HONDA ODYSSEY vs TOYOTA 4RUNNER

The HONDA ODYSSEY (1990–2026, 34 model years) carries 15,581 NHTSA consumer complaints and 171 safety recalls, while the TOYOTA 4RUNNER (1984–2026, 43 model years) carries 6,404 complaints and 121 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 622 vs 391 crashes, 186 vs 63 fires, and 22 vs 13 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the HONDA ODYSSEY, the leading complaint category is power train:automatic transmission (1484 filings), followed by power train and electrical system. For the TOYOTA 4RUNNER, it is structure:body (1376), ahead of suspension and unknown or other. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the HONDA ODYSSEY an average 5/5 crash-test rating versus 3.8/5 for the TOYOTA 4RUNNER, aggregated across all model years with published scores. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests — three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.