2017 Honda Pilot Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic with the Eco Assist System activated, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into neutral(N). The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

During auto start/stop car will not restart when the brake is release.

This appears to be a known problem with the Honda Pilot with the car auto start/stop feature. The power/engine cuts on and off when trying to start back up. The dealer replaced the battery but after around 6 months it has started again. Before the battery replacement, we had the issue happen on the freeway while driving. So, it wasn't just after the autostop but it happens more prevalently then. It happened at least 2 to 3 times on the freeway. After reading that some vehicles don't start back up, I am concerned that if this cuts out on the freeway and doesn't start back up, it could cause an accident on the freeway at high speeds. I urge you to push Honda to recall the vehicle to fix this issue before someone get hurt. The dealer tech doesn't know what to do to fix the problem. And, doesn't appear to be the battery as we had the new one checked again just to be sure.

Our car is 1,100 miles over warranty and the air conditioner system broke. The dealer cannot tell me anything about why it happened, just that they need to replace the entire system, including the compressor and condenser. Our AC is blowing hot air now (and we live in Georgia and it's the summer), so the car is basically undriveable. It's going to be $5900 to replace.

When exiting the interstate and stopped at stop sign, vehicle shut off due to auto stop/start feature. When I released the break to go, the vehicle did not start and completely shut down. The vehicle had to be placed in park, break pressed and ignition button pressed again. It took a little bit but it did start again. After this incident, this has also happened about 10 more times stop lights around town. It has always started again but it takes a minute to restart and multiple steps are needed for it to be restarted. Traffic has been backed up while I attempt to restart the vehicle.

We were at a Sheetz gas station last month and the auto-start/stop cut the engine off and it would not restart. We had to place the car in park and manually restart it. We have had this issue happen on another occasion and we purchased the car in April.

Engine dies after idle stop enables at traffic light or stop sign. Car then needs to be jumped to restart

Problem: Malfunction of the auto engine idle feature. Multiple (five to ten) occurrences have been observed in this vehicle since 2021. When gas pedal was pressed to start the car moving forward after idling for traffic conditons, instead of driving forward, the car automatically engaged neutral gear. In order to place the car in drive gear, the driver had to power off the car and then power back on. This problem was observed while traveling in stop-and-go interstate traffic and also while stopped at stop signs. This is a safety issue because restarting the car immobilized it for about 20 seconds of time each incident, while in traffic that was trying to move at posted speeds. Because this has been an intermittent problem so far, it was unable to be replicated by the dealer’s service technicians. There have been no indications of any problem prior to each stalling incident.

Auto start/stop has caused the engine to shut off multiple times. One particular incident occurred at a stop light and only turned back on after several attempts using the ignition button.

I have experienced several instances where the vehicle's auto stop-start system fails to restart the vehicle's engine after a stop. This has happened 2-5 times. Specifically, when the vehicle is at a full stop (with brake fully depressed), the auto stop-start system is designed to stop the engine to conserve fuel by turning the engine off. During the episodes at issue, the system works correctly to stop the system. However, when I have released the brake pedal and attempted to resume driving, the engine has failed to restart and the power system appears to fail/reset. The vehicle then requires that I attempt to restart it using the stop/start button. On at least one occasion, I had to make multiple attempts to restart the vehicle before it finally began operating again. This situation often results in the vehicle obstructing traffic for an extended period of time and creating a dangerous situation. I have begun disabling the auto stop-start system when driving the car to avoid this problem occurring.

On several occasions, the automatic idle and restart system has failed. While setting at a red light with a breaking engaged the engine goes off. When releasing the break the engine does not restart automatically. Sometimes it restarts easily and sometimes not taking two to three attempts to do so while traffic is backed up behind me at a stoplight

The idle shut off feature has shut the car off and then not restarted when it was supposed to. This has happened in two intersections and a stoplight. When it doesn’t restart, I am unable to do anything, shift in to park or restart the car. It is extremely unsafe as it leaves you sitting in the middle of traffic or wherever it decides to leave you and you can’t do anything with the vehicle. There is no warning when it does it. I have not approached the dealer since there is a button to override the feature I figured they would not listen. However I think it is ridiculous that you have to push a button to make sure your vehicle doesn’t die on you while driving. I would like to see the auto idle feature removed from the vehicle.

