10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 5 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 31,624 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
My car will die after being stopped (ex. At a red light, stop sign) and will not restart right away. Sometimes it doesn't die completely. When it does you are unable to put the car into park or engage the emergency lights. This has happened where we were stopped at a red-light and the car died and would not restart. A car behind us was approaching the light and saw that it was green, quickly came up behind us honking their horn and lucky was able to move to the other lane to avoid hitting us. This seams to happen when we forget to turn off the auto idle stop. This is something you have to push everyone you start the car. I took the car to the dealer they put in a new transmission and changed the timing belt. Previously I had the cars fuel injectors replaced. After all this work the car is still dying and it is happening more frequently. The dealership says they have heard of this problem but don't know of a fix yet.
- Knoxville, TN, USA
When accelerating from a stop or low speeds there is a noticeable hesitation before the vehicle will begin to accelerate. It is almost as if the vehicle is hunting for the proper gear and engine RPM before beginning to move. On occasion it will also surge forward once the transmission engages. It is quite unsafe when pulling out into traffic especially across traffic.this has been an occurrence since the vehicle was new. We thought maybe it had to do with the "eco" mode but have determined it happens with or with out this mode on. We have brought this to the attention of the dealer we purchased from and they said they had no resolution from Honda.
- West Linn, OR, USA
My timing belt failed at under 80K mile and at less than 4 years old. I was driving and could have been seriously injured as my car died in the middle of the road. The belt then destroyed my entire engine.
- Towson, MD, USA
I was driving the car and suddenly ever single warning light went on, I heard a loud noise and the vehicle stopped running and would not start back up. I was told I had a timing belt failure and that my engine threw pistons and was destroyed. This vehicle had 78K and had every oil change required.
- Towson, MD, USA
Keyless start system problem error comes on and off since about 50,000 miles. I often have to try several times to start the vehicle even with a new battery. Transmission issues often as we are driving along there is a bumpiness whether accelerating or just driving along. This started at about 30,000 miles
- Round Rock, TX, USA
The transmission has subtle but concerning jerking between 10-30mph, especially while accelerating. This can be getting on the freeway, driving straight down the street or going up hills. I noticed it is worse when going up a sloped surface. Upon having a transmission specialist dismantle and analyze, I was informed the torque converter and other elements of the trans were failing and falling apart. At unusually low mileage, the transmission was heating up very high because of the issue, darkening the fluid and carrying elements of the failing converter etc into other parts of the transmission. This requires a full trans rebuild which costs range from 4-7K depending on where you take it. This is an issue that a basic mechanic may miss, but owners will notice for this year/model over the long term. Potential dangers reported are very concerning, so we chose to have the trans fully rebuilt for the safety of our family. Based off my research, hundreds of other complaints exist online for this year/model describing the same exact experience. Honda should be recalling their transmission for the 2016 Honda Pilot.
- Orange, CA, USA
I noticed the car started jerking between 30-50 mph. The RPM's would also pulse at the same time. I took it to the dealer and of course the warranty was out. They 'recommend a transmission fluid flush and the intake needed cleaning.' Supposedly the intake is digital and it affects the transmission. They found the transmission oil was burnt due to high transmission temp. All of this was done on March 10 2020. August 17 2020 I took it back to Honda with worse problems with the transmission. This time when I would put the car in reverse it would jerk into gear. My wife says while driving it jerks hard at random times. This time they recommend another transmission flush because 1/3 of the oil was still bad. Apparently after reading on this site, this is an issue with the 2016 Honda Pilot transmissions. Is it going to take a couple of deaths before Honda accepts responsibility that the transmission is faulty?
