2020 Honda Pilot other reported problems

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My air conditioning system has gone out for the third time in 6 years. First one was at 38k miles and was the compressor, which contaminated the system, requiring a system replacement. Second time was at 98k miles and was the condenser, which required a whole system replacement. Third time happend at 148k miles and is the compressor, which will result in another full system replacement. The compressor is locked up which will cause the serpentine belt to fail, unless I keep the AC off. I have not yet had this fixed, however I'm very frustrated that this has happened 3 times. A serpentine belt failure can potentially cause a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11745867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

If I leave the auto idle engine stop on,and come to a complete stop, the auto engine stop turns on, but as I release the brake to drive, the vehicle stalls in drive and engine shuts down. I will have to manually turn the car back on and restart the whole system before being allowed to continue. All while at a green light and a ton of traffic waiting behind me to move! Its very disappointing and embarrassing. The failure happened about 5 days after purchase. I just assumed it was a bug, and always turn it off before starting my drive.

NHTSA complaint #11739590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Paint failure - rear roof panel. Paint chips flaking off. NOT a gradual failure, clear coat in good condition. No skuff marks or damage prior. Large paint chips pealing off exposing bare metal. Paint color : Modern steel metallic

NHTSA complaint #11730911 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Infotainment center making popping and cracking sounds during every drive. System will completely shut down and not work at all. No access to navigation, phone or infotainment center at all. Audio will completely cut out during music and phone calls.

NHTSA complaint #11726111 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

February 2026 the air when the AC was on did not seem very cold then about 3 weeks later AC was not putting out any cold air. 3/18/26 took vehicle to local Honda dealership where they ran diagnostics with results showing "black death on the low and high side ports." Dealer recommends replacing entire AC system and then recharged.

NHTSA complaint #11725861 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Transmission is sluggish and the RPM’s fluctuate between 1200 and 1400 at any speed going back and forth so the car has a back and fourth motion. Engine failure on 12/3/25 car stopped while driving. Makes a loud knocking sound. Most likely faulty bearings due to poorly engineered camshaft. White pear paint peeling since I purchased car. Capital Honda in San Jose unable to address any issue saying nothing is covered under warranty. These issues where taking place even while under warranty.

NHTSA complaint #11703275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This is about the auto stop/start feature that kicks in when you are stopped in traffic or at a stoplight. The car shuts down and is supposed to restart. Twice now, the car has refused to restart when I took my foot off the break. I had to turn the car off, open the door, and close the door and restart the car. I have no shut off that feature.

NHTSA complaint #11696306 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My battery died while the vehicle was parked. I needed to physically move the vehicle but could not because the electronic button shifter would not allow me to put the transmission in Neutral. The only way to move it out of Park is a lengthy process requiring tools, engine component removals and a manual shifting of the linkage using a long wrench. My solution, was I had to leave the vehicle unattended, call a friend, get tools and replace the battery while blocking traffic. Safety concerns were that the vehicle was blocking traffic at a business and no documentation by Honda of how to fix or even shift the vehicle into Neutral. Now consider if someone has to try and manually tow the vehicle while in Park! I replaced the battery myself, but this is a well documented issue with electronic shifters, that will never make a dealership or service departments records or statistics! There was no warning of the failure, or battery light illuminating. Previous vehicle inspections at the dealership gave no indication that the battery was failing.

NHTSA complaint #11694216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The 'infotainment system; which in includes the navigation system and backup camera and sensors suddenly goes black. I may first get a black screen with "network Communications lost" message, then it goes black or get a message that says "unfortunately, com.honda.tuner has stopped". It started happening after I had to replace the batter. This was the 2nd replacement battery I've had to install. I had the battery replaced in March, 2025 at my honda dealer, and before I even got home I started getting the messages. Sometimes, the infotainment system may come back, other times, it does not come back. If I pull over, shut the car down, wait a few mintues, open the door and then close the door, it may come back when I start the car up again. I took it to the dealer - they could not figure out the problem and said that maybe replacing the tuner for 1600 would help, but they would not guarantee it. I've contact American Honda and lodged a complaint in June 2025 but so far it has not even been assigned to a manager.

