The record on these eight is uneven in ways the badges do not predict. The Chevrolet Equinox is a BUY in thirteen of its fifteen years, and the Kia Sportage has the fewest complaints of the eight, 2,540. The Ford Escape has 16,194, the most, and five AVOID years; the Honda CR-V has 10,020 and has been an AVOID every year since 2023. The Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue each have a good run and a bad one.
The ranking
- Chevrolet Equinox, first: thirteen BUY years, 2017 the best at 90. Avoid the 2025.
- Kia Sportage, second: 86 to 91 in 2014 to 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Avoid 2017 and 2023.
- Toyota RAV4, third: eight straight BUY years, 2011 to 2018. Avoid 2019, 2020 and 2024.
- Subaru Forester, fourth: 90 in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Avoid 2019 and 2020.
- Hyundai Tucson, fifth: 86 and 89 in 2020 and 2021, but 2016 and 2017 are AVOID and seven years have no data.
- Nissan Rogue, sixth: 80 and 88 in 2019 and 2020, then nothing better than CAUTION. Avoid 2023 and 2025.
- Honda CR-V, seventh: 78 to 88 from 2012 to 2016. Avoid 2017 to 2019 and 2023 to 2025.
- Ford Escape, eighth: 86 in 2012 and 80 in 2019. Avoid 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Equinox and Sportage: the two the record likes
The Equinox's early years carry heavy Engine counts, 386, 354 and 412 on the 2011 to 2013 cars, with no engine campaign behind them, so that is a reported pattern. What the recalls do explain is Visibility/Wiper, 144, 167 and 250 on the 2013 to 2015 cars: 16V582000 and 22V165000 cover those years for wiper module ball joints that corrode. The 2017 car has 271 complaints, no recalls and a score of 90. Service Brakes leads the 2018 and 2020 cars at 131 and 108; 18V576000 and 19V704000 recall their rear brake calipers. The 2021 to 2024 cars score 84, 78, 84 and 85; the 2025 has 218 complaints in its first year on road and an AVOID at 46.
The Sportage's 2012 and 2013 cars have Engine at 328 and 300 of their 392 and 380 complaints, and 17V224000 (31/03/2017) explains it: machining errors that cause premature bearing wear on the 2011 to 2013 engines. The 2014 to 2016 cars score 86, 87 and 87 on 122 to 146 complaints. The 2017 Sportage is an AVOID at 46 with Engine at 219 of 399; its main campaign is 21V137000, for a brake control unit that can short and start a fire. The 2019, 2021 and 2022 cars score 89, 89 and 91. The 2023 Sportage, first of a new design, has six recalls, four safety-critical, and scores 33 on 187 complaints.
RAV4 and Forester
The RAV4 from 2011 to 2018 never scores below 75 or above 330 complaints; the 2013 car, 256 complaints and a score of 88, is the best. The 2019 car has 873, 124.7 per year on road, Fuel/Propulsion System at 254 and Engine at 203, and scores 35; the 2020 has 628 and scores 32. The campaigns match: 20V064000 (06/02/2020) for porosity in the engine castings of 2019 and 2020 cars, 20V682000 for the fuel pump, 20V373000 for water entering the steering gear box. The 2021 car is a CAUTION at 54; the 2023 scores 71; the 2024 is an AVOID at 47 on 170 complaints, with 24V911000 for loose front brake caliper bolts.
Toyota RAV4: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 | CAUTION | 87 | 3 |
| 2024 | 46 | AVOID | 174 | 3 |
| 2023 | 69 | CAUTION | 157 | 3 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 53 | CAUTION | 387 | 1 |
| 2020 | 32 | AVOID | 635 | 6 |
| 2019 | 35 | AVOID | 877 | 7 |
| 2018 | 76 | BUY | 331 | 3 |
| 2017 | 81 | BUY | 305 | 3 |
| 2016 | 84 | BUY | 237 | 3 |
| 2015 | 82 | BUY | 303 | 4 |
| 2014 | 84 | BUY | 197 | 4 |
| 2013 | 88 | BUY | 256 | 2 |
| 2012 | 81 | BUY | 266 | 5 |
| 2011 | 75 | BUY | 287 | 11 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Toyota RAV4 model page.
The Forester's 2011 to 2013 cars have twelve recalls each, mostly regional air bag inflator campaigns, and only 77 to 147 complaints. Air Bags leads or runs second from 2015 to 2018 (101, 98, 164, 96), and 19V701000 (03/10/2019) covers those years for a loose occupant detection connector. Then Visibility/Wiper takes over: 135 on the 2018 car, 370 on the 2019, 252 on the 2020, with no campaign in that category, so it stands as a reported pattern. The 2019 car scores 41 on 832 complaints and the 2020 scores 46 on 596 with no recalls. From 2021 the Forester is the cleanest car here: 207, 97, 73 and 29 complaints, scores of 83, 90, 90 and 90.
The CR-V: 2017 to 2019, then 2023 onward
The 2012 to 2016 CR-V scores 78 to 88, with Engine the top component and no engine campaign. Then the 2017 redesign. The 2017 car has 1,759 complaints, the 2018 has 2,127 and 265.9 per year on road, the 2019 has 1,085; all three are AVOID at 29, 31 and 26. Engine is 528 and 525 on the 2017 and 2018 cars, Fuel/Propulsion System 346 and 367, Forward Collision Avoidance 280 and 391. Steering at 320 on the 2018 car matches 18V663000 (27/09/2018), for a loose torque sensor magnet in the electric power steering. The 2021 and 2022 cars recover to 70 and 75, but Steering is their top component at 109 and 131, and on the 2023 car it is 323 of 515 complaints; 24V744000 (03/10/2024) is a safety-critical steering campaign on the 2023 to 2025 cars, which score 39, 42 and 43.
