Honda Odyssey vs Chrysler Pacifica: which is more reliable?
The Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler Pacifica are level on the federal record — 59/100 against 59/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Honda Odyssey
- 15 model years scored
- 4,770 owner complaints on record
- about 73 complaints per year on the road
- 98 recall campaigns, 45 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (91/100) · worst 2019 (22/100)
Chrysler Pacifica
- 9 model years scored
- 3,690 owner complaints on record
- about 64 complaints per year on the road
- 84 recall campaigns, 44 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (80/100) · worst 2017 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Odyssey against Pacifica
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 | Odyssey | Pacifica | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 AVOID | 72 BUY | -30 |
| 2024 | 59 CAUTION | 72 BUY | -13 |
| 2023 | 69 CAUTION | 59 CAUTION | +10 |
| 2022 | 62 CAUTION | 62 CAUTION | +0 |
| 2021 | 66 CAUTION | 58 CAUTION | +8 |
| 2020 | 24 AVOID | 80 BUY | -56 |
| 2019 | 22 AVOID | 70 BUY | -48 |
| 2018 | 22 AVOID | 28 AVOID | -6 |
| 2017 | 91 BUY | 26 AVOID | +65 |
| 2016 | 75 BUY | — | — |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | — | — |
| 2014 | 77 BUY | — | — |
| 2013 | 82 BUY | — | — |
| 2012 | 85 BUY | — | — |
| 2011 | 85 BUY | — | — |
What owners actually complain about
Honda Odyssey
- Electrical System — 1,219 complaints
- Engine — 1,024 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 690 complaints
Chrysler Pacifica
- Engine — 1,306 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,111 complaints
- Power Train — 991 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Odyssey's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Pacifica'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
Honda Odyssey — avoid: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025.
Chrysler Pacifica — avoid: 2017, 2018.
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 Honda Odyssey prices at about $35,200 and a Chrysler Pacifica at about $35,200 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 22.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Odyssey or the Chrysler Pacifica more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Odyssey scores 59/100 against the Chrysler Pacifica'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 Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica years should I avoid?
Honda Odyssey: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025. Chrysler Pacifica: 2017, 2018. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Odyssey and the Chrysler Pacifica?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Odyssey is Electrical System (1,219 complaints); on the Chrysler Pacifica it is Engine (1,306).
Is the Honda Odyssey or the Chrysler Pacifica cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Odyssey prices at about $35,200 and a Chrysler Pacifica at about $35,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.