The quietest year here — the mature, settled CX-5, with the fewest complaints in the range.
The quietest year of the run — the settled final year of the gas Equinox before the redesign.
The quietest year of the generation — the numbers finally match the reputation.
Engine flag: this is Prime PHEV trouble — the 2.5L gas I4 and Hybrid (2.5L eCVT) don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
One of the two quietest years — the engine troubles recede and the file goes small.
The quietest Forester in our set — 69 complaints and one free driveshaft recall, the mature end of the fifth generation.
The quietest third-gen year — close out the ABS-fire recall and it's a clean pick.
The complaint numbers finally collapse — the settled third-gen year to actually hunt for.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A safe buy — just make sure the battery recall was actually done.
The quietest fourth-gen year — but the hybrid engine-fire recall means a free long-block, so verify it.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L hybrid I4 and 2.5L PHEV I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, and 1.5L EcoBoost I3 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Reads noisier than it is — most of the extra file is chip-shortage feature glitches, not broken engines.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
One of the cheapest years to own — verify the battery recall and buy with confidence.
The last year of the proven formula — buy it before the market fully catches on.
One of the calmest Foresters here — 94 complaints and a single free recall, with the early-gen5 bugs behind it.
A solid buy — the last CR-V before the turbo era's problems.
The settling fifth-gen year — complaints down by a third, no model-year recall we could confirm, and the thermal control valve still covered to 15 years.
Three federal complaints in the whole model year, because Jeep built almost none of them before the line stopped. One recall, and its remedy has not been published yet.
The quietest Sportage in our data and the last of the old body — but engines were still failing at 50,000 miles.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II, 2.5L GDI Theta III, and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Mechanically sorted — but two open software recalls need to show as closed on the VIN.
Only 48 complaints, but the engine ones are severe and there is no knock-sensor campaign for this year at all.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II, 2.5L GDI Theta III, and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The quietest gen-2 year on paper, but it carries the same uncovered CVT risk — a clean test drive is what makes or breaks it.
The complaint file collapses to 34 — but the brake pump is still in it, and GM's bulletin still names this year.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A calmer year with no confirmed recalls — but the cracked-head risk hasn't fully cleared yet.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L SkyActiv-G (non-turbo, cylinder deactivation) trouble — the 2.5L SkyActiv-G Turbo (2.5T) doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The quietest year of the fourth generation — two recalls, two clusters, and a dipstick that decides everything.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II and 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.5L GDI Theta III and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Settling down after the launch — but the oil-pump fire recall and injector pattern still need checking.
The oil-consumption year for the turbo — real, but covered by a class-action warranty extension.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L SkyActiv-G Turbo (2.5T) trouble — the 2.5L SkyActiv-G (non-turbo, cylinder deactivation) doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A strong used pick — one steering check away from easy.
A quiet-looking year where a new problem starts — the fuel pump, and the stalls that come with it.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The year to buy — the cleanest CR-V of this generation.
One of the better value years — if the recall work is done.
46 complaints and three recalls, two of which are small and one of which has no fix published yet. This is the Cherokee at its quietest, and the Power Transfer Unit is still the only question that matters.
The clean-break redesign year — a dramatic drop from 2016, with the infotainment the main gripe.
The gas and hybrid are turning the corner — the Prime carries its own recall baggage.
The gen-3 settles down, but the same VC-Turbo engine recall applies — buy one with that campaign confirmed complete.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L VC-Turbo 3-cyl trouble — the 2.5L QR25DE + Jatco CVT doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
One of the calmer third-gen years — verify the ABS-fire recall and you've done the hard part.
A reasonable buy — after you verify the steering recall took.
141 complaints, the quietest Cherokee with real volume behind it. But one of its four recalls told owners not to drive the car until it was inspected, so the recall record here is not a formality.
Settled gas cars, but the plug-in still leans on the engine-fire and battery recalls.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L hybrid I4 and 2.5L PHEV I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, and 1.5L EcoBoost I3 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A dependable fourth-gen wagon with one real out-of-pocket risk — the cam-carrier oil leak — so inspect the engine for seepage and verify the three recalls.
Much quieter than the 2020 launch — but the hybrid engine-fire and battery recalls still apply.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L hybrid I4 and 2.5L PHEV I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, and 1.5L EcoBoost I3 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The engine noise is fading, but the ABS-fire recall is the one you must see closed.
