2016 Honda Pilot Complaint Log

While driving on the highway on cruise mode, the car was driving fine. Then suddenly, cruise mode turns off, and the following four lights appeared on the dash: emissions system problem, vehicle stability assist problem, hill stability assist problem, and steering problem. When the car attempted to accelerate, it would not go above 50 mph on a 70mph highway. When it did go above 50mph, the car would bounce as if it was on a bumpy road even though the road was smooth. Additionally, when the problem would appear again, the car would suddenly slow down, increasing risk for an accident with the other cars driving so fast. We have bought many cars in the past but this was the first time we have ever experienced a problem like this with a Honda vehicle. I came on here to send this message to make other drivers aware that this is a common problem that 2016 Honda pilots have been experiencing, according to some mechanics.

During several stops now, the auto engine idle kicks in, but vehicle does not restart. The vehicle is at a complete stop with the engine off. This has happened on 2 occasions on freeway off/on ramps, which has been extremely dangerous, with the speed that vehicles are traveling. It has also happened over 4 times at intersections and stop signs. 2 separate dealerships have inspected the vehicle, where 1 was able to reproduce the issue and both times, my battery was replaced, well before the life of the battery. Maybe 1 year into having the new battery the issue presents itself again. I have owned the vehicle for just over 3 years now and I have purchased 2 batteries, that is not acceptable.

When I'm driving this vehicle and stop at an intersection, the auto stop/start feature shuts my engine off. When I attempt to start driving again, the auto stop/start feature attempts to start my engine, but instead the car completely dies. This has happened to me three times this week alone! All three times I was running the air conditioning in the vehicle. This does not seem to occur asoften if I am not running my air conditioner.

I was driving with the intention to turn left at a major intersection. I was the first car to pull into the left hand turning lane. I put my blinker on and pushed down on the brake waiting for the light to turn green so I could make the left hand turn but the car just shut down. At first I thought it was the auto engine on/off feature but I tried to lift my foot off the brake and the car did not restart. I tried to put the car in park and turn the car completely off (then on again) to see if that fixed the issue but the brake pedal was completely locked and I could not push it down. I ended up having to call the police and a tow company to tow my car out of the intersection. Both the police and the tow company tried to start the car with no luck. They could not even start it to put it in neutral and had to flat bed the car. There were not warning lights or messages on when this occurred. Although no one was hurt, it was an extremely busy intersection where this occurred and I was with my 4 year old daughter. While waiting for the police I had to cross multiple lanes of traffic carrying my daughter because it didn't want someone to rear end my car with her in it. It was also during the start of rush hour and caused a huge traffic back up. My car was subsequently towed to the Honda dealership where I purchased the car and they were able to start it the next morning multiple times with no issue. When they checked for error codes, nothing popped up. The battery was tested with good results. They requested other services be performed: brake system service, fuel system service, etc. but I was told these were unrelated to the break down. I ended spending close to $400 in towing fees and over $800 these additional services. I saw there was an official investigation into the Honda Pilot's start/stop feature and I believe this sounds very similar to what I went through.

The vehicle has what is called "auto idle," which means that when the brake is fully depressed under certain conditions (ie a stop sign or a red traffic light), the engine turns itself off. The engine is supposed to start again when pressure is lifted from the brake. However, during the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022 (which makes me believe the use of the air conditioning is involved in this problem), the car stalls out after the auto-idle is engaged rather than the engine restarting as it should. It has taken me several minutes to then get the vehicle to turn off so that I can try to start the car once again to move out of the way of traffic. Last week this happened on a busy highway. The cars that were stopped immediately behind me all went around me while I was trying to get my car restarted, leaving me totally exposed to being backended by someone going fast and not realizing that my car is inoperable in the middle of a busy highway. This has happened approximately 10 times over the last three summers. I have had it investigated by Honda in Bel Air, MD, who informed me that while my battery was new and therefore working properly, it simply isn't giving enough charge to the car to restart after the auto-idle is engaged. This is completely unaccepable and someone is going to get hurt unless Honda addresses this problem. Yes, the system is availble for inspection. Yes the dealer confirmed the problem. No the vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. No, there were no warnings, messages or other sypmtoms prior to the failure (i.e. the car completely stalling out).

