NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Pilot. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
motor started knocking that sounded like spark knock. found out that the connecting rod was knocking had to replace the engine. still have old engine on a stand in my garage.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a turn out a parking spot, the vehicle would not auto start, and the collision mitigation warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted the vehicle into park and restarted the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationed at her employment parking lot, after starting the vehicle with the auto start, she was unable to shift into reverse. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and had to restart the vehicle four times before being able to shift into reverse. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the Drive (D), transmission fault, and sensor failure warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that she continued driving to her residence while experiencing the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Front windshield wiper washer jet hood nozzle sprayer fell off and is lost. Called Honda dealer. They checked with Honda corporation and are advised that there are 1,100 of these on back order. Lead time is approximately 4 months! Without this part, windshield cannot be cleaned by the windshield washer should it be urgently needed while traveling down highway. This puts safety at risk.
Keyless entry problem error continues to pop up. Car will not always shut off. At times when I’m stopped at traffic light it tells me to put car in park
The car consistently stalls out when we stop and the auto idle begins. When we remove foot from break the car doesn’t restart and takes a few minutes of turning it on/off before vehicle resumes functioning. Honda says nothing is wrong but it has been an issue since purchase. It is more likely to occur when ac is running. I have to manually turn off auto idle every time I turn on vehicle to prevent stalling.
The auto-stop idle feature activated at a red light. When the light turned green, the automobile would not restart but became entirely dead with not even being able to turn on the headlights or hazards (this was during the night as well). As a result, my family had to hang out the window to try and flag cars approaching the intersection to keep from being hit. The vehicle was taken to a Honda dealership the next day at which time the incident could not be replicated as either a code was not thrown or the code was not saved. The dealership did state that there was a recall that required a software update which they performed but when researching this only addresses the tolerances for which when the auto-idle stop will be initiated and not to mitigate the "black-out" that can occur. Escalated to Honda and found it curious that various Honda/Acura models have been impacted and that our particular vehicle's warranty for this functionality was extended to ten years past the vehicle's purchase date. When asked if they would replace with a new module, was told no due to the dealership not being able to replicate. FYI - no warning lamps or any other indication was displayed ahead of said event. So now the family is left with a vehicle that could potentially have this occur again.
1. My moonroof/sunroof will not close. when trying to close it, it comes close to closing then opens up again. Tried to close multiple times and the same result. Then I tried to hold down the wind deflector as it closes and hope not to pinch my finger. after trying that multiple times, I was able to close my moonroof/sunroof. 2. with a moonroof unable to close, weather could come in and compromise the safety of everyone in the car. Further, holding down the wind deflector while trying to close could injure someone if the timing is not right. 3. Have not taken it to dealer yet. 4. Has not been inspected yet. 5. No warning lamps or messages prior to failure of closing moonroof.
My car (2016 Honda Pilot Touring) SHUTS DOWN due to the auto shut off feature at least once a month and I am very nervous to hand it over to my daughter in a next year when she is old enough to drive. I have been stalled out at intersections...it is irresponsible of Honda to not issue a recall. People are going to get into accidents if they can't start their car in the middle of intersections! Why is this not being recalled. I understand it will cost Honda a substantial amount of money to correct, but it has to happen. What if you have an older battery that is losing its charge. Does this mean that WE are to blame for getting into an accident because the battery is not brand new and can't handle this auto shut off feature? It's totally unacceptable! I realize we can turn the feature off...but what happens if my daughter (new driver) forgets to push that button EVERY time she gets in the car. I'm sorry...I know some will say it's the driver's fault for forgetting but the potential of that mistake is real and the possibilities could be devastating.
Engine is making a knocking noise at startup, continues when accelerating. This was confirmed by the dealer who cited "engine has lower end rod knock. The dealer had to replace the engine and both front sway bar links. These are the same symptoms as NHTSA Recall #23v-751. I opened a case with Honda but they said because my VIN was not included in the recall, they would not cover the cost of the repair.
The Keyless Access Control Unit (Smart Unit) is defective. After the car is shut off and locked, the dash lights, interior lights, head lights will flicker on and off. The car alarm will also be activated. All this causes the battery to be drained. The work around is to disconnect the battery when parked or not lock the car.
