Jeep Wrangler vs Honda Pilot: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Wrangler and the Honda Pilot are level on the federal record — 58/100 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
Jeep Wrangler
- 10 model years scored
- 7,008 owner complaints on record
- about 82 complaints per year on the road
- 78 recall campaigns, 51 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (78/100) · worst 2018 (26/100)
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: Wrangler 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 | Wrangler | Pilot | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | 34 AVOID | — |
| 2024 | — | 68 CAUTION | — |
| 2023 | — | 73 BUY | — |
| 2022 | — | 79 BUY | — |
| 2021 | — | 48 AVOID | — |
| 2020 | 38 AVOID | 51 CAUTION | -13 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 27 AVOID | +14 |
| 2018 | 26 AVOID | 71 BUY | -45 |
| 2017 | 75 BUY | 51 CAUTION | +24 |
| 2016 | 71 BUY | 46 AVOID | +25 |
| 2015 | 78 BUY | 81 BUY | -3 |
| 2014 | 71 BUY | 84 BUY | -13 |
| 2013 | 65 CAUTION | 75 BUY | -10 |
| 2012 | 60 CAUTION | 75 BUY | -15 |
| 2011 | 70 BUY | 73 BUY | -3 |
What owners actually complain about
Jeep Wrangler
- Steering — 2,225 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,181 complaints
- Power Train — 1,111 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 Wrangler'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
Jeep Wrangler — avoid: 2018, 2019, 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 Jeep Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Honda Pilot at about $40,800 — the Jeep Wrangler is roughly $12,000 less, 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 Jeep Wrangler or the Honda Pilot more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Pilot scores 61/100 against the Jeep Wrangler's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Wrangler and Honda Pilot years should I avoid?
Jeep Wrangler: 2018, 2019, 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 Jeep Wrangler and the Honda Pilot?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Wrangler is Steering (2,225 complaints); on the Honda Pilot it is Engine (2,060).
Is the Jeep Wrangler or the Honda Pilot cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Honda Pilot at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.