The idle stop on the car is defective, if not turned off which had to be turned off everytime we start the car, The car will randomly idle stop at intersections and won't come back on, will have to forcefully turn off the car and turn it back on. Couple this happened on dangerous intersection and traffic lights. Honda has not resolution, they just say turn off idle stop everytime.

We have had consistent, non-stop, unknown and unresolved engine issues from the day we purchased this vehicle. The dealership has not been able to identify or resolve these issues, which include the Rocker Arm, Cam Shaft and Cam Shaft sensors, numerous electrical, fuse and sensor failures and more. The symptoms appear to be the same as those cited with the connecting rod bearing issues but for some reason our vehicle has not fallen under the recalls.

The engine idle-stop feature did not restart. It is available for inspection. The safety of my two small children and myself was at risk as we had to get out of the car at a busy intersection. It has not been reproduced by a dealer or a service center. The vehicle and the parts have not been inspected by authorities. It happens without warning. While at a red light, when I take my foot off the brake it shuts off completely.

The engine's auto idle stop-start system malfunctions intermittently and unexpectedly when stopped at traffic lights, intersections and other roadway stops. The engines shuts down after a normal idling stop, but instead of restarting when the brake is released and the accelerator is pressed to proceed the car remains shutdown and will not restart automatically to proceed out of the intersection or stopped position. There is NO warning of the impending failure to restart - when the brake is released and the vehicle should restart > Annunciator panel then illuminates to an engine off status, the engine remains off/stalled > the car must be put into 'Park', the Brake depressed and a manual restart attempted, all while disoriented and sitting stationary with traffic moving around the vehicle. This is extremely dangerous and completely non anticipatable. The vehicles engine will not restart without multiple cycles/attempts, often with as many as 6 tries or more - taking many minutes while other traffic attempts to maneuver around the vehicle. This has been present with the vehicle since 16,280 miles, now 53,000 miles(6yrs). Multiple Honda Pilot owners have reported this dangerous issue, Honda is aware, the safety concerns of Pilot owners are apparently being ignored by Honda without an effective investigation/engineered solution. I've taken the vehicle to Honda dealership multiple times and told there is no standard/effective 'fix' which has been communicated by Honda to their service centers for this issue - and any attempts to remedy it by replacing the battery, ignition switch or starter has been reported at best as temporary - Dealer service centers refuse to guarantee any remedy attempts or provide any warranty on repair attempts - that any attempt to fix the issue is at the owners expense and risk. This needs to be investigated as a very significant safety issue leaving vehicles full of occupants disoriented/stalled in busy intersections/roadways.

2016 Pilot Touring electrical issue, issue with keyless control unit, panel / relays flicker, alarm goes off unexpectedly.

When stopping at a stop light the auto idle start stop will not start up immediately as it sometimes has a lag and the audio in the car also completely shuts off. The car stalls out. Have brought car to dealership and since they can’t “recreate” the problem they’re acting like there is no problem. There is definitely a problem. This vehicle has been doing this on and off for sometime now and I have to remember to turn OFF the idle/stop function button every time I start up my car in order to avoid stalling in the middle of traffic. Very unsafe, dangerous and scary.

There have been many instances of the vehicle failing to restart after a complete stop at a stop light. In these situations, the vehicle's auto stop-start system engages and turns the engine off. When the brake peddle is disengaged and the engine is supposed to start, the engine fails to restart. There are some errors on the dashboard but nothing was captured on the vehicle computer when I took it into the dealership. When the engine won't restart it takes a minute or two of blocking traffic before the engine will start up. I have to turn off the vehicle and then restart sitting in the lane hoping none will crash into me. I have also taken the vehicle into the dealership numerous time to no avail.

