There are 4 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2023 Honda Pilot in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 4 of 4 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Car has been serviced at same dealership I purchased from. All service up to date, Gas type shell gas brand used 95% of the time. (Noticed November 2025)issue a month after recommended transmission flush and an engine oil change. Rough idling (especially when temp below 60⁰) and almost like a miss fire when driving. No check engine light, and dealership had vehicle for two days but claimed unable to replicate issue suggested these engines are prone to carbon buildup. But recommended I switch to premium gas. SUV drives rough and then randomly reverts to normal smooth driving, also seems to struggle when switching gears, spoke to other owners of same type and a pattern of previous years owners mentioned potential issue with VCM. Major issue: Rattling during start up and driving ( sometimes goes away randomly) Car struggles with gear switching. Engine/transmission hesitation.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The emissions system continues to malfunction despite multiple repair attempts, with the emission sensor reactivating as recently as February 2025. The VTC oil control valve also previously leaked but was replaced. The battery and seatbelt buckle issues were successfully resolved. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The emissions system malfunction may impair engine performance or emissions control, creating potential environmental and mechanical hazards. While the seatbelt and battery issues have since been resolved, they previously created safety risks—such as an unreliable restraint system warning and unexpected failure to start the vehicle. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the dealership (Winter Haven Honda) has confirmed the emissions system fault multiple times, including diagnostic sessions in December 2024, January 2025, and February 2025. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been repeatedly inspected by the dealership in consultation with American Honda Motor Co. No inspections by police or insurance representatives have been reported. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. The emissions warning light first appeared on December 9, 2024, and continued to reappear on December 12, 2024, January 7, 2025, and again in February 2025. These warning messages clearly indicate an unresolved system issue
Car wouldn't go more than 25-30 miles/hour and rpm was at 5-6, had to use blinkers on highway. Luckily there weren't any injuries, i was scared of the situation as I was travelling with my toddler and newborn. After reaching home, car wouldn't reverse. I had shutdown and started the car multiple times before i could reverse. There was smell as if something was burning in the engine. I shutdown the car for 15-20 mins for smell to go away and restarted the car again, that is when check engine light was turned on with warnings about transmission, AWD and emission systems. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Transmission failure, AWD system failure, Emission system failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Confirmed by dealer, full diagnostics not available. 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? No warnings before the failure. Dealer was saying about repairing the transmission, and also mentioned the car value will be depreciated significantly. I traded in the car for new pilot, as transmission problem are recurring and also losing significant value on the car. My loan and monthly payments went up because of something i didn't do. I am being punished for the someone else mistake. Dealer wouldn't provide any incentives too.
Delayed and sluggish acceleration, particularly from a complete stop, represents a significant safety concern.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.