10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 4 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 18,307 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.
Our stop/start feature consistently causes the car to stall instead of restarting the engine. This leaves us stranded in or at intersections while waiting for the car to respond to pressing the park and restart buttons. This regularly takes enough time we have narrowly avoided being hit multiple times from suddenly not being able to move. Because it can turn off at any time you are fully stoped we have been caught after having to make a complete stop in the middle of an intersection and then still being stalled when the light changed. Honda has experienced the problem and has only been willing to change the battery. A fully charged and new battery does temporarily reduce the number of occurrences. This has only been inspected by Honda because we have not had an actual accident yet. There are no other warning lights on the car at any point. This is a regular and known issue that they have failed to fix.
- Roseville, CA, USA
Fuel pumps has gone bad twice, transmission slips gear makes clunking noise
- Laurel , DE, USA
My wife was driving down a busy two lane main road when the vehicle stopped with no prior warning symptoms or dash lights. The vehicle would not jump or go into any gear. It was towed to Honda East in Cincinnati. They said it was showing multiple misfire codes. After a complete engine teardown at a cost of almost $1K, it was determined that it had two bent valves in cylinder #2. The timing belt components were intact and the mechanic had no explanation as to why the valves were bent. I suggested it could be the rod bearing failure that others had experienced and of which a recall had already been issued for some VIN's of the same year. But the mechanic didn't seem to think so. They said it was unrepairable and their solution was to install a used donor engine. Because I was not ready to part with the vehicle, I had no choice but to approve the donor engine install. The total job including the engine teardown and diagnosis cost me roughly $7,500. Like many others have experienced, my VIN did not fall under the recall, and I was held responsible for the full out of pocket repair cost. I am hoping that enough owners who have also been forced to replace their engines report their experience through the NHTSA, forcing Honda to step up and issue a blanket recall on all the 2016 Pilots.
- Cincinnati, OH, USA
The ATF Warmer failed. This allowed engine coolant and transmission fluid to mix. This caused the engine and transmission to overheat. No warning messages appeared up until the transmission overheated. A warning appeared about the transmission, but not about the engine. Honda says that they do not think my VIN was impacted by this known issue. And, yet, my car has a textbook defective ATF warmer with 100% overlap in symptoms with a known service bulletin issue (17-035 from April 7, 2018).
- Burlingame, CA, USA
Was driving car on 3/3/25 with 91,635 miles and lights started flashed saying "Emission System Problem" and "Transmission System Problem." Car slowed down and wouldn't shift gears putting me in danger of being stranded on the street. Screen showing drive mode went blank and wouldn't show if car was in drive or reverse. Luckily was able to get car back to home a few hundreds of feet away but car was very sluggish. Error message on car said engine system problem and not to drive the car and get it to dealer. Ran machine and found DTC code of P0717 Input/Turbine Speed Sensor A Circuit No Signal. On 3/4/25, car was towed to Right Honda dealer. Tow truck driver barely got car on bed since gears were not shifting. Dealer found at drop off that the car was smoking from exhaust. Tech at dealer diagnosed and found input shaft sensor to be "bad" or "faulty." The output had signal but NO signal from input. They proceeded with work to replace input shaft sensor and the DTC code cleared. There was no service bulletin out to cover the faulty part and I had to pay out of pocket, $330.25. Honda needs to have a service bulletin for this faulty part that could cause a loss in power to vehicle and leave driver/passengers stranded or in a collision with no warning! I would like to be reimbursed for my out of pocket expense as well.
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact observed a loud banging sound coming from the same area and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the connecting rod had gone through the oil pan, and the engine was blown. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Geneva, GA, USA
My 2016 Honda Pilot engine had a rod knock and eventually was replaced by Acura of LibertyVille. When I reported this problem to libertyville Honda (IL) they said vehicle not on any recall list, but now I'm hearing that 2016 and newer Pilots have same issues as my car, when I called customer relations at honda, they are still telling me there are no recalls for your VIN, even though my vehicle 2016 Pilot. I believe that somehow something is missing and more VINs were impacted, according to what I read online.
- Gurnee, IL, USA
My Transmission went out on my 2016 Honda Pilot I bought it on 8/25/24 with 68,000 miles on it, six months later I have 81,000 miles on it and I-??ve been quoted $9222 to install a rebuilt transmission at the dealership. 3 mechanics & transmission specialist do NOT even work or offer to replace transmissions on this model of honda pilot due to its known issues in the 6 cylinder V6 3.5 L. My car was in excellent condition, low miles, always well maintained. 2/21 It started rough/delayed shifting, during gear changes, hesitation when accelerating, unusual noise like quiet whining, on 2/22 the check engine & emissions & transmissions system lights came on I immediately took it to the Honda dealership/service on 2/22/25 I dropped it off and left it after hours (weekend Mon. 2/23 they diagnostic performed $200 transmission fluid flush and software update $500 it did not fix a thing. They evaluated & diagnosed on 2/24/25 Error codes stored P0776 & P0777. Recommending a rebuilt transmission for $9222. I got second and third opinions from experienced, highly recommended mechanics & transmission specialists who won-??t even touch the 2016 honda pilot because it is considered problematic model/year with frequent reports of glitches & complex issues which can be make the job time consuming & potentially costly for the mechanic due to the need for speciality parts & diagnostics. Ive contacted American Honda & service/dealership inquiring -??goodwill-?? program with no resolution. I have personally owned a 2005 pilot, 2011 pilot, 2007 odyssey, my parents & sister both currently own two Honda pilots & a Honda Ridgeline to say we-??re loyal Honda customers is an understatement. I regret buying this 2016 Honda Pilot 6 cylinder V6 3.5 L I believe honda made a huge mistake and recalls must be issued. Show some integrity and take accountability this is unacceptable. If consumers & mechanics want nothing to do with it you should probably follow the evidence. From a very disappointed customer.
