10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,039 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #109

Jun 262022

Pilot

  • miles
I moved into the left lane to merge onto another road. I had to come to a stop because a car had was stopped ahead of me. After that car moved, I lifted my foot from the brake and pushed the gas to make my left hand turn. The car didn-??t move. A light flashed on the car that said something like -??to start engine push brake and push start-?? I looked down at the gear shifter and noticed it was on N. I tried to hit -??drive.-?? The car flashed the sign again. I put the car in park. I tried to put the car back in drive. The car would not change gears. I put on my hazard lights, turned off the car, and restarted it. The car transitioned from park to drive. There have been many instances where I-??m merging onto a roadway or slowing down to turn left where the car hesitates. I will be braking. I lift my foot from the brake to press the gas pedal and nothing happens. The car moves because it-??s going downhill, but the gas pedal is not causing the car to move. When the car does finally move, it moves with a huge lurch. There have been times that I'm unable to move my car with the gas pedal while crossing traffic. It's terrifying and Honda says that they are unaware of the problem and unable to replicate it.

- Arnold, MD, USA

problem #108

Apr 042022

Pilot

  • miles
Issue: engine sometimes does not start after engine idle stop activates On several occasions while stopped at traffic lights the engine failed to start requiring the driver to turn the vehicle off then back on. This occurs after the engine idle stop actives. When the engine stops electrical components, such as the radio, momentarily lose power. The dealership was not able to reproduce the issue. Members of my household have encountered this issue several times a week over a 2 month period. This is a safety issue as the car does not reliably start in traffic.

- Belmont, CA, USA

problem #107

Jun 252022

Pilot

  • miles
The auto start and stop engine feature leaves the car stalled and unable to restart until multiple attempts. We have been stuck in the middle of a highway multiple times with hazards on trying to restart

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #106

May 212022

Pilot

  • miles
When exiting the interstate and stopped at stop sign, vehicle shut off due to auto stop/start feature. When I released the break to go, the vehicle did not start and completely shut down. The vehicle had to be placed in park, break pressed and ignition button pressed again. It took a little bit but it did start again. After this incident, this has also happened about 10 more times stop lights around town. It has always started again but it takes a minute to restart and multiple steps are needed for it to be restarted. Traffic has been backed up while I attempt to restart the vehicle.

- West Fargo, ND, USA

problem #105

Jun 222022

Pilot

  • miles
The Idle/Stop function stopped operating at a stop light. The car completely shut off. My wife pressed the brake and ignition but the car did not immediately restart. After a few long minutes, the function worked. This is the second incident with the Honda Pilot. In May 2022, the vehicle stopped at an intersection and cut off. I took it to the Honda Service and had diagnostics ran. I was charged for the test but the Service Department did not find anything wrong. They recommended a new battery which I purchased. This was in May 2022. There is definitely an issue. No use taking it back to the dealer, they don't know the source of the problem.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #104

Jun 192022

Pilot

  • miles
I own a 2017 Honda Pilot Touring addition and recently learned there is an investigation on the auto start/stop feature. We have experienced the vehicle stalling too many times to count. However, it does seem to be getting more frequent as the vehicle gets older. When the vehicle comes to a stop the feature will engage and two things may happen: 1. The vehicle will immediately die causing us to put the car in park and restart or 2. The vehicle will stall/die when in the movement of taking my foot off the brake and pressing the gas pedal. On some occasions we have had to try multiple times to restart the vehicle. The most memorable stalls happened during busy traffic and of course caused a panic as the time to restart feels like minutes when it-??s really only seconds. When this happens it has caused us fear of being rear-ended as there has been many times we braced for this as we saw an oncoming car from behind. Our local Honda dealer (Basney Honda) has attempted everything to fix but you can feel they are growing impatient with us as we demand the vehicle to be repaired.

- Osceola, IN, USA

problem #103

Jun 212022

Pilot

  • miles
Driving on the highway, came to a stop due to high volume of traffic, car stopped completely and auto/start turned off the engine itself like it should when brake is stepped on all the way, traffic started to move, let go of the brake to have engine turn back on like it normally would, however this time the engine did not start back on itself, tried to step on the brake and would not allow to press on it. Hit the engine start button light would come on however brake still would not allow to be stepped on, its like it is stuck. Tried this for about 5min and suddenly I was able to press on the brake and start the engine by hitting the start engine button. The component that failed is the engine, auto/start feature, power train, and electrical system. This was a big safety issue and yes it would not only put myself at risk but others safety at risk too. No the problem have not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer No the vehicle or component has not been inspected by anyone No there was no warning when it first appear, it just happen.

- Pottstown, PA, USA

problem #102

Jun 182022

Pilot

  • miles
At least once a week the vehicle shuts off and don-??t restart at stop light/ sign.