When driving my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring and forgetting to turn off the auto idle my car will completely shut off and not turn on. This has happened a total of 3 times since owning my car. All three have occurred at a red light intersection. I’m grateful nobody has rear ended me in these occurrences. It seems when the car tries to start the engine, all the dashboard lights light up and we get the messages lane departure mitigation or brake problem and the car stalls. The first occurrence happened in October of 2020 and we had to jumpstart the battery. This happened on a short 15 mile trip. We replaced the battery at that time. The 2nd and 3rd time was this past week of January 2, 2023 when driving a long distance trip 500-1000 miles. Luckily the car started back up since we were on a trip and did not have family or friends in the area.
The auto start on vehicle is defective. When sitting at red light the vehicle shuts off and the when you go to excelerate the car stalls. I have taken to 2 Honda dealers and have been told that your agency is investigating problem. This has happened repeatedly and the dealer doesn’t have fix. Does it take someone getting hurt for Honda to address issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the engine made abnormal clicking sounds and was shaking while accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic recommended that the contact wait to see if the vehicle was included in an upcoming recall. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and it was recommended that the rocket oil pressure switch and an oil change be performed. The vehicle was previously repaired however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the independent mechanic recommending that the contact wait for a recall. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) as a possible solution however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that assist might be provided under a Good Will Program. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
When stopped at a stop sign, the engine cut off but the interior electronics stayed on. We were unable to restart the car engine , and we couldn’t turn the car off either. Every time we pushed the stop/start ignition button, it would try to start the car, but fail. However, it would leave the car on in the “on” or “accessory” type mode with all the dash lamps on. We were stuck there for over five minutes trying to get it to restart or turn off. We were afraid to leave the car to get help because we couldn’t turn the car completely off. In the meantime we were obstructing traffic. We were finally able to get it started and went straight home. The next morning I took the car in to my Honda dealership and they said the battery tested as good and there were no error codes recorded, so there was nothing they could do.
2016 HONDA PILOT AWD TOURING. 78,706 miles. Multiple incidents of car breaking without warning. Today, while driving on interstate at 70 mph the vehicle suddenly/without warning braked causing neck stain and nearly rear-ended by a semi truck. Similar reports on the internet point to the CMBS on this make and model. Also, the monitor screen goes dark intermittently and the vehicle stalls at stop light. The sudden braking is dangerous and I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. I have reported this incident to the Am. Honda Corporation through their website.
Engine failure in the middle of the intersection while my 16 year old drove home from work. Car has always seemed like it had a transmission issue and seemed like something was not right but Honda did not seem concerned. Now engine failure.
With Auto Engine Idle Shut Off on, the engine shuts off when idling at a stop, but does not restart when taking foot off the brake. It takes up to a minute to shut everything off and restart the engine. Only happens occasionally, but it's dangerous when it does because the cars behind are try to go.
My car has suddenly started showing "Keyless Start System Problem" when i start the car. While the car starts okay when i press the ignition, i am scared that the car may not suddenly start as usual and i can get stuck if it does not. - Also when the "Keyless Start System Problem" is shown on the dashboard in orange, it prevents us from seeing any other information on the dashboard (including speed etc) - I thought looking at some videos that it may be a battery issue with my remote. However even after I changed the battery (an original replacement for the battery of the remote start / Driver 2 Key), the issue shown on my dash board does not go away. - After researching it online, it seems it is a pretty common problem with 2016 to 2018 Honda Pilots (esp Honda Pilot 2016 for which there are umpteen number of cases shown on Youtube). However I do not see Honda doing any recall on such an important part of the car. This is a big safety issue not only because of the car start issue but also because the error while being shown on the screen, does not allow me to see any other information on dash board.
