Honda Pilot Complaints (2021)

452 consumer complaints on file.

#11699676November 16, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle is setting multiple faults for ADAS system. LKAS, ACC, collision mitigation system, auto high beam lights inoperable. Forward facing camera in the top of the windshield has failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699325November 14, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on the freeway at a slow speed due to two freeways merging, my Honda Pilot suddenly stopped/stalled. When I tried to restart the car by pressing the Auto Idle Stop button to vehicle did not start. It took three times of pressing the Auto Idle Stop button for the engine to restart. I am lucky that the traffic was going at a slow speed due to the merging of freeways so I was able to right away press my emergency signal lights on. I panicked and was scared for my safety and what could have happened to myself and others if the vehicle was running at a higher speed. This could have caused a major accident. Because this happened yesterday, I will be calling Honda to report the issue as well and have my vehicle inspected. My vehicle has had issues many times in the past with the Auto Idle Stop button not starting, however, it has never happened while driving. The concerning part as well is that the vehicle did not give any kind of warning light or message.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699030November 12, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Upon startup, LKAS, ACC, FCW and brake lights are illuminated and the corresponding systems are non-functional. This failed with less than 50k miles and the car was ~3 years old. This is making the car less safe to drive because some of the safety systems are non functional. The basic cruise control also does not work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698542November 10, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Honda’s Auto Idle Stop system shuts vehicle off when at a full stop and fails to restart after removing foot from the brake. Instead, when you remove your foot off the brake, the vehicle switches to neutral or park and does not restart despite following on screen instructions to restart (Example: switch to park, put foot on the brake, and press start button). We have to put the hazard lights on and try the steps over and over again until it restarts. This is a major safety issue, especially when at a traffic light or in heavy traffic, where every second counts and you have to worry about someone not noticing that you are stopped or have hazard lights on and plows into you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698377November 8, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Wife was driving car and it stalled when slowing down for a red light. No check engine light or dash warning notices. Car then displayed instructions to restart the car Tried to restart 4 or 5 times. Finally started. We were lucky she was not on a highway driving at highway speeds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698305November 8, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Transmission failed and car would no longer get into gears. It started when I tried accelerating on the highway and heard a whine The car would not accelerate. I tried again and this time it accelerated just fine. Made it home and the next day the car would turn on but not go into gears. The front panel showed warning of “Transmission Failed”, and “Engine trouble”. The dealership diagnosed that I needed a new transmission for $9,000! The previous day the car was working fine until and after that “whine” noise. I have not paid for repairs yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697055November 2, 2025
AIR BAGS
UNKNOWN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696221October 28, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Component inspected by Honda dealer It’s the forward camera it has already malfunctioned and no longer works I only have 62,000 miles on my pilot. This seems excessive there is definitely a defect in these vehicles. The incident is the warning lights that came up and no longer worked
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695585October 25, 2025
ENGINE
While stopped at a traffic light the “Auto Stop” engine shut off feature engaged. When releasing the brake, the vehicle completely shut down, all dash lights came on as did the transmission mode lights. Upon trying to restart with the start button, prompts came up to place the vehicle in park. Trans select button did not work. Pressed the Start button several more times. At one time all dash lights went off, except for the battery light. Brake pedal went all the way down to the floor. Opened the drivers door and then tried the start button one more time with the AutoStart button switched off after dash lights returned. Vehicle started after that. Blocked traffic for one traffic light sequence. Occurred on Route 30 and Schoolhouse Road; New Lenox IL on 10/25/25. Attempted to restart several times afterward and vehicle restarted. Trying to drive with “autostart” feature manually turned off from now on, if I remember. Scheduled checkup @ dealer 10/29/25. Honda of Joliet Vehicle has slightly over 40k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695284October 23, 2025
ENGINE
