Jeep Grand Cherokee vs Subaru Outback: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Outback is ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee on the federal record, 68/100 against 64/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 15 model years scored
- 11,387 owner complaints on record
- about 88 complaints per year on the road
- 136 recall campaigns, 70 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (85/100) · worst 2014 (28/100)
Subaru Outback
- 13 model years scored
- 6,232 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 57 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2020 (35/100)
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 against Outback
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.
| Year | Grand Cherokee | Outback | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 77 BUY | 79 BUY | -2 |
| 2024 | 52 CAUTION | 93 BUY | -41 |
| 2023 | 55 CAUTION | 88 BUY | -33 |
| 2022 | 60 CAUTION | 56 CAUTION | +4 |
| 2021 | 71 BUY | 78 BUY | -7 |
| 2020 | 85 BUY | 35 AVOID | +50 |
| 2019 | 76 BUY | 41 AVOID | +35 |
| 2018 | 54 CAUTION | 60 CAUTION | -6 |
| 2017 | 80 BUY | 56 CAUTION | +24 |
| 2016 | 73 BUY | 74 BUY | -1 |
| 2015 | 54 CAUTION | 82 BUY | -28 |
| 2014 | 28 AVOID | 72 BUY | -44 |
| 2013 | 70 BUY | 72 BUY | -2 |
| 2012 | 54 CAUTION | — | — |
| 2011 | 58 CAUTION | — | — |
What owners actually complain about
Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Electrical System — 3,838 complaints
- Engine — 2,087 complaints
- Power Train — 1,489 complaints
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Jeep Grand Cherokee — avoid: 2014.
Subaru Outback — avoid: 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 prices at about $44,100 and a Subaru Outback at about $44,100 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 22.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Subaru Outback more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Outback scores 68/100 against the Jeep Grand Cherokee's 64/100, 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 and Subaru Outback years should I avoid?
Jeep Grand Cherokee: 2014. Subaru Outback: 2019, 2020. 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 and the Subaru Outback?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Grand Cherokee is Electrical System (3,838 complaints); on the Subaru Outback it is Electrical System (1,898).
Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Subaru Outback cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Grand Cherokee prices at about $44,100 and a Subaru Outback at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.