Honda Pilot Complaints (2016)

1,724 consumer complaints on file.

#11734150April 27, 2026
ENGINE
Rod bearing failure
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733703April 24, 2026
ENGINE
My engine of the 2016 Honda Pilot can suffer a thrown rod (catastrophic engine failure) due to a defect in the connecting rods, I was driving when I heard a noise—sort of a growl—and the engine shut off. I keep up with all the maintenance, including regular oil changes. It sounds like a thrown rod.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733451April 23, 2026
ENGINE
My wife was driving the car on the freeway, it started losing power and a loud knocking noise came from the engine. She was in the center lane of the interstate and was barely able to pull safely to the side of the road. We had the vehicle towed to our home as it is no longer able to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732979April 22, 2026
ENGINE
My 2016 Honda Pilot has been diagnosed with engine failure caused by an issue known as "rod knock" by Hudson Automotive in Toledo, OH despite having been cared for quite well. This failure occurred outside the warranty window and there were NO relevant symptoms or warning lights before the sudden failure. After doing some research on Pilot owner online forums, as well as the NHTSA website, it seems a substantial number of similar complaints have been reported, and a recall had been issued for some vehicles in the same year and model under NHTSA campaign number 23V-751. The failures of my engine should be considered in the NHTSA recall number 23V-751, Honda recall number XG1, GG0. In addition, my claim should be considered as part of NHTSA investigation PE25008 which I understand is a current investigation into many reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in numerous Honda vehicles, including the 2016 Honda Pilot. If needed, I can provide an estimate of the work that needs to be completed on my vehicle from Hudson Automotive. Thank you for your attention to this matter and your work to protect the American consumer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731495April 16, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop and driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle shut off, but it was restarted. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that DTC: P0087 was retrieved and associated with the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,550.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731704April 16, 2026
ENGINE
My vehicle has about 92000 miles on it. Recently I am hearing engine knocking noises. I hear the sound mostly when I start the car and drive. When the vehicle warms it the sounds goes away. I also noticed my torque converter is not shifting well. You heard grinding noises when shifting .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731338April 15, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The component that failed in both incidents was the vehicle’s wiring system, specifically wiring insulation that appears to be vulnerable to rodent damage. In the first incident, squirrels chewed through wiring connected to the fuel injector system, which triggered a check engine light and was repaired. In the second incident, squirrels again accessed the engine compartment and chewed through wiring affecting the braking system. This resulted in a sudden and unexpected loss of braking function. Yes, the damaged components should be available for inspection through the repair shop or service records, although I would need to confirm the exact location of the retained parts. Safety was significantly put at risk. During the second incident, the vehicle was occupied by multiple passengers, including minors. While approaching a red light, the driver attempted to brake and found that the brakes were not functioning properly. The driver had to shift the vehicle into park and use the emergency brake to stop, narrowly avoiding a serious collision. This created a high-risk, potentially life-threatening situation. The first incident was addressed by a mechanic after the check engine light appeared, confirming damage to the fuel injector-related wiring. The second incident was formally confirmed by a mechanic that the brake line was leaking from damage from, what they highly suspected and have seen in the past, a rodent . In the first incident, a check engine light appeared, prompting immediate attention. In the second incident, there were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the brake failure occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730602April 11, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Engine has rod bearing knock noise. Transmission has a torque converter issue, acts up once in a while when shifting from park to drive or reverse.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730410April 10, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an internal engine failure due to connecting rod bearing failure. The failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware failure. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730223April 9, 2026
ENGINE
I noticed the vehicle was making a noise while driving which was diagnosed by an independent Honda service center. They said this noise was because of a rod bearing breaking. This issue creates a situation where the vehicle could break down anytime, and is therefore not drivable. The Honda diagnosis confirmed this as well, and they said the vehicle needs a new engine. No warning lights or messages occurred at all to indicate there were any problems. This is the same make and model and year of vehicles that have been recalled, but Honda is saying that they have not extended the recall to include our VIN number.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729465April 6, 2026
ENGINE
