America’s Jeep and Ram are back in the firing line — and this time there’s nothing to shoot back with. Fresh reports from Consumer Reports, J. D. Power and RepairPal all converge on the same verdict: these iconic US brands build vehicles that break down more often than their owners would like. The image is still there. The numbers, not so much.
According to Consumer Reports, Jeep and Ram are literally scraping the bottom of the predicted reliability rankings. Jeep — 28 points out of 100. Ram — 26. Only Rivian sits lower with 24, and that’s only because the California newcomer is still learning how to build cars. The biggest disasters: Jeep Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee PHEV and the redesigned Ram 1500, where the pickup’s “teething problems” after its facelift are now in full view.
The latest J. D. Power 2026 U. S. Vehicle Dependability Study — which surveys owners after three years of ownership — cuts Ram some slack. The brand logged 216 problems per 100 vehicles against an industry average of 204. Below average, but bearable. Jeep, however, outdid itself: 267 problems per 100 vehicles, 25th place out of 29 brands. For context, category leader Lexus came in at 151. The gap is almost twofold, and it speaks for itself.
RepairPal partially rehabilitates Jeep with a 3.5 out of 5 rating, putting it 15th out of 32 brands. Ram, with its 3 out of 5, slips back to 23rd. Severe repairs account for 13% of all Jeep work versus 15% for Ram — not a dramatic gap, but a telling one. The wallet hit lands harder on Ram: $858 a year in maintenance versus $634 for Jeep.
You can live with these machines — if you know what you’re signing up for. Wrangler and Ram 1500 fans are no strangers to the familiar drive to the service centre. The real question is whether the buyer is willing to pay for the image and the character with regular overnight stays at the mechanic.