Honda CR-V: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 | AVOID | 245 | 1 |
| 2024 | 42 | AVOID | 385 | 2 |
| 2023 | 39 | AVOID | 515 | 3 |
| 2022 | 75 | BUY | 252 | 3 |
| 2021 | 70 | BUY | 322 | 4 |
| 2020 | 67 | CAUTION | 350 | 7 |
| 2019 | 26 | AVOID | 1,085 | 8 |
| 2018 | 31 | AVOID | 2,127 | 5 |
| 2017 | 29 | AVOID | 1,759 | 7 |
| 2016 | 83 | BUY | 391 | 3 |
| 2015 | 78 | BUY | 669 | 3 |
| 2014 | 85 | BUY | 586 | 1 |
| 2013 | 86 | BUY | 381 | 2 |
| 2012 | 88 | BUY | 401 | 3 |
| 2011 | 72 | BUY | 552 | 12 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Honda CR-V model page.
The Escape: the biggest record in the class
The 2011 Escape has 1,316 complaints, 409 of them Steering, and 14V284000 covers its steering torque sensor. The 2012 car, 598 complaints, scores 86. Then the redesign: the 2013 Escape has 2,749 complaints, 211.5 per year on road, Engine at 1267, twelve recalls and a score of 23, the lowest here. Two engine campaigns cover it, 12V551000 and 13V583000 (25/11/2013), for localised overheating of the cylinder head. The 2014 car has 2,078 complaints and Engine at 719. The 2017 car has 2,665 complaints, 296.1 per year, and Engine at 1556; the 2018 has 1,778 and Engine at 1135. No engine campaign covers either, so those are reported patterns. The 2019 car scores 80 on 580 complaints. The 2020 redesign has 1,517 complaints, Structure at 605, twelve recalls including 22V859000 for fuel injectors that may crack, and scores 26. The 2021 to 2023 cars are CAUTION; the 2024 scores 74.
Ford Escape: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 76 | BUY | 0 | 9 |
| 2024 | 74 | BUY | 76 | 8 |
| 2023 | 69 | CAUTION | 95 | 11 |
| 2022 | 65 | CAUTION | 228 | 12 |
| 2021 | 66 | CAUTION | 335 | 12 |
| 2020 | 26 | AVOID | 1,517 | 12 |
| 2019 | 80 | BUY | 580 | 3 |
| 2018 | 36 | AVOID | 1,778 | 4 |
| 2017 | 40 | AVOID | 2,665 | 4 |
| 2016 | 69 | CAUTION | 1,101 | 4 |
| 2015 | 63 | CAUTION | 1,078 | 9 |
| 2014 | 35 | AVOID | 2,078 | 12 |
| 2013 | 23 | AVOID | 2,749 | 12 |
| 2012 | 86 | BUY | 598 | 2 |
| 2011 | 76 | BUY | 1,316 | 3 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Ford Escape model page.
Rogue and Tucson
Power Train is the Rogue's top component from 2011 to 2016 (189, 136, 314, 115, 140 and 175) with no transmission campaign, a pattern and not a named cause. The 2011 to 2013 cars still score 83 to 87; the 2015 to 2018 cars are CAUTION at 65 to 67. The 2019 and 2020 cars score 80 and 88. The 2022 car has Engine at 135, the 2023 has 270 of its 699 complaints under Engine and scores 34, and 26V080000 (12/02/2026) recalls the 2023 to 2025 cars because the engine oil can break down and seize the bearings.
The Tucson has data for eight years. The 2011 and 2012 cars score 83 and 85. The 2016 car has 1,616 complaints, 161.6 per year on road, Power Train at 516 and Engine at 422, and 16V628000 (30/08/2016) covers its dual clutch transmission control module; the 2017 has 1,083 with Engine at 593, and 21V727000 (17/09/2021) covers it for connecting rod bearings that wear prematurely. The 2018 to 2021 cars score 73, 70, 86 and 89; the 2022 to 2025 cars have no data.
What to check before you buy
- Run the VIN. The campaigns that decide a purchase here are 20V064000 on a 2019 or 2020 RAV4, 18V663000 on a 2017 or 2018 CR-V, 24V744000 on a 2023 to 2025 CR-V, 13V583000 on a 2013 Escape, 26V080000 on a 2023 to 2025 Rogue, 16V628000 and 21V727000 on a 2016 or 2017 Tucson, and 17V224000 on a 2011 to 2013 Sportage.
- On a 2017 or 2018 Escape, a 2017 to 2019 CR-V or a 2011 to 2013 Equinox, no campaign covers the Engine counts; the engine service history is the only evidence. On a 2019 or 2020 Forester, inspect the windscreen and test the wipers.
Summary
Buy a 2016 to 2024 Equinox, a 2014 to 2016 or 2018 to 2022 Sportage, a 2011 to 2018 RAV4, a 2021 to 2024 Forester, a 2018 to 2021 Tucson, a 2019 or 2020 Rogue, a 2012 to 2016 CR-V, or a 2012 or 2019 Escape. The AVOID years are in the ranking above; the 2017 to 2019 CR-V, the 2013 and 2017 Escape and the 2016 Tucson each have more than a thousand complaints. The rest are CAUTION.