The record sorts these eight more sharply than the showroom does. The Toyota Highlander scores 78 to 86 in every year from 2011 to 2016 and then falls to 46, 40 and 37 for 2018 to 2020. The Subaru Ascent opens with two AVOID years and has scored 79 to 87 every year since. The Ford Explorer has 14,935 complaints on file, more than twice the Honda Pilot's 6,376, and four AVOID years; the Pilot has four of its own, including a 2016 car with 1,691 complaints and no recall. The Chevrolet Traverse, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade and Volkswagen Atlas sit between.
The ranking
- Toyota Highlander, first: six BUY years from 2011 to 2016 on 109 to 210 complaints each. Buy 2014 to 2016; avoid 2018 to 2020.
- Subaru Ascent, second: 79 to 87 from 2021 to 2025, never more than 100 complaints a year. Avoid 2019 and 2020.
- Chevrolet Traverse, third: 85 to 88 from 2021 to 2023. Avoid the 2025.
- Kia Telluride, fourth: BUY in every scored year but 2020, a CAUTION on 748 complaints. Buy 2021 or 2023.
- Hyundai Palisade, fifth: BUY in 2020 and 2021, CAUTION in 2024 and 2025 with brakes the top complaint.
- Honda Pilot, sixth: 73 to 84 from 2011 to 2015, then 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2025 are AVOID. Buy 2014, 2015 or 2022.
- Volkswagen Atlas, seventh: 2022 and 2023 score 73; 2021 is an AVOID at 42.
- Ford Explorer, eighth: four AVOID years, though 2019 scores 82 and 2021 to 2024 are BUY.
The Highlander: steady, then a powertrain pattern
From 2011 to 2016 the Highlander never exceeds 210 complaints or 17.3 per year on road. Steering is the top component on the 2011 to 2013 cars (34, 47 and 46), and the one steering campaign, 15V144000, covers the 2015 car. The 2016 car, 109 complaints and a score of 86, is the best year. Then Power Train takes the top slot for four years: 71 on the 2017 car, 62 on the 2018, 188 on the 2019, 120 on the 2020, with the 2019 car's 472 complaints and 67.4 per year on road the worst. No transmission recall accompanies it; the campaigns on these years are the fuel pump, 20V682000 and 20V012000, and on the 2020 car 20V162000 for an engine control unit that may not supply fuel correctly. The 2021 to 2024 cars are DATA PENDING; the 2025 scores 82 on low evidence.
Toyota Highlander: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | BUY | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 37 | AVOID | 306 | 4 |
| 2019 | 40 | AVOID | 482 | 3 |
| 2018 | 45 | AVOID | 266 | 5 |
| 2017 | 56 | CAUTION | 265 | 4 |
| 2016 | 86 | BUY | 109 | 3 |
| 2015 | 78 | BUY | 190 | 2 |
| 2014 | 79 | BUY | 135 | 5 |
| 2013 | 80 | BUY | 210 | 3 |
| 2012 | 85 | BUY | 191 | 2 |
| 2011 | 84 | BUY | 186 | 5 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Toyota Highlander model page.
The Pilot: 2016 and 2019
The 2014 and 2015 Pilots score 84 and 81 on 116 and 108 complaints. The 2016 Pilot, the first of a new design, has 1,691 complaints, 169.1 per year on road, Engine at 763 and Electrical System at 579, and not a single recall campaign: the largest unexplained year in this comparison. The 2017 car has 914 complaints and a CAUTION at 51; the 2018 recovers to 437 and a BUY at 71. The 2019 Pilot is the second trough: 887 complaints, twelve recalls, Electrical System at 257, Engine at 226, and a score of 27. Here the campaigns do speak: 23V751000 (13/11/2023) for a connecting rod bearing that may wear on the 2018 and 2019 cars, 19V298000 for timing belt teeth. The 2022 and 2023 cars score 79 and 73 on 147 and 135 complaints. The 2025 has 192 complaints in one year and is an AVOID at 34; the 2023 to 2025 cars share 23V735000, a steering gear box campaign.
Honda Pilot: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | AVOID | 192 | 4 |
| 2024 | 68 | CAUTION | 109 | 6 |
| 2023 | 73 | BUY | 135 | 5 |
| 2022 | 79 | BUY | 147 | 5 |
| 2021 | 48 | AVOID | 424 | 10 |
| 2020 | 51 | CAUTION | 482 | 11 |
| 2019 | 27 | AVOID | 887 | 12 |
| 2018 | 71 | BUY | 437 | 7 |
| 2017 | 51 | CAUTION | 914 | 4 |
| 2016 | 46 | AVOID | 1,691 | 0 |
| 2015 | 81 | BUY | 108 | 4 |
| 2014 | 84 | BUY | 116 | 3 |
| 2013 | 75 | BUY | 271 | 6 |
| 2012 | 75 | BUY | 171 | 9 |
| 2011 | 73 | BUY | 292 | 11 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Honda Pilot model page.
