Diagsheet

Midsize and three-row SUVs · 7 model years, 2014 to 2026

Nissan Pathfinder vs Honda Pilot: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Pathfinder and the Pilot split evenly (2 each, the rest too close to call).

Nissan Pathfinder

Nissan Pathfinder

1,382 complaints · 19 recalls

Honda Pilot

Honda Pilot

3,160 complaints · 21 recalls

Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Sep 27, 2026

Counts are not adjusted for sales. The more cars of a model there are on the road, the more complaints it draws, so the raw totals above say a lot about sales. Everything below compares shares of each model's own complaints, the mileage problems start at, recalls per model year and each model's years against its own median.

Scorecard

Measure, 2014 to 2026PathfinderPilot
Complaints that report a crash3.7%1.7%
Complaints that report a fire0.4%0.5%
Complaints that report an injury2.3%0.9%
Median miles when problems are reported47,00050,000
Recall campaigns per model year2.73.0
Do-not-drive recalls00
NHTSA investigations35

The shaded side is lower (for miles, higher). Values within about a tenth of each other count as too close to call.

What owners complain about

The system Pathfinder owners complain about most is transmission and drivetrain; for the Pilot it is engine. Complaints citing transmission and drivetrain make up 24% of all Pathfinder complaints, against 12% on the Pilot. The Pilot leans the other way on engine: 42% of its complaints, against 20% for the Pathfinder.

Nissan PathfinderHonda Pilot

Engine20%42%
Electrical9.8%29%
Transmission and drivetrain24%12%
Fuel and propulsion4.1%10.0%
Airbags12%1.5%
Brakes9.6%3.4%
Structure5.1%3.5%
Speed control5.0%2.9%
Windshield and wipers6.2%1.2%
Collision avoidance1.7%3.5%

Share of each model's complaints that cite each system, from NHTSA's own component codes. One complaint can cite several systems, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

The most reported problems

The most reported problem on the Pathfinder is airbag problems (12% of its complaints). On the Pilot it is stalling (23% of its complaints), against 8.3% on the Pathfinder.

ProblemPathfinderPilot
Engine stalls or loses power while driving8.3% 115most in 2014 · 55k mi23% 737most in 2016 · 60k mi
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing1.5% 2162k mi16% 490most in 2016 · 100k mi
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early10% 141most in 2014 · 31k mi3.6% 113most in 2016 · 26k mi
Airbag warning light or recall12% 168most in 2014 · 18k mi1.0% 3359k mi
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard9.4% 130most in 2014 · 55k mi3.7% 118most in 2016 · 50k mi
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails2.5% 3543k mi7.7% 242most in 2016 · 38k mi
Check engine light or misfire1.3% 1864k mi8.7% 274most in 2016 · 94k mi
Battery dies or the car will not start1.8% 2552k mi7.9% 251most in 2016 · 50k mi

Share of each model's own complaints, with the count beside it. "Most in" links to the symptom sheet for the model year with the most reports of it, and the mileage is the median from reports that gave one.

When problems start

Problems show up at about the same mileage on both. Half the Pathfinder complaints that give a mileage come before 47,000 miles, and half the Pilot complaints before 50,000. 53% of Pathfinder reports and 48% of Pilot reports come before 50,000 miles. Older model years have had longer to reach high mileage, so a window that runs to recent years pulls both medians down.

Nissan PathfinderHonda Pilot

Under 25k24%19%
25k to 50k29%29%
50k to 75k25%22%
75k to 100k11%13%
100k to 150k8.1%13%
Over 150k2.5%3.9%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 816 for the Pathfinder and 1,377 for the Pilot.

Worst and best years

The 2014 Pathfinder draws 1.8 times the complaints of a typical Pathfinder year for its age. The 2016 Pilot draws 3.2 times the complaints of a typical Pilot year for its age.

