Ford Explorer vs Honda Pilot: which is more reliable?
The Ford Explorer and the Honda Pilot are level on the federal record — 59/100 against 61/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Ford Explorer
- 15 model years scored
- 14,935 owner complaints on record
- about 117 complaints per year on the road
- 150 recall campaigns, 32 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (82/100) · worst 2020 (28/100)
Honda Pilot
- 15 model years scored
- 6,376 owner complaints on record
- about 76 complaints per year on the road
- 97 recall campaigns, 63 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (84/100) · worst 2019 (27/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Explorer against Pilot
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.
| Year | Explorer | Pilot | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 CAUTION | 34 AVOID | +33 |
| 2024 | 79 BUY | 68 CAUTION | +11 |
| 2023 | 76 BUY | 73 BUY | +3 |
| 2022 | 72 BUY | 79 BUY | -7 |
| 2021 | 70 BUY | 48 AVOID | +22 |
| 2020 | 28 AVOID | 51 CAUTION | -23 |
| 2019 | 82 BUY | 27 AVOID | +55 |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | 71 BUY | +0 |
| 2017 | 39 AVOID | 51 CAUTION | -12 |
| 2016 | 32 AVOID | 46 AVOID | -14 |
| 2015 | 50 CAUTION | 81 BUY | -31 |
| 2014 | 60 CAUTION | 84 BUY | -24 |
| 2013 | 38 AVOID | 75 BUY | -37 |
| 2012 | 78 BUY | 75 BUY | +3 |
| 2011 | 73 BUY | 73 BUY | +0 |
What owners actually complain about
Ford Explorer
- Steering — 3,398 complaints
- Structure — 3,052 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 2,679 complaints
Honda Pilot
- Engine — 2,060 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,690 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 996 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Explorer's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Pilot's in Engine. 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 Explorer — avoid: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020.
Honda Pilot — avoid: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025.
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 Explorer prices at about $40,800 and a Honda Pilot at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 20.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Explorer or the Honda Pilot more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Pilot scores 61/100 against the Ford Explorer's 59/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot years should I avoid?
Ford Explorer: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020. Honda Pilot: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Explorer and the Honda Pilot?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Explorer is Steering (3,398 complaints); on the Honda Pilot it is Engine (2,060).
Is the Ford Explorer or the Honda Pilot cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Explorer prices at about $40,800 and a Honda Pilot at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.