1,143 of the
13,073 complaints filed about the Honda Pilot
are about the other systems —
9% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
I stopped at a stoplight and when the light turned green I pressed the gas and my car wouldn’t start. It took a few attempts at pressing the start button and putting car in park and my foot on the brake to get it to restart. Afterwards I noticed sometimes an orange light on dash for the Auto Idle Stop System Indicator. It did this once before earlier this year and I thought maybe I just didn’t push the brake hard enough when I stopped. I didn’t know what was going on.
NHTSA complaint #11758782 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving and I heard a loud bang and then sounds on the top of my roof. I pulled over and found the sunroof had exploded. There is a large portion that is gone. The glass that is left is spider cracked around where the glass is gone. There are pieces of glass that are angled upwards
NHTSA complaint #11758364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY 2019 HONDA PILOT EX-L WAS STOLEN FROM OUR DRIVEWAY IN JERSEY CITY, NJ ON OR ABOUT JULY 16, 2026. THE VEHICLE WAS LOCKED. BOTH FACTORY KEY FOBS REMAINED IN MY POSSESSION AND WERE INSIDE MY RESIDENCE AT THE TIME. NO WINDOW WAS BROKEN AND NO GLASS WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE, INDICATING THE VEHICLE WAS OPENED AND STARTED ELECTRONICALLY RATHER THAN BY FORCED ENTRY OR MECHANICAL BYPASS. WE HAVE A VIDEO RECORDING OF THE INCIDENT CAPTUREd BY OUR HOUSE SECURITY CAMERA. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN RECOVERED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE JERSEY CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT [26-140624]. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH HONDA SMART ENTRY AND PUSH-BUTTON START. SECURITY RESEARCHERS HAVE PUBLICLY DOCUMENTED A ROLLING-CODE VULNERABILITY IN HONDA REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEMS (CVE-2022-27254, KNOWN AS "ROLLING-PWN") REPORTED TO AFFECT HONDA VEHICLES FROM MODEL YEARS 2012 THROUGH 2022, WHICH INCLUDES THIS VEHICLE. HONDA HAS PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT REMOTE KEYLESS COMMANDS CAN BE MIMICKED, BUT HAS STATED IT HAS NO PLAN TO UPDATE OLDER VEHICLES. NO RECALL, SOFTWARE UPDATE, OR OWNER REMEDY HAS BEEN OFFERED FOR THIS VEHICLE. POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY, INCLUDING NEWARK, HAVE ISSUED PUBLIC WARNINGS IN 2026 THAT THIEVES ARE USING ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO CAPTURE OR RELAY KEY FOB SIGNALS TO STEAL LATE-MODEL HONDA VEHICLES. THE PATTERN DESCRIBED IN THOSE WARNINGS MATCHES THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS THEFT. I AM REPORTING THIS AS A POTENTIAL SAFETY AND SECURITY DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONIC IMMOBILIZER AND KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM. A VEHICLE THAT CAN BE OPENED AND DRIVEN AWAY WITHOUT THE KEY PRESENT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF THE ANTI-THEFT IMMOBILIZER AND CREATES RISK BEYOND PROPERTY LOSS, INCLUDING THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE BY AN UNAUTHORIZED AND UNIDENTIFIED DRIVER ON PUBLIC ROADS. I REQUEST THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE WHETHER A DEFECT INVESTIGATION IS WARRANTED FOR HONDA KEYLESS ENTRY AND IMMOBILIZER SYSTEMS IN THESE MODEL YEARS.
NHTSA complaint #11757989 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned and is it available for inspection upon request? The Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor seized completely, causing the A/C compressor clutch to overheat and melt. Yes, the vehicle and the failed components are available for inspection upon request.2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A completely seized A/C compressor pulley creates a severe mechanical hazard while driving. Because the compressor is driven by the engine's serpentine belt, a locked pulley can cause the belt to melt, snap, or throw off entirely while the vehicle is in motion. If the belt fails, it results in an immediate loss of power steering assist, loss of alternator charging, and engine overheating. This creates an abrupt, catastrophic loss of vehicle control on the road, putting my family and other drivers at extreme risk. Furthermore, dealership staff dangerously misinformed us that the vehicle was "safe to drive" despite this critical failure.3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?Yes. The problem was officially diagnosed and confirmed by a local authorized Honda dealership service center (8/17/26).4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, the vehicle was inspected, and the failure was documented by an authorized Honda dealership representative. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The primary symptom was a sudden failure of the air conditioning system to blow cold air (afternoon of 8/14/26).
