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There are plenty of unreliable SUVs on the market that are made by reliable brands. When owners offered insight during Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Surveys, the following vehicles had more problems than the average sport utility vehicle. These are the SUVs with the greatest risk of problems that still cost $50,000 or more, which is luxury SUV territory.

SUVs with the greatest risk of problems start with the Mercedes-Benz GLE

SUVs with the greatest risk of problems include this Mercedes-Benz GLE
The Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV in silver | Mercedes-Benz

When Consumer Reports gathered some reliable SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz GLE was not on that list. The GLE is an SUV with the greatest risk of problems, and owners have reported many trouble areas. One of the main issues is related to the value of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE. It can be expensive to maintain and even more costly to fix. The owner reported reliability areas include the power equipment, climate system, engine, in-car electronics, and noises.

The good news is that Mercedes equipped the GLE with forward collision warning (FCW), blind-spot warning (BSW), and rear cross-traffic warning (RCTW). Lane departure warning (LDW) is optional. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) did give the 2022 GLE the Top Safety Pick award, so while it might not be reliable, it is still safe.

Price Range:  $56,150 – $117,850

SUVs with the greatest risk of problems include the Tesla Model Y EV

Consumer Reports isn’t a fan of the Tesla brand, and the Tesla Model Y doesn’t stray from that opinion. That means the Model Y is one of the SUVs with the greatest risk of problems. However, it is still considered a luxury compact sport utility vehicle. The Tesla Model Y received the “green choice” accolade, high scores on the road test, and high scores from owners. The predicted reliability score remains below average. Owner-reported trouble spots include the body hardware, paint issues, climate system problems, and weird noises.

The Model Y does have FCW and LDW. BSW and RCTW are not included in the standard fare, but Tesla has plenty of safety features that go by different names. Plus, the IIHS still gave the MY the Top Safety Pick Plus award this year. It received high marks on all of the crashworthiness tests.

Price Range:  $65,990 – $69,990

It seems the Volvo XC90 is a rare miss for the brand

The 2022 Volvo XC90 is sort of a rare miss for the brand. It only managed to come in 13th out of 31 similar luxury midsize SUVs, and the predicted reliability score was not good. When it came to the owner satisfaction score, it was only average. Some reliability trouble spots include the brakes, climate system, body hardware, and drive system. Unfortunately, that landed it on the list of SUVs with the greatest risk of problems.

But it isn’t all bad news. FCW, LDW, BSW, and RCTW are all standard safety features. The IIHS gave the 2022 XC90 the Top Safety Pick Plus award, which isn’t even the end. On almost all of the tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the CX90 received four and five stars.

Price Range:  $50,900 – $72,600

There are definitely more reliable SUV options out there from Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Volvo. Perhaps 2022 was just an off year for these models, and 2023 will see an increase in reliability.

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