Previous complaint submitted 06/20/2019 complaint # 11221559 this is the 5th time I have taken the vehicle in for the same problem. Car has engine idle when vehicle comes to halt, but what it keeps doing is the engine completly shuts down and gos into park and then the engine turns off. This has happened on freeways.and regular streets. Vehicle is not safe. In June Honda kept my car for 5 days and updated software so they can see problem as they can not relpicate. This car once again is not safe and I fell I will be killed in it.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

Our Honda Pilot shuts down while being operated, typically while attempting to resume driving after having been stopped at intersections, making turns, red lights, etc. All electrical components become unresponsive, including starter, shift controller, hazard lights, etc. Typically takes to 5 minutes to restart, leaving us stranded in traffic; an incredibly dangerous situation. This has occurred (5 times so far) with the "auto engine idle stop" engaged and is suspect. 1st attempt by dealer to diagnose & repair involved replacing the battery despite testing "good". shutdowns continued; the last occurred in a 5-lane highway with my wife and 3-year old child on board. 2nd attempt to diagnose & repair, took 4 weeks and a suggested repair of replacing the battery (previous battery less than a year old) and a new starter @ $1,600; even though the technician stated both were "good". conversations with the dealership/technicians acknowledge the suspected problem electrical/computer based but the on-board computer does not record these events. The dealership/technicians state they reported and researched this issue via their in-house tech site but we were told this issue is unknown and isolated to our car. Our solution being a mutually acknowledge, unnecessary repair. I debated their $1,600 "solution" and questioned warranty coverage and was informed if not done, would be recorded as "customer refuses repair". when I asked if the $1,600 would be refunded when the issue resumed (since well agreed the suggested repair was not the solution), I was informed "no". we have not done the repair. A simple internet search shows this is not an isolated problem as we were told and is even recorded here on the NHTSA website numerous times, verbatim to our experience.

- Thomasville, GA, USA

Car turns off completely while driving, does not respond to attempts to restart right away

- Raleigh, NC, USA

When driving in eco mode the car shuts partially down at red lights and other stops as is expected, but lights, radio, ac., etc still function. Every 5 or 6th time my car now shuts off completely and requires me to restart it.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

The Honda Pilot has a feature called auto engine idle stop. To meet emission standards, this feature puts the engine into a stop/off mode when you brake for more than 3 seconds. However, this feature sometimes causes the car battery to fail and the car to stall. This could happen when stopped at a traffic light or on a highway stopped in traffic. If the battery hasn't had enough time to recharge, the car might stall and need to be completely shutdown, wait a while and maybe will restart. We bought our car in late 2015. The issue presented itself by 2016/2017, mostly as brief blips and the car would restart. In summer 2018, after repeated visits to Honda and numerous times of the car completely stalling at traffic lights, we chose to replace the battery. Our Honda service centers kept telling us that the battery tests showed it was fine and that the feature isn't suppose to engage if the battery doesn't have "enough juice" to restart. But clearly, that doesn't work, because my car would indeed completely stall and need to try to restart. I once had to wait five minutes stuck at a light in the middle of a 3 lane road, and my car finally restarted. But once we paid to replace the battery (that supposedly was fine), the car didn't blip or stall. But one year later, it started happening again. Sometimes the car will just blip, where all the lights, radio and air conditioning will briefly cut out and then come back on as the feature re-engages the engine. But sometimes, it just won't restart. There is a button you can hit to disable the auto engine idle stop feature. But you must remember to hit every time you start the car. If you forget, all it takes is stopping at one traffic light and the car could stall. There are numerous online reports of similar issues with this feature.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

Seeing an issue with fuel injectors associated with this and I think there should be a recall issued for it.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

When engine auto idle is engaged, instead of re-engaging when foot removed from brake, the car stalls in one of three ways. Grade 1, the fan and radio shut off but the engine engages once gas is applied. Grade 2, the fan, radio and engine shut off but restart once gas is applied. Various warning lights then appear on the dash. Grade 3, everything shuts off and the car will not restart until you shift into park and press the start button several times. This is very dangerous as it happens at intersections when cars expect you to be moving and you're stalled out. I have video of these incidents and have provided them to the Honda dealer.

- Danville, CA, USA

Vehicle randomly does not automatically restart after auto idle stop engages when in stop-go traffic on freeway or when stopped at intersection, resulting in a stalled vehicle in the middle of freeway or intersection. Attempts to manually restart the vehicle generally successful after frantically (or slowly!) pushing the start-stop button several times. Video documenting issue available at https://1drv.ms/V/S!aqy6pdpsaknnnn5fxrz2ngstmnd0cg (additional videos available). Issue ongoing since ~ October 2018. Dealer has replaced battery & engine start-stop button to no avail.

- Walla Walla, WA, USA

I bought this vehicle as a "certified pre owned by Honda" and four days after the purchase the car was parked in my driveway, in "park" when I hit the start/stop engine button and the vehicle didn't start. Alarms started to go off so I assumed it was the key was still inside the house. As I went inside to check, maybe a few seconds, when I went back outside the vehicle was gone. I found it in my front yard. It had rolled off while in park without engine on. After getting it towed to Honda, days later I was informed that there was a problem with the start/stop engine system and that it also needed the entire A/C system replaced. Attached you will find the photo I took of the vehicle still in park when I found it in my front yard.

