Is the Toyota Highlander more reliable than the Honda Passport?

No, they are effectively tied. Both stand at good, and both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Highlander costs slightly less to repair, but it has more recalls and more crash-linked complaints. The Passport has a higher complaint rate per vehicle sold. Your choice comes down to which problems you would rather risk.

Which has more recalls, the Highlander or the Passport?

The Highlander has more. Federal recall records show 66 recalls across 9 model years for the Highlander and 29 across 8 model years for the Passport. One Highlander recall, 23V720000, covers a front bumper cover that can detach at highway speed, and owners report waiting months for the repair part.

Which costs less to repair, the Highlander or the Passport?

The Highlander costs a little less. Independent repair-cost data puts it at $489 a year against $521 for the Passport. That is $32 a year, or roughly $160 over five years. Shop-visit frequency is the same at 0.3 a year, so the gap is unlikely to decide the purchase.

What is the most common Honda Passport problem?

Electrical trouble leads, with 123 complaints. The most common report is the engine failing to restart after Auto Idle Stop at a light, leaving the car stuck until a jump start. Dealers found the battery and electrical system passed tests. The same restart failure also shows up in the engine and power train complaints.

Are Highlander transmission problems expensive?

Yes. Owners describe a high-pitched whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails, mostly just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners wait months for a backordered unit. Power train is the Highlander's largest complaint area, with 485 complaints.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Honda Passport

Good

Toyota Highlander

Good

Reliability is effectively tied between the Toyota Highlander and Honda Passport. Annual repair cost is close, so the deciding fact is what goes wrong: the Highlander draws more complaints about transmission failure and air bags, while the Passport's complaints center on stalling and phantom braking.

How Do the Honda Passport and Toyota Highlander Generations Compare?

Most of the years you will see sit in a single generation for each model. The Highlander's fourth generation (XU70) covers 2020 through 2026, while its 2018 and 2019 years belong to the third generation, which had a refresh for 2017. A fifth generation (XU80) is listed for the 2027 model year. The Passport's third generation ran from 2019 through 2025, with updates for 2022, 2023 and 2024, and the fourth generation began with the 2026 model year. The 2025 and 2026 years of both models rank strongest, but they are the newest and have had the least time to collect complaints, so treat that as a partial picture.

Verdict

The Honda Passport is more reliable than the Toyota Highlander, scoring 74/100 vs 73/100.

Effectively tied. Both rate good, both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year, and the repair-cost gap is small. The Highlander has more recalls and a larger raw pile of complaints, but the Passport draws more complaints per vehicle sold, so volume does not settle it. What separates them is the kind of trouble. The Highlander's worst reports involve transmission replacement and air bags that did not deploy. The Passport's involve stalling after idle-stop and false braking. Neither model has a clear edge.

Key Differences

1Honda Passport has 37 fewer total recalls
2Toyota Highlander costs $32 less per year to repair
3Toyota Highlander has 5.8 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

2Honda Passport

—

2Toyota Highlander

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair Frequency

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander: Which Is More Reliable?

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Honda Passport	Toyota Highlander
Reliability Score	74/100	73/100
Years Tracked	8	9
Total Recalls	29	66
Complaints per 10k Sold	11.6	5.8
Annual Repair Cost	$521/yr	$489/yr
Repair Frequency	0.3/yr	0.3/yr
Year Wins	3 (2 tied)	3 (2 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Honda Passport and Toyota Highlander?

Crash-linked complaints separate these two most. Highlander owners describe a whine under acceleration that ends in transmission failure, a forward surge while slowing at low speed, and a front bumper cover that detaches on the highway. Its air bag area has 41 crash-linked complaints, mostly front impacts with no deployment, plus 9 in brakes. Passport owners describe the engine failing to restart after Auto Idle Stop, phantom braking with a flashing BRAKE warning, and a transmission that drops into neutral while driving. No Passport problem area has more than 2 crash-linked complaints.

