While stopped the auto stop engages turns off the engine and if the ac is running at that time, instead of the the engine restarting when the gas pedal is engaged, the car stalls and shuts down. Dealer states cannot correct the issue (permanently turn off auto stop). I see multiple complaints so far related to this design error but no action in terms of recalls.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

I have 30,000+ miles on my 2017 Pilot elite. About a year ago, I started experiencing issues with the auto idel stop feature. I first noticed that the auto idle-stop was hesitating when the engine would start up upon lifting my foot off of the gas. Later, in conjunction with the engine hesitation, I noticed that the radio would also "cut out" and the whole car would turn off and back before being able to drive. After that, the issue progressed to the vehicle completely stalling out and I would have to push park, put my foot on the brake and then push start in order to get the vehicle to move. These stall outs are happening just as I pull out into traffic, often leaving me and my family in harm's way. This is not safe. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealer I get the standard line of "we can't reproduce the issue" and I am sent on my way only to later continually experience the issue. Not happy with Honda. The NHTSA needs to make them address this issue.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

The 2017 Pilot stalls while in operation due to a defect in the auto-off while idle feature. When you depress the brake pedal, the engine will shut off completely and will often not restart as intended when you release the brake. The engine will also shut off if you press the auto-engine-off while idle button to deactivate the idle-off feature if pressed while completely stopped. For all of these situations it is difficult to restart the vehicle and it remains stalled on the road for more than a minute. It's terrifying. This began before 25K miles on the car - which cost around $42,000. This is happening multiple times a week. It's unacceptable for a vehicle this young to be putting families in danger.

- Austin, TX, USA

Check engine light for emissions system problem. Code P219A came up. They ended up having to replaced the fuel injectors at 25,400 miles. Our warranty is up in March. I called Honda to see if they would still fix the issue after the warranty is up. They advised that any issues would be an out of pocket expense. They are aware it is a known issue with 2016-2018 Pilot.

- Minot Afb, ND, USA

When I've been stopped at a red light I've taken my foot off the brake to hit the gas pedal. Before I tough the gas, the dashboard shows an "emissions system problem" light and the engine dies. I've had to frantically restart the car and was almost rear-ended. It's happened 5 times. I had reported this problem to dealer and they were of no help. They said they checked the computer and there was no history of any issue. Again, I'm writing to document this concern as it's dangerous the Honda dealers need to know how to address the problem. I've looked online and I am not the only person who has reported this issue. What is the solution? this condition is not safe and needs to be fixed.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

The engine with shuts off normally when I come to a stop when I have the system engaged. The problems begin when I take my foot off the break expecting the engine to start up again. What happens consistently (though not all the time) is that when I take my foot off the brake, the engine shuts off, shifts itself into nuetral, and I have trouble getting the engine to start up again. This occurred two separate times. I brought the car to the dealership and they can't find anything wrong with it.

- Higganum, CT, USA

When my 2017 Honda Pilot touring enters idle stop mode, it has begun to stall when you release the brake to re-engage the engine. This happened first in a parking lot on 6/17/20 when leaving parking area to enter main road. Vehicle shifts into neutral. Must put it into park. Then hit start button. Then put vehicle back into drive. Took it to dealership (under warranty) on 6/23/20. Could not duplicate problem, but identified codes: P170B-dog clutch a abnormal operation, U0230-gauge lost comm w/ptg, U1281-gauge lost comm w/micu, U0199-micu lost comm w/master switch, U0180-climate control lost comm w/master switch. Technician noted in report that they inspected the freeze data, trans had no input speed, so code must have set during an idle stop. The technicians could not replicate the problem, so they reset the code and asked me to bring the vehicle back in if it happened again. While driving on the freeway on a bridge crossing the columbia river on 6/23/20, this happened again. I was in stop-and-go traffic in the center lane of the bridge. After one of many short idle stops (engine off for about 1 second) I took my foot off the brake and the engine stalled. Same issue. Shifts to neutral. Must put in park. Hit start button (twice). Engine starts. Shift back into drive. Took 30-60 seconds while traffic tries to maneuver around me. Lucky I was in the middle of the queue (not back) as taking my foot off the brakes would imply to the driver behind me that I will be moving again. Definitely a safety hazard that could ultimately lead to injury/death. I returned the vehicle to the dealership again. They did not find any codes this time. Tried to return my vehicle to me without doing anything. I argued per my previous visit that they had reset the codes and asked me to return if this recurred. Awaiting resolution.

- Olympia, WA, USA

While traveling South on I-95 from baltimore, md to Washington D.C., near kenilworth avenue, the engine idle shutoff on my 2017 Honda Pilot touring engaged when I was forced to stop due to a traffic slowdown. When I took my foot off the brake, instead of restarting as it should have, all of the warning lights came on and the engine stalled. I shifted into "park", engaged my emergency flashers, and attempted to restart the engine several times without success. While stopped, I was nearly rear-ended several times because traffic started moving as soon as I took my foot off the brake. I was in a center lane and unable to exit the vehicle or move it from traffic. I was finally able to get restarted after a few minutes and several more tries. I had previously had the vehicle in for issues with the engine idle shutoff and the dealer had replaced the battery, which I thought had fixed the problem. When I took it in this time it happened they say the battery is good and "cannot duplicate the problem". there is a broad base of internet postings for this problem on 2016 - 2018 Pilot elite and touring vehicles, with the 9 speed transmission. There is no way to permanently turn this feature off and I believe it represents a serious safety hazard, especially for highway travel.

