Is the Toyota Grand Highlander more reliable than the Honda Pilot?

Yes, by a large gap. Both sit in a good standing, but the Pilot has far more serious reports: engine bearing failure, fuel pump stalls, and transmission shudder. The Grand Highlander has fewer severe patterns, though its record covers only three model years, so it has had less time to show problems.

Which has more recalls, the Grand Highlander or the Pilot?

The Pilot has more. Federal recall records show 51 recalls across nine Pilot model years, against 10 across the Grand Highlander's three. The Pilot has been on the road much longer, so some of that gap is simply age. Still, the Pilot's recalls include the fuel pump.

Which costs less to repair, the Grand Highlander or the Pilot?

No fair comparison is possible, because repair-cost data is missing for the Grand Highlander. For the Pilot, independent data shows an estimated $542 a year, 0.5 unscheduled shop visits a year, and a 13% chance a repair is major.

What is the biggest problem with the Honda Pilot?

Electrical faults are the most reported, with 632 complaints. The infotainment screen goes blank, taking the backup camera and radio with it, and stop/start can leave the engine off at a light. The most serious pattern is sudden engine failure, which dealers sometimes trace to connecting rod bearings.

What are the common complaints about the Grand Highlander?

Power train hesitation leads, with stuttering, lurching, and a delay when pulling away. Airbag complaints come next, mostly about waiting for parts for recall 24V461000. Owners also report a fuel gauge that reads empty with several gallons left, and hood flutter at highway speed.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Reliability Compared

Honda Pilot

Good

More Reliable

Toyota Grand Highlander

Good

Reliability favors the Toyota Grand Highlander over the Honda Pilot by a large gap. The Pilot's record includes sudden engine failure and transmission shudder, while the Grand Highlander's complaints are milder but cover far less time on the road.

How Do the Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander Generations Compare?

Only one generation exists so far for the Grand Highlander, and the data covers model years 2024 through 2026. Every used example belongs to the same design, so there is no older version to fall back on and little long-term history. The Pilot is further along. Its fourth generation began with the 2023 model year and ran through 2025, and a facelift arrived for 2026. The third generation ran from 2016 to 2022, with a refresh in 2019, and it holds the two weakest years, 2019 and 2020. Budget shoppers will often see third generation cars, so a fourth generation Pilot is the safer target.

Verdict

The Toyota Grand Highlander is more reliable than the Honda Pilot, scoring 79/100 vs 68/100.

The more reliable pick is the Toyota Grand Highlander, and the gap is large. The Pilot's record includes sudden engine failure, blank infotainment screens, and transmission shudder, with 51 recalls across nine model years. The Grand Highlander's worst reports are hesitation, a slow airbag recall fix, and a misleading fuel gauge. Its history is short, covering only three model years, so more problems may still surface. Even so, the Pilot's failures are the more serious and more frequent.

Key Differences

1Toyota Grand Highlander has 41 fewer total recalls
2Toyota Grand Highlander scores 11 points higher in reliability
3Toyota Grand Highlander has 0.9 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

0Honda Pilot

—

3Toyota Grand Highlander

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateSafety Rating

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Which Is More Reliable?

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Honda Pilot	Toyota Grand Highlander
Reliability Score	68/100	79/100
Years Tracked	9	3
Total Recalls	51	10
Complaints per 10k Sold	9.1	8.2
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	1	2

What Are the Common Problems With the Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander?

Failures that end a drive set these two apart. Pilot owners report connecting rod bearing failure that needs a new engine, fuel pump stalls in traffic, and transmission shudder after 50,000 to 60,000 miles. Blank screens and stop/start engines that will not restart make electrical the largest group. Grand Highlander reports center on power hesitation, an airbag recall with parts delays, and a fuel gauge that reads empty with gallons left. Crash-linked reports appear in four Pilot areas: electrical, engine, power train, and forward collision. The Grand Highlander has one, in air bags.

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander common problem areas comparison
Component	Honda Pilot	Toyota Grand Highlander
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.4Low	0.6Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.1Low	1.7Low
POWER TRAIN	0.9Very Low	1.4Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	1.1Low
ENGINE	1Very Low	—None
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.4Very Low	0.6Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.6Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.6Very Low	—None
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.5Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.4Very Low
STEERING	0.2Very Low	0.2Very Low
SUSPENSION	—None	0.4Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
BACK OVER PREVENTION	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
VISIBILITY	—None	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
SEATS	—None	—None

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

How Does Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander Reliability Compare by Year?

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Honda Pilot	Toyota Grand Highlander	Edge
2026	81/1000R / 0C	88/1000R / 0C	Toyota Grand Highlander
2025	71/1004R / 111C	80/1003R / 33C	Toyota Grand Highlander
2024	72/1006R / 82C	69/1007R / 171C	Honda Pilot

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Honda Pilot scored 72/100 and the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander scored 69/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Honda Pilot vs the Toyota Grand Highlander?

Pick the Grand Highlander if you want the lower risk of a large repair. Its complaint areas are mostly annoyances or waiting on parts. Check that airbag recall 24V461000 was actually completed, because one owner was told it was done when it was not. Test drive for hesitation pulling away from a stop, and fill the tank to see how the gauge behaves. Among its years, 2026 and 2025 rank strongest, but 2025 also appears among the weakest, and 2026 has had little time to collect complaints, so do not treat it as proven. Pick the Pilot if you need a wider choice of model years and prices. Target 2023, a strong year, and treat 2026 as promising but still young. Avoid 2019 and 2020, the weakest years. On any Pilot, ask for proof that fuel pump recall 23V858000 was done, test the infotainment screen and stop/start restart, and feel for transmission shudder. Budget for a possible front camera replacement, which dealers quote at roughly $1,700 to $2,000.

Honda Pilot vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Common Questions

Is the Toyota Grand Highlander more reliable than the Honda Pilot?: Yes, by a large gap. Both sit in a good standing, but the Pilot has far more serious reports: engine bearing failure, fuel pump stalls, and transmission shudder. The Grand Highlander has fewer severe patterns, though its record covers only three model years, so it has had less time to show problems.
Which has more recalls, the Grand Highlander or the Pilot?: The Pilot has more. Federal recall records show 51 recalls across nine Pilot model years, against 10 across the Grand Highlander's three. The Pilot has been on the road much longer, so some of that gap is simply age. Still, the Pilot's recalls include the fuel pump.
Which costs less to repair, the Grand Highlander or the Pilot?: No fair comparison is possible, because repair-cost data is missing for the Grand Highlander. For the Pilot, independent data shows an estimated $542 a year, 0.5 unscheduled shop visits a year, and a 13% chance a repair is major.
What is the biggest problem with the Honda Pilot?: Electrical faults are the most reported, with 632 complaints. The infotainment screen goes blank, taking the backup camera and radio with it, and stop/start can leave the engine off at a light. The most serious pattern is sudden engine failure, which dealers sometimes trace to connecting rod bearings.
What are the common complaints about the Grand Highlander?: Power train hesitation leads, with stuttering, lurching, and a delay when pulling away. Airbag complaints come next, mostly about waiting for parts for recall 24V461000. Owners also report a fuel gauge that reads empty with several gallons left, and hood flutter at highway speed.

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How we score the Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand 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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