Turned on the car back in May '22 and all my lights came on my dashboard for ACC, Collision, Lane Departure, Lane Keeping Assistant, Brake Assistance. I have taken it to two dealers and the problem seems to be the multi-function camera in the windshield has failed. Said it is safe to drive still without it, but now the Cruise Control isn't even available with this malfunction. Two months later my Transmission Problem light comes on. I take it in again and they say the multi-function camera being broken is triggering this warning light to come on. So I don't know if my transmission actually has a problem or if the multi function camera is breaking everything electrical in my car. Transmission drives funny but I can't prove anything because of the camera. If the car has been in the sun for a period of time the lights will not show up and you can use cruise control again. Camera is on backorder so don't know when it will come in, and don't even know if this will fix the whole problem.

Fuel injection pump makes really loud noise and reduction of engine power. Took it to the dealer for diagnosis and was told the fuel pump needs a replacement. Have been waiting 2-3 weeks for parts, with no loaner or estimated timeline provided.

Vehicle failed to restart after stopping at a stop light while auto stop feature was on (defaults on). Had to completely turn off vehicle and restart it for it engine to fire back up.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop light and attempting to proceed to drive, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact shifted the vehicle to park(P) and restarted the vehicle. The failure only occurred whenever the Auto START/STOP function was activated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the fuel injector failed and needed to be replaced. The failure persisted. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who then diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the torque converter and converter clutch failed and needed to be flushed or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

At start up, both with remote start an manual start, the vehicle will lurch forward. It seems to be happening with more frequency for a total of about 10 times. My worry is that at start up the vehicle will strike nearby pedestrians or property. The transmission has had start / stop issues and “hard” shifts but the dealer has not found any issues. There are no warning lights associated with this issue.

On numerous occasions when engine has automatically stopped, it has failed to restart to allow continued driving.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side front seat inadvertently moved backward. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

Idle stop engages and cuts the car off, but it won't start back up automatically. We have to put the car in park and try to restart it completely. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts; long enough to miss a cycle at the stop light.

On May 1, 2022, While driving on the thruway, numerous alert lights lit up on the dashboard. The engine began to knock and thump and lost power. I coasted through traffic to the side of the thruway and shut the engine off (dangerous). Upon restarting the knocking noise restarted and I shut it down and had it towed to the Honda dealership. Diagnosis: Blown engine. I had the tech disassemble the engine to determine cause, which was identified as the "number 1 connecting rod wore journal on side of crank". Pieces of the engine internals were found in the oil drip pan. Since then, I have read of: Honda is recalling certain 2016-2022 Acura MDX, 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2018-19 Honda Odyssey, 2016 and 2018-19 Honda Pilot, and 2017 and 2019 Honda Ridgeline models. These vehicles all use the same 3.5L engine. My Pilots model was excluded from this recall. In a recent USA today article it was stated that NHTSA was investigating years excluded from this recall. The investigation announcement into the 1.4 million vehicles says that the safety administration received 173 complaints from drivers whose cars were not included in the recall.

On Saturday, 30 April 2022, While driving approximately 65 mph on a state highway in Alabama from Florida, the sunroof spontaneously exploded. Thankfully, at the time of the incident the sunroof and shade were both closed. However, had the shade been open, all of the glass would’ve shattered on my two children, my husband, and myself. Being that this occurred while I was driving, it could have resulted in a serious accident. I have never had any issues with the sunroof up until this incident. There were no warning lamps or system messages that there were any problems with my vehicle. My vehicle has always been regularly serviced at a certified Honda dealership service center since I purchased it in 2017.

The automatic start/stop killed the engine at a stop light, and took several tries to restart the engine. I always disengage this feature now to avoid being stranded.

When parked, the car begins to try to turn on. The interior lights flash, systems fire and the battery drains. Twice I was left stranded having to rely on tow trucks, replacing batteries that were still functional and running car continuously in order to not drain it since it is my only car and I needed reliable vehicle to get to my kids. I could have been stranded in unsafe areas, thus impacting the safety of myself and family. There was no warnings before this happened the first time. Then, after changing the battery, it went another week without issue and then randomly happened again, without warning or indicators. It was looked at by 2 mechanics, the first (Christian brothers automotive) could not find a problem. The second (Honda dealership) diagnosed it as “body control module failure-code b12d3”. They were not able to fix my car after diagnosing the problem today because they didn’t have the part in stock. So, I am now having to disconnect my battery every time I park to prevent it from draining the battery and honking. As a single mom, with only one vehicle, this will be a long wait until the part arrives and can be fixed. On top of the exorbitant wait, the repair quote is $861.63 to correct. This is a manufacturing malfunction for which I do not believe should be my financially responsibility. Honda cars have had recalls of the BCM modules starting with the 2018 models. It is not a huge stretch to assume the 2017 pilot BCM was flawed as well. I hope this is made right, a recall issued and my repairs expedited and paid for by Honda.

