Diagsheet

Midsize and three-row SUVs · model years 2014 to 2024

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Pilot looks better on 3 and the Highlander on 1, with 3 too close to call.

Toyota Highlander

Toyota Highlander

2,742 complaints · 29 recalls

Honda Pilot

Honda Pilot

5,515 complaints · 32 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 2024HighlanderPilot
Complaints that report a crash5.9%1.8%
Complaints that report a fire0.6%0.6%
Complaints that report an injury4.1%1.2%
Median miles when problems are reported41,00047,000
Recall campaigns per model year2.62.9
Do-not-drive recalls00
NHTSA investigations05

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 Highlander owners complain about most is transmission and drivetrain; for the Pilot it is engine. Complaints citing transmission and drivetrain make up 28% of all Highlander complaints, against 11% on the Pilot. The Pilot leans the other way on engine: 35% of its complaints, against 10% for the Highlander.

Toyota HighlanderHonda Pilot

Engine10%35%
Electrical11%29%
Transmission and drivetrain28%11%
Fuel and propulsion8.2%10.0%
Brakes11%4.0%
Structure9.3%2.8%
Collision avoidance2.4%8.0%
Airbags6.2%1.7%
Speed control3.3%3.1%
Fuel system1.7%3.6%

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 Highlander is brake wear (11% of its complaints). On the Pilot it is stalling (21% of its complaints), against 8.9% on the Highlander.

ProblemHighlanderPilot
Engine stalls or loses power while driving8.9% 245most in 2019 · 43k mi21% 1,175most in 2016 · 56k mi
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails4.3% 11925k mi13% 708most in 2019 · 25k mi
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early11% 311most in 2021 · 25k mi4.2% 231most in 2019 · 16k mi
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing0.2% 511% 602most in 2016 · 100k mi
Transmission fails or needs replacement11% 289most in 2021 · 74k mi0.5% 2960k mi
Check engine light or misfire3.5% 96most in 2019 · 34k mi7.1% 393most in 2016 · 90k mi
Battery dies or the car will not start1.8% 50most in 2017 · 44k mi7.5% 412most in 2016 · 45k mi
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard4.2% 116most in 2019 · 60k mi3.3% 184most in 2016 · 49k 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

Highlander owners report problems earlier. Half the Highlander complaints that give a mileage come before 41,000 miles; for the Pilot the halfway point is 47,000. 55% of Highlander reports and 52% 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.

Toyota HighlanderHonda Pilot

Under 25k35%26%
25k to 50k20%27%
50k to 75k22%20%
75k to 100k13%13%
100k to 150k8.0%11%
Over 150k1.5%3.5%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 1,194 for the Highlander and 2,038 for the Pilot.

Worst and best years

The 2021 Highlander draws 2.9 times the complaints of a typical Highlander year for its age. The 2016 Pilot draws 3.2 times the complaints of a typical Pilot year for its age.

Toyota Highlander

Every Highlander model year

Honda Pilot

Every Pilot model year

Toyota HighlanderHonda Pilot

Each model year against its own model's median. Highlander: 2014 0.3, 2015 0.5, 2016 0.3, 2017 0.9, 2018 1.0, 2019 2.0, 2020 1.5, 2021 2.9, 2022 1.7, 2023 1.5, 2024 0.5. 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 Highlander: 0.3 times its median2014 Pilot: 0.2 times its median'142015 Highlander: 0.5 times its median2015 Pilot: 0.2 times its median'152016 Highlander: 0.3 times its median2016 Pilot: 3.2 times its median'162017 Highlander: 0.9 times its median2017 Pilot: 1.9 times its median'172018 Highlander: 1.0 times its median2018 Pilot: 1.0 times its median'182019 Highlander: 2.0 times its median2019 Pilot: 2.3 times its median'192020 Highlander: 1.5 times its median2020 Pilot: 1.4 times its median'202021 Highlander: 2.9 times its median2021 Pilot: 1.5 times its median'212022 Highlander: 1.7 times its median2022 Pilot: 0.6 times its median'222023 Highlander: 1.5 times its median2023 Pilot: 0.7 times its median'232024 Highlander: 0.5 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: 2.6 campaigns per model year for the Highlander and 2.9 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.

Toyota Highlander

29 recall campaigns and 0 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: equipment (6), electrical (4) and fuel system (4).

  • 18E-107 (electrical) covers 5 model years
  • 23V-720 (structure) covers 4 model years

Honda Pilot

32 recall campaigns and 5 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: fuel system (6), airbags (5) and structure (4).

  • 23V-858 (fuel system) covers 7 model years
  • 26V-365 (structure) covers 7 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 Highlander complaints report a crash: 5.9%, against 1.8% for the Pilot. Fire reports: 17 for the Highlander and 31 for the Pilot. Complaints on file report 2 deaths in the Highlander and 0 in the Pilot for these model years.

Toyota HighlanderHonda Pilot

Report a crash5.9%1.8%
Report a fire0.6%0.6%
Report someone hurt4.1%1.2%

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 Toyota Highlander or the Honda Pilot more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Pilot looks better on 3 and the Highlander on 1, with 3 too close to call. NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Highlander has 2,742 complaints and the Pilot 5,515 for model years 2014 to 2024, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Highlander or the Pilot?

The Highlander has 29 recall campaigns and the Pilot 32 across model years 2014 to 2024. The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 2.6 campaigns per model year for the Highlander and 2.9 for the Pilot.

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

The most reported problem on the Highlander is brake wear (11% of its complaints). On the Pilot it is stalling (21% of its complaints), against 8.9% on the Highlander.

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