Honda Pilot Complaints

9,418 consumer complaints on file.

#11494968November 26, 2022
ENGINE
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages. On several occasions when coming to a full stop at a red light/stop sign or heavy traffic, the auto start/stop feature turns of the engine. However, when releasing the brake, which is supposed to turn the engine back on, the engine stalls and takes several attempts to restart the engine via the push button starter. Have taken the vehicle to our local Honda dealership several times. First couple of times they said it was a weak battery and they replaced it twice under the vehicles warranty. The third time they said it was our aftermarket forward camera that was causing interference and was charge by the dealer to remove and reprogram the "system". Fourth time they said it was a dirty throttle body and also had to pay to have it cleaned. Eventually found article on the internet from June '22 that there is an open investigation by NHTSA on this issue. Took vehicle back to dealership again and they wanted to charge for cleaning the throttle body but declined. Vehicle is not safe to drive with Auto/Stop feature on. We consciously have to turn off feature when initially starting the vehicle to avoid it from stalling in busy traffic or intersection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494848November 25, 2022
ENGINE
The engine completely stopped working while driving on the interstate. The engine only has 130,000 miles on it and I am now facing a $15,000+ repair on a known issue with the Pilots.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494789November 24, 2022
ENGINE
SEVERAL times when stopped the auto shut off for the engine does not restart and engine completely turns off with the car in drive and me unable to move. This leaves me at an intersection while cars are trying to go and I have to restart my car. I have been almost hit when cars coming up to the intersection assume I am going to be moving soon. I have brought this up to my Honda Dealer several times. One time they claimed it was my battery so I paid to have my battery replaced only to have it continue to happen. The last time I was in the Honda Dealer they said they have had a number of complaints and Honda has no solution. I asked if they could disable the feature so that I didn't have to worry about it happening. They said no. I have to manually disable it every time I start the car. There are no indicators or lights showing that there would be a problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494791November 24, 2022
ENGINE
Problem with start-stop system. Engine shuts off when vehicle is stopped but engine does not restart at times. Dealership could not find a problem and said they’ve never heard of it happening to anyone else, BUT a simple online search shows that it is a problem and NHTSA has an open investigation. VERY DANGEROUS when the vehicle doesn’t restart at a stop light or in stop and go traffic. Honda needs to step up and rectify immediately!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494696November 23, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The automatic start/stop system turns the car off at red lights, as it it supposed to. However, several times the car will not start when I push the gas pedal but instead the whole car turns off. It takes opening and closing the door while pushing the park button and the engine start button to turn the car back on. This usually occurs at red lights which is very dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494770November 23, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Our 2019 Honda Pilot has issues when the start-stop is active. When we come to a stop at a traffic light, gate, etc. it often will not restart on brake release. This creates serious concern in heavy traffic and we have been close to being rear-ended at stop lights. To restart the car we often have issues if it stalls during this brake press and release. It seems to electronically show in park, but not able to restart since it is not in park. We also see the issue when brake is pressed and tries to restart based on time. There are various lights on when this occurs. If we don’t activate the start-stop we don’t see the issue. If we manually turn the start-stop we don’t see the issue. However we need remember to turn this off manually defeating the fuel savings. I believe we can replicate this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494573November 22, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494629November 22, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
i driving home from a local costco and slowed to a stop at an intersection not far from my home. The car stalled and would not restart. After several attempts the car completely shut off and I was unable to even turn on any of the accessories. Ultimately I had to have the vehicle towed to a local shop because I was obstructing traffic and was at a dangerous intersection. I late continued to have similar issues after several battery replacements and jump starts. I had my vehicle serviced at a local dealer and they advised that it was the central power module that was bad. I was advised that this also controls the Intermittent Idle control function that is designed to save gas when the car is idle and not running. The car was was not under warranty so I had to pay for the new part and installation. The car is now experiencing similar issues. The car will randomly loose power and most recently will be completely non operational and jump starts are necessary to restart the car. A Keyless start System error has now been appearing randomly. Their is a TSB out for this particular part but have been advised that code has to be present in order the the local dealership to initiate a repair. I am going to attempt to have the vehicle brought to a local dealer for inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494363November 21, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while stopped, the vehicle independently shifted to neutral. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate or shift to drive. The vehicle had to be turned off and restarted and the vehicle to operated correctly. The contact stated that the failure occurred several times. The contact also stated that there was a clicking noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494455November 21, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Numerous restart issues when car in in idle mode stopped at a traffic light or stop sign. Car does not idle but completely powers off. I'm required to place car into "park", turn on power, shift to drive in order to accelerate