1) Engine failure - Several times our 2016 Touring has stalled at a stoplight. It takes time to start back up. I have to turn on hazard light, and it is getting worse every occurrence. This has happened since I bought new, and when it happens, all of the lights come up on the dash. There is a investigation in the state of California, but nothing in Ohio yet. 2) I just had to replace my drive shaft that goes from from to back on center bottom of the car. They said the rear is failing, and that may be part of the problem with sluggish acceleration. 3) Transmission: Sluggish acceleration is this ZF 9 speed (outsourced) by Honda issue. I will be accelerating on the freeway, and all of the sudden, it would down shift to like second gear, causing me to slow down suddenly. Dangerous if cars are behind in rush hour. I also had 4 incidents where I could have lost my life because I could not accelerate (the gear would not engage). Dealer informed me that all of the updates are uploaded, and it should be okay. But it's not okay when you are carrying your children, spouse, or co-workers. I have informed the dealer many times that this car is not safe. I personally ran a business as Tier 1 supplier to Honda and visited many Honda factories. Nothing ever got done. It will be too late before they can help us. All of the data and information is at Honda Marysville (Ohio) dealership. All of my services (including oil change) are done there.
The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged. Vehicle must be placed in park and attempt to restart. Sometimes restart does not happen for several tries. Has happened 10-15 times over the last 3 years, since around 30,000 miles, and dealership has tried investigating and have failed to remedy after 3 separate visits. Date indicated in this report is the latest occurrence.
I have had multiple time of my vehicle's auto stop start feature failing to START after being engaged. When you come to a stop, the car turns off. When you lift off the brake to go the engine cranks for a second, but does not start. The screen says "shift car to P". I am often stuck at an intersection and traffic gets upset we are not moving. There is no warning light or lamp. I have had the vehicle repeatedly serviced by the dealer. They said they cannot replicate the issue. The battery has been replaced several times.
The vehicle does not restart when at a stop. the auto idle shut off will not work. This has happened multiple time since we purchased the vehicle. It has been to the dealer multiple times with this problem. When it happens, you must put the vehicle in park and restart the engine. This causes a problem for traffic as sometimes it is very hard to restart.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The liftgate malfunctioned. it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I opened the liftgate for my wife and it closed while she was trying to take something from the back. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? It has not been confirmed by a dealer or anyone else. it happens sporatically. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The car makes a loud beeping noise when closing. It first happened on December 4, 2022. and it has happened a few times since then including yesterday.
When coming to a stop the vehicle engine’s automatic stop/start system stops the engine then multiple warning lights are on and the vehicle fails to restart automatically. Driver must work through a series of steps while sitting at an intersection or stoplight resulting in a vulnerable position.
Problem started after fuel injectors were replaced under Recall. Since December 2022/January 2023 alarm Goes off randomly with headlights coming on, honking draining the battery. Many visits to local dealership nothing worked. In March 2023 they order Starter for replacement in this vehicle. I have to open the hood wide open with hook in place every night to avoid honking. The part arrived June 01st, 2023 with charge of CAD $1007.63. All reserved parts were used up as so many Honda Pilots needed this part.
The car just stopped while being driven in the freeway around December 2022. It was towed to the dealership and they said that the engine "seized." We wrote a letter to Honda and they said that it was our fault (car has very little miles- it's a family car). The engine light was never resolved even after engine was replaced. Honda then came out with a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot for engine seizing but they said my VIN did not qualify although this was the exact same issue. I tried reaching out with them to no avail. I am afraid to transport my children in this vehicle and I have already spend over 10k fixing it. It also feels unethical to sell the vehicle knowing it's defective. If possible, please look into the VIN's that are part of the recall since I am afraid there are a lot more cars driving in the freeway from the manufacturer that has the same issue which pose a safety concern to the passengers and the cars around it.
When car stops due to Auto Idle it then stalls and gos into neutral shutting of engine completely With collision warning coming up. Then have to shut car off , put into park before it struggles to restart. I have documented on 2 other occasions with NHTSA and to be honest if I was to document this every time you would have 100’s of reports from me. This vehicle is dangerous due to Auto Idle. I try to over ride it if I remember but that’s not always the case. I have taken it to Hoehn Honda in Carlsbad CA multiple times but to no avail can they fix it. As a consumer I’m trying my best to take safety seriously as this car will kill someone. When will Honda or the goverment take this seriously. The defect in this car the auto idle needs to be looked at or recalled.
