Ford Bronco vs Toyota Highlander Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is ahead of the Ford Bronco on the federal record, 74/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Ford Bronco
- 5 model years scored
- 886 owner complaints on record
- about 49 complaints per year on the road
- 60 recall campaigns, 15 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (76/100) · worst 2022 (51/100)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- 9 model years scored
- 540 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (94/100) · worst 2017 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Bronco against Highlander Hybrid
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
Ford Bronco
- Visibility/Wiper — 154 complaints
- Engine — 144 complaints
- Electrical System — 108 complaints
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Unknown Or Other — 112 complaints
- Electrical System — 109 complaints
- Service Brakes — 71 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Bronco's complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper, the Highlander Hybrid's in Unknown Or Other. 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
Ford Bronco: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2024, 2025.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid — avoid: 2017.
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 Ford Bronco prices at about $40,800 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700 — the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is roughly $9,100 less, and they return 20.0 against 36.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Bronco or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Highlander Hybrid scores 74/100 against the Ford Bronco's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Ford Bronco and Toyota Highlander Hybrid years should I avoid?
Ford Bronco: no year scores below 45. Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Bronco and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Bronco is Visibility/Wiper (154 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid it is Unknown Or Other (112).
Is the Ford Bronco or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Bronco prices at about $40,800 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.