I bought this car used in May 2022. My wife is the primary driver and this incident happened to her three times and myself once. When stopping at a red light, the engine turns off to save fuel with the auto start stop feature. We normally turn this off, but sometimes when we forget, the auto start fails to start the engine leaving us stuck in traffic trying to start the car at a green light. It takes multiple attempts to restart the car. This wouldn't be an issue if we could turn off the auto stop start permanently. We don't like the feature anyway, sometimes it causes the car to lurch forward when removing your foot from the break while the engine is starting.

On 6/11/22, while driving on I-94 in downtown Chicago in heavy traffic the vehicle engine turned off as part of the auto shut off/on feature. The vehicle would not start button. back up and was stranded in the middle lane. The engine would not start back up, even after putting in park, pressing the brake and holding the start button. After 10 minutes or so I was able to get the vehicle re-started by pressing the brake and holding the start button for 10 seconds. Totally an unsafe situation being in the middle lane in downtown Chicago! This has happened at least 7-10 times previously.

I purchased a brand new 2016 Honda Pilot EX. After the salesman pitch about adding top-notch safety, I paid extra for the Honda sensing package (include Collision mitigation braking system) as it was not a standard in 2016. Currently my SUV has less than 14000 miles. The Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) has been warning and applying brakes when it should not for many years. Recently I drove on a highway that had construction for about 3 miles on a clear day. The car was the previous day and had nothing obstructing the camera on windshield or the radar behind the Honda badge. One lane was closed and there were flat surfaced traffic barrier (similar to cones) has been setup for the entire construction strip. About half into the construction zone, my SUV instrument panel had a warning that read "Collision Mitigation System Problem". When I noticed the warning sign is not disappearing after restarting several times, I disconnected the battery and connected it after a day. The warning sign did not go away. Then I took the SUV to the dealer from whom I purchased the vehicle. They washed the car but the warning sign is still active. The warning sign cannot be turned off using the physical button for the CMBS on the dash. Searching through the internet, I see that this is common problem among Honda owners. Many owners who experience this issue report that when they took the SUV to the dealer, they reported that the CMBS was overwhelmed by the construction barriers and the only way to fix this is to recalibrate the CMBS at dealer that costs about $500. However, this is only a temporary fix until the SUV drive through a construction site. I purchased Honda sensing for the safety of my family. Instead Honda has provided defective system that fails when driving through a construction site. Construction sites are common occurrence in everyday driving. Honda sensing CMBS is a good money maker for dealers as they get to recalibrate the system for high fee.

I have been having trouble with the auto-engine idle/restart feature for over 2years! (I saw this is a current investigation) I reported the problem to my local dealer at time of routine maintenance visit ~2yrs ago and (without driving it except from the garage to the customer driveway) they said “there’s no problem, looks fine”. I now try to remember to disengage that feature as soon as I turn on the car, but when I forget I stall out at red lights. It’s always been a design flaw that you can’t just turn off the feature! I’ve never had to be jumped off but it does block up traffic for a minute to have to restart the car. This same vehicle also had the failed fuel injectors at ~35k miles, starting almost a year before the official recall, and it took over 6 mos to diagnose that problem through multiple various dealerships and service stations. This 2016 model with the first generation of the Honda tech package has been a hot mess! (The lateral collision sensors are also set too wide and the car will abruptly break for cars in turn lanes or driveways adjacent to your lane. I reported this to the dealership within the first year as well)

When engine turns off it won't turn back on

Start-stop failure on Honda Pilot. When this feature is in use, car will shut off completely and has happened at intersections which creates a danger.

My vehicle came equipped with a feature that shuts the car off at stops/stoplights. It is supposed to restart immediately once the gas pedal is pushed. My vehicle, however, doesn't always start right away and often dies altogether. To restart, I have to put the car in park and restart and even this sometimes doesn't work. This has happened at several red lights and I have almost been rear ended by cars who have to swerve around me while I'm trying to get the vehicle started. I have taken it to Honda and their answer is to always push the button to override this feature, but if I forget to push the button, I'm in danger. This feature is suppose to save fuel but it's a complete hazard and needs to be remedied.