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander common problem areas comparison
Component	Honda Passport	Toyota Highlander
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.6Low	0.4Very Low
POWER TRAIN	1.2Low	1.5Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.2Low	0.8Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	1Very Low	0.5Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	1.4Low	—None
ENGINE	0.7Very Low	0.2Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.2Very Low	0.5Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.5Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.5Very Low	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.2Very Low	0.3Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
LANE DEPARTURE	0.1Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY	0.1Very Low	—None
TIRES	0.1Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.1Very Low	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Honda Passport or Toyota Highlander?

A $32 yearly gap separates the two, with the Highlander at an estimated $489 to repair and the Passport at $521. Over five years that comes to about $160 in the Highlander's favor, which is small. Both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year, so neither takes your car out of service more often. The data gives a 13% chance that a Highlander repair is major. It gives no matching figure for the Passport, so that comparison cannot be made.

How Does Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander Reliability Compare by Year?

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Honda Passport	Toyota Highlander	Edge
2026	84/1000R / 0C	84/1000R / 0C	Tie
2025	82/1000R / 11C	76/1008R / 40C	Honda Passport
2024	79/1001R / 12C	67/10016R / 198C	Honda Passport
2023	75/1004R / 24C	73/10013R / 140C	Honda Passport
2022	74/1003R / 45C	74/1007R / 186C	Tie
2021	68/1005R / 119C	70/1006R / 403C	Toyota Highlander
2020	68/1008R / 84C	71/1008R / 269C	Toyota Highlander
2019	59/1008R / 253C	70/1003R / 414C	Toyota Highlander

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Honda Passport scored 79/100 and the 2022 Toyota Highlander scored 74/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Honda Passport vs the Toyota Highlander?

Pick the Highlander if you want the lower yearly repair bill and a known 13% chance that a repair is major. Check the transmission history closely, since failures cluster just past the 60,000-mile warranty and dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000. Confirm that the bumper cover recall work is done. Avoid the 2024 and 2021 model years, which are the weakest. Pick the Passport if the Highlander's crash-linked air bag and structure complaints bother you, or if you want fewer recalls. Its worst crash-linked areas have only 2 complaints each. On a test drive, stop at a few lights to confirm the engine restarts after idle-stop, and watch for false braking on curves. Skip the 2019 and 2020 model years, which are the weakest. A failed front camera can cost $1,800 to $2,500 to replace, so ask whether the driver-assist warnings have ever appeared.

Honda Passport vs Toyota Highlander: Common Questions

Is the Toyota Highlander more reliable than the Honda Passport?: No, they are effectively tied. Both stand at good, and both average 0.3 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Highlander costs slightly less to repair, but it has more recalls and more crash-linked complaints. The Passport has a higher complaint rate per vehicle sold. Your choice comes down to which problems you would rather risk.
Which has more recalls, the Highlander or the Passport?: The Highlander has more. Federal recall records show 66 recalls across 9 model years for the Highlander and 29 across 8 model years for the Passport. One Highlander recall, 23V720000, covers a front bumper cover that can detach at highway speed, and owners report waiting months for the repair part.
Which costs less to repair, the Highlander or the Passport?: The Highlander costs a little less. Independent repair-cost data puts it at $489 a year against $521 for the Passport. That is $32 a year, or roughly $160 over five years. Shop-visit frequency is the same at 0.3 a year, so the gap is unlikely to decide the purchase.
What is the most common Honda Passport problem?: Electrical trouble leads, with 123 complaints. The most common report is the engine failing to restart after Auto Idle Stop at a light, leaving the car stuck until a jump start. Dealers found the battery and electrical system passed tests. The same restart failure also shows up in the engine and power train complaints.
Are Highlander transmission problems expensive?: Yes. Owners describe a high-pitched whine under acceleration that grows until the transmission fails, mostly just past the 60,000-mile warranty. Dealers quote $8,500 to $10,000 for the replacement, and some owners wait months for a backordered unit. Power train is the Highlander's largest complaint area, with 485 complaints.

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Decided between Honda Passport and Toyota Highlander? Run a VIN check before you buy — uncover hidden accidents, title issues, and open recalls.

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How we score the Honda Passport and Toyota Highlander

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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