The auto Start-Stop function is not working properly. In several occasions when the engine stops at a red light the engine will not start again. This has caused many dangerous situations as we got stuck in the middle of an intersection. The dealer has not been able to identify the problem. Also linked to this electrical problem is at time all kids of electrical warning messages appear in the cluster. I expect this to be an electrical/battery related problem.

When the car comes to a stop at a light or intersection, the auto-idle function of the engine engages (indicated on dashboard). When you lift your foot off the break, the radio shorts out, the dashboard flashes, and the engine struggles to restart. This happens regularly. I've even had my vehicle stall in the middle of the road after auto-idle has been engaged (see video). I've taken my vehicle to the Honda dealer several times to be serviced, but each time I'm told they are unable to re-produce the problem. Last time I was at the dealer, I shared this video with them, but they communicated the same message. They can't reproduce my issue and my vehicle is safe to continue driving. I feel strongly that this is a safety issue. If I'm stalled at a busy intersection and drivers behind me are not paying attention, it is likely I'll be hit from behind. The orange engine information light in the video was for a needed oil change that I've since had completed. Video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dnfH1v3bq31HXQWr6

The Auto Idle will kill the engine at a stoplight and force you to restart the vehicle when the light turns green. It is dangerous, and have caused many near accidents and frustrated drivers.

When parked, the car anti-theft alarms will honk loudly waking up everyone noisily; the headlights will be turn on & keep running (even if it is manually turned off); the dashboard lights will be flickering; relays clicking; and sometimes the car will turn itself on. The noise & lights can't be turned off from the keyfob. The only way to silence it is to disconnect the battery and leave the car unlocked which is not safe when parked in the street or anywhere.

Issue: engine sometimes does not start after engine idle stop activates On several occasions while stopped at traffic lights the engine failed to start requiring the driver to turn the vehicle off then back on. This occurs after the engine idle stop actives. When the engine stops electrical components, such as the radio, momentarily lose power. The dealership was not able to reproduce the issue. Members of my household have encountered this issue several times a week over a 2 month period. This is a safety issue as the car does not reliably start in traffic.

Vehicle stutters and shakes violently when accelerating. And there's noise from the transmission.

The system that has failed involves the auto-idle feature which is automatically engaged when the car is turned on, and operates by putting the car into idle and turns off the engine when the vehicle is stopped; when the brake is released, the engine is supposed to automatically restart. However, in our vehicle, when the brake is released, the car stalls. Sometimes it cannot be restarted for several minutes. This is extremely unsafe, as it has happened in bumper to bumper traffic, and at traffic lights, where the car stall unexpectedly, then we are stranded in traffic and this puts the occupants of our car at risk, as well as the occupants in cars around us who don't know that we are stalled and are expecting our vehicle to continue in traffic. We reported this to our local Honda dealer, and they said that they have not heard of this problem and don't know what is causing it. The car has not been inspected by others. There have been no warning signs that this will occur. We are able to manually disable the auto idle feature when we turn on the engine, so that the car will not stall. This is what we generally do every time we drive our car. If we forget, the car stalls after we brake at a full stop then release the brake. We don't recall the date that this first occurred, but it has happened at least a dozen times over the past several months or longer. The date below is the date of a recent incident when the car stalled at a traffic light on a high speed road and we were unable to start the car for several minutes. We had four occupants in the car at the time.

I just read an article which says the FEDS are investigating Honda Pilot SUV engine failures. The compliant being that the fuel-saving stop-start system on some Honda Pilot SUVs can fail to restart. I personally have experienced this issue at least three or four times in my Honda Pilot. For this reason, I do not use the fuel-saving stop-start system anymore. However, when I did experience the issue it was exactly as described in the article. I was at a stop light. I took my foot off the brake and the engine did not restart. I was fumbling pushing buttons trying to get the car to start. I would turn on my emergency blinkers to let cars know I was experiencing a problem. I think eventually I turned the engine start button on and off and the car started. I had complained and expressed my frustration with the Honda repair people when I took my car in for regular servicing. They were either not really aware of the issue or not concerned. After reading the article, I wanted to let you know that I have experienced the issue. I think if other people were aware there was an investigation they might come forward to. I didn't want you to think it was only 221 people that had experienced it as stated in the article, because perhaps the problem is more wide spread that we are aware of. Honestly, it is a very uncomfortable feeling to be stuck a stop light with a car that won't move and you have no idea why.

