Jeep Wrangler vs Subaru Crosstrek: Which Years to Avoid
Jeep Wrangler logs 13,387 complaints across 2005-2025 (637 per model year) with 68 recall campaigns; avoid years are 2012, 2018-2021, and 2024. Subaru Crosstrek logs 1,174 complaints (84 per model year) with 13 recalls; avoid years are 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024. Wrangler averages 18.5 MPG combined versus Crosstrek's 28.8 MPG.
Head to head
Jeep Wrangler
- Model years
- 2005–2025 (21)
- NHTSA complaints
- 13,387
- Per model year
- 637
- Recall campaigns
- 68
- Years to avoid
- 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
- Best years
- 2017
- Top problem area
- Steering
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 18.5
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- —
Subaru Crosstrek
- Model years
- 2012–2025 (14)
- NHTSA complaints
- 1,174
- Per model year
- 84
- Recall campaigns
- 13
- Years to avoid
- 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
- Best years
- 2013, 2014, 2015
- Top problem area
- Visibility & Wipers
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 28.8
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 5.0 ★
Year by year
Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.
| Year | Wrangler | Crosstrek | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | |
| 2005 | Good | 650 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | Good | 730 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Caution | 557 | 8 | 16.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Caution | 873 | 7 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Caution | 372 | 6 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Caution | 686 | 10 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Caution | 485 | 10 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | Avoid | 834 | 9 | 18 | No verdict | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | Caution | 650 | 6 | 18 | Best | 26 | 1 | — |
| 2014 | Caution | 654 | 4 | 18 | Best | 16 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | Caution | 472 | 3 | 18 | Best | 17 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | Caution | 460 | 5 | 18 | Caution | 131 | 1 | — |
| 2017 | Best | 309 | 5 | 18 | Good | 94 | 1 | 27.5 |
| 2018 | Avoid | 1,820 | 14 | 18 | Avoid | 194 | 5 | 27 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 741 | 9 | 20 | Avoid | 284 | 7 | 29 |
| 2020 | Avoid | 609 | 12 | 20.5 | Caution | 69 | 0 | 30 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 934 | 15 | 20.5 | Avoid | 115 | 1 | 29.5 |
| 2022 | Caution | 396 | 15 | 20.5 | Good | 31 | 0 | 29 |
| 2023 | Caution | 364 | 14 | 20.5 | Good | 34 | 0 | 29.5 |
| 2024 | Avoid | 725 | 11 | 19.5 | Avoid | 118 | 2 | 29 |
| 2025 | Caution | 66 | 4 | 20 | Caution | 43 | 0 | 29 |
Complaint Index by year
Jeep Wrangler
Subaru Crosstrek
Frequently asked questions
- Which years should I avoid for the Jeep Wrangler and Subaru Crosstrek?
- For the Wrangler, avoid 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024. For the Crosstrek, avoid 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024.
- Which model has more reported problems overall?
- The Wrangler has 13,387 total complaints (637 per model year) versus the Crosstrek's 1,174 total complaints (84 per model year), based on NHTSA data. These totals are not adjusted for sales volume.
- How do fuel economy figures compare?
- The Wrangler averages 18.5 MPG combined while the Crosstrek averages 28.8 MPG combined, according to EPA data.
- Does either model have a best year with no complaint concerns?
- The Wrangler's best year is 2017 with a complaint index of 10. The Crosstrek's best years are 2013, 2014, and 2015, with complaint indexes of 23, 15, and 8 respectively.
- What are the top problem areas for each model?
- Wrangler owners report the most complaints about Steering (25%), Electrical System (21%), Engine (20%), and Fuel System (17%). Crosstrek owners report the most complaints about Visibility & Wipers (29%), Electrical System (19%), Engine (16%), and Transmission & Powertrain (10%).