Jeep Cherokee Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Jeep Cherokee model year from 1990 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 20,443 federal complaints, 72 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2014–2015, 2019. These years top the Cherokee's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990–1992, 1997–2001, 2020–2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Cherokee's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 2 open defect investigations on the Jeep Cherokee.
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
CHRYSLER CONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL, 98V-005, ON JANUARY 5, 1998, INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 225,000 1993 GRAND CHEROKEE, 1990-91 CHEROKEE, WRANGLER AND COMANCHEE, AND 1989-91 EAGLE PREMIER AND DODGE MONACO.THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS OF THESE VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE SEVERE CORROSION IF OPERATED FOR AN…
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Jeep Cherokee file with 5,576 complaints, concentrated in the 2014–2015, 2019 model years, most often reported around 50,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 5 | 2 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | Few reports | 4 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | Better year | 73 | 3 | Transmission & drivetrain | 2 |
| 2021 | Better year | 214 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 7 |
| 2020 | Better year | 382 | 3 | Transmission & drivetrain | 10 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 2,415 | 11 | Transmission & drivetrain | 62 |
| 2018 | Typical | 992 | 7 | Transmission & drivetrain | 24 |
| 2017 | Below average | 1,927 | 6 | Transmission & drivetrain | 48 |
| 2016 | Below average | 2,046 | 9 | Transmission & drivetrain | 52 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 2,659 | 11 | Transmission & drivetrain | 70 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 3,961 | 13 | Transmission & drivetrain | 100 |
| 2006 | Few reports | 18 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2001 | Better year | 329 | 8 | Brakes & stability | 13 |
| 2000 | Better year | 508 | 7 | Brakes & stability | 19 |
| 1999 | Better year | 516 | 8 | Brakes & stability | 20 |
| 1998 | Better year | 553 | 11 | Brakes & stability | 17 |
| 1997 | Better year | 496 | 10 | Fuel system | 17 |
| 1996 | Typical | 584 | 10 | Brakes & stability | 21 |
| 1995 | Typical | 732 | 11 | Body & structure | 29 |
| 1994 | Typical | 618 | 9 | Body & structure | 22 |
| 1993 | Typical | 571 | 7 | Brakes & stability | 21 |
| 1992 | Better year | 175 | 5 | Brakes & stability | 6 |
| 1991 | Better year | 297 | 9 | Brakes & stability | 9 |
| 1990 | Better year | 368 | 9 | Brakes & stability | 11 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 4,024 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Jeep Cherokee. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Jeep Cherokee TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Jeep Cherokee years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2014–2015, 2019 as the Jeep Cherokee years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Jeep Cherokee problem?
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Jeep Cherokee file with 5,576 complaints, concentrated in the 2014–2015, 2019 model years, most often reported around 50,000 miles.
What are the best Jeep Cherokee years to buy used?
The quietest Jeep Cherokee years in federal records are 1990–1992, 1997–2001, 2020–2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Jeep Cherokee only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.