Honda Pilot Complaints

9,418 consumer complaints on file.

#11752641July 24, 2026
SEATS
I am writing to formally express my concern regarding a safety issue with my 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport. The driver’s seat has become loose, and upon inspection, I discovered that a bolt has come out of the seat frame assembly. This creates noticeable movement in the seat while driving and raises serious concerns about the structural integrity and safety of the seating system. What is particularly concerning is that this issue appears to be similar to a seat-related recall affecting other 2023 Honda Pilot models. Although my vehicle is experiencing what appears to be the same defect, I have been advised that my VIN is not included in the recall population. I contacted Honda Customer Relations seeking assistance; however, I was informed that I would be responsible for approximately $200 just for diagnostic inspection, despite the fact that the issue involves a potential safety defect that closely resembles a known problem affecting other vehicles of the same model year. I respectfully request that Honda: Review my vehicle's eligibility for recall-related coverage or goodwill assistance. Investigate whether this seat-frame failure is related to the same condition identified in other 2023 Honda Pilot vehicles. Waive the diagnostic fee and inspect the vehicle given the safety implications of a loose driver’s seat. Provide guidance on how Honda intends to address this issue if it is determined to be a manufacturing or design defect. I have been a Honda owner with confidence in the brand’s commitment to safety and customer satisfaction, and I hope Honda will take this matter seriously. A loose driver’s seat is not only inconvenient but also a significant safety concern that could affect vehicle control and occupant protection in the event of an accident. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752570July 24, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The back seat seat belt warning malfunctions when someone is sitting in the back seat, causing the alarm to sound as if the passenger is not buckled in. The red seat belt notification also indicates that someone in that seat is unbuckled, which is incorrect. The seat belt is fastened the entire time. The notification alerts mid- trip while driving. This is extremely dangerous as a driver I thought our child unbuckled her seat belt while driving. This problem has been occurring for over 2 months. The problem has been inspected by a Honda dealership and diagnosed-Honda Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) A26-027 for certain 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The bulletin addresses a condition where the vehicle incorrectly indicates that the second-row right passenger seat belt is unfastened, even when it is buckled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752363July 23, 2026
AIR BAGS
i was involved in a fairly significant accident at 55mph and another vehicle pulled out in front of us. Our Honda pilot had significant front and side damage on passenger side and not air bags deployed at all. This is and was alarming to us. So much so we did not feel safe in keeping the vehicle after the $26,000 repair. I did suffer minor injuries with my neck (surgery required and arm issues from hitting the door) Has this been noted in Honda Pilot models?
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11752353July 23, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the second-row seats which were occupied had properly latched the seat belts; however, the seat belt alarm was activated. The seat belt warning light was illuminated. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751974July 22, 2026
ENGINE
My engine has developed a severe internal engine/rod knock due to connecting rod bearing failure. My vehicle which is a 2016 Honda Pilot was built at the Lincoln Alabama plant but my VIN was excluded from recall 23V751 based on production dates. However my engine is failing from the same exact crankshaft and bearing defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752115July 22, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
* Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) – Southeastern Honda: Shortly after purchase, the CMBS repeatedly slammed on emergency brakes without cause, incorrectly flagging adjacent or oncoming vehicles as collision threats. I presented video and photo evidence to Southeastern Honda. The Service Manager dismissed the hazard, telling me I "just have to learn how to drive the car with these driver assist features." Fearing an accident, I was forced to permanently disable the system. * Starter Failure / Battery Issues – Space Coast Honda: The vehicle went through four batteries and repeatedly failed to restart when Auto Idle Stop engaged, stranding my wife and children in parking lots and active traffic. I brought the car in multiple times insisting the starter was the issue, but Space Coast Honda refused to replace it because no codes were present and my VIN wasn't attached to a recall. Once out of warranty, I replaced the starter out-of-pocket, which permanently resolved the issue. Teardown of the original starter revealed extensive heat damage, burned insulation, and charred components. * Current Engine Concern – Space Coast Honda: The engine now exhibits rod bearing failure symptoms aligned with Recall 23V-751, including knocking and metallic debris in the oil and filter. I brought the vehicle and photo evidence to Space Coast Honda. One staff member claimed metal in the oil was "normal," while another disagreed. I left the car for evaluation, but two days later learned no inspection was done; they claimed Honda would deny it based on VIN exclusion and quoted $13,500 for a used engine. When I insisted they present my case to Honda anyway, they abruptly raised the inspection fee to $800—despite having completed zero diagnostics over two days.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752168July 22, 2026
ENGINE
I was driving down Car highway 395, at highway speed, when my vehicle suffered a sudden and catastrophic engine failure with no warning. The engine began to shutter and knock and I lost power. The check engine light then came on. I was able to quickly pull over and the vehicle shuttered to a stop and would not start. I and my family were stranded on the side of the highway in a remote area for hours late at night. CHP a contacted, non emergency, and was able to contact a tow truck. No officer was available to assist due to a wildfire in the area. After being towed, a mechanic was able to start it briefly and stated it seemed like a rod or bearing problem. I've now had a second mechanic say the same thing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752278July 22, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am filing a safety and defect complaint regarding my 2016 Honda Pilot (3.5L V6 Engine). In Dec 2025, the "EMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM" warning light ocationally illuminated on the dashboard. On 5/26/26.while driving, the vehicle suddenly began to shake violently and experienced a severe loss of acceleration—when I