8.8

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
40,450 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (4 reports)
  2. cam shaft (1 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.

problem #5

Sep 022020

Pilot LX 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

This was the first problem - now the transmission at 86,000 miles. Where is the $9,000 I'm spending on these two repairs calculated into MT's cost to own???

- Dennis B., Rockledge, FL, US

problem #4

Jan 102021

Pilot Elite

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,700 miles

click to see larger images

engine dies while driving engine dies while driving engine dies while driving

The car stalls out at times when stopped. The gear switches to Neutral. When I change it to Park then I get a message that I need to start engine - but the engine is running. I am not able to stop it either by pressing the brakes or the Stop/Start button. I tried it multiple times and finally it stopped and then I was able to restart it and drive again. This happened to my daughter while she was on an on-ramp to a highway so this behavior us not only inconvenient but very dangerous.

We brought the car to the dealership but they said that since no error code shows up they cannot do anything. They changed the transmission fluids and the day after I picked up the car the same thing happened.

- Beata L., Oceanside, NY, US

problem #3

May 022020

Pilot Touring 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles

In the event you forget to hit the idle engine shut off button, the car sometimes won't turn back on when it auto shuts off.

- Kristine H., Norwalk, IA, US

problem #2

Jul 102019

Pilot Touring

  • Automatic transmission
  • 13,000 miles

Transmission occasionally feels jerky within the year of ownership. Struggles to shift between gears and jolts, esp downshift when approaching stop. It's not consistent yet when it does happen, if put car in park and back to drive it resets and doesn't happen for while. (of course dealer can't replicate and sees no error) The engine idle stop feature then not working properly. Radio cuts out, pops or jerks to start. Car lags to turn back on when ready to go, no pick up and have 2-3 cars blow past you when starting from a red light due to the occasional lag. Randomly, and extremely dangerous, episode of malfunction with idol stop for entire vehicle and all functions to seize up. As in sitting like a dead duck in the middle of a busy intersection with a car that won't go back into drive, park, turn on or off with an error reading across dashboard and red lights light up.... onscreen instructions state to depress brake and push start button yet car would not accept those steps with constant tries for 2-3 minutes. Car was in the middle of a busy underpass, driver luckily not rear-ended in the dead car.

Driver was thereafter able to follow on-screen instructions for restarting vehicle and taken to Honda for service. The best the Honda dealership service department appears to be able to do in diagnosing the problem is to suggest battery recharge or replacement, which has not been an observed issue in the car and is apparently a common suggestion from dealerships. Battery was replaced yet upon return from dealership the idol start no longer works at all.

This is an apparently bigger issue than Honda has been willing to admit. It's extremely dangerous to have a vehicle (only 12k miles) that will stall and not respond to restarting, while in middle of busy roads! Complaint filed NHTSA for this issue (11230891), highly suggest all others with same problem do the same.

- Stephanie L., Katy, TX, US

problem #1

Dec 252016

Pilot Elite 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 12,350 miles

We have had this problem three times without getting any help from Honda - I have taken it to the dealer and they say that there is nothing they can do to help us unless they can re-create the problem. Basically, the car dies - it loses all power and every warning light you can imagine starts to go off. If you give it gas, the car starts to shake like it has a major transmission problem. This has happened twice on the highway and once in busy traffic - luckily, we have been able to get to the side of the road.

The first time this happened, we called for a tow but we were able to "reboot" the car by starting and stopping it over and over again. Since then, we have used that trick to get the car working again but it is very scary and dangerous to have your car just stop working in the middle highway. I have seen a few similar complaints on this forum but it's unclear whether anyone has gotten help from Honda to get this issue fixed. It seems like a software problem of some kind but it's unclear what triggers it because it has happened in three different circumstances.

- Scott W., Chicago, IL, US