Jeep Wrangler Unlimited vs Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk are level on the federal record — 80/100 against 77/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
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)
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
- 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)
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 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
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
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
- Electrical System — 385 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 296 complaints
- Engine — 177 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Wrangler Unlimited's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk's in Electrical System. 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 Wrangler Unlimited: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk — avoid: 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk at about $31,600 — the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is roughly $2,800 less, and they return 20.0 against 13.0 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited scores 80/100 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 Wrangler Unlimited and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk years should I avoid?
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: no year scores below 45. Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is Engine (875 complaints); on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk it is Electrical System (385).
Is the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Wrangler Unlimited prices at about $28,800 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk at about $31,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.