SEVERAL times when stopped the auto shut off for the engine does not restart and engine completely turns off with the car in drive and me unable to move. This leaves me at an intersection while cars are trying to go and I have to restart my car. I have been almost hit when cars coming up to the intersection assume I am going to be moving soon. I have brought this up to my Honda Dealer several times. One time they claimed it was my battery so I paid to have my battery replaced only to have it continue to happen. The last time I was in the Honda Dealer they said they have had a number of complaints and Honda has no solution. I asked if they could disable the feature so that I didn't have to worry about it happening. They said no. I have to manually disable it every time I start the car. There are no indicators or lights showing that there would be a problem.
Pirelli scorpion verde plus 2 honda pilot 2016 awd while driving at safety speed about 40mph the rear tire suddenly explode right on the sidewall,no report or inspection by the store or any other. No damage to the vehicle,nobody injured.,weather temp at that time 67 F.
vehicle has been to standard maintenance at dealer. Rod problem at 100,000 miles resulting engine replacement. Transmission is not suitable and slips after 100,000 miles.
I am experiencing the same issue as is described in NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 for my 2016 Honda Pilot. It has been in for service numerous times and Honda has no solve for it. The auto idle stop turns the engine off correctly, however, it has failed to restart more than a dozen times over the last 2-3 years. Honda has replaced the battery twice since the start of this issue. This stall has caused dangerous situations and has impeded traffic while I get the car restarted. I see the NTSB has an open investigation about this issue and I would like to add my name / car to the list of people reporting the issue. The date I am listing in this report is the last time it happened.
All warning lights turned on during a normal drive. The dealer said it is a harness issue and needs to replace the harness to fix the issue. Surprised that a part that does not move had to be replaced. It has happened a couple of times before.
Hi, today my 2016 pilot elite stop working on a red light. Once the brake pedal was released, the engine stop and warning lights appeared on the dash board: Neautral message light and Battery light. My wife and two daughters were scared and helpless. Cars were honking. After around 2 minutes and at least three tries to turn on, it finally did. We are happy to know that Honda is working on this matter, thanks.
When I was driving my Honda Pilot 2016 on highway 59, suddenly my car lost power and jerking. Multiple warning light went on. It was very dangerous and almost got me killed. It turns out that Honda knew this problem, TSB# A18010i, due to a part is out of spec. Honda should recall this problem.
Auto Start for Idle fails at start intermittently. If stopped at an intersection, when proceeding to go, engine cuts off and gear shifts to N, requiring a shift to P and Start pressed before then going to D and continuing. This is always at intersections and the delay puts driver in jeopardy.
The engine completely stopped working while driving on the interstate. The engine only has 130,000 miles on it and I am now facing a $15,000+ repair on a known issue with the Pilots.
Keyless Access Unit failure/malfunction per honda service center. While park and turned off, vehicle randomly turns on to accessory mode causing drain on battery and/or alarm to sound when locked/set. No codes or warning or issue prior or since. This issue has noticed and continues.
The automatic start/stop function works intermittently when I come to a complete stop or turn off the car for a short amount of time. Most of the time, when I make a complete stop, the Honda Pilot won't automatically restart. I have to put the Honda Pilot in park and restart the engine, which still doesn't work. I have to wait a significant amount of time before reattempting the ignition. If I disable the automatic shut-off feature when I turn on the Honda Pilot, the SUV drives like normal. However, there is no permanent vehicle setting to disable the automatic shut-off. Lastly, the SUV usually won't restart even if I make a short duration stop, such as pump gas or running inside a store. At first this was a rare occurrence. Over tha past year, the Honda Pilot has gotten worse. Now, it's an everyday occurrence.
Auto start/stop feature fail to restart multiple times. Leave me stranded on a busy highway and road.
After 30 - 40 minutes of driving the audio is overcome by extreme static and popping and affects all componets ( radio, DVD, XM, CD, etc) would seem something is getting hot after 30 minutes so a possible fire or melting situation . Honda dealer does not seem to know an answer and this issue is being discussed on Honda Pilot owners blog and it quite widespread
When car stops due to Auto Idle it then stalls and the engine completely cuts off. Then having to restart the car. This has happened to me an immense amount of times, in streets, freeways and it is going to kill someone. I have on. numerous had near misses where people have barely avoided rear ending me. I have reported to dealer, American Honda and nothing has been done. Every time it has gone into dealer for this they just say they can not replicate it. It is a Lemon and a dreadful defect in this car. something has to be done before someone is killed.