This car has feature to turn off engine while stopped at stoplight to conserve fuel when brake pedal is engaged. On multiple occasions when the brake pedal is released the car fails to restart engine and the engine and car “turns off” entirely. Sometimes I can restart car by pressing ignition button but other times it take up to several minutes for the car to restart. Very dangerous while in traffics.

If I forget to turn off the auto idle button. It is a 50/50 shot whether my vehicle will restart. If the vehicle does shut down it takes quite the process to try to get the vehicle to start again. Numerous times I’ve had angry drivers behind me beeping their horns and throwing their hands up as I’m frantically trying to get the vehicle to restart. When I finally do get the vehicle running again it’s several minutes later. I have addressed this issue with Honda of Fort Myers multiple times. They have replaced the start/stop ignition button twice, but this has not fixed anything. They have also forced me to purchase a new battery as they ensured this was the issue. This again did not fix the problem. This continues to be an ongoing safety issue that Honda is aware of, but neglects to do anything about it.

The auto idle feature doesn't always result in the engine restarting at a stop. Sometimes the whole car system needs to reboot before the car will restart which can leave you in a vulnerable road position that can cause an accident. This problem occurs several times a week for me. I was told a new battery would solve the problem, but after spending $300 the problem still persists.

Multiple times the idle-stop feature has caused my car to stall out at an intersection. The idle-stop will engage, but when I take my foot off the break (or move the steering wheel), the car does not start again, instead it will try to start but then turns off completely. At that point I have to re-engage the break, put the car in park, turn off the car and then try to turn it back on as normal. When this happens at a green light it's very stressful and dangerous as cars are behind me. This has happened probably 10 times in my ownership period, it is always worse when it's hot outside since so many parts are running (including the AC). I have brought the car in to fix this a bunch of times, they never find anything wrong at the dealer. The last time they replaced the starter button at no charge saying that this piece was known to be faulty. It has happened once or twice since replacing that part.

Ocassionally when stopped at intersections my 2016 Honda Pilot touring edition will go into idle stop mode and not restart. Upon trying to proceed the engine will try to start and stall out. The engine goes dead and I am unable to accelerate out of the intersection. The info dash system indicates the vehicle was in Neutral and that I needed to shift to Park to Proceed. After putting the vehicle in Park the info dash system instructs me to start the engine by pressing the Brake and pushing the Start button. This action is not possible when the vehicle has stalled out as described above and continues to prevent the driver from accelerating out of the intersection. The only solution I found that works is to remove my foot from the brake and power down the vehicle completely. Only when the vehicle is completely powered down is it possible to restart the vehicle by pressing the Brake and Pushing the power button. This event has happened 4 times in the past 3 months on my Pilot. The mileage on my Pilot is ~125,000 miles.

Auto Start/Stop function fails constantly. When coming to a stop light, the engine will stop as designed, but will not then re-start when pressing on the accelerator. Sometimes after this happens, it will take 30 seconds or more for the engine to actually start back up. At busy intersections, this creates a dangerous backup with a lane being blocked by a stall which is created by this issue. Took vehicle to repair shop and they replaced battery, but a new battery was installed less than 7 months ago from same dealership.

Almost every time I forget to disable the auto stop function on my pilot and I come to a stop it will more likely kill the engine. Not all the time, but more times than not. It’s annoying because it literally takes me a good 10-20 seconds to start it back up and get moving with cars behind me honking their horns . Issues with this started about a year in to owning this vehicle and have progressively gotten worse. Have taken my 2016 Honda Pilot into Honda multiple times with no help. They always say they could replicate the issue which is complete bull. This needs to be fixed

Auto/start stop function causes car engine to shut down completely. Car will not be able to start again until battery is jump started again. Dashboard will display “engine fail” error message. Battery has been changed but still have this problem. This has happened multiple times over the years I have this car. Dealership has not been able to fix problem. I am afraid to get stranded so I will have to manually turn off auto start/stop every single time I start the engine.

