Honda Pilot Complaints

1,017 consumer complaints on file.

#11741470June 2, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) experienced unprovoked phantom braking events. Event 1: Driving 25mph in traffic; system falsely targeted a low-speed mobility power scooter on an adjacent sidewalk. Event 2: Abrupt, unprovoked hard braking at 70mph on an open highway with no forward obstacles, creating an immediate rear-end hazard from trailing traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741468June 2, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
2025 Honda Pilot Elite. Honda Sensing / Adaptive Cruise Control consistently fails to recognize motorcycles traveling directly ahead (approx. 66% failure rate). The system radar/camera bypasses the motorcycle and locks onto the larger passenger vehicle further ahead, creating an imminent rear-end collision risk with the motorcycle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741172May 31, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Loose weatherstripping two yrs and a half into ownership. Risk of water damage that can rust and damage electrical. Many complaints online about the roof rails needing to be replaced. Honda hasn’t issue a recall even though is a well known faulty design.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740960May 29, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
The occupant detection system for all five rear seats is erratic, frequently reporting seats as occupied and unbuckled when they are empty or folded flat. Once the vehicle reaches 10 mph, audible alerts trigger and recur up to three times for 30 to 60 seconds each, even if no passengers are present. Because these sensors are integral to the restraint system, there is a critical concern that the airbags may not deploy correctly based on this inaccurate occupancy data. Extremely distracting. First time we noticed: Leaving the chanhassen Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s witnesses. We had 4 kids in the vehicle when they were all seated and buckled up and the third row seat (middle) that nobody was sitting in started alarming several times thinking that a passenger was in the and needed to be buckled. This is everyday recurring problem in all 5 rear seats.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740322May 27, 2026
SEAT BELTS
Second-row right passenger seat belt buckler is malfunctioning and alerting when the seat belt is buckled. The alert is distracting as a driver and my children can not sit in that seat since we can't tell if they are buckled or not. The first time it malfunctioned was a week or so ago in the middle of May 2026 and the problem has only gotten progressively worse to the point we can't have anyone sit in that seat. I have set up an appointment for the dealership to look at this issue in June. No one else has inspected the vehicle so far.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740152May 26, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
four cracked windshields while driving from debris hitting windsheild
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740150May 26, 2026
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Supplemental Restraint System Problem deactivates airbags and dealers do not want to fix it under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740001May 26, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
I am having an issue with the start stop function on my 2021 Honda Pilot. When active, the start stop struggles to restart after it is engaged at a stop light. There have been two instances in the last two weeks where the vehicle did not restart on its own and needed to be restarted manually. Spoke to the dealer service team and they indicated there were no known recalls and it would be out of pocket for me to diagnose and repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739946May 25, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My front windshield cracked without any impact. I noticed quite a few honda pilots on the road with almost the exact same crack. It started on the passenger side and went completely across to the driver's side.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739900May 25, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
"On Friday afternoon, while driving alone on an open stretch of road at approximately 40 mph, my 2025 Honda Pilot's Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) experienced a catastrophic malfunction and initiated full emergency braking. The brakes locked up aggressively with absolutely no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles present in front of me. A transient warning light flashed on the screen for a few seconds but disappeared too quickly to read. The violent deceleration slammed me forward against the driver's seatbelt, causing physical trauma. The brakes released after a few seconds, allowing me to regain control and park the vehicle. I sought medical care first thing Monday morning, resulting in a diagnosis of acute neck strain and petechiae, as well as necessitating a specialized cardiovascular evaluation to check my pacemaker function due to localized swelling under the seatbelt line. The vehicle is entirely unsafe to operate, has been parked in my garage since Friday and is currently awaiting a Honda Care tow truck for dealer transport and data retrieval."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11739886May 25, 2026
STEERING
Steering locked up with all warning lights lite up. No control over vehicle. Yes this put all people in the vehicle at risk of death or injury. This happened at an intersection while making a turn-no other vehicles were at the intersection- if there had been or had this happened entering an interstate highway or turning onto a high speed road could have been hit from several directions. Not repeated. Must have been confirmed by dealer as they hooked up the computer with Honda Headquarters and said the starter was at fault. No prior symptoms. It is available for inspection. Killing the engine and restarting cleared the dash lights and was able to turn afterwards.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739800May 24, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The seat belt sensors are going off even when the rider is properly buckled in. Happening in the second row seats, primarily on the right passenger side of the second row.There may be an issue with the sensor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739715May 23, 2026
ENGINE
My vehicle has already had recalls on the fuel system and brake pin. Now I have an auto idle stop system problem. The indicator light is constantly flashing. Two days ago I was stopped at a red light on a two lane road in the city. When I pushed in the brake the car did not come out of idle. It just stalled. It took probably 30 seconds to a full minute before I could do anything. My option was to restart. It created a situation for myself and others.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739524May 22, 2026
ENGINE
