Jeep Patriot vs Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Patriot is ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the federal record, 78/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Jeep Patriot
- 6 model years scored
- 1,852 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 9 recall campaigns, 7 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (94/100) · worst 2014 (61/100)
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 1,266 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 22 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2018 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Patriot against Santa Fe Sport
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 Patriot
- Engine — 631 complaints
- Electrical System — 313 complaints
- Power Train — 291 complaints
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Engine — 720 complaints
- Service Brakes — 225 complaints
- Hydraulic — 154 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Jeep Patriot: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017.
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport — avoid: 2017, 2018.
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 Patriot prices at about $21,800 and a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport at about $22,100 — they price within $300 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Patriot or the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Patriot scores 78/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Patriot and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport years should I avoid?
Jeep Patriot: no year scores below 45. Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: 2017, 2018. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Jeep Patriot and the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Patriot is Engine (631 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport it is Engine (720).
Is the Jeep Patriot or the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Patriot prices at about $21,800 and a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport at about $22,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.