Auto stop/start feature will leave vehicle disabled and stranded at lights , and or in the middle of busy roads. Has happened to my wifes 2016 honda pilot 5 times now. Luckily 3 of those times were in parking lots , but twice on a busy highway with kids in the vehicle.

My 2016 Honda pilot stalls when my car turns off from the auto idle engine. If I do not manually turn the feature off EVERYTIME I turn my car on my car will stall out when i lift my foot off the brake. It has progressively taken longer to turn the vehicle back on (anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes) I have been to honda 2x for this issue & their "fix" has never resolved the issue. They will not admit they cannot fix it, even when I showed them a video of exactly what happens when I try to get my vehicle back on.

There is pulsating vibrations when applying brakes. This vehicle is rarely driven and has only logged 25,642 miles since I first bought it in 2016. I believe the rotors are warped. Must be a defect as this vehicle is rarely used.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the Auto START/STOP feature was engaged, the engine failed to restart after a stop. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Every single time I get in my car to drive. I experience julting when I am speeding up but it mostly happens in between 30mph and 50mph. Sometimes in between 70mph and 80mph as well. It has been going on for a year and a half and no one can figure out what it is. There needs to be a recall because it is dangerous for myself and other drivers. To the point where I am going to sell this car and get a different make

UPON INSPECTION FOUND KNOCKING NOISE FROM LOW END ROD KNOCK. INTERNAL FAILURE OF ROD CAUSING NOISE FROM SPUN BEARING- Honda told me that the VIN was not included in the previous recall despite being manufactured in the same month and year of the recall causing me to pay out of pocket to replace the short block of the engine at 85,000 miles

Dash Lights flash, alarm sounds and Battery drains randomly.

Car went into auto idle at stop light and then didn’t start back up. After about 5 minutes and multiple attempts and restarting it finally started. Very dangerous situation

Random triggered alarming caused during flickering and clicking of dashboard lights leading to battery drainage. Many reports of this same instance occurring with this particular model. It appears to be a faulty keyless control module that now many Americans have had no choice but to pay $800 to replace in the absence of what obviously should be a recall at this point.

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, It have happened many times. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer for assessment and they keep telling me that it is due to all the electronics going on at the same time

Keyless start/stop button does not work. Honda dealership says it is not active recall but switched was replaced at 88000 miles.

While at a stop light, with the engine "Auto Start/Stop" switch engaged, I released my foot from the brake, and the car died. I was totally confused as to what occurred. After a minute or two I was able to restart the car. I was very concerned about being re-ended as when the light changed to green is when the car died. I had no advance warning of a problem, and it just died unexpectedly as I released my foot from the break. No lights on the dash either. I notified my dealer, who had never heard of this happening, and said when I can, please bring it in. In as much as the incident occurred in May 2022, and hadn't happened since, I did not take my car into the dealer. I can take my car in at any time to be examined.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and continued driving at slower speeds. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact also stated that the vehicle lost motive power while reversing. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an oil leak. The oil pan, rear main seal, the engine mount, the crankshaft speed sensor, the spark plugs and the transmission mount were replaced. The contact stated that other unknown repairs were completed. However, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the hood of the vehicle would fail to remain open as needed and would close independently. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact also stated that she smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

alarm going off intermittently, dash board glitching when car is off and parked.

