2016 Honda Pilot
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,706 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 23 Pilot model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 23 involved a crash and 10 involved a fire. 20 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Structure, frame and membersJun 4, 2026
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
Campaign 26V365000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, hard parts internal/mechanicalNov 13, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Campaign 23V751000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, body, hoodNov 29, 2021
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.
A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.
Campaign 21V932000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storageMar 30, 2017
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KE8.
Campaign 17V219000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assemblyJun 9, 2016
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).
Campaign 16V417000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, instrument cluster/panelOct 16, 2015
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".
If a safety system cannot immediately warn the driver when needed, the driver may be at increased risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV7.
Campaign 15V668000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, rear/otherJul 6, 2015
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.
If the third row seatbelt is trapped, the occupants may not be restrained properly, increasing the risk of injury.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JS7.
Campaign 15V424000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
579 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Feb 8, 2024, fire
The contact owned a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-40 MPH and approaching the red traffic light, she depressed the brake pedal to come to a complete stop. The contact noticed smoke coming out of the cowl of the vehicle. The contact then turned on the AC and smoke came through the A/C vents. The contact opened the windows. The contact stated that the smoke became thicker and brownish while pulling into the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact then noticed that there was a hole in the middle of the hood, and there was a flame coming through the hole. The contact stated that the hood and the windshield became engulfed in fire within 3 minutes even though it was raining. The fire department extinguished the fire, and police officers arrived at the scene, but the contact did not know whether a fire department report and a police report were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, awaiting to be totaled. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 5, 2024
happening more if we left it on, as default, all the time. We have reported it to our dealer, they "cannot replicate" it and claim "that's unusual" despite knowing there is a massive recall for this exact issue. They claim it needs a tune up, and we fear that your 1% of cars effected estimate is off and not including many more cars being effected by this. This Auto Idle option needs an override that could save lives. Please re-open the investigation, press Honda for information they may not be sharing from their dealerships regarding the extent of this (they're probably not documenting each time someone complains about this, since they can't "replicate it.") Help. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 23, 2024
Vehicle audio has a kind of its own, on/off/ up/ down all without touching the screen or buttons. Goes all the way to max volume without warning. Definitely a safety risk when you are not expecting noise at all.
Electrical system, Jan 22, 2024
The entertainment/audio/entire media system malfunctions after 25 minutes of driving, causing extremely loud static that gets louder and louder to the point that you can’t hear yourself think. After several minutes of static the system sound dissapears and cannot be turned on until the vehicle is left off for an underground amount of time.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 22, 2024
Severe risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. At 5:00 am in the morning the alarm on my car went off by itself and there was no way I could turn it off or even start the car. I finally disconnected the battery to stop the car and later reconnected the battery assuming the issue was gone. When I went back to check on the car later, found that the car had started by itself and the garage was full of fumes. I installed a carbon monoxide sensor in all rooms and parked the car outside. The car now randomly tries to start itself(and all warning lights go on and dash indicates an error with all systems) and when it does start(by itself) there is no way to shut it off except for disconnecting the battery. The car is now at the dealership but a quick google search reveals that this is a frequent issue with 2016/2017 Honda Pilots and a part - 38320-TG7-A420 (remote control unit) needs to be replaced and that this part is under serious backorder nationally (indicating a serious problem). Requesting NHTSA to investigate this issue and part.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 2, 2024
On December 21, 2023, at approximately 2:25pm, while driving approximately 63 mph on the freeway, my 2016 Honda Pilot suddenly stopped accelerating and I was unable to accelerate the vehicle. During this time, I received several dashboard warning notifications. These notifications stated the following: -Blind Spot Info System Problem. -Stop Driving When Safe. Transmission Problem. See Manual. -Transmission Problem. Apply Parking Brake When Parked. -All Wheel Drive System Problem. -Emission Systems Problem. I pulled over to the shoulder and parked my vehicle. While parked, I was still unable to rev the engine, and the warning indicators continued to flash on my dashboard. I turned off the vehicle. After a few minutes, I turned on the vehicle. At this this time, I was able to rev the engine by pressing on the gas pedal. All of the indicator warnings disappeared with the exception of the Emission Systems Problem. I drove home and parked the vehicle. For the remainder of the day, the vehicle was not used. On the following day, I turned on the vehicle and noted that there were no dashboard warnings. Additionally, I was able to rev the engine by pressing on the gas pedal. For the next 14 days, the vehicle operated normally with no issues. (PS. I attempted to upload the photos of the warning indicators but your NHTSA application is not working properly.)