Automatic braking engaged with no apparent obstacle/reason

The drive side power seat will not raise above a certain height, and compromises a shorter drivers visibility and proper driving potion (someone under ~5'"6'). This is a know problem caused by a part failure and is documented in Honda Service Bulletin 18-034 (Clicking from the Driver's Power Seat While using the Height or Tilt). As a result of Service Bulletin 18-034, this voids the extended warranty that was purchased with the vehicle and Honda USA will not cover the repair as it is out of original warranty. This is a safety concern as stated above and the need to place a cushion under the drive to raise their height puts the seatbelt at an unsafe position. The cost of repair is excessive at $2,400 but regardless of cost this is a known problem and a safety concern for both driving and in a crash.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle jerked and then lunged forward. The RPM decreased from 3,000 RPM to 0. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Honda of Serramonte (485 Serramonte Blvd, Colma, CA 94014) who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer suggested trading the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under the warranty and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

For the past few months, I have been having issues with my vehicle stalling. This issue occurs while stopped at red lights, stop signs, and while sitting in stop and go traffic. My vehicle is equipped with the Auto Start/Stop feature, and while stopped at a stop sign for instance, the vehicle will auto stop but fail to auto start when taking my foot off the brake and hitting the gas. This has happened on numerous occasions, putting those in the vehicle and those in other vehicles around my vehicle at risk. I brought my vehicle to my local dealership, at which point they checked it and found nothing wrong with the vehicle. They also stated that they, and the vehicle manufacturer were aware of the issue, but have no solution for it. The first time I brought the vehicle in, the dealer told me that a possible fix was an update to the system, however I would have to pay for the update. After the service adviser spoke with the service manager a few times, the dealership paid for the $220 update. The vehicle has since continued to stall, the only thing that seems to assist is to turn off the Auto Start/Stop feature every time the vehicle is turned on. Last Thursday, the vehicle stalled again on my wife with our son in the vehicle at a t-intersection. The vehicle failed to start for approximately 10-15 minutes. I contacted my dealer again and was advised to bring my vehicle in. I brought it in and was told that I could have a rental car, but that I would need to approve paying a $160 diagnostic fee. They were unsure of a permanent solution for the problem.

I was driving on highway and hit a deer going approximately 45mph. Significant front end damage. Airbags attempted to go off as car filled with smoke. Some of the areas where airbags are located like the steering wheel appear to have separated but not far enough for deployment. Seat belts locked up. Although my family is safe in this accident, I feel that this should be looked into. We may not be so lucky next time.

Vehicle randomly does not automatically restart after the auto engine idle stop engages when in stop-and-go traffic or when stopped at an intersection, resulting in a stalled vehicle in the middle of traffic. Takes multiple attempts of hitting the start-stop button to restart the vehicle. Have taken the vehicle to the dealer numerous times and each time told they can't figure out what causes the problem, but they replaced the battery at a cost of $500...didn't fix the problem. No warning indicators before the vehicle stalls, the engine simply doesn't start again after the brake is released, which should disengage the auto idle.

Driving into work, busy road/heavy traffic, the auto-stop engine function engaged. It shut down the entire car and would not restart after releasing the brake. I had to put on flasher, and then restart the car as normal. Component failure: Auto-Stop Safety issue: Could be rear-ended, or worse if this happened in an intersection Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by Honda. This problem has occurred before.

The camera assembly - monocular unit mounted in front of the rear view mirror just stopped working. It’s responsive for a multitude of safety systems, such as: Automatic Emergency Braking, Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Asst.

My car keeps stalling after being in the idle engine mode. At intersections waiting to turn left, or sitting in traffic on the freeway, at a 4 way stop, it has happened numerous times in the past year where the engine is in idle mode while my foot is on the brake, and when my foot comes off to switch to gas, the gear shifts to N automatically. It's seizing up and I can't hit the button to switch back to Drive or Park. I have to turn the whole car off and that takes awhile to do that too. Every time I go to the dealership, they do a quick battery test and it's been in the normal range. They cannot replicate the issue. There have been so many times I've created a traffic hazard, stalled traffic, and almost been hit by a car. They finally advised I turn off the engine idle option but then it defeats the whole purpose to be environmentally friendly. There is something wrong with the electronics or battery with the car. It is a huge safety issue that is not being taken seriously at the dealership.

