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The Most Reliable Midsize SUVs: What the 2024 Dependability Study Found

J.D. Power’s 2024 VDS named the 2021 Toyota 4Runner its leading Midsize SUV, followed by the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Venza. Here’s what that result does—and doesn’t—tell you.
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If “in 2024” means the reliability results published that year, J.D. Power named the 2021 Toyota 4Runner the leading Midsize SUV in its 2024 Vehicle Dependability Study. The Jeep Grand Cherokee placed second and the Toyota Venza third. These are results for 2021-model-year vehicles after three years of ownership—not a three-year reliability verdict on 2024-model-year SUVs.

Which midsize SUV ranked highest in the 2024 study?

The 2021 Toyota 4Runner ranked first in J.D. Power’s 2024 Midsize SUV segment chart, ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Venza. The result is a relative segment ranking in that study; J.D. Power’s published chart does not provide model-specific problem scores for these three vehicles, so it cannot show the size of the gap between them or quantify an individual vehicle’s chance of failure.

The study was published in 2024, but surveyed owners of 2021 vehicles after three years of ownership. It therefore answers which eligible midsize SUV performed best in that particular long-term study—not which newly released 2024 SUV is definitively most reliable.

What the 2024 rankings say—and which SUVs are in separate categories

J.D. Power segment Models named in the 2024 chart What the ranking establishes
Midsize SUV 1. Toyota 4Runner
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee
3. Toyota Venza
The 2021 Toyota 4Runner led this segment in the 2024 VDS.
Midsize Premium SUV Lexus RX; Lexus GX Lexus RX was the segment leader.
Upper Midsize SUV Chevrolet Traverse; Buick Enclave; Toyota Highlander Chevrolet Traverse was the segment leader.

These are distinct J.D. Power categories, not one combined list. The study’s release says no other model in marked segments performed at or above its segment average; the chart’s appearance alone should not be read as proof that every listed model cleared that threshold.

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How J.D. Power measured dependability

The 2024 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) drew on responses from 30,595 original owners of 2021-model-year vehicles, surveyed after three years of ownership. Fieldwork took place from August through November 2023. J.D. Power assessed 184 specific problem areas across nine categories: climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain and seats. See the 2024 VDS study release and J.D. Power’s study description.

This is an owner-reported problem study, not a controlled mechanical durability test. Its PP100 measure counts reported problems per 100 vehicles; a lower count indicates fewer reported problems in the study, not a direct probability that a vehicle will fail. Because the published midsize chart does not give individual PP100 results for its top three, it cannot support a numerical comparison of their reliability or a claim about a particular engine, trim or drivetrain.

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What the overall problem counts reveal

Across the VDS, J.D. Power reported an industry average of 190 problems per 100 vehicles in 2024, four PP100 higher than in 2023. This industry-wide figure is not a score for any of the midsize SUVs in the chart.

Infotainment was the most problematic category, with 49.1 problems per 100 vehicles. The release identified Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity at 6.3 PP100 and built-in voice recognition at 6.1 PP100. Those figures help explain why an overall dependability result can include complaints about technology and controls as well as mechanical concerns; they do not show how much of any named SUV’s score came from infotainment.

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J.D. Power senior director of auto benchmarking Frank Hanley said VDS model results historically mirror the same model year’s Initial Quality Study results, making a deterioration in dependability unusual. The release said the deterioration “can likely be attributed” to the period in which vehicles were built and owners keeping vehicles longer. That is J.D. Power’s interpretation, not proof of a specific cause for problems in an individual vehicle.

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How to use this ranking when shopping

  • Match the model year to your question. The 4Runner result concerns the 2021 vehicle cohort. It does not establish the reliability of a 2024 or 2026 model-year 4Runner.
  • Compare within the right segment. The RX and Traverse leaders came from premium and upper-midsize categories, respectively; they are not direct placements in the standard Midsize SUV chart.
  • Read the study as a broad owner-reported signal. The VDS includes technology, interior and other reported issues alongside powertrain problems, and its aggregate ranking is not a mechanical failure rate.
  • Do not extend the result to every configuration. The published evidence does not establish trim- or powertrain-specific rankings for the 4Runner, Grand Cherokee or Venza.
  • Treat it as historical evidence for a new-car decision today. A study of 2021 vehicles published in 2024 is useful context, but it does not settle which new midsize SUV is most reliable in 2026.

Bottom line on the 2024 dependability results

For the standard Midsize SUV category in J.D. Power’s 2024 VDS, the 2021 Toyota 4Runner ranked first, followed by the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Venza. The finding is specific to that three-year owner-reported study and should not be mistaken for a ranking of 2024-model-year vehicles or a prediction of failure risk.

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