NHTSA complaint #11687419 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I am the original owner of my Honda Pilot and have always taken the vehicle to Honda dealerships for all scheduled maintenance and service. On [XXX], I noticed the air conditioning was blowing only warm air, with no cold air at all. I scheduled an appointment at Germain Honda in Beavercreek, Ohio, where the vehicle was inspected on July 28, 2025. I was informed that the A/C system had suffered what is often called “A/C black death” and that the entire A/C system would need replacement at a cost of $6,753.93. I was also told that no parts were available and that I would be contacted when they became available. I have not been contacted since. When I asked why this happened, I was told it was rare and that I was just unlucky. However, my own research has shown that many Honda Pilot owners (and likely Ridgeline owners as well) have experienced the same failure, sometimes repeatedly, even after dealer repairs. Honda has issued recalls and extended warranties for A/C failures in other models such as the Civic and CR-V, but not for the Pilot, despite widespread reports. This is a serious safety issue. Where I live, July and August were extremely hot. The lack of A/C made the vehicle unsafe to operate, as every year children and pets tragically die in overheated vehicles. Driving without functional A/C in extreme heat creates a health hazard for families. I was unable to use my vehicle at all during these peak summer months. My Pilot has fewer than 100,000 miles, has been well maintained, and should not have suffered a complete A/C system failure this early in its life. Honda has clearly known about systemic A/C issues in multiple models yet has not taken responsibility for Pilot owners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.

NHTSA complaint #11685039 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

All safety features on the dashboard have lit up all are constantly on. Honda America states no open recall, I see many forums for Honda owners having this issue that also impacts safety

NHTSA complaint #11684380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Since purchasing the vehicle there was a leak under the driver's side console after heavy rains. After multiple trips to the dealer they directed us to replace the windshield. We did so (under protest). The leak still existed. The dealership determined that there was a gap at the A pillar. We worry that this is related to the Sturcture recall about missing welds. Honda will not admit to any issue.

NHTSA complaint #11683081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

complaint of water leak from the front windshield, water leaks into the front floorboard. It is a known 2023 Honda Pilot issue dated 5.18.23, but the 2020 has the same leak

NHTSA complaint #11670297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

No incident. Turned my car on and the ACC, LKAS, Collision mitigation and brake system lights all are amber.

NHTSA complaint #11666031 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Crackling sounds coming from the front of the car similar to the original recall in 2020 and the front digital panel is not functioning and shutting down endangering the drive by not displaying information. My recall was cleared but the malfunction seems to have returned.

NHTSA complaint #11655583 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The auto start/stop on my car will cause my car to not restart when I’m at a stoplight. This has happened multiple times. I have to remember to turn off the auto start/Stop function every time I get in the vehicle. It will shut my whole car down and take several seconds for me to be able to turn the car back on putting me at risk when I’m stopped in traffic. It has happened multiple times since May 2024.

NHTSA complaint #11651767 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The sun roof shattered without provocation while driving in the interstate. Glass showered in the cabin to the driver, front passenger and floor in the back seat. Temp outside was between 55-57F. Inside cabin heat in system was at 69F. Seat warmer were on. It was raining at the time of incident between 2:30-3:15pm. I (driver) was very shaken by incident but did not lost control of steering. Initially could not correlate explosion like sound to location. Thought it was in rear of car but upon feeling rain and recognition of glass in the cabin realized it was the sunroof. Vehicle was at around 60-65mph in 70mph. This is memorable as GPS send notification of speed checks on zone prior to incident. Car in front was very far ( more than 10 car lengths) in two lane road. Car in rear was also at about 2 car lengths. Not reported to insurance as deductible is higher than cost of repair. Did not reported to police as no other vehicle involved and no loss of vehicle control. Definitely a safety risk. Both passengers were wearing glasses, and long sleeves due to weather and glass was all over driver and Passeger. Explosion sound was terrifying and unsettling. No warning lights or sounds noted prior to the incident. Car had been driven the day before. Car is always stored in garage. This was first drive of day for car.

NHTSA complaint #11637830 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Every week or two, sometimes multiple times in same week, the 2020 honda pilot would turn on randomly in accessory mode where headlights would come on and/or infotainment/radio would come up, or alarm/horns would go on by themselves. Often in the middle of the night when car was in a garage. Sometimes during the day. New vechicle battery was replaced 2 months earlier. Batterries in key fobs were replace but issue continued. Honda dealership diagnosed it as keyless access unit letting voltage through transistor waking ignition switch and recommended replacement of keyless access unit. 2020 pilot was 4 years old with 55,832 miles. Appears to be a common issue/complaint on online forums with replacement of remote keyless access control unit. Dealership replaced unit 19 days ago.

