The quietest and most sorted WK2 year — a short recall list and the fewest complaints, though the 3.6L valvetrain check still earns its keep.
Engine flag: this is 3.6L Pentastar V6 trouble — the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The cleanest Explorer in this run — no expensive out-of-warranty pattern, just recalls and a free 2.3L block program to verify.
Engine flag: this is 2.3L EcoBoost I4 trouble — the 3.5L Ti-VCT V6, 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 2.7L EcoBoost V6, and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A likeable WK2 with two expensive question marks — the 3.6L valvetrain and, if it's a diesel, the EcoDiesel recall stack — so buy one with the paperwork.
Engine flag: this is 3.6L Pentastar V6 trouble — the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The WK2 settles down after the 2018 peak, but the valvetrain question and a front-differential recall mean you still buy the paperwork, not the badge.
The last of the pre-refresh WK2 — same valvetrain and diesel questions, a shorter recall list, so it lives or dies on its service records.
Engine flag: this is 3.6L Pentastar V6 trouble — the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A split year — the old WK2 body was still sold as the mainstream 2021, while the redesigned WL arrived first as the three-row Grand Cherokee L, so know which one you're looking at.
Engine flag: this is 3.6L Pentastar V6 trouble — the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The redesigned two-row WL arrives with a launch-year recall list and a new air-suspension-and-electronics profile — nearly all free fixes, so the recall record is the whole game.
The most-recalled year of the new WL — an electronics-and-air-suspension car with a serious 4xe battery-fire campaign — so the recall paperwork, not the mileage, decides it.
A settling gen-6 year with mostly fuel-and-park recalls — a solid buy once the driveline and EcoBoost recalls are confirmed.
Engine flag: this is 2.7L EcoBoost V6 and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 trouble — the 3.5L Ti-VCT V6, 3.5L EcoBoost V6, and 2.3L EcoBoost I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The quiet final year of the fifth generation — the cleanest gen-5 Explorer, if the water pump and recalls check out.
Engine flag: this is 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 trouble — the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 2.3L EcoBoost I4, 2.7L EcoBoost V6, and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The second gen-6 year — much calmer than 2020, but the park-rollaway and EcoBoost-engine recalls still need checking.
Engine flag: this is 2.7L EcoBoost V6 and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 trouble — the 3.5L Ti-VCT V6, 3.5L EcoBoost V6, and 2.3L EcoBoost I4 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A quieter late-gen-5 year that still carries the water-pump and PTU risk — check the 3.5L before you buy.
Engine flag: this is 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 trouble — the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 2.3L EcoBoost I4, 2.7L EcoBoost V6, and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The loudest WK2 year in our data — the 3.6L camshaft failures and the Uconnect screen meltdown are out-of-warranty realities, so only buy one that's been through both.
Engine flag: this is 3.6L Pentastar V6 trouble — the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
The rear-drive redesign year that launched with 31 recalls — only buy one with the driveline and park-safety recalls documented.
The gen-5 engine-and-transmission year — walk if the 3.5L shows coolant in the oil or the transmission slips.
Engine flag: this is 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 trouble — the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 2.3L EcoBoost I4, 2.7L EcoBoost V6, and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
A fifth-generation Explorer with an expensive engine-and-driveline to-do list — buyable only with the water-pump, PTU, and recall history in hand.
Engine flag: this is 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 trouble — the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 2.3L EcoBoost I4, 2.7L EcoBoost V6, and 3.0L EcoBoost V6 don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
- 1 From MY2021 Stellantis reports a single "Grand Cherokee" figure that bundles the two-row Grand Cherokee (WK2 carryover + new WL), the three-row Grand Cherokee L, and the 4xe plug-in. Our report excludes the Grand Cherokee L, so this denominator is larger than two-row-only sales and the rate reads slightly low.
- 2 Stellantis reports a single "Grand Cherokee" figure that bundles the two-row Grand Cherokee, the three-row Grand Cherokee L, and the 4xe plug-in. Our report excludes the Grand Cherokee L, so this denominator is larger than two-row-only sales and the rate reads slightly low.
- 3 Stellantis reports a single "Grand Cherokee" figure that bundles the two-row Grand Cherokee, the three-row Grand Cherokee L, and the 4xe plug-in (the 4xe alone was 45,684 of the 244,594 total). Our report excludes the Grand Cherokee L, so this denominator is larger than two-row-only sales and 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.
“The average midsize 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 — free