Dodge Journey vs Toyota Highlander: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Journey is ahead of the Toyota Highlander on the federal record, 74/100 against 65/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Dodge Journey
- 10 model years scored
- 2,843 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 41 recall campaigns, 20 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (92/100) · worst 2015 (49/100)
Toyota Highlander
- 11 model years scored
- 2,349 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (86/100) · worst 2020 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Journey against Highlander
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Dodge Journey
- Electrical System — 711 complaints
- Engine — 633 complaints
- Service Brakes — 511 complaints
Toyota Highlander
- Power Train — 461 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 363 complaints
- Electrical System — 306 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Journey's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Highlander's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Journey — avoid: 2015.
Toyota Highlander — avoid: 2018, 2019, 2020.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Dodge Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Toyota Highlander at about $40,800 — the Dodge Journey is roughly $14,200 less, and they return 21.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Journey or the Toyota Highlander more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Journey scores 74/100 against the Toyota Highlander's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Journey and Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
Dodge Journey: 2015. Toyota Highlander: 2018, 2019, 2020. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Journey and the Toyota Highlander?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Journey is Electrical System (711 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander it is Power Train (461).
Is the Dodge Journey or the Toyota Highlander cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Toyota Highlander at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.