Jeep Cherokee Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2014 and 2015 At least twice the 309 complaints of a typical Cherokee year. Most described: stalling (2014), jerking or harsh shifting (2015).
Best years: 2021 Under three quarters of the 306 complaints of a typical Cherokee year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2022 is next to a partial model year with few sold, so it is not picked.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2026 model is too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2014 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 37 mpg combined, arrived in 2026. Excludes the larger Grand Cherokee.

Cherokee problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Cherokee year drew 309 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (306). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (306), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2014 Cherokee Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	999	2,652	13
2015 Cherokee Avoid Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	726	1,794	11
2019 Cherokee Most described: stalling or shutting off	614	1,683	11
2017 Cherokee Most described: stalling or shutting off	408	1,342	6
2018 Cherokee Most described: stalling or shutting off	309	692	7
2016 Cherokee Most described: stalling or shutting off	306	1,415	9
2020 Cherokee Most described: loss of power or limp mode	50	337	3
2021 Cherokee Best Most described: loss of power or limp mode	50	183	4
2022 Cherokee Most reported: powertrain	21	52	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Cherokee for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Jeep dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	4	9	Not rated
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	1	3
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	52
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	183
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	337
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	11	1,683
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	7	692
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	6	1,342
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	9	1,415
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	11	1,794
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	13	2,652

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2014: 2,652 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Jeep Cherokee
Model year	Complaints
2014	2,652
2015	1,794
2016	1,415
2017	1,342
2018	692
2019	1,683
2020	337
2021	183
2022	52
2023	3
2026	9

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 24 to 26 mpg (2014 to 2023); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 37 mpg (2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas not offered · hybrid 37 mpg

Show as a table

Jeep Cherokee best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2014	25	–
2015	25	–
2016	25	–
2017	25	–
2018	25	–
2019	26	–
2020	26	–
2021	26	–
2022	26	–
2023	24	–
2024	–	–
2025	–	–
2026	–	37

Every Cherokee year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Jeep Cherokee years should you avoid?

The 2014 and 2015 Cherokee are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 309 owner complaints of a typical Cherokee year in its first three years. Owners of the 2014 most often describe stalling. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Jeep dealers.

What are the best Jeep Cherokee years?

The 2021 Cherokee is the best year: it drew 50 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 306 complaints of a typical Cherokee year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2022 is next to a partial model year with few sold, so it is not picked. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2026 is not ranked yet: it has had fewer than three full years on the road. The 2023 is left out as a partial model year with few sold.

Which Jeep Cherokee years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2014 (999) drew the most, then the 2015 (726). Owners of the 2014 most often describe stalling or shutting off.

Which Jeep Cherokee years have the most recalls?

The 2014 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (13), then the 2019 (11). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 23V-338 (2014 to 2016 models).

What are the most common Jeep Cherokee problems?

In the 10,162 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2014 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (1,516 complaints, most of them for the 2014, 2016, and 2019); jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (997 complaints, most of them for the 2014 and 2015); and loss of power or limp mode (885 complaints, most of them for the 2014, 2016, and 2019). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Jeep Cherokee year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 37 mpg combined, first reached by the 2026 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.