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494211November 19, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On at least three occasions after being stopped at a light the engine suddenly died (not simply auto idle stop). After putting in park and shutting off ignition (button start) and waiting some time the vehicle could be restarted. Battery is good. Fuel is good. Injectors already replaced. Dangerous as vehicle may be unexpectedly on powered while in traffic
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494157November 18, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During stops, when I release the foot from the brake pedal, car suddenly shuts off, which becomes a safety issue. It takes me a minute or two to get the car started again. In case I shut off the "Auto-shutoff" feature, car works perfectly fine. I must shut off the feature every time I restart the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493885November 17, 2022
ENGINE
When I was driving my Honda Pilot 2016 on highway 59, suddenly my car lost power and jerking. Multiple warning light went on. It was very dangerous and almost got me killed. It turns out that Honda knew this problem, TSB# A18010i, due to a part is out of spec. Honda should recall this problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494051November 17, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car does not turn on after stopping at a red light with auto start/off on. Turns on after being jump started. Also windows automatically come down without pressing any buttons after opening or turning off car. Dealer reports no issues. Battery has been changed with no solution. Car is inoperable with concern for pedestrian safety and personal safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493775November 16, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
In AUg 2021 when the auto stop engaged the car would fail to turn on. Errors would come on on the dash and while car would die at stoplight. Took to dealer and they could not replicate so nothing was done. This happened randomly and we would need to put in park, wait a while and turn back on. Then in Oct 2021 the battery died and they replaced under warranty. There was no issues until Nov. 2022. The same started happening. Again dealer could not replicate and nothing was done. They did note the 1 year old advanced battery was low and charge and have charged it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493776November 16, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Since buying my 2016 Honda Pilot Elite in June of 2021 I have had innumerable instances of my vehicle's auto stop start feature failing to START after being engaged. I believe the first instance was in Sept 2021 (after the lemon law time frame passed for my state). When my vehicle is stopped, I try to hit the gas and the vehicle does not go. At this same time an error happens on the screen that says "shift car to P". The first few times this has happened I tried to shift to P and that did not help. I figured out that it is best (i.e. quickest, I am not sure it is the best for the vehicle) to just turn the car off. Wait a few seconds, and then turn the car back on and put it back into drive and go. Keep in mind that I have cars peeling by me, screaming at me, honking, yelling, etc. all with my 6/7yo daughter in the vehicle. I am often stuck in an intersection going left. Additionally, sometimes but not always, the radio and heat/ac turn off when this happens. This has occurred far more times than I can count but a few examples in bumper to bumper city traffic, when waiting to make a left hand turn in intersections, while taking turns at a stop sign both flat and uphill (which is terrifying), just while being stopped at red lights and having the light turn green, when taking turns to enter a rotary, when trying to go at a yield sign, etc. There is no warning light or lamp. The warning lights/sounds occur while/after its already happened. Sometimes the radio turns off and the heat/ac. I have had the vehicle repeatedly serviced by the dealer I purchased it from. They said they cannot replicate the issue. They have asked me to take video of it which is infuriating and UNSAFE as I am in the vehicle with a child in traffic, sometimes in the middle of an intersection, trying not to get T-boned. We have changed the battery. The dealer has cleaned carbon build up out of something. They continually say it is not an issue and cannot be replicated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493821November 16, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Auto-stop feature failed to restart vehicle after auto-stop was engaged at a stop light. When letting off the brake, the auto-stop disengaged, but the vehicle engine failed to start, posing a safety risk as the vehicle did not restart in heavy traffic. This has been reproduced numerous times by the owner, but not by a dealer or independent service center. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, but the owner is an ASE certified mechanic. Warning lamps illuminate after vehicle fails to start, but the only way to restart the vehicle is to shift into park, completely shut off the vehicle electrical and attempt to restart. The system is receiving appropriate recharge from alternator, and battery is in acceptable condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493846November 16, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
All warning lights turned on during a normal drive. The dealer said it is a harness issue and needs to replace the harness to fix the issue. Surprised that a part that does not move had to be replaced. It has happened a couple of times before.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493592November 15, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 40-50 MPH, there was an accident ahead where a trailer crashed into a deer causing the deer to impact the front driver's side of the vehicle. The front passenger-side air bag was the only air bag that was deployed. The front driver-side air bag failed to deploy. After the front passenger air bag deployed the vehicle heated up rapidly and failed to shut off. There were two children seated in the rear of the vehicle. A police report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493593November 15, 2022
ENGINE
I am experiencing the same issue as is described in NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 for my 2016 Honda Pilot. It has been in for service numerous times and Honda has no solve for it. The auto idle stop turns the engine off correctly, however, it has failed to restart more than a dozen times over the last 2-3 years. Honda has replaced the battery twice since the start of this issue. This stall has caused dangerous situations and has impeded traffic while I get the car restarted. I see the NTSB has an open investigation about this issue and I would like to add my name / car to the list of people reporting the issue. The date I am listing in this report is the last time it happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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