The send-off fourth-gen year with the same cam-carrier oil leak to inspect, plus a common A/C-compressor complaint and a free fuel-pump recall to confirm.
The busiest fourth-gen year on complaints, but the pattern is the familiar cam-carrier oil leak — inspect the engine and you're buying a solid Forester.
The last of the 1.6L EcoBoost years — fine as a 2.5L, a gamble as a turbo.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L Duratec I4 and 2.0L EcoBoost I4 trouble — the 1.5L EcoBoost I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I3, 2.5L hybrid I4, and 2.5L PHEV I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A quieter second-year fifth-gen with no model-year recall we could confirm — the thermal control valve is still the thing to check, and it's covered to 15 years.
A small complaint file with one very loud pattern — fuel pumps failing under 50,000 miles and stalling the car in traffic.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The year cylinder deactivation arrived — and with it the cracked-cylinder-head pattern the non-turbo engine never got covered for.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L SkyActiv-G (non-turbo, cylinder deactivation) trouble — the 2.5L SkyActiv-G Turbo (2.5T) doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The year the hard-brake-pedal and reduced-power stories both peak — buy one with the charge-air-cooler fix done.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The last second-gen year — cleanest recall record, but the same 2.4L oil habit runs underneath.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L Ecotec I4 trouble — the 1.5L turbo I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A far better-built Rogue that launched with a heavy recall stack — including an engine-bearing recall — so buy one with every campaign confirmed complete.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L VC-Turbo 3-cyl trouble — the 2.5L QR25DE + Jatco CVT doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Fewer complaints than the 2016–2018 cars, but with worse CVT coverage — the settlement stopped at 2018, so verify the transmission carefully.
The brake-vacuum-pump cluster carries into 2020 — the last of the loud third-gen years.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
First year of the downsized third generation — the 1.5T's reduced-power and cooling gremlins arrive here.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The peak year for CVT complaints in this generation — a good buy only if the transmission is proven healthy or already replaced.
The last Rogue year covered by the CVT settlement — but that coverage is spent, so the transmission still has to prove itself.
Second verse, same as the first — demand proof the recall work is done before you pay.
The last of the old Terrain — one recall on the page, but the purest engine-complaint year in the run.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L Ecotec I4 trouble — the 1.5L turbo I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The last of the old body, and the cheapest way into a Theta II engine with no Kia coverage behind it.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II and 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.5L GDI Theta III and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A second-generation 2.4L that quietly drinks oil — buyable only with the timing-chain and oil history in hand.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L Ecotec I4 trouble — the 1.5L turbo I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A comfortable, cheap-to-buy family SUV riding on a CVT whose warranty safety net has now expired — buy only with the transmission proven healthy.
The cracked-cylinder-head year — the loudest gen-2 file, and the one where the fire-risk oil leak recurs most.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L SkyActiv-G (non-turbo, cylinder deactivation) trouble — the 2.5L SkyActiv-G Turbo (2.5T) doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Hard brake pedal and lost engine power both peak here — but this is the one year GM paid for the power fix.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Complaints more than doubled against 2019, and almost all of the increase is one thing: engines drinking oil.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II and 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.5L GDI Theta III and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The loudest year in the run — a brake pedal that turns to stone, and a pump that can take the engine with it.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Much quieter than the 2017, but the same engine and the same one-question test: how much oil does it use?
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II and 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.5L GDI Theta III and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Complaints fall by more than four fifths from 2019 and the recall list drops to three. What does not go away is the Power Transfer Unit, and on a 2020 the recall covering it still has no published fix.
Redesign-year risk is real — only buy one with the recall and program work documented.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L gas I4 trouble — the Hybrid (2.5L eCVT) and Prime PHEV don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A completely new car with a completely new problem list — and the hybrid's is the one that stops you on a highway.