NHTSA complaint #11625857 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2020 Honda Pilot with 80000 miles. A car i loved and had for over a year. I was driving from Florida to Texas. Everything was fine when I started. About 600 miles down I was at 70 mph and had to go little faster to overtake a truck because the shoulder was too small and my lane is about merge in to truck lane. There were at-least 10 vehicles behind me. I hit the accelerator pedal all the way until it touched frame but the engine is not at all responding and slowly losing power. The lane I was in was about to merge in to truck lane. I had to hit brakes with vehicles behind me but some how i managed to not get hit by them. It could have gone worse.

NHTSA complaint #11621313 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Car shuts off when going into idle when at a traffic stop or in traffic. Does not restart. Completely shuts off goes into neutral then park and have to press brake and start the car again. Has happens 4 times in last 2 weeks.

NHTSA complaint #11616532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The backup camera on my 2020 Honda Pilot shows green and purple blobs on the image. These colors make it very difficult for me to safely use the camera to back up. The guiding lines are hard to see and images of objects or people beside or behind the car are covered by these green and purple colors. This is very dangerous. I have seen online that many others have the same issue. I have completed the recall of the cables to the camera but that did not address this issue. The camera is almost useless now. All other images on the dash screen are fine.

NHTSA complaint #11600599 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The water is leaking from the Driver- Side rail beween the diver window and from windshield. I took it to Honda dealer they told me windshield issue need to replace it. As recommend i replaced the windshield and the water is pouring from it during the rain. Issue still exist. I reached out several mechnics they told me it is body issue from sun/moon roof.

NHTSA complaint #11598215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When the vehicle comes to a stop and the auto-engine-start-stop feature is engaged, the vehicle will shift itself into neutral and will not disengage until you shut off the vehicle and turn it back on.

NHTSA complaint #11593410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While stopped at a red traffic light after taking a freeway exit with one foot on the brake, my 2020 Honda Pilot engaged in auto stop (auto idle stop). When the traffic light turned green, I took my foot off of the brake, the vehicle attempted to start but stalled with the electrical components still on (dashboard indicators and ventilation still on). I stepped on the brake and attempted to put the vehicle in park, but noticed the vehicle would not shift out of neutral. I pressed the start/stop button (ignition) and the dashboard indicators flashed but the engine did not start until the second attempt. Somewhere in between, I pressed the emergency lights to indicate to drivers behind me of an issue. About 15-20 seconds had lapsed during my troubleshooting attempt. Prior to this event, there were at least 8 individual events where when the auto start/stop was engaged and disengaged, the dashboard would flash warning signals for a fraction of a second with an audible warning sound. Dashboard warnings flashed on and off too quickly to clearly see what was being displayed. A short delay in restarting the vehicle from idle stop would occur, about 1-2 seconds but the car would then proceed and run as usual.

NHTSA complaint #11591284 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The problem is with the fuel system. My vehicle has stopped in traffic twice already.

NHTSA complaint #11590850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My rearview camera guidelines are a mile off. Honda allegedly can't do anything to fix this. This could cause an unnecessary accident or cause a person to hit a pedestrian. Especially when it's as bad as this vehicle is. I'm talking 1.5 feet that's it's wrong.

NHTSA complaint #11586247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The recurring malfunctions in my vehicle's front screen system have repeatedly endangered me, especially when it suddenly blacks out while navigating unfamiliar roads or during backing maneuvers. Additionally, the faulty front vehicle sensor has caused my vehicle to halt abruptly, even when no obstacles are present. Despite numerous visits to the dealer, the issues persist, and their repeated requests to bring it in have yielded no solutions. Since purchasing the vehicle new in 2020, these persistent safety concerns have become increasingly dangerous as they are getting worse. I have attempted to contact Honda with no resolution

NHTSA complaint #11582684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Windows Down and Sunroof Open randomly if the unlock button on the FOB is pushed too long. This can happen then the FOB is in your pocket. I have found my car with the windows all open. Casuing the possiblity of the car being stolen, or worse this can happen and if it rains it an damage the car. Dealer says this cannot be disabled

NHTSA complaint #11580019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Passenger side floor soaked. Dealer said it was a grommet that was missing on ac line and was fixed. However the issue is still happening. Had to replace carpet and most likely will have to again. And the problem is still not fixed.

NHTSA complaint #11569696 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.