My wife was driving our 2021 Honda Pilot with 102,000 on the interstate when the check engine light came on and the engine began to lose power. She was fearful of being hit by other traffic due to engine dying in middle of mutiple lanes of traffic. The engine began to have a knocking sound. We shut off engine and had it towed to Southpoint Honda in Durham NC. We were told it has a rod knock, the engine failed. It is about to seize and we need to replace the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739150May 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The infotainment screen blacks out completely and sporadically, but as of recent, almost daily. Sometimes for about 3-5 minutes. When this happens, the rearview backup camera is completely disabled, creating a blind-spot safety hazard, violating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111. This issue directly impacts back over prevention and driver visibility. I have multiple videos of this occurring. In 2023, a Honda dealership performed the MOST Bus/FAKRA connector safety recall on this vehicle. That manufacturer recall remedy has FAILED, and the exact same safety defect has returned. I did schedule the vehicle for a formal diagnostic inspection at a Honda dealership this Friday to pull the network communication error codes. There were no warning lamps or warning messages prior to the system blacking out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739103May 20, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving east bound hwy 410 about 35mph and slowing due to red light. I heard a very loud popping sound. I thought it was my water bottle I left in the console, but the noise did not come from there. Came to a stop and heard what sounded like ice cracking, I glanced in the back and could see the window on passenger side in very back was shattered . When light turned green I pulled into Target parking lot to look at it. The whole thing was shattered. There was no one impact site, all around the entire window was cracked in different spots. I called the dealership as I just purchased the vehicle less then one month ago. It had 585 miles. I was told to bring it down to them and told on the phone that this has been happening to HRV models and that if it happens it is usually around the 500 mile mark, but they have not seen it happen on the Pilots. A Goodwill request was put into Honda and they are repairing it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739039May 20, 2026
SEAT BELTS
Second row, right side seat belt sensor is malfunctioning. It started about 6 weeks ago. Occasionally, when going around a turn, an alarm would chime and a red X would appear on the affected seat on the dash screen. It was very quick, and sometimes I just heard the chime and did not see anything on the dash. The issue has become more frequent over time, so that it went from happening a couple times a week to multiple times in one trip, not always when going around a turn. Just a few days ago, the passenger got in and buckled, yet the system showed that it was not buckled. The seat belt was securely latched. The alarm continued to sound and the dash showed a red X on that seat plus a red picture of a person wearing a seat belt. It was a short (about 1 mile drive) and the alarm went off the whole time. We had to reconfigure the vehicle so that seat is no longer being used. We contacted the dealer and they stated that our VIN has no recall or Service Bulletins related to the issue. We are taking it in to be inspected later this week. The dealer would not order any parts or schedule a replacement until they tested it themself.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739003May 20, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a safety-related driver visibility concern involving a 2025 Honda Pilot. I also observed substantially similar behavior on a 2026 Honda CR-V loaner vehicle and another Honda Pilot provided by Koons Honda. The issue involves the front driver and passenger windows and their interaction with the outer window seals/belt moldings. During rainy, snowy, foggy, or wet conditions, lowering and then raising the windows leaves significant moisture, streaking, fog residue, or debris on the glass surface. Current image shows fog residue, however, the same results occurred with snow where visibility was impaired after cycling the front driver and passenger windows. The outer window seals do not adequately clear the windows during normal operation. This results in impaired visibility around and through the side view mirrors, especially during lane changes, merging, and monitoring adjacent lanes. The condition is repeatable and occurs during ordinary use. I documented video evidence showing: •the issue on my 2025 Honda Pilot, •another Honda Pilot, •and the same/similar issue on a separate 2026 Honda CR-V loaner vehicle from Koons Honda. I presented the evidence to dealership personnel. However, the service manager refused to document that side mirror visibility was impaired, reportedly because such wording would imply a safety condition. This concern may involve: •ineffective window seal/belt molding performance, •excessive water retention on side windows, •impaired driver visibility, •and a potential safety defect affecting multiple Honda vehicles. The issue can create unsafe driving conditions because drivers may be unable to clearly observe adjacent traffic through side mirrors after operating the windows in wet conditions. Furthermore, similar reports are found online with different newer models. The date below reflects today's interaction with the dealership, however, this is an ongoing issue since we received the vehicle last year.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738898May 19, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The rear passenger seat belt warning system in the 2023 Honda Pilot suffers from a critical malfunction. Specifically, the right rear passenger seat belt sensor triggers false, persistent, and loud "unbuckled" audio alarms and visual dashboard alerts while an occupant is sitting in that position with the seat belt securely and properly fastened. According to an official Honda Service Bulletin addressing this precise symptom, the root cause is a manufacturing defect involving a damaged or broken wire inside the seat belt buckle assembly, which causes the vehicle to misread the occupant's buckled status. Safety Hazards & Risks: Severe Driver Distraction: The loud, continuous auditory chime and flashing dashboard alerts create an extreme, immediate distraction for the driver while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of a crash. Warning Fatigue & False Assurance: Because the system consistently misreports the true status of the passenger, it forces the driver to consciously dismiss or ignore safety alerts. In a real-world family scenario, this false information can lead a driver to believe a rear occupant (particularly a child in the 2nd or 3rd row) is securely buckled when they are actually unbuckled, or vice versa, defeating the entire purpose of the vehicle’s safety warning system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738887May 19, 2026
SEAT BELTS
This is the second time experiencing a complete failure of the rear seat belt warning architecture on my 2023 Honda Pilot. In 2025, I formally reported that the warning sensors for both the 2nd-row middle seat and the 3rd-row seats were malfunctioning—triggering persistent unbuckled alarms even when passengers were properly seated and securely fastened. The issue has now returned and is actively failing on the 2nd-row seats. Despite passengers being buckled in safely, the vehicle's dashboard alerts and audible chimes sound continuously, causing severe driver distraction and making it impossible to accurately determine if my rear passengers are actually protected. I am providing a diagnosis of the seat belt warning issue in 2025, I am having the same issue now in 2026.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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