Emission system problem light - is VERY COMMON 2016-2018 Honda Pilot. Why is there NO recall/permanent fix for this? This is a Honda Defect in manufacturing/workmanship. Honda should resolve!
the auto stop/start has left me stranded numerous times. The car won't start.
When driving vehicle between 20 to 60mgh the vehicle judders. The vehicle almost feels like it's going to come out of gear. The vehicle also seems to not speed up or react to the accelerator. This being an SUV that my wife and kids drive everyday seems to be a very high safety issue for our family. If this vehicle does not accelerate in time or shift in time it could potentially put my family in harm's Way. And the other vehicles involved as well. The dealership has inspected and acknowledged that there is a problem with the transmission shifting or shuttering. But they only say that the transmission needs servicing. I service the transmission at the Honda dealership 10 months ago and it's reoccurring again. A 10-month transmission service and it reoccurs seems to be excessive. Attached is a Honda service bulletin that I found and mentioned to the dealership and American Honda. They mentioned to me that my VIN number is not covered by this Service Bulletin. The bulletin States all VIN Bulletin # 17-015, #16-091 February 18, 2017 A judder from the torque converter lock-up clutch may be felt while driving between 20 and 60 mph. The problem is typically diagnosed as a bad torque converter. American Honda investigated the judder and found that the torque converter was not causing the judder and the transmission is not damaged by this judder. The judder was caused by deteriorated transmission fluid. The transmission fluid deteriorates quicker than expected when it is exposed to intermittent high heat loads under specific driving conditions. A software update is available to maintain the transmission fluid temperature within the desirable range under all driving conditions and eliminate the potential for this judder. There are two bulletins referring to this subject: x 17-014 - 2016–17 Pilot: Judder from the Torque Converter Lock-Up Clutch. American Honda customer service says that my VIN # is not cover by this Service Bulletin # 17-015, dated February
My 2016 honda pilot will not restart after it idles at a stoplight. This has happened multiple times and is happening more frequently (twice today). Both times today I was in a line of traffic and was in fear that someone behind me would hit me. The dashboard message said to put the car in park but that did not work. I had to turn the car completely off and restart it. The second time it took me three tries to get the car started. The guy behind me was very angry, gesturing and yelling. Road rage is scary too. I had the car looked at several months ago due the same issue and they could not find anything wrong when they ran diagnostics. I cannot recreate the problem on demand. It is sporadic. And scary.
On multiple occasions, but the latest being 10/19/2022, my car will not restart after the auto idle start/stop feature malfunctioned while at a stoplight this afternoon. The battery is not old, and we recently had it checked because it has been doing this a lot lately. It checked out fine when tested. Something is majorly wrong with the electrical parts when this happens. Lights flash, my hazards didn’t even work today, which was very scary and not safe. The only door that would open was my driver side door. This is a huge safety concern and I am now looking for a new car. This has happened at least 20-30 times, but today was the worst. It took awhile to get it jumped off. In the middle of traffic, with my hazard lights not working. Honda really needs to fix this. We took it to the dealership once about this issue and they said nothing was wrong. Please investigate this issue before it causes injury.
Two weeks ago after a 4 hr drive, I pulled in to by gas and when I tried to restart the car, all the panel lights came on but the car would not "crank" on. Tried it several times with same result. outside lights OK, interior lights OK. Added problem as the car would not start there is no way to get it into neutral and the car was unmovable !! Fellow driver offered to jump it and it started right up. Took it right to the dealer and test the battery. Tested good. I then turned it off and on several times and it worked. I have driven it over the last two weeks and have not had a problem. Last night the same think happened in a parking lot. Again a jump started it right up and has worked "normal" since. This could happen anywhere, anytime (Safety) and the inalienability to move the car out of the way is a road hazard.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the charging system error light and brake system error lights illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V668000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Stop/start failure. Engine fails to restart after stopping