- Thorp, WI, USA

problem #101

Jul 262021

Pilot

  • miles
While driving I first noticed the radio would shut off- almost like an electric surge (Spring 2021). I brought in to local dealer to assess. Dealer couldn't replicate so was dismissed. Car slipped into "sport" mode randomly (July 2021). Brought in to dealer and couldn't be replicated.Then the car would take longer to start at a stop light. Eventually, at times, the car would NOT START when the brake was released and gas paddle depressed (August 2021). There is no warning or indiction that this will happen. It is periodic, random and unpredictable. The stall out has happened on long and short rides. This has occurred at stop lights, stop and go traffic on a busy highway and entering traffic circles. I could have easily been rear-ended at any of these stalls. I am afraid when driving this car. The dashboard lights up with alerts and the car must be put in park and the start button used to get the car turned on. This takes time to restart the car- further increasing chance of an accident. I have brought the car to the dealer on at least 5 service visits and the problem persists. The dealer reports they were able to reproduce the stall at most recent service visit (6/16/2022). Fuel injector replacements (8/2021), PCM software reboot (10/2021), battery replacement (3rd battery in life of car), and now awaiting valve adjustment (part on national back order). Battery #1 replaced 3/2020, battery #2 replaced 1/2022. The problem persists despite these "fixes". I have requested that the dealer escalate this problem to Honda Corporate.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #100

Jan 072022

Pilot

  • miles
Keyless start system problem error message even after replacing key fob battery

- Murphy, NC, USA

problem #99

Jun 162022

Pilot

  • miles
I come to a full stop at a red light at a busy intersection. The auto engine idle shut off engages. When traffic begins to move I lift my foot off the brake. Usually this restarts the car. However, the engine turns off as if it is in Accessory mode. I try to put the car in Park and Turn Off and Turn On, but it requires me waiting a minute or two before I can restart the car. This problem has happened many times and I have reported it to the Curry Honda service in Yorktown Heights, NY (10598) many times. The are aware of the problem and says that there is no fix.

- Katonah, NY, USA

problem #98

Apr 202022

Pilot

  • miles
When the car comes to a stop at a light or intersection, the auto-idle function of the engine engages (indicated on dashboard). When you lift your foot off the break, the radio shorts out, the dashboard flashes, and the engine struggles to restart. This happens regularly. I've even had my vehicle stall in the middle of the road after auto-idle has been engaged (see video). I've taken my vehicle to the Honda dealer several times to be serviced, but each time I'm told they are unable to re-produce the problem. Last time I was at the dealer, I shared this video with them, but they communicated the same message. They can't reproduce my issue and my vehicle is safe to continue driving. I feel strongly that this is a safety issue. If I'm stalled at a busy intersection and drivers behind me are not paying attention, it is likely I'll be hit from behind. The orange engine information light in the video was for a needed oil change that I've since had completed. Video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dnfH1v3bq31HXQWr6

- Webster, NY, USA

problem #97

Jun 112022

Pilot

  • miles
When the engine stops when the brake is applied, there are times when the engine shuts down completely, restarting electrical systems and not starting up again. This incredibly scary and dangerous. I have brought it to the dealer who has no idea how to fix it. I read an article that this is something the NHTSA is investigating and am very relieved that there is finally some attention being paid to this problem. I wanted to log my vehicle as being effected also.

- Clarence Center, NY, USA

problem #96

Jun 112022

Pilot

  • miles
The auto start\stop feature doesn't work and is extremely unsafe and dangerous. I will be sitting at a stop light and when the light turns green I take my foot off the break and the car will completely turn off and error messages will appear. Multiple times it has completely turned off the car and the car couldn't be restarted right away, leaving us stranded in the middle of the street trying to restart the car while cars are going by me. It takes at least a minute for the car to restart once it turns itself off. This has happened at least 10 times. We always turn the feature off when we drive now but sometimes we just forget because it's extremely inconvenient and difficult to remember that we have to turn off the feature every single time we start the car. When we took it to the dealership mechanic they told us we needed a new battery and that would fix the problem. Our battery was still at 50% and yet we still changed it but the problem has never gone away.

- San Pedro, CA, USA

problem #95

May 142022

Pilot

  • miles
The idle shut off feature has shut the car off and then not restarted when it was supposed to. This has happened in two intersections and a stoplight. When it doesn-??t restart, I am unable to do anything, shift in to park or restart the car. It is extremely unsafe as it leaves you sitting in the middle of traffic or wherever it decides to leave you and you can-??t do anything with the vehicle. There is no warning when it does it. I have not approached the dealer since there is a button to override the feature I figured they would not listen. However I think it is ridiculous that you have to push a button to make sure your vehicle doesn-??t die on you while driving. I would like to see the auto idle feature removed from the vehicle.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #94

