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: engine
812 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Sep 4, 2022
On numerous occasions, the auto-engine stop/start feature that turns off the engine when the car comes to a stop has had issues where the engine does not restart and the car enters into an error state. I must then turn off the car, then turn it back on. Sometimes this happens after I've pulled out into an intersection but have to stop before proceeding.
Steering, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 3, 2022
When stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake and the engine in idle, the engine turned off when I put my foot on the gas peddle. The engine idle stop was on. This occurred while stopped in city traffic (6/2022) and again when I was stopped at a red light on a highway (9/3/2022). The car rolled backward. I had to put the car in park and restart the car. I now have manually turned off the engine idle stop.
Engine, Sep 1, 2022
The vehicle stalls at stop signs, traffic lights and in stopped traffic. Sometimes takes multiple trys to restart the vehicle. Been happening regularly for several years. Have had multiple repairs done with no affect.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 29, 2022
This issue has occurred twice. First occurrence was when stopped in traffic. Auto stop engaged. When brake was released auto start caused vehicle to stall-out. Vehicle restarted after multiple attempts. Second occurrence was when stopped at traffic light. Auto stop engaged. When brake was released auto start caused vehicle to stall-out. Vehicle restarted after one attempt. For both occurrences, radio was on, air-conditioning was on and outside temperature was +85 degrees. This is a serious safety concern.
Engine, Aug 26, 2022
The engine will stall at stoplights. It appears the auto start/stop feature fails when engaged. Car has stalled 4xs in the past week. To fix issue: You have to put the car in park, foot on brake, and hit the start engine button in order to restart the car. Also put hazards on for safety reasons. Once car starts, you can put into drive and go forward. We've been fortunate not to have an accident. It's a significant safety issue stalling at stop lights with traffic behind you. Local Honda Service center could not replicate the issue. I instructed them that you have to drive car for ~20-25 minutes before it will stall. Car was scheduled for regular A156 Maintenance. They are looking at the stall issue today, 8/26/2022.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 25, 2022
Car has auto engine stop/restart as a fuel saving measure. Several times the car has failed to restart after turning off. This happens in highway stop/go traffic, at traffic lights. This is dangerous, as my foot comes off the brake, cars behind me think i am moving, and then the engine fails as it is restarting. I have to then put my foot back on the brake, put the car in park, and restart the engine before being able to drive again. This happened on 8/25, and 3 other times within the last month. This did also happen perhaps a year or 2 ago, the dealer did examine the car but I don't believe they found any issues to be repaired.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 24, 2022
With increasing frequency of occurrence, the car will not start after the auto stop/start mechanism has been invoked. For example, when stopped at a red light, the engine will turn off as the car is not moving. However, once the light turns to green and the brake is depressed, the car will not start and/or will start and then the engine will cut-out. To start the engine, the car needs to be fully turned off, gear put into Park and then restarted. There appears to be something at fault with the automatic stop-start mechanism and/software. My car is a 2016 Honda Pilot Touring with less than 28K miles.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 23, 2022
My 2016 Honda Pilot Touring stalls out at a red light while using the auto stop-start. It happens occasionally when I take my foot off the brake and put my foot on the gas. Instead of coming out of idle with the engine starting up again, the car would stall completely and I would have to put the car in park, press the brake pedal and push the start button to get it on again. I took the car into the dealer and they told me that there was no software update and that they couldn’t do a update anyways because check engine light wasn’t on. Also have a issue with transmission not switching gears smoothly on take off. Jerks on take of. Once again they told me transmission was fine and there was no software update and that they couldn’t do a update anyways because check engine light wasn’t on.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 22, 2022
When start-stop feature is "on," the car will not start again in certain instances when the engine is shut down after a complete stop. The NHTSA currently has an investigation opened in this matter (opened in June 2022)
Engine, Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after stopping at a traffic light, the Auto START/STOP feature failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed by the dealer to replace the battery; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 22, 2022
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.