- Victoria, TX, USA
On August 9, 2020, I was driving, at 75, with the cruise control on, I needed extra speed to pass a vehicle on the right side, I pressed the gas pedal with the cruise control still engaged and the vehicle went into a power down mode with the dashboard flashing codes and then went blank. The engine downshifted and the engine speed increased to 7,000 RPM. The car completely shut down, at 75 mph, and restarted with the dashboard lighting up again. After panicking, tried to give the car gas and it would not go. Now at 65 mph, I pulled over to the right lane and coasted down to 40 mph and the car started having power again. We pulled over and shut off the car. I restarted the car and an "emissions system problem" was displayed on the dashboard. The car has 56,217 miles on it. I have a video of this problem. The dashboard warning system displayed the following codes, "emissions system problem"; "all wheel drive system problem"; "transmission system problem" and the "D" drive symbol was flashing on & off. An earlier incident, May 6, 2020, happened to my wife while driving the car in local traffic. Driving at 50 mph, the engine speed increased and the car would not move forward. She also tried to give more gas and the car would not move. She stopped on the side of the highway and shut off the car. She restarted the car and pulled off the highway. She called the Honda dealership and immediately took the car into the service center. They took the car and drove it around the building and said they checked the computer for codes, but none where present. At this time the car only had 55,000 to 56,000 miles. They told her next time this happens to take a video so they can see what happens to the car. Take a video while driving a car that is shutting down is their suggestion....
- Haubstadt, IN, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 20 to 30 mph, the engine revved up and the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the vehicle drove much smoother once the speed exceeded 40 mph. The contact stated that research showed that due to a coding error, the transmission overheated and caused the transmission fluid to not perform as needed in regulating the transmission temperature. The vehicle was taken to hughes Honda (2260 moody rd, warner robins, ga 31088, (478)449-3939) and the transmission fluid was changed however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.
- Macon, GA, USA
When stopped at a stop light or stop sign the transmission changes from drive to neutral to park and sometimes dies. Car won't restart when following directions on display screen or any other way except sitting and trying to start it over and over after turning on flashers and waving traffic around us.
- Tuttle, OK, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 35-57 mph, the vehicle hesitated and jerked without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or provide a cause for the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.
- Buchanan, NY, USA
Driving at 35 mph on my way home on a side street and my car jolted and stalled and several (5)warning lights came on. Vehicle stability, brake, trammision warning, and a couple other lights. I turned the vehicle off and restarted the car. I tried to drive it in a parking lot so I was able to get safely out of oncoming traffic. And it would not shift properly and I couldn+T drive it at all as I would try to start and it wojld rev to 4000-5000 rpms and would pop in and out from gear to park.. I had it towed from the parking lot I was in to my machanic. My concern is that I don+T feel safe driving on the highway with shifting issues, stalls and jolts that have happened if I were on the highway when that happened, going at 65 mph, it would have caused unnecessary accidents. It+S extremelyndangerous with my children in the car as well as innocent bystanders still no recall for my vehicle.
- Tolland, CT, USA
I was driving on a dual two lane highway at 55 mph. At a cross road a traffic light was red, and I stopped the vehicle. The automatic idle stop shut off the engine for 1/2 to 1 minute, before the traffic light turned green. When I took my foot off the break, the car should have started, but it didn't.. many of the dashboard lights came on, the car shifted into neutral. The cars around me moved forward and several honked, because I wasn't moving. Other cars were approach me from behind at speed. I tried to turn the ignition off and restart it. Nothing happened because the shift was in neutral. I exited the car and pushed it to the right turn lane just ahead and pushed the brake to stop once I was out of the driving lane. I put the car in park with my foot on the brake and tried to start the engine 2 or 3 times before the starter turned the engine over. Several cars went by at speed, and luckily no one wanted to turn right. The car is just over 5 years old and I am very familiar with its operation with the automatic idle stop feature, but this time it surprised me. I had replaced the battery after 2.5 years of driving, and it is only 1 year and 10 months since it was replaced. I have read anecdotal accounts of similar incidences by other 2016 Pilot owners who had no reason for the incident. The car did not have any further problems that day, because I cancelled the idle stop feature for the trip home. I feel I could easily have become a statistic along with my wife had the traffic been moderately greater that evening. Other have registered complaints about this problem on this website. I am having the battery replace tomorrow, even though the dealer hasn't yet evaluated its condition.