Engine flag: this is 1.6L Turbo hybrid trouble — the 2.4L GDI Theta II, 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II, and 2.5L GDI Theta III don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The brake-vacuum-pump cluster hits its most concentrated point — the last of the loud Terrain years.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo I4 trouble — the 2.4L Ecotec I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The last gen-3 year — coolant intrusion is fading, but only on cars built after the April 2019 cutoff.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L EcoBoost I4 and 2.0L EcoBoost I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I3, 2.5L hybrid I4, and 2.5L PHEV I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The loudest year in our entire Rogue set — driven by the VC-Turbo engine-bearing failure — so only buy one with the engine recall completed and no knock.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L VC-Turbo 3-cyl trouble — the 2.5L QR25DE + Jatco CVT doesn’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Quieter than 2016–2017, but the same engine coverage is exactly what you're buying for.
A busy redesign launch — the injector and drivetrain patterns make paperwork essential.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L GDI Theta III (gen 4, gas) trouble — the 2.4L GDI / 2.0L Theta II (gen 3), 1.6L turbo + 7-speed dual-clutch (gen 3), and 1.6L turbo hybrid / plug-in (gen 4) don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A sensible choice — but the VIN check is non-negotiable here.
Half the complaint volume of the years on either side, and it is inside the Power Transfer Unit replacement recall. The 2018 is the quietest of the pre-refresh cars, provided the 2.4L has not been drinking oil since new.
The loudest CX-5 year here — the last of the first generation, and the one to inspect hardest before you buy.
Buyable — after you verify the oil-dilution fix and the recall sheet.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo trouble — the 2.0L hybrid and 2.4L i-VTEC don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The loud fifth-gen launch year — the thermal control valve is the headline, but it's covered to 15 years, so buy one where the work got done.
The one Tucson year with its own engine-replacement recall — only buy one with that work proven done.
The fourth-gen launch year — 23 recalls, an 8-speed shudder, and hybrid engine-fire campaigns to verify.
The engine story is real — buy only one with the bearing coverage and every recall documented.
The old 2.4L that quietly drinks oil — worth buying only with a documented timing-chain history.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L Ecotec I4 trouble — the 1.5L turbo I4, 2.0L turbo I4, and 1.6L turbodiesel don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The loudest Sportage year we track, and the file is almost entirely engines that failed with nobody paying for them.
Engine flag: this is 2.4L GDI Theta II and 2.0L Turbo GDI Theta II trouble — the 2.5L GDI Theta III and 1.6L Turbo hybrid don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Walk away — unless the engine work is already done and documented.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L turbo trouble — the 2.0L hybrid and 2.4L i-VTEC don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
Still deep in the coolant-intrusion window — buy the 2.5L or a documented engine.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L EcoBoost I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I3, 2.5L hybrid I4, and 2.5L PHEV I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The year the Power Transfer Unit recalls reach with a software patch and nothing more. 1,401 complaints, a park-outside liftgate fire recall, and no federal campaign that will actually replace the failed part.
1,325 complaints and one saving grace: 2017 is the first year Jeep will actually replace the failed Power Transfer Unit under recall rather than patch around it. Everything rides on whether that has been done.
The loudest year in the whole run: 1,594 complaints, eleven recalls, and the only model year caught by both Power Transfer Unit replacement campaigns. The refresh brought a new turbo engine and a launch-year recall list to match.
The 1.5L EcoBoost's first year — and the worst of the coolant-intrusion engine failures.
Engine flag: this is 1.5L EcoBoost I4 trouble — the 2.5L Duratec I4, 2.0L EcoBoost I4, 1.5L EcoBoost I3, 2.5L hybrid I4, and 2.5L PHEV I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
- 1 For 2017–2022 Nissan reported the Rogue and the smaller Rogue Sport as a single “Rogue” figure; no Rogue-only number was published. The denominator includes Rogue Sport, so the rate reads slightly low.
Rates use published U.S. sales as the denominator — a rate, not a raw count, so best-sellers aren’t punished for selling. It’s imperfect on purpose and we say exactly where (the methodology page): sales aren’t surviving fleet, some makers publish entangled figures, and complaint filing is self-reported. * A “0 recalls*” mark is a verified zero — checked against the federal database and date-stamped, a point in that year’s favor.
“The average compact SUV is fine. You’re not buying the average — you’re buying one specific year of one specific badge.”
Shortlisting from this board? We’ll watch your years.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — freeThe other boards
Same method, different segment:
Heavy-duty pickups, Luxury SUVs, and Subcompact SUVs aren’t ranked yet — each has only one model in our data so far, nothing fair to compare against. They join the Index when their segment-mates ship.