10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,593 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #128

Jan 212020

Pilot

  • miles
We purchased our 2020 Honda Pilot in January 2020. Shortly we heard popping sounds in the windshield. It became more frequent so we called our local Honda service and they didn-??t know what was wrong. Later we called another Honda service and they knew what was wrong. We took our car in and they replaced some part in the radio electrical unit. It lasted a year and started doing the same thing again. Popping sounds and our display network would black out the whole screen as before. We lose our gps and backup camera and also no radio. We called Honda and they said it was the wiring harness and we would have to pay for it ourselves. There have been law suits filed against Honda for this very thing. Other owners have had the same problem we are still having. The popping sounds are very distracting while driving. Honda said it was out of warranty even though it-??s the same problem we started having soon after buying our car which was brand new.

- Beaver Dam, KY, USA

problem #127

Jan 212023

Pilot

  • miles
The entire infotainment screen shuts off, screen goes dark. So far it turns back on with no issues. The problem is intermittent. The USB phone connection also intermittently looses the connection. Sometimes it reconnects, other times I have to disconnect the phone and reconnect. I have changed the usb wire...same problem

- Travelers Rest, SC, USA

problem #126

Jul 132022

Pilot

  • miles
In two, separate, instances the vehicle exhibited sudden acceleration with the brake pedal depressed. The first instance was, as the 2020 Honda Pilot was pulling into a driveway and was approximately 10 feet behind another vehicle parked in the driveway. With the brake pedal being depressed, as one does when parking, the 2020 Honda Pilot suddenly accelerated and struck the rear of the other vehicle. The automatic braking system was never deployed. The second instance was when the 2020 Honda Pilot was on a city street and was parked behind another vehicle on the right side of the street against the curb. The 2020 Honda Pilot was approximately 10 feet behind another vehicle parked against the curb. With the brake pedal being depressed, as one does when parking, the 2020 Honda Pilot suddenly accelerated and struck the rear of the other vehicle, driving it over the curb and into the yard of a house. The automatic braking system was never deployed. These incidents happened, almost exactly, one year apart on clear summer days when the temperature and humidity were almost identical. The 2020 Honda Pilot was inspected by a private crash expert company to obtain any crash data but found none, as the data is not recorded unless the air bags are deployed. An incident was reported to Honda who had a representative drive the 2020 Honda Pilot and "could not replicate the sudden acceleration". All safety features were running at the time of both crashes. The crashes occurred on 7/24/21 and 7/13/22.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #125

Dec 042022

Pilot

  • miles
Auto start/stop feature failed to restart vehicle and shifted to Neutral when foot was taken off the brake. Collision Mitigation Warning lights came on after vehicle power was shut off and turned back on to restart the motor.

- Galena, OH, USA

problem #124

Aug 172022

Pilot

  • miles
There is a popping and crackling sound that comes from the speakers whether it is on or off. When this occurs the infotainment system, rear entertainment system, and blue tooth stops working. This happens every single time the vehicle is used. This causes distracting driving because the noises happen all of a sudden when driving. Second problem-the car seems to shut off and turn back on by itself after pressing the gas when its on auto idle shut off. For a few seconds when I let go of the brake peddle, instead of turning on from the auto idle shut off it just shuts off, then I press the gas and it turns on. It has done this several times that it is concerning and I fear it can cause an accident if it moves forward when I think it shut off on its own.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #123

Oct 152022

Pilot

  • miles
The Honda Auto Start Stop system has been taxing my battery through daily use and creates unsafe situations. On more than one occasion, similar to the following, I have experienced the Honda Pilot stop the engine via the A.S.S. System. Upon releasing the brake, the system attempts, but fails, to come to ignition and the electrical system lacks the ability to start the engine, creating a need to re-start (or attempt restart). On 1 such occasion, my family was traveling through a city on the interstate. After driving on the interstate for a few hours we came to a stop light and stopped. At the green light, upon releasing the brake, the Honda Pilot attempted to start again and failed. The car went completely dead in the middle of a 4 lane interstate with my family inside. The car did not start again until the 3rd time attempting to restart the vehicle. Approximately 10 seconds later than intended, we were able to clear our vehicle from the interstate intersection. On normal occasions, such as the course of business with the Honda A.S.S. System, driving in situations that would be categorized as "start/Stop" situations, the Honda A.S.S. System leads to stalled response and delayed lurching into traffic creating situations due to the delay in response. Multiple times this has been reported to my dealer. They acknowledge it as a "Battery" problem. They test my battery per HONDA WARRANTY and tell me it "Passes". They basically are just charging my battery and sending me out the door. The time between vehicle events is decreasing. Please help address this obvious vehicle shortcoming. There is no permanent means to disable it. Thank you.

