 recall campaigns, 0 safety-critical
  • best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2018 (47/100)
Mazda CX-9
Mazda CX-9 · Wikimedia Commons

Mazda CX-9

84/100 mean
  • 11 model years scored
  • 885 owner complaints on record
  • about 7 complaints per year on the road
  • 19 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
  • best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2012 (50/100)

Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.

Year by year: Grand Cherokee Trackhawk against CX-9

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.

YearGrand Cherokee TrackhawkCX-9 Gap
2022—93 BUY—
202194 BUY86 BUY+8
202087 BUY93 BUY-6
201980 BUY83 BUY-3
201847 AVOID57 CAUTION-10
2017—89 BUY—
2016—81 BUY—
2015—90 BUY—
2014—88 BUY—
2012—50 CAUTION—
2011—65 CAUTION—

What owners actually complain about

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

  • Electrical System — 385 complaints
  • Unknown Or Other — 296 complaints
  • Engine — 177 complaints

Mazda CX-9

  • Engine — 302 complaints
  • Service Brakes — 284 complaints
  • Power Train — 87 complaints

They do not fail the same way: the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the CX-9'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 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk — avoid: 2018.

Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….

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 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk prices at about $31,600 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200 — the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is roughly $2,600 less, and they return 13.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.

Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.

FAQ

Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk or the Mazda CX-9 more reliable?

On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk's 77/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.

Which Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: 2018. Mazda CX-9: 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and the Mazda CX-9?

The largest complaint group on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is Electrical System (385 complaints); on the Mazda CX-9 it is Engine (302).

Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk or the Mazda CX-9 cheaper to own?

A recent used Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk prices at about $31,600 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.

More head-to-heads