- Bolivia, NC, USA
Issue: Car is unable to start when on a city street and auto-start is enabled (stalling). This has happened on several occasions over the last couple years. My wife is the primary driver she often has the kids in the car which creates a large safety issue for my family. When the problem first presented itself, there was one time where the car unintentionally accelerated on it's own with my family in the car. Unfortunately that was not able to be replicated as well nor have we experienced it again. Potential solution 1: battery has been replaced which temporarily stopped the issue, however within months the issue is back. Potential solution 2: it's worth noting that the transmission was replaced recently, however it was not due to this the stalling issue, there was an actual issue with the transmission. The stalling stopped for a while as well, then came back again. Concerns: We are concerned with our safety in this vehicle which doesn't give ownership of this car a good feeling. While we can chose to sell this car and pass this issue to someone else who in turn could get hurt or killed if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and that should not be the case. We shouldn't wait for people to get hurt/killed by this to do something about it. We're hoping with the continued reports of this issue there will be something done by Honda to resolve this. We're no longer proud of our ownership of this car due to the safety hazard this has presented to our family. Time of incident mileage provided was from 7/2018 - it occurred prior to that and after.
- Lake Worth, FL, USA
For Honda Pilot 2016, the problem is that the transmission that causes the transmission fluid to overheat. The overheating issue leads to a 'judder' in the transmission. The car accelerates in a very jerky way especially between 30 and 50. This is a big safety issue if you are trying to pass someone. As soon as the vehicle reaches 80,000 miles Honda will no longer cover the so-called 'repair' which is to flush the burnt transmission oil multiple times. Honda is aware of this problem.
- Plano, TX, USA
On 3/15/2020, my family and I were in our 2016 AWD Honda Pilot elite. My wife and I have been noticing this problem with the transmission getting worse since we purchased the vehicle new. When driving the car in a residential area (approx. 25 mph), the car suddenly "lurched/jerked" forward with some force when we were slowing down to a posted stop sign. This was a huge issue due to the fact people were crossing right in front of us. After this, we proceeded to head home. Again the car began to "jerk/lurch" forward when we attempted to perform a slow speed normal stop, causing us to almost rear end the vehicles in front of us. Lastly, before getting home, during the Pilot's acceleration from a stopped position, between the 1-4 gears, the car again would either jerk forward unpredictably or not even shift into gear properly, leaving the car with no power to get moving. Now if this wasn't enough to want someone to take their car in, on 3/16/2020, my wife was backing the car out of our garage. When she shifted the transmission into reverse, the entire engine/front end of the car violently shuttered (assumed it was the transmission drive assembly) and would not shift properly to reverse. The check engine warning lights began to light up the dash along with other electrical warning lights. We eventually got the car to the dealership where we purchased it and they are indicating to us that it is a transmission module repair/re-calibration that needs software updates as well. Not really sure about these repairs as we have been indicating to our Honda dealership these problems with this transmission since we bought the car, but they assured us over the last 3 years they couldn't duplicate the problem or find anything wrong, until now, when our warranty expired. Seen a ton of internet posts about faulty 2016/2017 Honda Pilot transmissions and nothing is being done yet.
- La Palma, CA, USA
I came to a complete stop at a very busy intersection. The idle start/stop kicked in. When I went to remove my foot from the brake to the gas to go across the busy intersection, my Pilot completely died. This left me stranded at a stop sign at a very busy intersection for over 2 hours waiting for a tow truck. After a couple of days at the dealership, they said it was 'just a software update'. it is a known issue but they are only fixing it when it affects a vehicle. No recall??!!!! I would love to be able to upload my video that I took when this all happened so you could see what my dash looked like when I kept trying to start my car back up. The week prior to this, the photo shows what notice popped up on my dash.
- Moseley, VA, USA
When coming to a complete stop, the auto start/stop will fail randomly. This then leaves the driver stuck for up to 1 minute in traffic with the car unresponsive to the start button. This issue has been brought to Honda service stations in both Georgia and Ohio. After replacements of batteries, as per Honda recommendations, there is still no remedy for the problem. A driver could easily be rear-ended and ultimately harmed when left stranded on a busy street with no ability to start the car back in a timely fashion. When progressing from first to second gear, this model violently jerks. This happens despite timely service exclusively one at Honda service stations. Each time it is reported, my wife is told that it is normal for this vehicle. Ultimately it appears to be a transmission issue to which Honda will not admit fault.
- Decatur, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated and the vehicle failed to increase in speed with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that there was a technical service bulletin for the shuddering in the transmission. The vehicle was taken to criswell Honda 19525 amaranth dr, germantown, md 20874, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the repair called for a software update to the transmission and to flush the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired due to the powertrain warranty period being exceeded. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
- Germantown, MD, USA
- Rogers, AR, USA