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 24, 2023
Components that failed: engine blew up on a Freeway; car experienced oil leaks; air conditioner stopped working; electrical problems- windows and sunroof suddenly open on their own. Facts: In Feb. 2019, I bought a certified preowned 2016 Honda Pilot with 40K miles. I drove it for less than a year before COVID-19 began and I started working from home. Shortly after I bought the car, it started leaking engine oil, which Honda later repaired. In summer 2021, the air conditioner system stopped working. On June 4, 2023, I was driving the vehicle on the 57 Freeway, Northbound, when my engine suddenly blew up and failed in the middle of the Freeway. The sudden engine failure put me and others at risk of serious injury. Since purchasing my car, I had my car regularly serviced by a Honda dealership. After inspecting my car, the Honda dealership said they did not know what caused the engine to blow up. There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms before the engine failure.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 18, 2023
My 2016 Honda Pilot Touring keeps stalling at traffic lights and randomly on the road. We just took it to the dealer last week and received the "we can't replicate the stalling, please bring it back when it happens again." They checked the battery and found it healthy. A couple times, the car has refused to restart until several minutes after the stall and sometimes it has taken several presses of the "Start" button before it finally engages the starter. The car completely shuts down when this occurs. Nothing works.
Electrical system, Dec 12, 2023
The OEM stereo will only work for a minute or two. This issue is known across all types of forums across the internet, as well as at dealerships. The reason this is a safety concern, as far as I'm concerned, is that when you are in remote areas of the country on the highway system, you will often see signs informing you to tune into an AM station for road conditions and advisories. If my stereo does not work through no fault of my doing, but due to a poor design by Honda, how am I to tune into the station to receive relative information to road/traveling conditions? These locations often coincide with having no cell service, as they are in rural/remote/mountainous regions. My only recourse is to buy a new stereo, that will eventually fail with the same issue. This issue was recalled for 2018 and newer Honda Pilots, how was 2016 and 2017 left out of this recall? Seems like gross negligence on the part of the NHTSA to me.
Electrical system, Back over prevention, Dec 5, 2023
The radio and all audio functions (including hand free communication) will stop working and making a constant static noise. The issue make noise the entire time. It is distracting and I cannot communicate using handsfree technology. This vehicle was diagnosed by a master technician at Acura (dealer at which it was purchase) as needing a new audio unit. The issue just began a few weeks ago. I've read multiple forums of owners the same make and model having the same issue. [XXX] ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 30, 2023
At 7:45AM EST on 11/30/2023 while stopped in heaving Pittsburgh traffic the auto stop start feature engaged. Once engaged everything in the car shut down. I received a notification on my dashboard that said to put the car in park and press start. It took me 3 times pressing the start button for the car to start. I later took it to get the battery checked and it showed the battery was good. This was a hazardous situation given the traffic conditions during rush hour.
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 28, 2023
After driving without incident, Pilot would not start 20 minutes after parking. Jumped and replaced battery. After replacing battery, car lost power while moving. Dash lights include hill start assist, traction control, AWD system, etc. Car goes into "limp mode", throwing code P0087 (loss of pressure to the rail). Visited Planet Honda dealer and was told to replace fuel pressure sensor, fuel rail and injectors. Replaced all, car still in limp mode. Back to dealer, told to replace low pressure fuel pump. Replaced, still in limp mode. Phone call to dealer told us to replace high pressure pump. Car comes out of limp mode. Continues to stall unexpectedly while in motion. Will not restart for several hours. Engine will turn over but will not ignite. When it does start it is a rough start, growling and sputtering. Stalls when driving or idling. Before stalling throws all original codes and all dash lights come on. Warranty extension on fuel system does not include P0087 code. After a second and third opinion we were told car is throwing multiple ECM/Wiring/voltage drop loss codes. Will run and drive as normal until it stalls. Will not restart after parking, engine cranks and sputters. CAN NOT SAFELY OR RELIABLY drive, especially with our kids in the car! Newest Honda recall on engine, causing stalling issues, does not cover this VIN. Just dropped off at a different dealer, hoping for solution.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 14, 2023
I have been receiving a keyless start issue warnning and my battery has malfunctioned as a result of being unable to start the vehicle in a emergency situation is not safe
Electrical system, Nov 1, 2023
On Monday my wife was outside the vehicle with the keys in her pocket. All of a sudden the car alarm went off without anyone touching the vehicle or without her bumping the button on the key fob. Also, on Tuesday morning she walked into the garage and noticed the vehicle’s headlights and taillights were on. The key was not in the vehicle nor did she have it on her. She opened/closed all doors thinking a door was left open. The lights eventually went off. Later that morning she got in the car and it would not start. The battery was jumped and she took it to our mechanic. The battery is fairly knew and after testing it, the mechanic said it had “plenty of juice left” but he did recharge it. While doing other maintenance to the car, he noticed the headlights/taillights coming on sporadically. He could not locate any electrical issue so he suggested I take it to the dealership. This morning (Wednesday) I took it to a Honda dealership and after running some diagnostics, it was determined it was a “keyless entry control unit” issue. The service tech told me he has seen this before in other Hondas and said it is a major safety issue if not repaired. The repair cost me over $1,000, and one I feel Honda should reimburse me for. This was not a normal wear/tear issue (like brakes, transmission, tires, etc.). This is a Honda internal electrical issue that malfunctioned. And as the service tech mentioned, it’s an extremely dangerous issue that causes safety concerns for my family (and other potential Honda owners).