Engine, Aug 21, 2022
Auto Stop/Start failure to restart issue With my 2016 Honda Pilot touring whenever I stop at red light, engine stops and it suppose to start when I release brake pedal but fails to restart when I release brake pedal which is creating a serious safety issue, I have to turn off the engine and restart it, even that may not work and it may take 1-2 minutes to restart. I have seen multiple reports regarding this same issue. Please investigate the issue. Thank you
Engine, Aug 19, 2022
Vehicle fails to restart after stopping at a stop light while auto stop feature was on (defaults on). Have to completely turn off the vehicle and restart it for the engine to fire back up. Happens very often. Safety concern.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 10, 2022
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. This happens intermittently, but has put my family in danger on several occasions. When the light turns green, the car turns off, and has to be put in park and restarted. I have come close to being rear-ended during these situations, as approaching vehicles have to stop suddenly because my car is disabled. I have taken a video of these incidents, but Honda is unable to recreate the issue and has not offered a solution.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 10, 2022
The auto start/stop feature of the vehicule has stopped working on several occassions. We would be coming off the highway and or off a red light and the car will stall of the auto start/stop function is on. This has happened a few times in a very busy intersection or street.
Engine, Aug 10, 2022
Vehicle frequently fails to restart after stopping after stopping while auto idle stop feature is on (default is "on"). In thes cases, one has to completely turn off the vehicle and restart. This is a safty hazard because the engine stalls when it's supposed to come back on to e.g. cross the intersection. Honda Dealership / Service Department were not able to fix it.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the auto start /stop feature cut off and the vehicle shifted to neutral. The vehicle shut off and failed to restart. All the instrument cluster warning lights were illuminated. The contact disengaged the auto start/stop feature. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 91,400.
Engine, Aug 4, 2022
With auto idle engaged, the engine fails to always restart after coming to a stop. It doesn't happen all the time. When it does happen, it requires me to turn the car ignition off completely and then on again for it to recover from it. Sometimes it takes multiple tries to do so. This has been happening for multiple years now, but the frequency has increased in the last 6 months or so. Date reported is todays since it did happen today 3 times.
Engine, Aug 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after stopping at a traffic light, the Auto START/STOP feature failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to automatically restart after her foot was removed from the brake pedal. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the Auto START/STOP failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who attempted to diagnose the vehicle however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The contact stated that the failure mileage was actually around 50,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 3, 2022
2016 Honda Pilot stalls during idol-start stop. Driver is forced to put it into park and restart vehicle. I took the vehicle to Manchester Honda (CT) for service over a year ago, but no issues were found. They updated the software, but it did not help. The issue is getting worse - sometimes it takes multiple attempts to restart the vehicle. This is a serious safety concern as it has happened in the middle of a busy intersection and in the middle of the highway in traffic. It is currently not possible to disable the system and I don't always remember to manually shut it off every time I start the car.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 1, 2022
When coming to a complete stop, the vehicles' start/stop feature was engaged and the car's engine turned off. Instead of turning back on when the brake was released, the car did not turn back on. Hitting the ignition button also did not start the vehicle back up immediately. This happened to me two times in the past month. Both times, I was stopped at a red light and the car left me stranded in traffic. After a few attempts of hitting the ignition button, the car would start back up. The vehicles start/stop feature malfunctioned and it would be available for inspection upon request. This put my family's safety at risk because the car left us stranded in the middle of a busy intersection. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. There were no warning lamps prior to the problem.
Engine, Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact attempted several times to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start up immediately. After several more attempts, the vehicle restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 28, 2022
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.
Engine, Jul 24, 2022
Purchased the car back in 2/2016. Had the battery replaced this year after noticing the auto stop-start function showed some signs of hesitation. In the past month, I've had the vehicle stall twice. The first time, I was at a parking lot, waiting for the other car to move out. While the car was stopped - the auto stop/start feature activated. Upon letting go of the brake, the car failed to restart. I had to place it in Park. Hit the ignition button. It restarted after 2-3 tries. The second time happened today while at a stop light. The car was off when the auto stop/start activated. When light turned green, brake was released and car failed to start. Had to go through the same routine as above. The car finally start.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 24, 2022
While at a stop the engine stopped as it should but did not restart. It then took multiple tries of pressing the brake and hitting the start button to get it to restart. This meant the car was blocking the flow of traffic creating a safety issue. This has occurred on multiple occasions with no issues found at the dealer.