Is the Honda Pilot more reliable than the Dodge Durango?

No, the Durango has a slight edge. It draws fewer owner complaints per vehicle sold, has fewer federal recalls, and needs fewer unscheduled shop visits. The Pilot is cheaper to repair each year, and both share the same 13% chance that a repair is major.

Which has more recalls, the Pilot or the Durango?

The Pilot has more. Federal recall records list 51 across model years 2018 to 2026, against 27 for the Durango. One Pilot recall covers the fuel pump, and owners say dealers lacked parts. The Durango's brake hydraulic recalls have also left owners waiting.

Which costs less to repair, the Pilot or the Durango?

The Pilot costs less, at about $542 a year against $675 for the Durango. That is roughly $665 over five years. The Durango visits the shop less often, but a single failure such as a leaking tail light can run $1,500 to $2,000.

What is the most common Durango problem?

Electrical faults and tail light leaks lead the Durango's complaints. Water gets into the liftgate racetrack light and burns out the LEDs, sometimes by 17,000 to 28,000 miles. Single bulbs cannot be replaced, so the whole assembly is the fix. Electrical reports also include battery drain and no-starts.

What goes wrong most often on the Honda Pilot?

Electrical trouble tops the Pilot's complaints. The infotainment screen goes blank or shows "Network Communication Lost," and the backup camera and radio can go with it. Stop/start failing to restart the engine also comes up often, and some owners say recall wiring repairs did not stop the screen problem.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Dodge Durango

Good

Honda Pilot

Good

On reliability, the Dodge Durango holds a slight edge over the Honda Pilot, with fewer complaints and recalls. Pilot repairs cost less per year. Durango owners visit the shop far less often, though, and that frequency is what tips the comparison.

How Do the Dodge Durango and Honda Pilot Generations Compare?

Most used shoppers will land in older designs for both models. The Pilot's fourth generation began with the 2023 model year and received a facelift for 2026, but the third generation ran 2016 through 2022 and was refreshed for 2019. That refresh year sits among the weakest. The Durango is in one long third generation, which started in 2011 and ran through 2023, with facelifts for 2014 and 2021. Every Durango from 2018 to 2023 shares that basic design, though 2018 and 2021 were the weakest years. The newest model years for both have had little time to collect complaints.

Verdict

The Dodge Durango is more reliable than the Honda Pilot, scoring 72/100 vs 68/100.

A slight edge goes to the Durango. Owners filed 5.4 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 9.1 for the Pilot, and federal recall records show 27 recalls to the Pilot's 51. Durango owners also make fewer unscheduled shop trips. The Pilot wins on yearly repair cost, and the chance that a repair is major is the same for both. The gap is small. The Durango's leaking tail lights and long waits for brake recall parts keep it from pulling clear.

Key Differences

1Honda Pilot costs $133 less per year to repair
2Dodge Durango has 24 fewer total recalls
3Dodge Durango scores 4 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

4Dodge Durango

—

2Honda Pilot

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot: Which Is More Reliable?

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Dodge Durango	Honda Pilot
Reliability Score	72/100	68/100
Years Tracked	9	9
Total Recalls	27	51
Complaints per 10k Sold	5.4	9.1
Annual Repair Cost	$675/yr	$542/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.5/yr
Major Repair Risk	13%	13%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	8	1

What Are the Common Problems With the Dodge Durango and Honda Pilot?

Electronics and drivetrain trouble define the Pilot. Infotainment screens go blank with "Network Communication Lost," taking the backup camera with them. Stop/start fails to restart the engine, some engines fail with rod bearing damage, and transmissions shudder at 50,000 to 60,000 miles. The front camera can also shut off the safety systems or trigger false braking, and that area has crash-linked reports the Durango lacks. The Durango's problems are more physical. Water ruins the racetrack tail light, coolant lines and oil coolers leak, and brake recall parts are slow to arrive. Its brake complaints include crash-linked reports, which the Pilot's list does not.