- La Pine , OR, USA
While driving my Pilots RPM suddenly dropped and started to go up and down. My car started to lose power and the car suddenly slowed down as if it wanted to turn off. I was stopped in the middle of the road and turned off the engine. Waited 2 minutes to turn on again and was able to get home. I checked for a code and it gave me P0369 a CAMSHAFT SENSOR problem. So I research the issue and it turns out Honda has known about this issue enough to make a bulletin for it to their techs. The remedy for this code? REPLACE THE CAMSHAFTS AND PLATE! If they have to put a bulletin out then it's happened often. Also why am I paying to put the same type of Camshaft back in with nothing to help that this won't happen again in "X" amount of miles.
- Pico Rivera, CA, USA
The brakes have been repaired and replaced repeatedly. The vehicle locked down yesterday 2/25/25 when the driver was headed to school to pick up the children. The car came to a complete halt and was a danger to others with a "transmission engine" warning light on the dash. This vehicle has numerous repairs in addition to being too dangerous to drive down a two lane road due to the severity of the following issues: -??Abrupt jerking or 'juddering' while accelerating, which can cause sudden unintended movement. -??Noticeable hesitation when pressing the gas pedal, impacting the vehicle's response time. -??Unusual clunking noises or hard downshifting, indicating potential internal damage.
- Rogers, AR, USA
Failure of the connecting rod bearing similar to the recall. Current recall does not apply to the vin.
- Nocona, TX, USA
While driving on the highway, I heard an unusual noise coming from the engine. Shortly after, the check engine light began blinking, and the vehicle-??s performance worsened. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who suggested that the issue might be related to the engine rod bearing. This issue posed a serious safety risk as the sudden performance deterioration on the highway could have led to an accident or left me stranded. The problem has been confirmed by an independent mechanic but has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or a dealership. Prior to the failure, there was a noticeable engine noise, and the check engine light began blinking while driving. After researching, I found that certain 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles were recalled for this same issue, but my vehicle was not included. Additionally, reports indicate that NHTSA is investigating similar problems in Honda vehicles. I am reporting this issue as I believe it may be part of a broader safety concern.
- Skokie, IL, USA
I just got on the freeway and traveled about two miles into driving without any warning engine begin to lose power than stalled. I immediately pulled over checked out all fluid levels were good. There were no leakage present and no codes came up on instrumental panel, and still unable to start car.We had my pilot towed to a mechanic shop 20 miles from where incident happened. When mechanic looked over my engine he noticed a crack and mentioned that something was protruding out from the engine block he took a picture and than text it to me stating that the engine was damaged. We had another certified mechanic take a look at problem area that's when he also concluded that the motors extension rod broke thru causing engine failure admitting that engine is damaged and would need to be replaced. We thought this might be part of a recall we checked on (23V751000) that stated due to manufacturer error the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize damaging the engine, when I read this I had my pilot towed now to Honda service center where they claimed that my pilot had no known recalls and that I would have to pay out of pocket 10 k to repair because there was now a large hole in my engine.Originally I was told it would cost me about $200 to have them take a look at what was wrong with my car, but When I asked what the bill was for the inspection they said it was zero dollars because (without telling me first)they changed out the push start button, and that there wound be no charge. When I asked why they changed it out when I had already done 2 yrs ago myself and was reimbursed by Honda already. Honda service technician than proceeded to show me a photo that was taken of a large hole in my engine, telling me they had no idea why, and advised me my motor would have to be replaced. We purchased this vehicle new from this dealership and have had service regularly including transmission fluid and tune up.
- Atascadero, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH from a complete stop, the vehicle stalled temporarily. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. A message advising that the vehicle needed oil was displayed. The contact started to pull over to the side of the road and the vehicle stalled. The contact's husband met the contact on the side of the road and added oil to the engine. The contact was able to drive to the destination; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop. The message "Oil Empty" was displayed. The contact pulled into a parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where unknown engine parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 (Engine). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
- Marysville, WA, USA
Connecting rod bearing issues
- Collinsville, OK, USA
Connecting rod bearing failure. Took the car to an independent mechanic to investigate a knocking sound in the engine and mechanic pinpointed which cylinder contained the issue and advised that the car was not safe to drive. He also stated that he has seen this issue in other Hondas and that the estimated necessary repair would be $8000.
- Dallastown , PA, USA
The engine shuts off while driving and attempting to accelerate, happens frequently.
- Kansas City, MO, USA
the engine has Rod knocking sound engine failure can cause an accident Had dealership verify and recommended a new motor No warning lights or messages about anything wrong
- Hood River , OR, USA
I took my car to my mechanic because I heard a noise in the engine area. My mechanic told me that it was the rear engine bearings. I maintain my car regularly with Firestone Auto Care Center and I only 102,000 on my 2016 Honda Pilot. I feel that a engine with regular maintenance should fail like this. I see there is a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot but my VIN is part of this recall. It seems to me that my engine has the same problem as this other recall and my VIN should be covered. Also I feel this is safety issue because the engine could fail and the driver could lose control of vehicle causing an accident.
- Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
- Deforest, WI, USA