The Explorer: the biggest record here
The Explorer's 2011 car has 1,195 complaints, 741 of them Steering, and 14V286000 (29/05/2014) explains them: an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear of the 2011 to 2013 cars. Steering is 834 on the 2013 car, 2,231 complaints and a score of 38. From 2015 to 2019 Structure takes over, at 407, 582, 653, 287 and 147, with no structure campaign to match, so I record it as a reported pattern, not a cause. The 2016 car is the low point of the whole comparison, 2,443 complaints and 244.3 per year on road. The rear suspension toe links have been recalled repeatedly, 19V435000 (10/06/2019) on the 2011 to 2017 cars and 26V101000 on the 2017 to 2019. The 2018 and 2019 cars score 71 and 82 on 724 and 292 complaints. The redesigned 2020 Explorer has 1,198 complaints, twelve recalls and a score of 28, with Power Train at 473; its campaigns include 20V693000 for a driveshaft that may fracture. The 2021 to 2024 cars score 70, 72, 76 and 79; the 2025 is a CAUTION at 67.
Ford Explorer: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 | CAUTION | 95 | 12 |
| 2024 | 79 | BUY | 19 | 10 |
| 2023 | 76 | BUY | 106 | 12 |
| 2022 | 72 | BUY | 258 | 12 |
| 2021 | 70 | BUY | 413 | 12 |
| 2020 | 28 | AVOID | 1,198 | 12 |
| 2019 | 82 | BUY | 292 | 6 |
| 2018 | 71 | BUY | 724 | 7 |
| 2017 | 39 | AVOID | 1,689 | 12 |
| 2016 | 32 | AVOID | 2,443 | 12 |
| 2015 | 50 | CAUTION | 1,774 | 9 |
| 2014 | 60 | CAUTION | 1,674 | 7 |
| 2013 | 38 | AVOID | 2,231 | 12 |
| 2012 | 78 | BUY | 824 | 7 |
| 2011 | 73 | BUY | 1,195 | 8 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Ford Explorer model page.
Traverse, Telluride and Palisade
The Traverse's 2014 to 2017 cars are dominated by Air Bags, 258, 162, 163 and 263, matched by the driver air bag inflator campaigns 21V782000 and 23V334000. The 2018 and 2019 cars have Power Train at 192 and 165 and CAUTION verdicts; 20V668000 (29/10/2020) recalls the 2018 to 2020 automatic transmissions. The 2021 to 2023 cars score 85, 88 and 86 on 88, 95 and 85 complaints; the 2024 and 2025 cars have Service Brakes at 61 and 111, no recalls, and verdicts of CAUTION and AVOID.
The Telluride's 2020 car has 748 complaints, 124.7 per year on road, and Exterior Lighting at 183 is its top component, matched by 24V148000 for high beam headlights that may fail. 24V407000 covers the 2020 to 2024 cars for a power seat motor that may overheat and cause a fire, 24V214000 the same years for a driveshaft that may let the car roll away in Park. The 2021 car scores 82 on 354 complaints; 2023 to 2025 score 76 to 79.
On the Palisade, wiper motor campaigns 22V627000 and 23V180000 sit behind Visibility/Wiper at 114 on the 2020 car, and 25V607000 (12/09/2025), for seat belt buckles that may fail to latch on every Palisade from 2020 to 2025, sits behind Seat Belts at 108 on the 2021 car. The 2024 car has Service Brakes at 220 of 382 complaints and a CAUTION at 61, the 2025 has 96 of 240 and scores 58; there is no brake recall on either.
Ascent and Atlas
The Ascent's 2019 car has 439 complaints and nine recalls, the 2020 has 319 and five, and both are AVOID. Electrical System leads both years at 161 and 101, and 22V907000 (08/12/2022) covers the 2019 to 2022 cars for a heater ground bolt that may melt; Power Train is second at 87 and 57. From 2021 the record is quiet: 100, 55, 43, 50 and 14 complaints, scores of 81 to 87.
The Atlas has twelve recalls on the 2018 car, eleven on the 2019 and twelve on the 2021; Air Bags is 100 and 139 on the 2018 and 2019 cars, and the air bag campaigns include 22V152000, for door wiring contacts that may corrode on the 2019 to 2023 cars. The 2021 Atlas, 461 complaints and a score of 42, carries two steering knuckle campaigns, 20V712000 and 21V026000. The 2020 car scores 87 on 27 complaints and low evidence; 2022 and 2023 score 73.
What to check before you buy
- Run every VIN through the NHTSA lookup. The campaigns to confirm are 23V751000 on a 2018 or 2019 Pilot, the toe link campaigns on the Explorer, 20V668000 on a 2018 to 2020 Traverse, 24V407000 and 24V214000 on a Telluride, 25V607000 on any Palisade, 22V907000 on a 2019 to 2022 Ascent, and 22V152000 on a 2019 to 2023 Atlas.
- On a 2017 to 2020 Highlander, drive it for transmission behaviour; no recall explains the Power Train counts. On a 2016 Pilot there is no campaign to check, so the engine and electrical service history is the only evidence.
- On a 2024 or 2025 Traverse or Palisade, test the brakes hard; Service Brakes leads both with no recall behind it.
Summary
Buy a 2014 to 2016 Highlander, a 2021 or later Ascent, a 2021 to 2023 Traverse, a 2021 or 2023 Telluride, a 2020 or 2021 Palisade, a 2014, 2015 or 2022 Pilot, a 2022 or 2023 Atlas, or a 2019 or 2021 to 2024 Explorer. Avoid the 2018 to 2020 Highlander, the 2019 and 2020 Ascent, the 2025 Traverse, the 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2025 Pilot, the 2021 Atlas, and the 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2020 Explorer. The rest are CAUTION verdicts or have no data yet.