Honda Ridgeline vs Nissan Titan: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Titan is ahead of the Honda Ridgeline on the federal record, 74/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Honda Ridgeline
- 8 model years scored
- 1,211 owner complaints on record
- about 37 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2025 (48/100)
Nissan Titan
- 12 model years scored
- 408 owner complaints on record
- about 4 complaints per year on the road
- 34 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (91/100) · worst 2017 (43/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ridgeline against Titan
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
Honda Ridgeline
- Electrical System — 265 complaints
- Engine — 253 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 143 complaints
Nissan Titan
- Engine — 166 complaints
- Electrical System — 66 complaints
- Power Train — 61 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ridgeline's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Titan'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 Ridgeline — avoid: 2025.
Nissan Titan — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019.
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 Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Nissan Titan at about $50,100 — the Nissan Titan is roughly $1,600 less, and they return 21.0 against 17.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Nissan Titan more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Titan scores 74/100 against the Honda Ridgeline's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Titan years should I avoid?
Honda Ridgeline: 2025. Nissan Titan: 2017, 2018, 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Ridgeline and the Nissan Titan?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Ridgeline is Electrical System (265 complaints); on the Nissan Titan it is Engine (166).
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the Nissan Titan cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a Nissan Titan at about $50,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.