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the PUSH-to-START button was inoperable intermittently. There was no option to start the vehicle with a key. The key less start error message was displayed. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no warranty extension coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to the START/STOP switch assembly located under TSB: 20-117. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 25, 2023
Engine Auto Start failure at stop-light. Total vehicle shut-down instead of just the Engine Auto-stop/start. Happens several times annually - first noticed probably in 2021. Then can't restart car until I manually "Turn-off" vehicle. It's crazy - at a stop light and the car then car wants to fail when I release from the brake - when the light turns green. Have cars behind me honking. It's a major vehicle safety issue.
Steering, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 11, 2023
WHILE DRIVING HOME, ABOUT 30 MPH, MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE IT IS SHIFTING ODDLY, THE STEERING GETS HARDER TO STEER THE LONGER YOU DRIVE AND IT GOT HARDER TO BREAK LIKE THE BRAKES WERE FREEZING UP.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 30, 2023
vehicle died/lost power on interstate traveling near 75mph in heavy traffic. warning lights on dash came on. trying to maneuver through traffic to get to the side of the road was very dangerous. car taken to dealership and had a P0716 CODE stored in the computer. was told that there was a TSB for the issue but it was no longer in effect. they said it needed a TCM update. this is not an TSB issue but is a safety issue that should be addressed with a recall.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 14, 2023
Smart Control unit that controls keyless entry, Alarm and ignition will set off the alarm and start this electrical condition that will connect the power and then disconnect the power to the auto. The problem will suddenly go away and then come back again. Its unpredictable and varies in severity. 60% of the time the car wont start when this electrical event is occurring. See this video: https: [XXX] This should be a recall by honda. Acura is having same problem as well: https: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Electrical system, Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle shut off with the "Shift to Park and Restart Vehicle" message displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a software update was performed on the transmission but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that an update on the started software was needed. The update was performed but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 16, 2023
This vehicle has had an excessive amount of problems. The electrical system seems to be failing after much maintenance. Determining if there is an electrical short. The car alarm randomly goes when not triggered. The entertainment panel randomly adjusts volume settings and turns on and off on its own. The sunroof has opened and not closed back due to electrical issue. The gas gauge does not add the available fuel correctly after refueling. Sometimes, the gauge remains at zero or the same number. There is a horrible, annoying squealing sound that is coming from the front lower portion of the vehicle when driving. No one, including the dealership, have been able to identify where this loud squealing sound is coming from. Currently, the AC has failed in 120 degree weather. It has been a horrible experience for our family and we regret purchasing this vehicle!
Electrical system, Jul 7, 2023
Speakers static when on audio but hands free are clear through the speaker
Electrical system, Jun 30, 2023
Car alarm randomly goes off, then the car alarm goes off, dash board lights up then car won’t start. I bought the car 2/28 and this has been happening not stop since July. Honda said it was the keyless access system and quoted 800 dollar to replace
Electrical system, Jun 20, 2023
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.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Jun 19, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The auto stop idle feature in my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring failed to operate correctly. This feature automatically turns off the engine while keeping the electrical systems on. I can make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The malfunction of the auto stop idle feature jeopardized my safety and the safety of others. When I stopped at a red light, the engine turned off as expected, but when I pressed the gas pedal to resume driving, all the vehicle's systems shut down. I attempted to start the car by holding the key fob to the Start/Stop button, but it would briefly start and then turn back off. The sudden loss of power and inability to restart the engine left me in a precarious situation. As a result, I was unable to activate the hazard lights, putting me at risk of being involved in a collision or not being visible to other drivers. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? At the time of filing this complaint, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. However, I strongly recommend conducting a thorough investigation by a certified technician to replicate the issue and address it appropriately. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected by the police who responded to the incident when it occurred at the red light. However, no inspections have been conducted by the manufacturer, insurance representatives, or other parties at this point. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicating a problem prior to this failure. The feature had been working.