- Marietta, GA, USA

It engine is idle all the time when the ac is

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

While stopped at a traffic light the car put itself into park without my (the driver) knowledge. When the light turned green I attempted to accelerate however the car was in park. I attempted to shift the car into drive and it would not do so. I had to turn the car off and then back on in order to place the car into drive and proceed through the intersection.

- Fontana, CA, USA

Car shuts down and stalls when idle stop engages very frequently over the past year in the middle of the intersection or highway. Have taken in to Honda dealers multiple times but they cannot recreate the problem and say the battery tests ok yet recommend changing the battery?!

- San Diego, CA, USA

While idol at red light, the automatic idol kicked in for power save yet jerked and all red light indicators turned on, including parking breaks, and car seized up. No power, no ability put car in park or drive. On/off switch no reaction to turn car on or off. No brake function. I sat in an unresponsive vehicle at very busy intercetion. Luckily the vehicle behind me was stopped and only laid on their horn for 2 red light cycles rather than hitting me. I activated my emergency flashers yet other driver did not respond. I repetitively kept pushing power button in effort for car to respond and restart, eventually did and was able to drive off. Have appt with dealership in am.

- Katy, TX, USA

Car won't start. Keyless start system problem

- Short Hills, NJ, USA

When my car stops while applying the break paddle completely, the car may start 'idle stop' which turns off the engine. The engine may restart either by releasing the break paddle or when ac or battery needs the engine to turn back on. We have had multiple occurrences where the car will completely reset the electrical system shutting down all the lights, displays, radio and engine, and it may or may not restart the engine. Sometimes, it requires multiple presses of the engine start button which may take multiple seconds at a stop. This creates a safety hazard where cars behind may rear end us while we try to restart. Today, it happened to my wife in motion after the engine restarted and she was in the middle of an intersection. I wonder if this could even happen on a railway... we reported it twice and tried fixing it at a Honda shop (1st Texas Honda @ austin, tx), they made multiple claims including bad battery that required replacing it (issue still reoccurred), blaming it on a power cable that goes to an optional trailer hitch connection that is not in use, but have not tried tried replacing the faulty idle start/engine module. Searching thru the internet, there are multiple reports of the same issue. Https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Pilot/2016/engine/auto_idle_stop_does_not_work.shtml there is no recall or a root cause analysis reported by Honda trying to resolve the issue for the owners. Needless to say, trying to take a video/photo when it happens is not simple, largely, because we don't hold our phones while driving the car and secondly, it's random event when it happens... the issue repeats multiple times a week, but not on every stop. Worse at hot temperatures.

- Austin, TX, USA

Several times while stopped in traffic or at a traffic light the engine stop feature has not worked properly. The engine turns off completely and does not automatically restart. The SUV has to be placed in park and restarted manually. I plan on bringing it in next week to have them look into it.

- Metairie, LA, USA

The engine idle stop feature not working properly. When the vehicle is at a stop the engine turns off like intended. Sometimes the radio turns off and restarts immediately. Randomly when you take you foot off the gas the entire vehicle and all functions turn off. In order to turn the vehicle you need to press the ignition button and set the vehicle in park. This is very dangerous in stop and go traffic. The most recent time it happened was on the freeway at a crest. Took it to dealer and they could not replicate.

- San Jose, CA, USA

This has happened several times and Honda has been unable to replicate. It has happened on the freeway and on city streets. The car is in drive and my car has an engine idle so that when traffic comes to a halt the engine cuts out to conserve gas. On many a occasion it will not just automatically start but will instead kick the vehicle into park. It is extremely scary as it will then not start as if the battery is dead but the battery if fine and has been replaced as Honda thought that would resolve it. They also replaced all the fuel injectors and this also has not stopped the problem. I feel I am going to be killed in this car. I have case # 08783155 with Honda and after having just spoke to them they advised me to film problem!! yes they expect me to get my phone out and film while my vehicle has come to a halt in moving traffic!

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

2016 Honda Pilot, 68441 miles on it. Emissions system problem displayed on dash. Service advises it needs a software update and that there will be a charge for it. Complaint filed with Honda. Customer should not be charged for software updates that the manufacturer failed to get right. Imagine if you had to pay for every update that microsoft issues? software update did not correct problem and will not be refunding money spent. If anything, it should be covered under warranty.

- Dolphin, VA, USA

Car was engaged in "idle-stop" at a traffic light. Following driver's lifting of foot off of the brake pedal, car shut off completely. All dashboard lights lit up, and car was not able to be turned back on for 1-2 minutes. Car was in the middle of a busy street, and a large vehicle nearly rear-ended the dead car. Driver was thereafter able to follow on-screen instructions for restarting vehicle, but was unsuccessful in several initial attempts. (in other words, car was not starting despite driver's complying with instructions. Prior to this incident, car had in some instances very momentarily "cut out" following an "idle-start." Driver noticed a "popping" at this time. But the problem, which the manufacturer and dealer claim to know nothing about and are "unable to replicate" during service, is clearly becoming worse and more dangerous over time. 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 issue for our car and is apparently a common suggestion from dealerships. This is an apparently bigger issue than Honda has been willing to admit.

- Davis, CA, USA