Jeep Wrangler Unlimited vs Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is clearly ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the federal record: 80/100 against 68/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
- 6 model years scored
- 3,516 owner complaints on record
- about 56 complaints per year on the road
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (90/100) · worst 2020 (58/100)
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: Wrangler Unlimited 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 Wrangler Unlimited
- Engine — 875 complaints
- Power Train — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 629 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 Wrangler Unlimited: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2014, 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 Wrangler Unlimited prices at about $28,800 and a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport at about $22,100 — the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is roughly $6,700 less, and they return 20.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited scores 80/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited carries about 56 complaints per year on the road against 22 for the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.
Which Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport years should I avoid?
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: 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 Wrangler Unlimited and the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is Engine (875 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport it is Engine (720).
Is the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Wrangler Unlimited prices at about $28,800 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.