- Jasper, IN, USA

problem #122

Oct 282022

Pilot

  • miles
Third time now that my speakers have been popping and crackling. All this leads to "Network Connection Lost" and the entire NAV screen goes black, also the main dashboard display sometimes...very unsafe. First couple of repairs were the connectors in the dash being replaced. This time my dealer has to call Honda for authorization. Received a call from dealer this morning that my battery was dead and this cleared out all of the warning codes, how convenient and it's only 3 years old. Now it needs to be kept until the warning codes "possibly" come back.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #121

Oct 272022

Pilot

  • miles
Frightening experiences with Auto Engine Idle Stop feature. My local mechanic, as well as the dealership where I purchased my brand new 2020 Honda Pilot Elite AWD were unable to address the issue. Have been experiencing electrical failures associated with my AEIS for about a year that have gotten progressively worse. At first, once disengaging from AEIS at a red light (by releasing my foot from the brake pedal) the radio would shut off and switch back on, but to AM radio. What seemed like a few months later, when AEIS was disengaging, my whole dashboard went blank and I received a message to "Shift to Park + restart engine". I have tried to be diligent in turning off AEIS immediately after starting my vehicle, but in the few times I have forgotten, and my AEIS has failed, the dashboard goes blank and the car shifts to neutral (indicated by the red light becoming illuminated around N). My local mechanic looked at this issue in June of 2022, and said that my battery was only holding a 30% charge, so we replaced it. After my most recent Pilot engine electrical failure, I called Honda, and was advised to contact my dealership since I was still covered by the powertrain warranty (<60k miles). To have a vehicle stalled in the middle of the road, once on I75 in stopped traffic in downtown Atlanta, is an OBVIOUS safety hazard. I was trusting HONDA with my family's safety when I purchased my Pilot, but that trust has been lost. Today, November 01, the dealer told me my battery was bad; it's less than 5 months old, mind you. Went straight to my mechanic, they ran a diagnostic on my battery, and was told it's fine. Called Honda Corporate and set up a case investigation today.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #120

Oct 202022

Pilot

  • miles
The Auto Engine Idle function has been problematic for a while now, causing the engine to stall. It seems to have gotten progressively worse and now happens whenever I forget to disengage the Auto Engine Idle. One time in the spring of 2021, my husband had pulled into the intersection and was waiting for the chance to turn, only to find the engine stall and not respond to anything. It took a good almost two minutes of turning off the engine and trying to push the power button back on. It finally did turn on so we did not need a tow, but it was extremely scary to be in the middle of an intersection with a stalled engine. Subsequently the engine stalled a couple of times, briefly flashing an error message on the dashboard before shifting into Neutral on its own and then indicating to shift into Park. I have had the diagnostic test ($99) done at the Honda dealership (Dublin, OH) and was told that they could not replicate the engine stall and that there were no error records recorded in the engine log. A few times, the engine seemed to hesitate like it was on its way to stalling after being in Auto Idle Engine mode, but would start up when I released the brake. Today the engine stalled again when I was at a red light, briefly displaying an error mode and then shifting into Neutral on its own again. I had to power off the car, and try the engine start push button a few times before it finally powered on. I am constantly worried about the engine stalling, which is not a pleasant experience. It is scary to think the engine could stall while driving the kids somewhere.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #119

Oct 082022

Pilot 6-cyl

  • miles
engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged. I was at an intersection at 10:30pm and it was extremely dangerous as my car would not start and was completely black. I could not even turn on hazards or put the car in nuetral to move out of the way. I had to call 911 and have the police assist. My car was towed to the dealership and I am waiting for an update. This will be the 4th time I have had my vehicle there for service for an electrical issue.

- Bourbonnais, IL, USA

problem #118

Oct 032022

Pilot

  • miles
My vehicle has had repeated instances of the audio "infotainment" system causing loud, unexpected popping and crackling noises. During these instances, the infotainment system sometimes quits working completely and often the handsfree telephone function quits working. When this occurs, the volume control and audio on off button have no effect whatsoever. It can occur with or without my telephone connected to the system. The only way to temporarily correct the condition (and it only works sometimes) is to pull off the road, turn the car off completely, and then restart it. This issue has occurred during three seperate time periods, and each time, it has progressed from intermittent to continuous. The first time I took it to the dealer and they replaced some small wiring harness connectors. The second time, they had a Honda Field Engineer look at the car and replaced the entire dashboard harness system (July 2022). Then today, it began doing it again. I have reported this to my Honda Dealer (Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach, FL) and they said they are contacting Honda for more information

- Deerfield Beach, FL, USA

problem #117

Jul 292022

Pilot

  • miles
When I drive the 2020 Honda Pilot it has started to make a cracking noise when I turn or go over any bumps in the road. It cuts off navigation and phone conversations from my infotainment system. The cracking noise happens if the system is on or off. It makes it difficult to even carry on a conversation with someone in the car. Not what I expected when I paid over $40k.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #116

Sep 202022

Pilot

  • miles
When stopped at a red light, the car went into idle stop mode. When I released the brake, the car did not restart. The electrical flashed. An error message was displayed to put the car in park, press the brake and engine restart button. That did not resolve the problem. The car would not start. We could not shift it from park to move it. I was in the traffic lane on the down side of an overpass with limited visibility behind me. I was concerned about getting rear ended. The car had to be towed and the battery replaced. The original Honda dealership performs all routine maintenance with the most recent service in June 2022. There has been no prior indication that the battery was weak or needed to be replaced.