While driving, I noticed a stall with the speed then I immediately noticed that the shift gear was on N position, apparently the shift gear was pushed accidentally even without pushing the button on the side to change gear. Also, my car kept randomly alarming and with static flashing on the dashboard while on park. I already changed the battery thinking its the battery problem but the alarming persisted. I took it to Honda and was told it's the keyless unit system, needs replacement and will cost around $900. Upon checking online, I learned that there was a recall for 2016-2017 Honda Pilot in 2020 for the same problem but when I called Honda I was told my car VIN was not part of the recall. How is that possible when my car is showing the same problem and also manufactured in 2017? How can my car's VIN be included in the recall. Pls help me have my car fixed.

Our 2017 pilot tries to turn on by itself, with the electronics in the dashboard starting and engine compartment relays firing, along with the exterior lights turning on without any driver being present or attempting to start the car. It happens even without the keys being present. As a result, the battery drains while the car is parked. We took our car to the dealership where we bought it and they confirmed the issue and stated we needed to replace our keyless access/TPMS unit to start and that we may need to a new start/stop switch. It cost $190.83 with tax to access. The car is serviced at Klein Honda in Everett, WA. The R/O number for the service visit is 652453/1. Instances of other Honda owners experiencing similar car issues can be found here: https://www.piloteers.org/threads/control-unit-problems.168522/ I noted that the 2016-2017 honda pilots have a recall/service bulletin for the start/stop switch (Honda Service Bulletin 20-117) and was told by the dealership my car is not included. I find that very disappointing since I own a 2017 honda pilot. I was quoted a repair cost of $967.36 + tax. This did not include the cost of the part (part number 38320-TG7-A32) costing $469.36 with tax. Therefore the total cost of the repair is greater than $1500. I ordered the part on March 16, 2022 and it is on back-order with no expected arrival date. I cannot currently drive my car because the battery is constantly being drained when the car is off due to this error. Our low-mileage 2017 Pilot (delivered on 5/31/17) should not have the failure(s) noted above. I am not aware of a greater recall that addresses the failure(s) and was told that our car is outside of the manufacturers warranty that could cover this since it is not part of the powertrain.

Multiple times the vehicle has shutoff when the it has reached a complete stop at a traffic light and has not restarted on its own. Took it to dealer but they could not recreate it supposedly. In addition fuel pump issues and the Honda dealer is not able to obtain parts to the fix the vehicle. Feels like a lemon vehicle.

I returned from work at approximately 5 pm on 03-01-22. As I prepared to enter my garage, I realized I could not pull in due to objects in the way. I put my foot on the brake, and as I planned to reverse, the car lurched forward and into the side of my house! No warnings, no air bag deployment, and a sudden lurch, stopped only by my (less than 2 year old, custom-built) house! Garage door would not close after the car was backed out. Car was towed to Performance Honda in Fairfield, Ohio. No codes were recorded and they did not indicate reproduction or attempt to reproduce the problem. They reset all computer systems in the vehicle. The included photos also show the skid mark on the driveway, indicating to us that the brakes were on when the car "lurched" into the house.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The vehicle had previously been serviced by the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Structure, Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated that the failure recurred with the hood vibrating after the recall was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they had met their obligation through the recall repair and provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The start- stop function will turn the vehicle off at a light, stop sign, or while stopped in traffic. Once the brake is released the vehicle fails to restart. The vehicle is now obstructing traffic and vulnerable to a rear in collision. Took the vehicle to the dealer five times and the were never able to reproduce the problem. The dealer replaced the battery staying out was low thus it was unable to restart the vehicle once it stopped. There had been not warnings when the start-stop was going to fail. It randomly happens in multiple driving conditions, i.e. highway or city driving conditions. For the vehicle to malfunction at random times puts my family and other drivers at risk each time it happens. Currently the Dealer can not find or duplicate the problem. They have been made fully aware of the problem.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after starting to drive at an unknown speed, the transmission shifted down a gear independently. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,225

atomic breaking systems kicks on almost caused accident 2 times, and the engine shot off while driving, please investigate before death happen

My 2017 Honda Pilot does not want to start after the auto idle comes on. For example. When my Pilot comes to a stop and the auto idle system shut the engine off. The vehicle does not want to start when I take my foot off the brake. I thought it may have been my battery, it the problem still happened after I got a new one.