Air conditioning compressor went on my 2016 Pilot. Upon researching, I see that Honda has issued technical service bulletin #19-091 for 2016 - 2018 Civics for condensers that caused the AC to fail. I'm not sure if this is related, but I want to put the information out there anyways as Honda has already addressed an AC issue in similarly aged vehicles. My car has low mileage and is just 6 years old. Compressors should last well past that, and my service person at the authorized dealership said I may be the second he's seen come in that soon with the issue

Was driving the car in a parking lot (thankfully) when the dashboard lights started randomly flickering and clicking like crazy. Then the battery completely drained. The car wouldn't start at all. When I tried to restart the engine the lights would go crazy, flashing every single emergency warning light on the dashboard and clicking sounds for a few seconds then dead again. Had to get a tow truck and finally was able to jump it and drive to the dealer. I've seen so many reports of this same issue occurring with this same model. The dealer told me that its due to a faulty keyless control module that only the dealer can replace for $800 plus labor. The bill is over a $1000 with tax included. The part is on national back order so they said my car will be in the shop for probably 3 months at least. And I spoke to multiple mechanics who said that they can't fix it because the dealer won't sell them the part. I've been without my car for a month already and dealer says no word on the part and it's not covered which sounds crazy because I'm reading of others having this same issue.

We purchased our 2106 Honda Pilot Elite new in 2016. In 2022, I was driving the car and heard a rattling noise after accelerating at a stop light. I took it to Honda and they determined the engine failed and we need a new one. Our engine went out at only 80,000 miles. I experienced other issues with the Pilot; getting stalled at stop lights due to the auto idle engine stop and the start was by far the worst. Honda repaired the start button, but it did not fix the issue. The next time they said my battery was bad, they were wrong because I purchased a new battery a few months prior. The auto tailgate and sunroof worked about 60%. The next thing we did was file a claim with Honda Corporate. Case number ending in 7316 We provided every receipt requested and hand-delivered them to the service manager at Honda Schaumburg. Ultimately our claim was denied.

The problem has happened at-least 5 times won’t restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or intersection with the stop-start feature in use.Brought to Honda dealership and they stated the do not see a problem. This is a safety problem that needs to be addressed. It stopped completely when i was in traffic also almost caused an accident.

The Pilot has an auto start/stop function that turns off the engine when the car is stopped/idling. When the driver releases the break pedal, the engine is supposed to turn back on. The engine would very frequently fail to turn back on after idling. This happened many times at traffic lights and while stopped in traffic. It's much worse than stalling out with a manual transmission vehicle, because the engine does not turn back on quickly. The whole system (including battery power to the car) needs to be turned off and turned on again. This is a safety issue because the engine has failed to start while in traffic on the interstate, where cars are quickly accelerating, and the failure for the car to accelerate with traffic could lead to a collision. It also poses the risk of leaving the driver stuck in a dangerous location without the ability to move the car. I took the car to the dealership and they told me my battery was dying, and they charged me to replace the battery. So far, I haven't experienced anymore engine stalling with the new battery. The car has not been inspected by anyone other than the local Honda dealership. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure. The failure first started in 2020, but only happened a few times. Since then, the problem increased in frequency, until I finally took it to the dealership and had the battery replaced.

As previously described on the NHTSA website, this model has the 9 speed transmission and it randomly turns the vehicle off at intersections/red lights when the vehicle is stopped. It is different than the engine start/stop system since the full vehicle turns off. It is very random and stressful when it happens since other vehicles are then waiting on our Pilot to get moving again.

AUTO START / STOP functionality won't re start engine after it has engaged. Engine won't crank over, multiple dash warnings come on. PUSH START bottom doesn't work, have to put vehicle back in PARK and have to attempt several times to start engine.

Torque shutter, transmission oil burning quickly

Vehicle stalls and shuts off at a stop when engine idle stop is enabled. All lights on dashboard are illuminated and vehicle automatically sets to N gear. Upon attempting to restart engine, It takes several attempts to put vehicle back into P gear and start engine by pressing the push start button as well has having foot on the brake pedal. After doing so, the vehicle will start up right away and can be driven off normally with no warning lights illuminated on dash. This issue has happened numerous times. When engine idle stop is disabled, it does not happen. Battery has been replaced as well as push start button switch per service bulletin 20-117. Software update for TCM/PGM has also been performed as per set DTC P2638 (torque management feedback signal A range/performance) U1211 lost communication with shifter, U0404 invalid data received from shifter. Dealership has not been able to duplicate the problem.