May 042021

Pilot 6-cyl

  • miles
There is a major and potentially dangerous issue with the idle stop/start feature. When the car is at a stop and the engine shuts off (gas saving feature) and sometimes the car will fail to start again, leaving me stranded in the middle of an intersection or whatever road I'm on. Sometimes all of the collision systems fail to start again (dash warning), sometimes it takes minutes to get it restarted which results in angry drivers behind me and the potential to create an accident. This issue began within a few months of buying the car. I had informed the original Honda dealership where I purchased the car but they failed to properly document the issue because there were no error codes populated by the on-board computer. After it happened dozens of times I took the vehicle to a different dealership and was able to demonstrate the problem directly to a technician after two separate appointment attempts. They then agreed to replace the battery. This helped for a time period of about 9 months and then it started again. I believe there is a wide-spread issue with the computer's ignition system and I'm not alone, although Honda seems to pretend they've never heard of the issue. I have attached my first 'documented' (although it was reported YEARS before this) service report followed by the second in which they finally replaced the battery and admitted fault. I am hopping the NHTSA can investigate and help the owners of these Pilots come to a permanent resolution. Thank you for your time. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #93

May 092020

Pilot

  • miles
Parked in a lot with vehicle at full temp. Quick Stop. Drove vehicle to exit of lot and stopped to wait for a break in traffic. Vehicle turned off engine with Start/Stop feature. On brake release, the vehicle made an attempt to restart and failed. Took 10 minutes and I had to disconnect the battery to get the vehicle to reset enough to get started again. Had I not had a toolkit in the vehicle, it would have been much longer. During that entire time, the single exit to the parking lot was blocked and there was a significant backup with people going out the entrance. VERY dangerous. This was not the first time the vehicle had failed to restart, but the first where it was not possible from the driver's seat. It was also the last as I installed a device to disable the feature. I've not had any issues with the vehicle since. Start/Stop does not save enough fuel to make it worth the potentially dangerous failure. Feature should be MANDATORY for disabling in every vehicle. I for one will NEVER EVER own a vehicle that it can not be disabled.

- Bolton, MA, USA

problem #92

Oct 092020

Pilot

  • miles
The auto start/stop is not reliable. I have had three incidents in the past 2 years where if I'm at a light and the car turns off due to the auto stop, it will not restart. I did take it to my dealer and they could not find anything wrong with the battery or any other issue. I have to manually turn the auto stop/start feature off every time I drive the car in fear I will be stranded in an intersection. Very frustrating. It has been an issue for 2.5 years out of almost 5 years of owning the car.

- Inglewood, CA, USA

problem #91

Jun 062022

Pilot

  • miles
I own a 2017 Honda Pilot Elite, with 65000 miles, that was purchased new. The vehicle has repeatedly stalled at various point of operation. Upon stalling, every light appears to activate on the dashboard. The vehicle remains stalled until the computer "recycles." I can usually restart the vehicle within 2+ minutes. The dealer, located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, has identified the vehicle-??s stop-start as the problem. The dealer suggested to turn off the stop-start while driving the vehicle but that is problematic as this needs to be done each time the vehicle engine is turned off and then restarted. The dealer, upon inspection, found some errors in the ECU, but none that would create this problem. The dealer is unable to recreate the problem and admitted that many Honda Pilots have this issue. To possibly fix the problem, the dealer suggested a valve replacement at a cost of $1000+ and a new battery, even though the battery has been tested and is fine. These vehicles are dangerous, and Honda has done nothing to correct the problem.

- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA

problem #90

Jun 062022

Pilot

  • miles
Hello, I was driving down the road and my collision mitigation light quickly flashed on and then went off with no objects in front of me or bad weather or rain. Also, my vehicle felt like it tapped the brakes and the steering wheel slightly jerked a little. It was maybe a half second long and then went back to normal. I kept driving and the vehicle did it once again and then 2 more times. The last time I was pulling up to a light when it did it. I should have pulled over first but I decided to turn the vehicle off and turn it back on to maybe reset the computer. Also, I know the car does this anyway when I have my auto start/stop button on. I usually turn it off when I drive. I've had the vehicle since 2018 with no issues before so I was pretty confident it would immediately start. When I tried to turn the vehicle back on, it had completely lost all power and wouldn't start or give me any sign of power. The scary thing was that I was in rush hour traffic with my young kids in the car and I couldn't put my caution lights on or put the car in gear to push it to the side of the road. Again, I should have pulled over first, but there was no logical reason the vehicle wouldn't start. I put the hood up but nobody behind me could see the hood up. I'm stuck in the middle lane of traffic and had to get out of the car to signal traffic to go around me. I checked my key fob batteries and the vehicle battery connectors and everything was fine. I kept trying to use the key fob to unlock the doors every minute or so to see if I could get any kind of power, as well as try to start the vehicle again. After about 7 minutes or so I regained power and was able to drive home, which was about a half mile away. A message on my dash screen displayed "Anti theft System" "This system has lost power. Push and hold the power button for more than 2 seconds to enable the system". I did this and cleared it. I think the Anti Theft System turning on when it shouldn't is the real issue.

- Columbus, OH, USA

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