Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Acura MDX drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 332 per 100,000 against 418 for the Honda Pilot, or 21% fewer. For the newer 2019 to 2022 cars the two are about even. The best years to target are 2013 and 2015 for the MDX and 2015 and 2022 for the Pilot.
Honda Pilot
By age group
| Model years | MDX | Pilot | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 153 | 138 | About even |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 505 | 763 | MDX |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 421 | 409 | About even |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | MDX | Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 149 | 150 |
| 2013 | 57 | 216 |
| 2014 | 262 | 107 |
| 2015 | 122 | 80 |
| 2016 | 681 | 1,430 |
| 2017 | 490 | 739 |
| 2018 | 330 | 277 |
| 2019 | 384 | 687 |
| 2020 | 483 | 399 |
| 2021 | n/a | 317 |
| 2022 | 398 | 176 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | Too new | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the MDX or Pilot more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Acura MDX drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 332 per 100,000 against 418 for the Honda Pilot, or 21% fewer. For the newer 2019 to 2022 cars the two are about even. The best years to target are 2013 and 2015 for the MDX and 2015 and 2022 for the Pilot.
Which MDX and Pilot years should I avoid?
For the MDX: 2016, 2017. For the Pilot: 2016, 2017, 2019.