Honda Pilot Complaints (2016)

1,724 consumer complaints on file.

#11685062September 4, 2025
ENGINE
My vehicle has run 79k miles. The honda pilot started giving knocking noise from the engine on 30-Aug-2025. I somehow brought the vehicle back to my home. Today I took it to a service center which is next to my home. They looked at the vehicle noise and mentioned that the Rod bearing for the Honda is damaged and the engine needs to be replaced. When I looked online, there was a safety recall for Rod bearing for 2016 Honda Pilot. But when I called Honda Corporate, they mentioned that my VIN number is not eligible for recall and I need to replace the rod bearing myself. I will end up spending $10000 for replacing the rod bearing. This seems to be a common issue with 2016 Honda Pilot and Honda is refusing to acknowledge that this is an issue with their manufacturing. This is a very big safety issue as the vehicle can stall when going on the high way causing accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685070September 4, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Transmission slipping and motor making a grind sound since like 120k and dash problems and paint chips every were paint is coming off on its own. I did not about that i can do a complete here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685075September 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN
transmission slipping
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685076September 4, 2025
ENGINE
motor grinding
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685079September 4, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
paint chips all over pealing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684464September 2, 2025
ENGINE
The engine seized while driving on the highway bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. There is currently a recall on 2016 Honda Pilot engines involving premature connecting rod bearing wear. The mechanic that has been servicing this vehicle for the last 9 years stated this is exactly what happened to my vehicle and should be covered under the recall. Honda stated that my vin number was not included in the recall and repairs are my responsibility. The issue here is the engine seizing for a known issue while driving on the highway could have been disastrous. Luckily no accident occurred as a result but Honda should be liable for this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684134August 30, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine developed noises while driving and seized up. Prior to engine seizure, auto start/stop was having issues where it would not restart after stopping at a light or stop sign. Rear unibody rusting really badly due to cheap quality metal?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684011August 29, 2025
ENGINE
While driving approximately 65 mph on the [XXX], near Terre Haute, Indiana, the engine very suddenly started making a very loud noise without any warning and immediately thereafter every system failed. The check engine light and several other warning lights appeared on the dashboard; the car steering became very stiff, making it very difficult (and dangerous) to control the car and get it safely to the shoulder; and the engine noise became louder (like spoons in a blender). The car unexpectedly lost forward motion causing cars and semi-trucks around us to take evasive action to avoid hitting us. All of this happened without warning and in a matter of a few seconds and we were very lucky to avoid a very severe accident. We had the car towed by Hawks Towing (in Glenview, IL) to Loyola Service (our preferred, trusted automotive service provider). The technicians at Loyola Service diagnosed the car with a complete engine failure and in need of a complete engine replacement. The estimated cost of the repairs is $21,254. 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
#11683813August 29, 2025
ENGINE
Driving at highway speeds the vehicle began to shudder and make a loud screeching/banging sound. Once shut off it would not start. Mechanic determined the vehicle had no compression on one cylinder and further observed that while the valves did operate, the piston was not moving in the cylinder. The conclusion was the connecting rod had broken. Engine is still sealed and has not been taken apart for inspection. Engine has been replaced at customer expense.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683678August 28, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made knocking sounds. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking while idling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered metal shavings in the engine oil and that the connecting rods had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE25008 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683328August 27, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine shuts off while driving and the car shifts the transmission to Park or Neutral.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683438August 27, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a complete stop at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently stalled but was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 133,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683459August 27, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2016 Honda pilot has continued to have engine restart issues with the automatic engine stop feature after taking it in for the initial recall. Upon telling this to the dealer, they said the recall work was already done and won’t address it further. They only did the software upgrade and did not tell me about the 2nd stage of repairs available. The issue is random but happens commonly, and seems to be worse on hot days. It also can sometimes struggle to restart after putting it in park after the auto restart fails.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683466August 27, 2025
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
The contact’s daughter owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood was vibrating excessively. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the hood latch was inoperable and failed to properly secure the hood. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,819.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683073August 26, 2025
ENGINE
Driving regular highway speed and lost power with a number 6 engine misfire. Towed vehicle to house and eventually to dealer to investigate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683127August 26, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel pump- car sputters when accelerating. The car is available for inspection Car does not accelerate efficiently when merging onto highway The car has not been inspected properly There have been no warning lights.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683219August 26, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There was a small ticking/knocking noise that started the week before I took my Honda Pilot in to the dealer. I took the car in for regular service and told them about this noise. Under further inspection, I was advised by the Honda dealership that the piston connecting rod bearing had failed causing damage to the motor. I had to pay to replace the motor at my own expense. This is a safety issue as I did not really have a warning that anything was wrong with the vehicle and the engine could have seized up and caught fire while I was driving putting my family and other vehicles in harms way. It is my understanding that Honda had a partial recall on this issue in which my VIN was not covered. I was not notified that this was even an issue for the 2016 Honda Pilots and I should have been notified and and this should have been fixed before it occurred. The dealer reached out to Honda Corporate to request coverage of this cost and they denied it even though this is a known issue with this motor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683284August 26, 2025
ENGINE
Engine Rod defective .. car completely stopped working on highway . Had towed to dealer for $300 and dealer said 8.9k to replace engine. Lots of Honda owners complaints about the same issue We were forced to sell car to Cox auto at a loss as we did not have the money to fix Check car fax. As we had perfect maintenance all done at dealership
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683307August 26, 2025
ENGINE
Complete engine failure. Connecting rod bearing completely broke while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683023August 25, 2025
ENGINE
2016 Honda Pilot EX-L (80k miles) that has been always serviced at Honda dealership for all regular oil changes and all regularly needed service. Very well maintained and low miles. We heard a knocking sound from the front and brought it to Honda for diagnosis and repair. They informed us it’s a “connecting rod bearing” issue with “no signs of external abuse.” This car has been unsafe to drive for 2 months while we worked with Honda to repair this issue and cover the cost of this. They declined to cover the cost of anything since this VIN hasn’t been recalled, while other 2016 Honda Pilots have had the exact same issue and were in the recall list.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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