NHTSA complaint #11757688 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 05/01/2026 the battery failed and the car needed to be jumped and immediately driven to a dealership for battery replacement. The battery would not hold a charge. On 8/15/2026 the A/C went out and upon a diagnostic service appointment at the dealership on 8/17/2026 it was determined that the compressor suffered a catastrophic failure and melted.
NHTSA complaint #11757706 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ive had about 5 times my car Honda pilot 2021 stall at a stop light, a stop sign. The first it took a minute to go and the light was green. I was honked at and yelled at. It finally kicked on and we went, the next time it went into accessory mode at a stop sign, then into N then off…. All while in drive to start. The rest were times I was in auto start stop and it just wouldn’t start. Each 5 times it gave an error code that disappeared right after I had to try snd restart by pushing the button. I went to Honda 2 times now, first time they said they did the program… that didn’t stop the issue, I then took it again after the 4th time and they said it was a bad battery… replaced it mind you $400 later… and it did it the next day.. they won’t cover a free inspection and when I said there’s a bulletin about this they said they did id already but still doing it. I am very frustrated and j drive 3 kids under 7 this is very very unsafe especially someone who already has a brain injury from aka c I dent.
NHTSA complaint #11755662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
when driving our 2023 honda pilot we stopped at traffic light the car shut off would not restart our front doors would open and close our back doors would not operate back tale gate door would not operate we had no4 way blinkers no lights totally dead auto. we were in middle of four lanes bumper to bumper traffic with no way to warn other drivers of our car break down. after short time a helpful driver pulled up behind us and used his auto to block us from traffic and used his 4 way flashers to warn other cars to go around us . police and tow showed up in appx 20 min. car was taken to WILLIAMS HONDA OF TRAVERS CITY MI.49685 they repaired car next day informed us battery shorted out when auto shut off activated at stop light. we had no indications of any issues with our vehicle it is 3 yr old with 40138 mi on it battery was out warrenty. williams installed newAGM100M BATT. our main safety issue is lack of 4 way warning or signal to other drivers.WE WERE LUCKY NO ONE REAR ENDED US AND WE DID NOT NEED BACK DOORS TO OPERATE . THANK YOU [XXX] AND [XXX] FROM SAULT STE. MARIE MI [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11755632 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On multiple occasions, under different driving conditions, the vehicle has experienced significant and rapid deceleration without any warning lights, diagnostic codes, or dashboard messages. The deceleration has occurred unexpectedly and creates a dangerous situation, particularly in traffic where a car or semi behind me is not anticipating the sudden decrease in speed. This requires me to fully depress the gas pedal which then creates a slingshot effect once acceleration takes hold. This situation was almost continuous on a recent long-distance drive and only stopped once I parked the car in my garage. The only “fix” for now is to drive in cruise control where speed will be maintained. Since then, I’ve only driven locally and it has happened almost daily but much more intermittent with local driving. It's happened at speeds from 12 mph-74 mph. This is NOT an adaptive cruise control issue and I drive with only my right foot.
NHTSA complaint #11755170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
-the transmission too hot message came up on my dashboard. yes it is available for inspection upon request -we could not continue to drive to our destination -they could not find any issue when i brought it to Honda Service center, they did recommend ATF cooler which i had it installed -there are no other warning messages, it first appeared in 2023 going to california, it happened again in 2024. and happened again last month.