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot common problem areas comparison
Component	Dodge Durango	Honda Pilot
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1.3Low	2.4Low
POWER TRAIN	0.5Very Low	0.9Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	1.3Low	—None
ENGINE	0.3Very Low	1Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.2Very Low	1.1Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	0.3Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	—None	0.6Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.6Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.4Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
BACK OVER PREVENTION	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
SEATS	0.1Very Low	—None
SUSPENSION	0.1Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.1Very Low
SEAT BELTS	—None	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.1Very Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	—None	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
VISIBILITY	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Dodge Durango or Honda Pilot?

Repair bills favor the Pilot, at an estimated $542 a year against $675 for the Durango. Over five years, that gap comes to about $665. The Durango offsets some of that by needing fewer unscheduled shop visits, 0.2 a year against 0.5 for the Pilot. The chance that a repair is major is 13% on both. Expect the Durango's bigger bills to come from items like a full tail light assembly, quoted at roughly $1,500 to $2,000.

How Does Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot Reliability Compare by Year?

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Dodge Durango	Honda Pilot	Edge
2026	82/1000R / 0C	81/1000R / 0C	Dodge Durango
2025	78/1000R / 5C	71/1004R / 111C	Dodge Durango
2024	78/1000R / 6C	72/1006R / 82C	Dodge Durango
2023	75/1002R / 27C	72/1005R / 93C	Dodge Durango
2022	71/1006R / 47C	72/1003R / 105C	Honda Pilot
2021	65/1007R / 159C	63/1008R / 358C	Dodge Durango
2020	72/1003R / 62C	60/1009R / 431C	Dodge Durango
2019	67/1004R / 128C	56/10011R / 794C	Dodge Durango
2018	64/1005R / 219C	63/1005R / 408C	Dodge Durango

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Dodge Durango scored 78/100 and the 2024 Honda Pilot scored 72/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Dodge Durango vs the Honda Pilot?

Pick the Durango if you want fewer trips to the shop and fewer recall notices. Its complaint rate is lower, and its unscheduled visits are well below the Pilot's. Before you buy, check that the tail light assembly is dry, ask whether brake recall work is finished, and look for coolant leaks. Be wary of 2018 and 2021, its weakest years. Pick the Pilot if you want the lower annual repair bill and can live with some electronics risk. Test the infotainment screen, the backup camera, and stop/start on a long drive, and feel for transmission shudder. Be wary of 2019 and 2020, its weakest years. Check that fuel pump recall 23V858000 is done on any Pilot you consider. The newest years in both lineups, 2026 especially, look good mostly because they have had less time to collect complaints. Do not treat them as proven.

Dodge Durango vs Honda Pilot: Common Questions

Is the Honda Pilot more reliable than the Dodge Durango?: No, the Durango has a slight edge. It draws fewer owner complaints per vehicle sold, has fewer federal recalls, and needs fewer unscheduled shop visits. The Pilot is cheaper to repair each year, and both share the same 13% chance that a repair is major.
Which has more recalls, the Pilot or the Durango?: The Pilot has more. Federal recall records list 51 across model years 2018 to 2026, against 27 for the Durango. One Pilot recall covers the fuel pump, and owners say dealers lacked parts. The Durango's brake hydraulic recalls have also left owners waiting.
Which costs less to repair, the Pilot or the Durango?: The Pilot costs less, at about $542 a year against $675 for the Durango. That is roughly $665 over five years. The Durango visits the shop less often, but a single failure such as a leaking tail light can run $1,500 to $2,000.
What is the most common Durango problem?: Electrical faults and tail light leaks lead the Durango's complaints. Water gets into the liftgate racetrack light and burns out the LEDs, sometimes by 17,000 to 28,000 miles. Single bulbs cannot be replaced, so the whole assembly is the fix. Electrical reports also include battery drain and no-starts.
What goes wrong most often on the Honda Pilot?: Electrical trouble tops the Pilot's complaints. The infotainment screen goes blank or shows "Network Communication Lost," and the backup camera and radio can go with it. Stop/start failing to restart the engine also comes up often, and some owners say recall wiring repairs did not stop the screen problem.

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How we score the Dodge Durango and Honda Pilot

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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