Subaru Outback vs Jeep Patriot: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Patriot is ahead of the Subaru Outback 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
Subaru Outback
- 13 model years scored
- 6,232 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 57 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2020 (35/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Outback against Patriot
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
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
Jeep Patriot
- Engine — 631 complaints
- Electrical System — 313 complaints
- Power Train — 291 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Outback's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Patriot's in Engine. 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
Subaru Outback — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Jeep Patriot: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017.
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 Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Jeep Patriot at about $21,800 — the Jeep Patriot is roughly $22,300 less, and they return 28.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Outback or the Jeep Patriot more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Patriot scores 78/100 against the Subaru Outback'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 Subaru Outback and Jeep Patriot years should I avoid?
Subaru Outback: 2019, 2020. Jeep Patriot: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Subaru Outback and the Jeep Patriot?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Outback is Electrical System (1,898 complaints); on the Jeep Patriot it is Engine (631).
Is the Subaru Outback or the Jeep Patriot cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Jeep Patriot at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.