The Jeep Renegade was an entirely new venture for the iconic off-roading marque when it was launched in 2015 as it was the first properly sub-compact SUV from the brand. Based on the Stellantis (formerly FCA) Small Wide Platform it shared with the Fiat 500x, it joined what was by that point a very crowded crossover segment.

The Renegade did, however, have a unique selling point with many versions being equipped with full AWD, giving it off-road capability that marked it out as a true Jeep, and allowing it to go where many other compact SUVs couldn’t.

The reason for the use of the past tense when discussing the Renegade is because, despite all its abilities, it was dropped from Jeep’s offering in Canada and the United states in 2023 after tanking sales. This, along with the increasing focus that Stellantis has on new electric vehicles, means that if you still want a Renegade, you have to look at the used car market.

The Renegade did still have a good long run of production here in the States, so there are many years and two generations, both pre-facelift and post-facelift to choose from. Because reliability varies greatly depending on when your Renegade was produced, we are going to be looking at which Renegade is best for dependability and which one is best avoided.

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First-generation Renegade: 2015-2018

Highest J.D. Power rating: 70/100 (2016)

The first-generation Renegade launched with an impressive range of engines, transmissions, trims and also drive types giving customers the choice of manual or automatic, FWD or AWD and a turbocharged or a naturally aspirated motor. The trims also varied with some making the Renegade more comfortable on the road and others making it more capable off it.

Common Issues: 1st-gen Renegade

• Transmission failure
• Fuel pump issues
• Faulty oil pump
• Electrical issues

Unfortunately, choosing the wrong engine or transmission, particularly with this pre-facelift version, could potentially lead to headaches, as many of the problems, complaints, and recalls for the 2015–2018 Renegade are associated with one engine and one transmission in particular.

A problem that affected the Wrangler fairly early on in its life concerns the nine-speed ZF 948 TE automatic transmission. Due to a failure of the wiring harness and/or sensor clusters, the transmission could, without warning, shift into neutral whilst driving along and, because of the danger this could pose to other road users, a recall was issued in 2016 to try to remedy it.

The other possible weak link in the Renegade is the 2.4-Liter Tigershark naturally aspirated four-cylinder power unit, which, if the fuel pump is faulty, can lead to low fuel pressure. Some owners have reported the engine cutting out and then firing as normal after a while. Another issue concerns excessive oil consumption due to a faulty pump not doing its job properly. Both these issues could lead to the engine needing a complete overhaul if not addressed.

Finally, what also made this generation the worst for Renegade reliability was the electrical gremlins it suffered from. Owners have complained about the engine not turning over as well as tail lights flickering and the fog lights sometimes even burning out.

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Second-generation Renegade: 2019-2023

Highest (and only) J.D Power rating: 79/100 (2021)

The facelifted generation arrived with new styling and headlights on the front end to bring it closer into line with the styling of the Wrangler. The option of a manual transmission disappeared, as did the turbocharged four-cylinder power unit and some of the more entry-level FWD trims. A gradual slimming down of the offering took place, perhaps reflecting the dropping off in sales.

Despite not selling as well, it is very easy to rank this, the more recent of the two Jeep Renegade generations as being the most reliable. It has far fewer complaints and common problems than the previous one.

Common Issues: 2nd-gen Renegade

• Transmission failure
• Electrical gremlins
• Faulty airbags

This generation is still slightly haunted by issues with the nine-speed ZF auto ‘box. Although not as prevalent as they were in the 2015–2018 Renegade, some have still complained to the NHTSA about a sudden stall caused by the wiring harness issues with this transmission.
This generation also saw a fair few electrical faults popping up, with most of the complaints being about the view from the backup camera not showing, but some owners have also reported the screen of the Uconnect system going blank and the blind spot detection light staying on all the time.
There was also a recall for 2021–2023 Jeep Renegade related to airbag non-deployment, which could potentially be serious, but thankfully only affected a few models.

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Summary

A Clear Choice

If you are looking for what is the absolute best Jeep Renegade in terms of pure reliability, choosing the second-generation or post-facelift Renegade is a no-brainer as it has better ratings from J.D. Power and fewer complaints on the NHTSA and Car Complaints.

The fact that a lot of the problems with this generation are minor and the more serious problems are much lower in frequency means it is by far the best in terms of Jeep Renegade reliability.

If you want your Renegade to have FWD, and definitely if you want to change gears yourself, you will need to go for the previous generation. While it is less reliable, checking to make sure it has been regularly serviced and had any common issues dealt with could still wind you up with a 2015–2018 Renegade that lasts.

Sources: Jeep, J.D Power, Car Complaints, NHTSA