stepped on the gas pedal, the vehicle hesitated and would not speed up (loss of motive power). In June I let a certified Honda dealership scanned the vehicle and pulled diagnostic trouble codes P0430, P219A, and P219B, confirming that the fuel injectors have failed. This is a well-documented manufacturing defect explicitly detailed in Honda’s Technical Service Bulletin TSB 20-100. The defect causes uneven fuel delivery and cylinder misfires, which poses a severe driving hazard, including sudden engine stalling, loss of motive power while driving, and acceleration hesitation in traffic. Although American Honda previously extended the warranty for this specific injector defect to 10 years or 150,000 miles, my vehicle was DENIED coverage by American Honda corporate customer relations solely because it has just passed the 10-year mark (the vehicle was purchased on November 30, 2015), despite having only 140,000 miles (well under the mileage limit).This is a critical safety and environmental hazard inherent to Honda's manufacturing design. An expiration of time does not make a known manufacturing flaw any less dangerous on public roads. I request NHTSA to investigate this persistent issue and upgrade the current warranty extension to a mandatory safety recall so that affected consumers are not left driving hazardous vehicles or forced to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for an acknowledged factory defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752262July 22, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Vehicle stalls when the car shuts off from the auto engine idle shut off feature. The concern was allegedly resolved twice with an update but the issue persists. My battery died in December 2025, when asked if it was a result of the recall causing repeated start failures, the dealership denied. Recently my vehicle shut off from the auto engine idle stop feature and completely died, I had to push to start my vehicle several times to start it back up and this was after replacing my battery 7 months ago. A heavy duty battery was purchase to meet my vehicle needs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752248July 22, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Bought car late march 2026 from Toyota dealership . Collision Mitigation Braking System randomly engages. Forcefully slamming on brakes ( approx 1-2 seconds and then releasing) when NOTHING is in the road or around. No rhyme or reason , no consistency as to when it happens. Since Purchasing it has happed 9-10 times. **7/15/26 - visit Toyota for routine service, expresses my concerns. They said they couldn’t see anything bc their systems can’t diagnose Honda. **7/21/26 - Honda Dealership . says sensors are fine. (Spent less than 10 mins driving the vehicle). And recommends to turn the anti-collision feature off .. but it has to be turned off every time the vehicle restarts. 🚨For safety reasons - I don’t feel I should have to do this … the problem should be looked into and taken seriously. I can only imagine the catastrophe if I were in bumper to bumper traffic and it happens, causing a pile up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752123July 22, 2026
SEAT BELTS
Passenger side 2nd row Seat belt indicates unbuckled when passenger is buckled in and seated. Started as an intermittent indication, now the warning lamp continuously indicates the passenger is unbuckled when seated with seat belt buckled. Dealer has confirmed the concern, aligns with OEM service bulletin, OEM has redesigned service parts but will not service under warranty due to mileage on vehicle (80K).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751994July 22, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The second-row passenger-side seat belt buckle intermittently fails to correctly detect a latched seat belt. While occupied and properly buckled, slight passenger movement causes the vehicle to generate false seat belt warning messages and chimes indicating the belt is unfastened. Inspection confirms the buckle remains physically latched. The repeated false warnings distract the driver and may reduce confidence in the vehicle's seat belt monitoring system. The condition has been recurrent and is limited to the second-row right-side seating position.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751990July 22, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751774July 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The back up camera every so often will be blank. Other times the dashboard warning lights will go on effecting the cruise control, lane assistance, and break assistance. According to the Honda dealership it is the back up camera that is causing all of these problems because there are some parts that are defective because of heat and weather. There are thousands of complaints by Honda owners claiming to have the same issue. The solution is a part that costs over $2000 with a high chance of the part needing repair in a few years. Honda knows about this issue for cars 2015-current. There is a current class action lawsuit as well. We just want it fixed without further issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751859July 21, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Monocular Windshield Camera premature part failure. 36160-TG8-A72-M1. Premature failure of the part causes all included safety systems to be disabled, and also negatively impacts standard cruise control. The part was sent for repair and the lens was thermally degraded as well as processor board non functional. There was no thermal paste installed on the processor. When the camera fails, an improper transmission failure warning light also appears on the dashboard, which prevents smog testing from being completed despite the camera system not impacting emissions at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751932July 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751970July 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751964July 21, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving down the road the emergency braking turned on many times when I wasn’t even near a vehicle. It turned on about a total of 10 times without a car being unsafely in front of me. I just got this vehicle today and I’m worried about whether I should keep it or not because of this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751915July 21, 2026
AIR BAGS
In an accident where car collided with a concrete barrier on the highway at high speed, front drivers side, airbags did not deploy. Vehicle is available as of now, problem has not been reproduced, insurance representatives totaled the car but did not check the airbags, no warning lights or symptoms prior.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751804July 21, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The right rear seatbelt keep’s going into alarm over and over like someone is unplugging it and plugging back in. The alarm is persistent no matter who sits in the seat. It flashes on the dashboard and the audible alarm sounds most if not the whole car ride every day.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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