23, Oct 2024
Turbocharged Four-Pot Pickup Trucks Ranked By Reliability

Smaller-capacity downsized turbocharged engines are more prevalent nowadays to improve efficiency, and this trend has also infiltrated the truck market. Turbo-four engines are now almost the norm for subcompact and compact trucks, with or without hybrid assistance, while you can even buy full-size trucks from GM with a turbocharged four-pot in them – something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. In fact, we have rounded up enough turbocharged four-cylinder trucks to put eight on this list, sorted from the least to the most reliable.



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We assess trucks available with four-cylinder engines in the lineup. NHTSA recall and complaint data are from the 2024 and/or 2025 model years. Where 2024 or 2025 data aren’t available, we use 2023 data. They’re ranked according to J.D. Power’s score for the 2025 Quality & Reliability assessment, with NHTSA recalls and complaints acting as a tiebreaker where trucks score equally. All the data was accurate at the time of publication and applied to the entire range of models for each truck, even though all trims might not have four-cylinder engines.

8 GMC Canyon

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Reliability results

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: No score yet
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 2
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 158
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.7L turbo I4

Horsepower

310 hp

Torque

430 lb-ft

Drivetrains

10-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD


The GMC Canyon midsize truck brings up the rear. It’s still a very new model, with the generation only having launched last year as a 2023 model, so it has no J.D. Power rating yet. Its NHTSA record for 2025 is still clean, but the 2024 model registered quite a lot of complaints from consumers.

The Canyon comes with one engine option only – the high-output TurboMax 2.7L L3B four-pot, whereas its more basic Chevy Colorado twin also offers a lower-output version of this engine. This gives it more power and torque than most six-cylinder competitors.

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7 Chevrolet Colorado

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: No score yet
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 3
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 25
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0


Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.7L turbo I4

Horsepower

237 | 310 hp

Torque

260 | 430 lb-ft

Drivetrains

10-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD

Like its GMC Canyon twin, there is no J.D. Power rating for the midsize Chevy Colorado yet, but it beats its sibling by dint of having far fewer customer complaints against it, even though it had one more 2024 recall. Reliability should improve as all the teething troubles are ironed out.

Being a cheaper truck with a slightly lower market positioning than the Canyon, the Chevy is available in a base Work Truck trim with a low-output version of the L3B 2.7L four-pot – things the Canyon doesn’t offer.

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6 Toyota Tacoma

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: No score yet
  • 2024 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: 79
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 1
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 41
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.4L turbo I4 | turbo I4 hybrid

Horsepower

228/278 | 326 hp

Torque

243/317 | 465 lb-ft

Drivetrains

8-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD

The Toyota Tacoma sits fairly low in the reliability rankings, and perhaps it has to do with the fact that it’s still a brand-new truck on an all-new platform with all-new powertrains. There has only been one recall in the past two years, but the truck kicked off its new generation with quite a few NHTSA complaints, though this should subside in time.


The same 2.4L turbo-four engine does duty in all Tacomas, but the gas version comes in two outputs, while this is the only midsize truck that offers you a hybrid option. The hybrid powertrain also makes it the most powerful midsize truck you can buy, special performance models such as the Ranger Raptor excluded.

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5 Ford Ranger

Reliability results:

  • 2024 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: No score yet
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 1
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 3

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.3L turbo I4

Horsepower

270 hp

Torque

310 lb-ft

Drivetrains

10-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD


Like the Tacoma, the Ford Ranger has no J.D. Power score yet, but it beats Toyota for now because it registered 38 fewer complaints for the 2024 model year. The 2025 model should build forth on that strong start.

The latest Ranger only landed recently as a 2024 model with one four-cylinder engine, but it’s a strong one. If you want a Ranger with over 300 hp to challenge the top GM and Toyota products, you’ll have to wait for the 325-hp 2.7L V6 that will launch soon.

4 GMC Sierra 1500

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: 83
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 22
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0


Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.7L turbo I4

Horsepower

310 hp

Torque

430 lb-ft

Drivetrains

10-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD

The GMC Sierra scores well on reliability with J.D. Power with above-average results that place it third on this list. There have been a few complaints against the 2024 model, but not a single recall so far in two years.

The Sierra comes with the high-output TurboMax 2.7L four-pot as its base engine, and it’s the only full-size truck besides its Chevy Silverado 1500 twin that offers a four-pot at all. The unit punches above its weight; owners will appreciate the stout 430 lb-ft of torque on tap.


3 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: 84
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 1
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 22
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.7L turbo I4

Horsepower

310 hp

Torque

430 lb-ft

Drivetrains

10-speed automatic, 2WD/4WD

You can see the GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevy Silverado 1500 are the same truck in their reliability stats, which are virtually identical. The Silverado has a recall the Sierra doesn’t, but its J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score edges out the Sierra’s.


In terms of the oily bits, there is no difference between the two trucks, with the same high-output TurboMax 2.7L four-pot being both’s base engine choice, with the same outputs and drivetrain choices.

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2 Ford Maverick

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: 85
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 7
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 27
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.0L turbo I4

Horsepower

250 hp

Torque

277 lb-ft

Drivetrains

8-speed automatic, AWD

Interestingly, subcompact trucks are the most reliable trucks in the US, with the Ford Maverick coming in second place with an excellent J.D. Power result. Only its number of recalls and complaints for the 2024 model year kept it from a better score.


One of the two powertrain options you can have in your Maverick is a turbocharged 2.0L four-pot, which is why the truck is on this list. The other is a naturally aspirated 2.5L hybrid. The 2025 model updates are quite significant, and an all-new go-faster model is on the way.

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1 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Reliability results:

  • 2025 J.D. Power Quality & Reliability score: 87
  • 2024 NHTSA recalls: 1
  • 2025 NHTSA recalls: 0
  • 2024 NHTSA complaints: 15
  • 2025 NHTSA complaints: 0

Turbo I4 Engine Options

2.5L turbo I4

Horsepower

281 hp

Torque

311 lb-ft

Drivetrains

8-speed dual-clutch automatic, AWD


Putting clear air between it and any other truck on this list, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is the most reliable by a comfortable margin, beating the Maverick comprehensively by two percentage points for the Quality & Reliability score and by registering six fewer recalls and 12 fewer complaints in 2024.

The Santa Cruz’s turbocharged 2.5L engine offers plenty of punch too. It’s linked to an unexpectedly sporty drivetrain, with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission doing the shifting. It’s even capable of towing 5,000 pounds, making it a stylish subcompact that can also do some work.



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