Nissan Pathfinder vs Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is ahead of the Nissan Pathfinder on the federal record, 79/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Nissan Pathfinder
- 14 model years scored
- 2,708 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (95/100) · worst 2013 (26/100)
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
- 5 model years scored
- 1,441 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: Pathfinder against Grand Cherokee SRT
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
Nissan Pathfinder
- Power Train — 782 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 471 complaints
- Engine — 467 complaints
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
- Electrical System — 464 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 368 complaints
- Engine — 262 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Pathfinder's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Grand Cherokee SRT'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
Nissan Pathfinder — avoid: 2013, 2014.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT — 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 Nissan Pathfinder prices at about $40,800 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT at about $31,600 — the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is roughly $9,200 less, and they return 23.0 against 15.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Pathfinder or the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT scores 79/100 against the Nissan Pathfinder's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Pathfinder and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT years should I avoid?
Nissan Pathfinder: 2013, 2014. Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT: 2018. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Pathfinder and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Pathfinder is Power Train (782 complaints); on the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT it is Electrical System (464).
Is the Nissan Pathfinder or the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Pathfinder prices at about $40,800 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT at about $31,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.