Nissan Pathfinder

  • Years to avoid: 2014
  • Best years: 2018, 2019 and 2020

Every Pathfinder model year

Honda Pilot

Every Pilot model year

Nissan PathfinderHonda Pilot

Each model year against its own model's median. Pathfinder: 2014 1.8, 2015 1.2, 2016 0.4, 2017 0.8, 2018 0.4, 2019 0.4, 2020 0.3, 2022 1.2, 2023 1.2, 2024 1.2. Pilot: 2014 0.2, 2015 0.2, 2016 3.2, 2017 1.9, 2018 1.0, 2019 2.3, 2020 1.4, 2021 1.5, 2022 0.6, 2023 0.7, 2024 0.8.2014 Pathfinder: 1.8 times its median2014 Pilot: 0.2 times its median'142015 Pathfinder: 1.2 times its median2015 Pilot: 0.2 times its median'152016 Pathfinder: 0.4 times its median2016 Pilot: 3.2 times its median'162017 Pathfinder: 0.8 times its median2017 Pilot: 1.9 times its median'172018 Pathfinder: 0.4 times its median2018 Pilot: 1.0 times its median'182019 Pathfinder: 0.4 times its median2019 Pilot: 2.3 times its median'192020 Pathfinder: 0.3 times its median2020 Pilot: 1.4 times its median'202021 Pilot: 1.5 times its median'212022 Pathfinder: 1.2 times its median2022 Pilot: 0.6 times its median'222023 Pathfinder: 1.2 times its median2023 Pilot: 0.7 times its median'232024 Pathfinder: 1.2 times its median2024 Pilot: 0.8 times its median'241x

Each bar is that model year's complaints for each year on the road, divided by the same figure for a typical year of the same model (the dashed line). Measuring each model against itself takes the sales gap between the two out of the picture, so they can share a scale. Years too new to judge are left out.

Recalls and investigations

The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 2.7 campaigns per model year for the Pathfinder and 3.0 for the Pilot. A recall counts once however many cars it covers, so this figure does not grow with sales the way complaint totals do.

Nissan Pathfinder

19 recall campaigns and 3 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: seats (4), airbags (3) and service brakes, hydraulic (3).

  • 16V-244 (airbags) covers 3 model years
  • 22V-420 (latches/locks/linkages) covers 3 model years

Investigations

  • PE21022: Hood latch/bell crank assembly (closed, led to a recall)
  • EA15004: Occupant classification system failure (closed, led to a recall)
  • RQ15001: Occupant classification system failure (closed)

Honda Pilot

21 recall campaigns and 5 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: airbags (5), fuel system (5) and structure (2).

  • 23V-858 (fuel system) covers 3 model years
  • 26V-365 (structure) covers 3 model years

Investigations

  • PE25017: Inaccurate rear passenger seat belt warning status (open)
  • PE25008: Engine failure (open)
  • EA25004: No restart after auto start/stop engages (open)

Whether a particular car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Crashes, fires and injuries

A larger share of Pathfinder complaints report a crash: 3.7%, against 1.7% for the Pilot. Fire reports: 6 for the Pathfinder and 17 for the Pilot.

Nissan PathfinderHonda Pilot

Report a crash3.7%1.7%
Report a fire0.4%0.5%
Report someone hurt2.3%0.9%

Share of each model's complaints in which the owner reported it. These are owners' own accounts as filed with NHTSA, and one report on its own doesn't prove a defect.

Questions

Is the Nissan Pathfinder or the Honda Pilot more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Pathfinder and the Pilot split evenly (2 each, the rest too close to call). NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Pathfinder has 1,382 complaints and the Pilot 3,160 for the 7 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Pathfinder or the Pilot?

The Pathfinder has 19 recall campaigns and the Pilot 21 across the 7 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file. The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 2.7 campaigns per model year for the Pathfinder and 3.0 for the Pilot.

What are the most common problems on the Pathfinder and the Pilot?

The most reported problem on the Pathfinder is airbag problems (12% of its complaints). On the Pilot it is stalling (23% of its complaints), against 8.3% on the Pathfinder.

More comparisons

Every comparison