Honda Pilot vs Hyundai Santa Fe: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Santa Fe is ahead of the Honda Pilot on the federal record, 67/100 against 61/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
Hyundai Santa Fe
- 11 model years scored
- 3,748 owner complaints on record
- about 62 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (90/100) · worst 2025 (35/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Pilot against Santa Fe
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 | Pilot | Santa Fe | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 AVOID | 35 AVOID | -1 |
| 2024 | 68 CAUTION | 56 CAUTION | +12 |
| 2023 | 73 BUY | 70 BUY | +3 |
| 2022 | 79 BUY | 74 BUY | +5 |
| 2021 | 48 AVOID | — | — |
| 2020 | 51 CAUTION | — | — |
| 2019 | 27 AVOID | — | — |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | — | — |
| 2017 | 51 CAUTION | 36 AVOID | +15 |
| 2016 | 46 AVOID | 84 BUY | -38 |
| 2015 | 81 BUY | 87 BUY | -6 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 81 BUY | +3 |
| 2013 | 75 BUY | 78 BUY | -3 |
| 2012 | 75 BUY | 90 BUY | -15 |
| 2011 | 73 BUY | 86 BUY | -13 |
What owners actually complain about
Honda Pilot
- Engine — 2,060 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,690 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 996 complaints
Hyundai Santa Fe
- Engine — 1,901 complaints
- Power Train — 493 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 407 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Honda Pilot — avoid: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025.
Hyundai Santa Fe — avoid: 2017, 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 Honda Pilot prices at about $40,800 and a Hyundai Santa Fe at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Pilot or the Hyundai Santa Fe more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Santa Fe scores 67/100 against the Honda Pilot's 61/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Pilot and Hyundai Santa Fe years should I avoid?
Honda Pilot: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025. Hyundai Santa Fe: 2017, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Pilot and the Hyundai Santa Fe?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Pilot is Engine (2,060 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Fe it is Engine (1,901).
Is the Honda Pilot or the Hyundai Santa Fe cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Pilot prices at about $40,800 and a Hyundai Santa Fe at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.