My wife was driving our 2016 Honda Pilot and making a right turn when she lost most of the power on the vehicle. She noticed an immediate rattling/knocking sound and drove home with reduced power. We took it to the Honda dealership on the week of March 30 to have it evaluated and they said it was a timing belt issue. We were charged the diagnostic fee and had it towed from the dealership to a repair shop. They repaired the timing belt, but said that the issue was the engine and it needed replaced. We took it back to the dealership to confirm that the issue was not the timing belt and they asked that we pay another diagnostic fee as they did not repair the timing belt and then said that the issue was indeed then engine and it needed replacing. My vehicle only has 145K miles on it and we have maintained it well. I know there was a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot's, but for those produced a few months after mine. I believe that my suv may have suffered severe engine damage by not being included. I would be glad to submit any and all evidence to support this as this could have been very dangerous for my wife and children had she been driving on the highway and lost power suddenly. I have not replaced the engine yet, but will be doing so soon as I need a way to get to/from work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11728564April 1, 2026
ENGINE
Based on everything we've documented, here's a tight, factual account written in the style NHTSA expects — first person, chronological, no fluff: "I own a 2016 Honda Pilot Touring AWD, VIN [XXX] , with 89,962 miles. The vehicle began producing a clunking noise from the engine. I brought it to Honda of Tomball [XXX] ), where the dealer diagnosed all main rod bearings as damaged and recommended full engine replacement. This failure is identical to the defect described in NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-751 (Honda Recall XG1/GG0): premature connecting rod bearing wear and seizure caused by improperly ground crankshaft crank pins. My vehicle is a 2016 Honda Pilot, a model year explicitly covered under the recall. However, my VIN was not included in the identified recall population, and Honda of Tomball has not offered to cover the repair under the recall. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether my vehicle's crankshaft contains the same manufacturing defect, and that Honda be required to extend recall coverage to my VIN. The repair cost for a full engine replacement is substantial, and the failure mode is mechanically indistinguishable from the acknowledged recall defect 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
#11728296March 31, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
We were on the way home from a soccer tournament in [XXX] on rt. XXX and 4 hours into our trip the car's fuel pedal stopped responding and our speed started descending rapidly. The engine light was on with the vehicles stability system, Hill assistant, emission system, power system, TSA..... All of them were lit. Scared I put hazards on and pulled over on the side of the road. I waited about 20 min and tried to start the car. It started and drove us home on side streets on speed 30-40 to [XXX] , wouldn't go faster and it was shaking while driving. It was quite terrifying and looking back I should have called 911, this was a first time ever I have been in a situation like that with my daughter. We got home at night. In the morning I called AAA to see if the battery was bad, they said no. The dashboard was cleared, no lights appeared and when I went to the Honda dealer they couldn't a identify the specific problem. They told me it could be a few things and told me to do repairs for $5000.00 not knowing if it would fix the problem. This first incident happened in summer 2025. I stopped driving the car on a highway and long distances, the dashboard lit up few more times but always went back to normal. A couple of weeks ago, when I again called AAA to check my battery, I was advised to go to AutoZone when the board lits up again. So I did today and was told it was code P0087 and had to do with the fuel pressure pump. So I went to my mechanic to diagnose the problem and they are in the process of repairing it. But after some research I found online that there has been a recall on Honda Pilots 2016-2018, but my car didn't qualify. So I called Honda manufacturing explaining my situation and warning them that the same thing happened to me and they said there was nothing they could do if my car's VIN # wasn't included. So I am writing to you to advise the traffic safety administration and suggest to expand the recall #XXX to more vehicles INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11728021March 30, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car fails to start and warning flashes, keyless start system problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727664March 28, 2026
ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, SUSPENSION
Drive to work suddenly engine show emergency issues many symbols appearing in front of screen and break is not controlled and car is stop running.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727284March 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Vehicle caught fire and completely burned up. It had no problems, had been serviced and recently inspected for emissions and safety in Virginia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727016March 25, 2026
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal functionality. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rod bearings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 121,632.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11726362March 23, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was knocking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the vehicle was skipping timing, and the timing chain or belt had slipped from correct alignment, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and associated the failure with the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 148,850.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11726042March 21, 2026
ENGINE
My vehicle was recently serviced at the local Honda dealership within the last 6 weeks for an oil leak at the oil filter. We had the work done and everything seemed fine until 3 days ago when the check engine light started flashing and the car couldn’t accelerate properly. I drove the car to the same dealership and after inspection they notified me that the car needed a new engine because a rod bearing had failed and was causing the engine to seize. We were quoted a price of approximately $10,000 to fix. Upon researching online for a cheaper engine/option I found that Honda had issued a recall for the same issue, but when I checked my VIN it said 0 recalls for my vehicle. Is there anything that I can do to have them honor the recall on my vehicle?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11726113March 21, 2026
ENGINE
Engine tie rod bearing is worn on cylinder 3, engine is knocking. 119kmi.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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