10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,697 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #143

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 #142

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 #141

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 #140

Jun 112022

Pilot

  • miles
Engine doesn't starts automatically when using auto stop feature. It has happen multiple times and decided to turn off the feature completely. What happens is when using auto stop feature and if the pilot is at signal light it stops the engine. but when you lift up the break instead of vehicle to starts back up it doesn't and in fact we have to press start engine to turn on the pilot. taked to dealer about it but they say nothing is wrong with the car and never heard about it. in fact the battery seems fine to as per the dealer.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #139

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 #138

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 #137

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 #136

May 072022

Pilot

  • miles
Vehicle failed to restart after stopping at a stop light while auto stop feature was on (defaults on). Had to completely turn off vehicle and restart it for it engine to fire back up.

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #135

Jun 122022

Pilot

  • miles
The start/stop feature on our 2017 Honda Pilot Touring has failed continuously since we owned it. The vehicle stalls when trying to re-start from the traffic signal, leaving angry drivers behind us. We now turn it off to prevent recurrence. Our local Honda dealer in Fort Walton Beach has changed a switch, but the problem continues. Their next "guess" is to change the battery, which tests good otherwise

- Niceville, FL, USA

problem #134

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 #133

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 #132

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 #131

Jun 102021

Pilot

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while coming to a stop at a traffic light or traffic sign, the vehicle shut off while the vehicle was stopped. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated as soon as the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that it took several attempts to restart the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the failure and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact had the battery replaced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Maplewood, NJ, USA

problem #130

Jun 092022

Pilot

  • miles
My 2017 Honda Pilot Elite is equipped with an auto idle/stop functionality. I depress the brake all the way (at a full stop) and the engine temporarily turns off. Much like the other 200+ complaints you received, I'm also experiencing the issue where the car stalls after I remove my foot from the brake (so that the engine turns on again). Sometimes the electrical system "resets" (sounds like everything clicks off and then on again), but recently I have had the car stall (more than once). Additionally, the other day when this happened the car "shuddered." A couple of times I've had to turn off the car completely and then turn it on again. Fortunately, I have not needed a jumpstart.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #129

May 272022

Pilot

  • miles
During auto start/stop car will not restart when the brake is release.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #128

Apr 022022

Pilot

  • miles
The system that has failed involves the auto-idle feature which is automatically engaged when the car is turned on, and operates by putting the car into idle and turns off the engine when the vehicle is stopped; when the brake is released, the engine is supposed to automatically restart. However, in our vehicle, when the brake is released, the car stalls. Sometimes it cannot be restarted for several minutes. This is extremely unsafe, as it has happened in bumper to bumper traffic, and at traffic lights, where the car stall unexpectedly, then we are stranded in traffic and this puts the occupants of our car at risk, as well as the occupants in cars around us who don't know that we are stalled and are expecting our vehicle to continue in traffic. We reported this to our local Honda dealer, and they said that they have not heard of this problem and don't know what is causing it. The car has not been inspected by others. There have been no warning signs that this will occur. We are able to manually disable the auto idle feature when we turn on the engine, so that the car will not stall. This is what we generally do every time we drive our car. If we forget, the car stalls after we brake at a full stop then release the brake. We don't recall the date that this first occurred, but it has happened at least a dozen times over the past several months or longer. The date below is the date of a recent incident when the car stalled at a traffic light on a high speed road and we were unable to start the car for several minutes. We had four occupants in the car at the time.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #127

May 012019

Pilot

  • miles
The auto-stop and -start function is not working correctly. When I am stopped at a light or in traffic and the auto-stop engages, the engine sometimes refuses to start back up when I take my foot off the brake and put it on the gas. It has been dangerous when the light turns green and my engine won't start. I've had to tell other cars to go around me. Usually I have had to turn off my SUV and try to re-start it several times before the engine finally turns on again. This started happening about a year or two after I got the 2017 model year SUV (new in May of 2018). When I first told Honda about it, my service tech told me he thought it was the battery, and he had it replaced. That solved the problem temporarily (for many months maybe close to a year). The issue started happening again and I went to Honda asking for another battery based on what happened the last time. They tested the battery and said it was fine. They could not explain why the auto-stop -start function wasn't working properly, but suggested I may be hitting the gas too soon (which I disagree with because I didn't change my driving habits after the battery was replaced the first time and the problem went away for a short while). The problem keeps happening, so I have to remember to turn off the auto-stop and -start manually every time before I drive to prevent it.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #126

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 #125

Apr 012022

Pilot

  • miles
I just read an article which says the FEDS are investigating Honda Pilot SUV engine failures. The compliant being that the fuel-saving stop-start system on some Honda Pilot SUVs can fail to restart. I personally have experienced this issue at least three or four times in my Honda Pilot. For this reason, I do not use the fuel-saving stop-start system anymore. However, when I did experience the issue it was exactly as described in the article. I was at a stop light. I took my foot off the brake and the engine did not restart. I was fumbling pushing buttons trying to get the car to start. I would turn on my emergency blinkers to let cars know I was experiencing a problem. I think eventually I turned the engine start button on and off and the car started. I had complained and expressed my frustration with the Honda repair people when I took my car in for regular servicing. They were either not really aware of the issue or not concerned. After reading the article, I wanted to let you know that I have experienced the issue. I think if other people were aware there was an investigation they might come forward to. I didn't want you to think it was only 221 people that had experienced it as stated in the article, because perhaps the problem is more wide spread that we are aware of. Honestly, it is a very uncomfortable feeling to be stuck a stop light with a car that won't move and you have no idea why.

- Carmichael, CA, USA

problem #124

Jun 092022

Pilot

  • miles
I would like to formally report an issue with my 2017 Honda Pilot Touring's auto stop/start feature. I have had several scary incidents where my Honda would not restart at an intersection or on the highway due to high traffic and needed to stop. This is very scary and it is not easy to restart with the fear of getting rear ended by vehicles approaching. With the push button start feature it can be very difficult under stress to re-start your vehicle when the auto stop/start features stalls and needs to be restarted. My wife refuses to drive my car and the inability to permanently turn off the feature creates risk if you don't manually turn it off after starting the vehicle each time.

- Yorktown, VA, USA

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