15 of the 347 complaints about the 2025 Honda Pilot are about the throttle and cruise control — 4% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 10,000 miles.
15
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle displayed a check engine light with a message stating an emissions issue. The car would accelerate on its own up to 10-15mph without any input to the throttle. Braking was extremely difficult and the car could not accelerate over 40 mph. My wife was driving and my 6 week old daughter was in the car.
NHTSA complaint #11753104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
At least 4 times since we bought this vehicle in 2025, it has suddenly braked very hard, and very suddenly at highway speeds. This has always happened when using the car's adaptive cruise control, and when I am passing a large vehicle (semi truck, pickup with large camper, etc). This has happened at relatively high highway speeds (85 mph) when vehicles are behind me in the passing lane. The problem has never been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer, although I have complained about it twice. The first time, they said they lowered the sensitivity of the crash detection. The second time they showed me how to manually turn off adaptive cruise control manually. There was no prior warning when this happened, no lights or messages. This has happened about 4 times since Fall of 2025. The date below is approximately the last time, and the last location that this happened.
NHTSA complaint #11751990 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while attempted to park the vehicle into a park spot occupied with her husband and granddaughter in the vehicle, the vehicle acceleratored independently causing the vehicle to crash into a brick wall. The contact stated that no air bags were deployed in her vehicle. The contact stated her granddaughter sustained a cut near her right eyebrow. No medical attention was required. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was towed to a collision center. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and they are investigating the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11735895 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Adaptive cruise control fails nearly every time the car is driven more than 40 minutes with ACC activated. Failure indicated by warning lights and statement on DIC. DIC instructs operator to clean the front "H" emblem on grille, however, the emblem is always completely clean. The failure has been reported 4+ times to the dealership. Dealership reports the failure is a known problem and there is no fix available from Honda. Upon system shut down the vehicle disengages cruise control and has rapid deceleration causing unsafe driving conditions while in traffic. System usually resets itself without cleaning or other remedies within 10-20 minutes after fail, and will usually fail again +/- 40 minutes later. ACC is marketed as part of the Driver safety system and is unreliable. first occurrence was at 670 miles since new. Car now has < 10k miles and has failed 12+ times.
NHTSA complaint #11732094 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACC and road departure mitigation system would become disabled for no apparent reason. A message would display on the instrument panel that there is a problem, to see your dealer. Also, a collision mitigation braking system problem would display on the instrument panel with a brake system warning light. A display on the instrument panel would show an area to clean (Honda emblem on front grill). I tried to clean this area several times to no avail. The weather was clear and warm when this occurred. The system has returned to normal on its own.
NHTSA complaint #11728269 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was pulling into an open available parking space in a hospital parking garage and the car just all of a sudden accelerated ON ITS OWN and hit the wall of parking spot. I tried to apply the brake several times before I could finally get it to stop and during this time the car was slamming into the wall area and slinging me back and forth a few times before it stopped. My life was put at risk because i got hurt badly I am brusied all over my neck, chest, legs and lots of internal brusing from the hitting of the wall repeatedly. If anyone else would've been in the car they would've been hurt as well but luckily i just dropped a passenger right before the incident. The car speeding up without warning is very dangerous! There were no warnings. I just bought the car 2 weeks before this happened and now I am scared to drive this vehicle! Vehicle has been inspected unknown if anything was found yet. I need to get the black box checked out to find out what caused this to happen.
NHTSA complaint #11718258 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Some Drive Assist Systems cannot operate: Clean Area shown. This message keeps appearing without any weather factors or anything to cause it. Happens nearly daily while using adaptive cruise. Then the next day without doing anything (like cleaning area) it starts working.
NHTSA complaint #11711706 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
This is an update to my previous entry regarding my 2025 Honda Pilot. The car dealership brought the Pilot back to us in February, 2025, stating there was nothing more they could do and told us it was unfixable. From February until current, we continue to experience the same safety concerns: We will be driving it on the highway, going 70 mph, the Pilot brakes hard to half its speed, and all safety features are disabled. Every single time we drive it. We are left with only the gas and brakes. It will randomly come back to full function, sometimes it takes 15 minutes, sometimes it's 45 minutes. This occurs in clear weather where nothing is blocking the radar. We are fearful that it's only a matter of time before we get hit from behind. There is no way to disengage the Adaptive Cruise Control in this vehicle and have standard cruise control. Honda has stated that it is not "unsafe enough" for them to help us. I never imagined I would spend this kind of money on a new vehicle and be fearful of driving it. And that there is no solution to fix it. They took our money and have been completely unethical.
NHTSA complaint #11709945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Without any advance warning, at times our Lane Departure Warning system turns off with occasionally having the cruise control suddenly disengage. This could be a real problem when your not expecting it. Emailed Honda and they stated that there was no fix for it.
NHTSA complaint #11692116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
When i stepped on the gas after starting the car, my car suddenly accelerated and there this 25 mph warning popped up in my dashboard. After stepping my brake the car slowed down but I can still see the 25 mph on the dashboard.
NHTSA complaint #11688280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While driving on the highway my vehicle out of nowhere activated the automatic collision break system. The breaks were activated or pressed automatically and my vehicle had a sudden jerk becase of the quick, sudden drop in speed. The car had an immediate drop in speed about 20-30 mph then resumed to pick up speed to the original speed eventually picking up to normal speeds.
NHTSA complaint #11682107 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The cruise control quits intermittently while driving. It has since November 2024. The Honda Dealer says they do not have a fix. It increases driver fatigue and it surprises you as you are driving. The alert is to clean sensor, but cleaning doesn’t fix it. It has been inspected by Harr Honda and they can’t fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11655268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Subject: Safety Complaint Regarding Adaptive Cruise Control Malfunction – 2025 Honda Pilot Dear NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, I am filing a formal complaint regarding a recurring safety issue with my 2025 Honda Pilot, which I purchased in September 2024. The vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system frequently and unexpectedly turns off while driving on the highway, creating a serious road safety hazard. This issue has been happening intermittently since I bought the vehicle, and despite bringing it to Honda’s attention, they have not acknowledged or addressed the problem. The sudden deactivation of the ACC system can cause unexpected speed changes, forcing the driver to react quickly and potentially leading to hazardous driving conditions. Given the increasing reliance on driver-assist technologies, such malfunctions pose a risk to both the driver and other motorists on the road. I have reported this issue to my local Honda dealership, but they have not provided a permanent resolution. I am concerned that other Honda Pilot owners may be experiencing the same problem, which could indicate a widespread defect. Therefore, I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter thoroughly and take appropriate action, including issuing a recall if necessary, to prevent potential accidents. Please confirm receipt of this complaint and inform me of any next steps. I am available to provide further details or documentation as needed. I appreciate your prompt attention to this critical safety concern. I also attached photos of the said issue. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11645771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Shifting from 1st, 2nd, 3rd gears is delayed/hesitant. Extremely noticeable at low speeds when releasing accelerator or braking. Unable to predict speed when coming to a smooth stop, occasionally feels like it lurches forward when it tries to downshift upon braking. Desperately needs software update to TCM, as mentioned hundreds of times elsewhere online. Does not 'train' itself to mitigate this problem.
NHTSA complaint #11633989 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
There is an issue with 2025 Pilot Safe Systems such as adaptive cruise and blind spot detection. Honda knows about this issue and working on a fix however there is no ETA.
NHTSA complaint #11628553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.