- Springfield, VA, USA

Engine malfunction light comes on and indicates emission control problem.. low and erratic power. Checked code and it was P0430 related to fuel injectors and fuel pump.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

While driving on the street, the engine stall in the middle of the road. I had to start the engine again. Imagine if I were driving on the highway and it happened like this. It would cause a major accident. It has been happened twice already.

- Midway City, CA, USA

My vehicle has an auto stop function that occurs when I stop the car. When I press the accelerator, the engine starts back up. Periodically, I have had an issue with the vehicle not starting back up. I have to put the car in park and press the start button several times until it starts back. This has put me in some very dangerous situations. The dealership has not been able to produce the same issue. It has been occurring more often and I am concerned for my safety. I have read numerous complaints about the same issue.

- Gulf Breeze, FL, USA

Stalling at idle stop. Took to dealer. Changed battery (200$). problem continues. Took it back to dealer they couldn't replicate.

- Lacrosse, WI, USA

Idle stop system sensor fail.. when can stops the engine shuts off but I did not came back on!! a lot of lights came on with instructions while I was at a busy light.. went to the dealer and it was close to $1,000 for the repair.. they said its a known issue.. please do a recall.

- Orlando, FL, USA

When vehicle comes to a stop with the auto engine idle shut off, the car completely shuts down and takes a few minutes to restart. This happened repeatedly today (7/1//2020) driving around town.

- Powell, OH, USA

Car stalls at stops. Took to dealer they changed battery and it is still happening.

- Lacrosse, WI, USA

Stalling while at stop or going downhill at low speeds.

- Lacrosse, WI, USA

July of 2019: Wife complains the vehicle starts back up under protest from the start stop system when driving in stop and go traffic (more so on hot days) on city streets. Eventually, vehicle intermittently stalls when she tries to resume travel from start stop mode. Vehicle eventually restarts after 120 seconds or more. Problem occurs on multiple occasions. Vehicle taken to dealer, dealer claims they cannot replicate the problem. However, testing shows a bad cell in the battery (just out of warranty). Battery replaced. Problem seems to be sorted temporarily (although my wife routinely disables the start stop function to avoid the potential problem). May of 2020: Same problem as before, car stalls when trying to resume travel after start stop mode. Vehicle won't restart for a few minutes and cannot be pushed out of harms way. It stands to reason that the issue is probably not the battery, the battery is oem and less than a year old. The most worrisome aspect of the situation is this. When the vehicle stalls (I.e., the engine is not running) the vehicle cannot be placed in neutral (without going under the hood and using a special tool) and pushed to safety. Hence, the vehicle is absolutely stranded until it restarts. This is a dangerous situation when stalled in rush hour traffic.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

The auto engine idle (aei) feature has a flaw in it that Honda has apparently not identified or explained and it is a serious safety concern. Aei shuts the engine off when the car is in drive but fully stopped and, in theory, increases fuel efficiency by reducing engine idling when the car is stopped, e.g. at a stoplight or in stop-and-go traffic. While there is a button to disable it, this button has to be pressed each time you turn the car on and cannot be permanently disabled. We try to remember to always press the button and disable the feature but occasionally forget and don't realize we haven't disabled it until we come to a stop somewhere and the feature engages and the engine shuts off. Aei would just be a nuisance if it worked 100% of the time as it is designed to work but, unfortunately, it doesn't. when it works and the brake pedal is fully depressed, the engine is automatically idled, and then as you begin to lift your foot off the brake pedal, the engine quickly turns back on, you're already in drive, and you go. However, on what seems to be a completely random and unpredictable basis, sometimes when you begin to lift your foot off the brake pedal, rather than having the engine restart automatically, the entire car just goes dead. At this point, you have to frantically put the car in park and completely restart the engine. If you're lucky, this happens quickly and you're not stuck in a compromised spot with no one bearing down on you from behind but by its design you are somewhere you need and want to be moving from quickly, and it has happened at the exact moment when you try to accelerate. This has happened to both myself and my wife a handful of times in scary situations. Read all the other complaints on the internet - no service rep anywhere has an explanation. This needs to get solved before people die, if they haven't already. See updated version, too many characters.

- Arlington, VA, USA

This is in regards to the idle stop "feature" of the Honda Pilot. When the vehicle comes to a full stop, the engine cuts off in order to save fuel like it's supposed to. However, when it is time to move again, the vehicle randomly stalls causing the car to completely turn off. This can be potentially fatal as the brakes then do not engage fully (car is off) and a message appears in console saying "to start engine: Press brake and push (engine on)". this is most definitely a safety issue especially if this happens in the middle of traffic. Honda says it is not covered under any warranty. This behavior is random and unpredictable.

- Katy, TX, USA

Vehicle hesitation between 1st and 2nd at 1000 to 2000 RPM's. loosing power...

- Patillas, PR, USA