Toyota Tundra vs Jeep Gladiator: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Tundra is ahead of the Jeep Gladiator on the federal record, 69/100 against 65/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Toyota Tundra
- 11 model years scored
- 1,320 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 79 recall campaigns, 33 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (86/100) · worst 2023 (32/100)
Jeep Gladiator
- 5 model years scored
- 497 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 25 recall campaigns, 16 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (84/100) · worst 2021 (31/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Tundra against Gladiator
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
Toyota Tundra
- Engine — 281 complaints
- Electrical System — 206 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 171 complaints
Jeep Gladiator
- Steering — 145 complaints
- Electrical System — 103 complaints
- Power Train — 100 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Tundra's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Gladiator's in Steering. 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
Toyota Tundra — avoid: 2023.
Jeep Gladiator — avoid: 2021.
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 Toyota Tundra prices at about $46,200 and a Jeep Gladiator at about $55,800 — the Toyota Tundra is roughly $9,600 less, and they return 20.0 against 19.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota Tundra or the Jeep Gladiator more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Tundra scores 69/100 against the Jeep Gladiator's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Toyota Tundra and Jeep Gladiator years should I avoid?
Toyota Tundra: 2023. Jeep Gladiator: 2021. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Tundra and the Jeep Gladiator?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota Tundra is Engine (281 complaints); on the Jeep Gladiator it is Steering (145).
Is the Toyota Tundra or the Jeep Gladiator cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota Tundra prices at about $46,200 and a Jeep Gladiator at about $55,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.