Per the mechanic the rod bearing broke into the engine and caused sudden engine failure. I was on a highway when this occured, thankfully I was already in the right lane and right before an exit to which I took and secured the vehicle in a safe location. It was extremely dangerous location for this to occur and thankfully no one was right behind me. There were no warnings or messages prior to the incident. It was just routinely serviced within the past month. I heard a loud clank, the engine light started flashing, and the car started to slow down, there was knocking sounds in the engine. We had it towed to D and M service center then moved to Gillman Honda service center. It was confirmed by two different shops, D and M service center at 1029 Pat Booker Rd, Universal City, TX 78148 and Gillman Honda dealership at 16044 I-35 N Selma, TX 78154 that the rod bearing cracked into the engine and metal shavings were identified in the engine oil.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694704October 21, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car is slow to start or doesn't start at all, particularly after frequent engine stops/starts or when engine has idled for a period of time. Battery has been replaced. Symptom comes and goes, but seems to get worse with frequent engine stops/starts (i.e., driving to different locations with short stays at each, or with the automatic engine shut off)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693616October 15, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693150October 13, 2025
ENGINE
After stopping at a traffic light or stop sign the car's auto-stop/restart feature has failed multiple times to restart the engine. This has left the car stalled at a light and needing to manually place the car in park, turn off the electrical, then attempt to restart the vehicle. The problem started about 4 months ago and has been starting to happen more frequently.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691876October 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
The front camera which controls all of the safety features went out! 1 week ago. It has been confirmed and I am now having to pay almost $2700.00 to have it fixed. I am really upset to see how many issues this year of the car has. And the fact that Honda has known about it since 2019 and did nothing to fix them. There are 318 complaints on this car and I’m guessing over half of them have to do with the front camera. It is showing 5 safety codes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691032October 2, 2025
POWER TRAIN
My 2021 Honda Pilot AWD (40,200 miles) shifting from Drive to Neutral at intersections by itself, then Engine dies. It happened multiple times. If you need more information, pls contact me at [XXX] 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
#11690959October 2, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Honda Pilot experiences a serious safety issue with the Auto Idle Stop feature. When the system engages at a stop (such as a red light), the vehicle sometimes fails to restart, leaving me stalled in traffic. This creates a dangerous situation for myself and other drivers. The problem appears to be related to the Auto Idle Stop system and/or the auxiliary battery. Many other Honda owners are reporting similar issues, which suggests this may be a widespread defect that needs investigation. I just dropped the car at Honda dealership for further inspection
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690380September 29, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the engine seized, and the functions on the vehicle became inoperable. After waiting for an hour, the vehicle restarted. The contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the contact's wife was driving 30 MPH, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. After waiting for a long while, the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Honda of Whittier; however, no cause for the failure was found. The dealer restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689225September 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle: 2021 Honda Pilot VIN: [XXX] Complaint: My 2021 Honda Pilot continues to have the same issues described in NHTSA Recall 23V-431 (backup camera / infotainment coaxial cable defect). The recall was marked “completed” about two years ago, but the safety problem persists. Symptoms include: •Infotainment screen going black •“Network communication lost” error messages •Backup camera flickering or failing to display Because the backup camera is federally required under FMVSS 111, my vehicle is not compliant with safety standards. The dealership told me that since the recall was already performed, I would now have to pay out of pocket for further repairs. This means the original recall remedy either failed or was not effective. I am filing this complaint because Honda and its dealership are refusing to correct an unresolved safety defect, leaving my vehicle unsafe to operate. 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
#11689187September 23, 2025
ENGINE
when stopped at a stop light the engine idle kills the engine and want start back up causing traffic backups...have to go through process to setting back to park and trying to start which does not happen quickly leaving people behind you frustrated and honking. This needs to have an option to disable it if you don't want that function as it's very frustrating and dangerous. Please get honda to fix issue. Thanks for your help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689148September 23, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the infotainment system had turned off unintendedly while driving. Additionally, the rearview camera image was black while reversing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the repair could not be covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V431000 (Back Over Prevention), which was previously performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the recall repair failed to correct the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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