- Brandon, MS, USA

problem #115

Sep 062022

Pilot

  • miles
I have owned the 2020 Honda Pilot Touring since Jan.2021. Up till now, theses similar situations have happened 4-5 times. It always happens when I am gradually slowing down to a complete stop at crossroads. My 2020 Honda Pilot has shut off a few times while stopping at a red light. Each time has been after coming to a complete stop at a red light and sitting there for a couple minutes. Suddenly there is a beep sound and the engine shuts down. Only the entertainment system is left on. The gear changes to N by itself and I am unable to change it to any other gear. With my foot on the brake, trying to change the gear and trying turn off the car for about 3 minute in the middle of traffic with my kids in the car, eventually I was able to shut off the engine completely off. I immediately try restart the car to avoid a car accident. It put itself in N (neural) and the dashboard screen said -??Put it in P (Park) and hit bottom to restart car.-?? The car wouldn-??t let me push anything. The power button did nothing and even if you pushed the P for park it stayed in N. The battery light immediately came on when this happened also. And went away as soon as it worked again. I scheduled an appointment after the third time the this happen leaving the car for them to run tests. They ran the tests and when I returned to pick it up, the technician said they tested the battery, wiring, and engine and that everything was good. Nothing was provided to me but they did show me the report as they talked about the results I am sure I can obtain if requested. They almost changed me for the testing but waived the fee which I was thankful. I am concerned and at times scared for the safety of my kids and I. I really hope Honda finds a fix for this and recalls for whatever the issues are as quickly as possible. I like the car but it really is making me want to get a new car and never purchase from Honda again.

- Centerton, AR, USA

problem #114

Sep 092022

Pilot

  • miles
Stop/start system shutdown the engine and failed to restart while at stop light. It occurred twice on 9/8/2022 and twice on 9/9/2022.

- Plymouth, MI, USA

problem #113

Sep 072022

Pilot

  • miles
I understand there may be an investigation of Honda's stop-start system, the system which is meant to improve fuel economy by shutting the engine off when the vehicle comes to a stop. I experienced this one (1) time while stopping at a traffic light, date unknown. The engine went off, as it was supposed to, but when I took my foot off the brake and pressed on the accelerator nothing happened, the engine had not restarted. I attempted to restart the car by pressing on the start button but since I was in Drive it wouldn't start. I think I tried to shift the transmission into Park (it's been several months since the incident) but I'm not sure if it shifted or not. I turned the car off by pressing the start button, waited briefly and then pressed the start button again to start, which it did. I shifted into drive and pulled away. That was a long time, probably not as long as it seemed, sitting at the light as others were going around me or blowing their horn at me. I have not had any further incidents since that time but wanted to register this one with you.

- Parrish, FL, USA

problem #112

Aug 122022

Pilot

  • miles
Issues with infotainment system, a continuous crackling sound, sounds like electric spark. This occurs for several days and now the system is not working and this affects the operation of backup camera.

- Tinley Park, IL, USA

problem #111

Aug 012022

Pilot

  • miles
Vehicle has died when at a stop light, would not automatically restart. Days later the vehicle-??s electrical system would not allow the car to start, many code warnings on display. Have had it towed. Battery would not jump and vehicle would not shift into neutral. Found out it needed a specialized tool only the Honda service had.

- Manhattan , KS, USA

problem #110

Jul 282022

Pilot

  • miles
died and switched into neutral by itself, wouldnt start or switch into drive mode- in the middle of a busy intersection! it was scary and dangerous trunk doesn't open/close properly Infotainment center dies unexpectedly, freezes, won't restart on it's own. Have to pull over and restart car a few times or let the car sit off for a while speakers crackle at random times Took the car numerous times to Marin Honda, the computer they plug the car into showed "no codes" so they said there wasn't an issue. No warning lights of any kind. electrical just shuts down

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #109

Jul 112022

Pilot

  • miles
Vehicle shut down and failed to start at stoplight. It was as of it shifted off or in to neutral. Battery light showed red when initially tried to restart. Finally engine started after tuning off and back on again. I believe it was a failure of the auto engine stop system currently under investigation. It has had repeated issues lately getting going at stop lights but this was the first couple shutdown

- Happy Valley, OR, USA

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