2015 Ford Escape vs 2015 Jeep Cherokee
Two compact SUVs, compared on what actually matters when you're buying used:
what breaks, when it breaks, and what it costs you.
2015 Ford
Escape
5/10
The 2015 Escape is only worth owning if it has the boring naturally-aspirated 2.5L; the 1.6L EcoBoost is a known coolant-into-cylinder time bomb and the 2.0L isn't much safer.
VS
2015 Jeep
Cherokee
4/10
The KL Cherokee is competent off-road and comfortable on it, but the 9HP48 transmission and rear PTU make it a coin-flip ownership experience past 80k miles.
Milo scores the 2015 Ford Escape higher — 5/10 against 4/10.
By the numbers
Green is the better number — higher on every score, lower on failures, complaints and recalls.
| Ford Escape |
Jeep Cherokee |
| Known failure points | 8 | 8 |
| NHTSA complaints | 1057 | 1780 |
| Safety recalls | 9 | 11 |
| Service bulletins | 12 | 12 |
| Reliability | 45 | 38 |
| Cheap to own | 40 | 35 |
| Fun factor | 55 | 55 |
| Holds value | 35 | 45 |
| Enthusiast cred | 20 | 40 |
The most expensive thing that goes wrong
2015 Ford Escape
2.0L EcoBoost coolant loss — long block replacement program (Ford CSP 21N03) for coolant intrusion into cylinders
$0–$9,00050k–100k mi
2015 Jeep Cherokee
ZF 9HP48 9-speed transmission — harsh shifts, phantom neutrals, refusal to upshift past 4th, valve body faults
$400–$4,50020k–60k mi
If you buy one, buy this one
✅ 2015 Ford Escape
2015 Escape SE or Titanium with the 2.5L iVCT (VIN 8th digit '7'), FWD, one owner, complete service records showing regular transmission fluid changes, and every recall closed. Titanium adds the panoramic roof, heated leather, and better audio for peanuts on the used market.
✅ 2015 Jeep Cherokee
2015 Trailhawk with the 3.2L Pentastar V6, Active Drive Lock (rear locker), Tech Group, and a documented history of PTU fluid changes and every 9-speed software update. Under 80k miles, one owner, and — critically — every single recall closed on the NHTSA lookup.
Narrowed it down? Get the full report
This comparison is model-level.
Milo's report goes car-level — the one you're actually looking at:
- A line-by-line negotiation script
- The pre-purchase inspection checklist
- VIN-specific open recalls
- What it's really worth right now
- Your next 15,000 miles, forecast
- Hidden features & money-savers
Run my free report →
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Scores and findings blend documented NHTSA recalls and complaints with
patterns synthesized from owner communities. Always inspect the specific vehicle and
verify open recalls by VIN before buying.