NHTSA complaint #11754476 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages I stopped at a stop sign between [XXX], and my vehicle wouldn't start again; the lights started flickering. I had to get my family out of the vehicle, and then I tried to start it using the ignition button; it finally started after several attempts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11754302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My husband was driving our family of 6 to [XXX] from the [XXX] area. We were on the highway in [XXX] when we heard a loud pop and the sunroof had randomly exploded. There's a thin cloth like screen between the glass and the inside of the vehicle. Luckily that screen was not open, otherwise, we would've have been cut up by the glass shards coming down. We arrived at our destination in Florida and took pictures of the broken sunroof. I called our insurance to file a claim. I also called American Honda and made filed a case. I was told to take it to the dealership and see if our extended warrantee would cover it. MPP denied the claim. This is very dangerous to have a random sunroof explode out of nowhere. Someone needs to take responsibility for this before people get hurt. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11754174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Not long after we purchased the vehicle, there was a crackling noise that comes up at different speeds. I reported this to the dealership (I can't recall exactly when). A mechanic (I believe) took the car for a test drive. He acknowledged hearing the sound 0n/off but could not determine its origine. Each time I go there for oil change, I re-state the problem. I had also reported this to Honda Corporate office. There was a recall at that time, and it was serviced. I thought this would take away the noise, but it is still there. I am not sure what to do next. I will continue to raise the isse each time I go to the dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11753611 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the past month 4 times I had a Software, Module malfunction. All lights in in the dash are on like a Christmas Tree. Believe is related to the PGM. When to the Honda dealer in Winter Haven explained what happened and show a short video and they said that because my Vin [XXX] have no recall I have to pay $89.99 for an inspection and other charges to fix the problem. I told the service department that my battery & alternator were Ok that many Honda vehicles had the same problems and that I believe is the PGM. When this happens I can’t turn the Suv off, the brakes started acting weird, can’t open the rear door and the engine accelerates. If this is not a safety hazard I don’t know what it is. I have an appointment tomorrow with the dealer but I think that pay for a manufacturer malfunction is no way of doing business INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11751932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Honda Pilot has a recurring electrical/network communication failure that causes “Network Communication Lost” and “MOST Net Off” messages to appear on the infotainment screen. When this occurs, the infotainment system malfunctions, audio becomes unavailable, and the backup camera display is lost without warning. The problem is intermittent, unpredictable, and has occurred numerous times. The loss of the backup camera is a serious safety concern because it occurs while the vehicle is otherwise operating normally. During reversing, rear visibility is reduced, increasing the risk of striking another vehicle, pedestrian, child, cyclist, or object. The error messages and loss of infotainment functions also create driver distraction and raise concerns about the reliability of the vehicle’s electronic systems. I reported the issue to an authorized Honda dealership multiple times. They recommended replacement of the audio/display unit, and I paid for the repair. However, the same failure returned. The dealer later advised that the root cause may involve wiring, MOST network components, or another electrical defect and estimated approximately $3,000 in additional repairs. Despite multiple visits and approximately $983.29 in diagnostic and repair costs, the defect remains unresolved. Honda Service Bulletin 20-058 describes similar MOST bus symptoms, including communication errors, loss of audio, infotainment malfunctions, and multimedia network failures. My vehicle exhibits the same symptoms. Because the dealer-recommended repair failed, the problem appears to involve the vehicle’s electrical communication network rather than a single component. This recurring defect affects the backup camera, infotainment system, and other electronics relied upon for safe operation. I believe it may affect other 2019–2021 Honda Pilot vehicles and may represent a widespread safety defect. I request NHTSA investigate to determine whether a recall / other corrective action is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11751970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While operating my 2019 Honda Pilot, the vehicle experienced a sudden mechanical failure of the factory moonroof assembly. While driving, the moonroof became permanently stuck open / began violently grinding and refused to close.This mechanical failure presents an immediate safety and security hazard. Because the glass cannot be closed, it exposes the interior cabin and driver to distracting external wind turbulence, weather, and road debris while traveling at highway speeds. Furthermore, the inability to secure the vehicle leaves it vulnerable to theft and environmental damage. The vehicle currently has 88000 miles.Inspection reveals that the failure stems from fragile internal components within the track assembly and drive motor. This structural failure requires a costly, full replacement of the track frame mechanism. I request that the NHTSA track these mechanical track failures to determine if a formal safety investigation or recall is warranted for the 2019 Pilot's moonroof assembly.
NHTSA complaint #11751471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While running errands, the A/C compressor abruptly stopped pushing cold air. The air was pushing out cold before vehicle engine was turned off, then wouldnt cool when vehicle was turned back in. Honda dealer states need new compressor.
NHTSA complaint #11751504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was driving I had a transmission system error come up. Took it to a mechanic and code P0741 came up related to the torque converter problem. A service bulletin for 17-18 Pilots is out but does not include mine. I feel like this should be covered as I had to fork out $3000 for a known issue.
NHTSA complaint #11751350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.