Jeep Grand Cherokee vs Toyota 4Runner: which is more reliable?
The Toyota 4Runner is clearly ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee on the federal record: 78/100 against 64/100 across every model year we score.
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)
Toyota 4Runner
- 14 model years scored
- 817 owner complaints on record
- about 11 complaints per year on the road
- 62 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2025 (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: Grand Cherokee against 4Runner
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 | 4Runner | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 77 BUY | 44 AVOID | +33 |
| 2024 | 52 CAUTION | 90 BUY | -38 |
| 2023 | 55 CAUTION | 80 BUY | -25 |
| 2022 | 60 CAUTION | 79 BUY | -19 |
| 2021 | 71 BUY | 87 BUY | -16 |
| 2020 | 85 BUY | 90 BUY | -5 |
| 2019 | 76 BUY | 74 BUY | +2 |
| 2018 | 54 CAUTION | 78 BUY | -24 |
| 2017 | 80 BUY | 89 BUY | -9 |
| 2016 | 73 BUY | — | — |
| 2015 | 54 CAUTION | 71 BUY | -17 |
| 2014 | 28 AVOID | 76 BUY | -48 |
| 2013 | 70 BUY | 84 BUY | -14 |
| 2012 | 54 CAUTION | 70 BUY | -16 |
| 2011 | 58 CAUTION | 57 CAUTION | +1 |
What owners actually complain about
Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Electrical System — 3,838 complaints
- Engine — 2,087 complaints
- Power Train — 1,489 complaints
Toyota 4Runner
- Air Bags — 238 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 122 complaints
- Electrical System — 79 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Grand Cherokee's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the 4Runner's in Air Bags. 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 — avoid: 2014.
Toyota 4Runner — avoid: 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 Grand Cherokee prices at about $44,100 and a Toyota 4Runner at about $40,800 — the Toyota 4Runner is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 22.0 against 22.0 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 Toyota 4Runner more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota 4Runner scores 78/100 against the Jeep Grand Cherokee's 64/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Toyota 4Runner carries about 11 complaints per year on the road against 88 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Which Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner years should I avoid?
Jeep Grand Cherokee: 2014. Toyota 4Runner: 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 Grand Cherokee and the Toyota 4Runner?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Grand Cherokee is Electrical System (3,838 complaints); on the Toyota 4Runner it is Air Bags (238).
Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Toyota 4Runner cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Grand Cherokee prices at about $44,100 and a Toyota 4Runner at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.