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: fuel/propulsion system
170 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 15, 2025
Car staring jerking and engine seized up while i was driving.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 29, 2025
The fuel injection system routinely fails or misfires. Not only does this cause an issue with said system but it also triggers a host of other dashboard alerts. The alerts display all wheel drive problem, emission system problem, power steering problem, hill start problem, vehicle stability assist problem. This is a safety issue because the amount of alerts especially unrelated alerts is obfuscating any actual problems and making it difficult to diagnose the real issue. Investigation shows many other drivers having the same issues with this model only going away when the fuel injection system is replaced. It's also safety issue because if the fuel injection is failing then the car may shut off at a danger to the driver and the public. Given that it is known and chronic it should be a recall
Fuel/propulsion system, May 27, 2025
Car electric system went down while driving and stopped in middle of the road. It happened sometimes before, usually when the car stops at the red light. All the warning light was turn on when that happen and it took a lot of try to restart the car. This time the car cannot turn on so I have to tow it to my mechanic. The mechanic checked everything including the alternator, battery, starter and told me that the problem is actually in the fuel pumps. I got the fuel pumps replaced and have not had the same issue since then. The mechanic said several Honda model had that issue. I contacted Honda as I see there is a recall on the same year model but Honda told me the VIN number isn't on their list, but I think the recall should cover my vehicle since the problem description and year model is matching.
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 28, 2025
All lights on the dash board lights up and the car stalls with no chance to pull over
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 25, 2025
Failure causing an engine cylinder misfire, flooding and possibly prevent the engine from running.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 9, 2025
ECM Failure with fuel rail/system pressure code. Safety issue due to no prior issue and all of a sudden engine stalling in the middle of a busy intersection and taking 10 mins to get started and shift gears to get out of the way of oncoming traffic with all dashboard lights illuminated to include check engine light, trailer stability assist problem light, hill assist problem light, LKAS light, and ACC light.
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 1, 2025
Gas gauge doesn't read correctly and estimated gas mileage continues to reduces with each fill up by 5 to 30 mileage for the total miles on one tank.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 16, 2025
Fuel pumps has gone bad twice, transmission slips gear makes clunking noise
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 13, 2025
Vehicle's motor stopped running in traffic
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 5, 2025
FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS WE HAVE BEEN SMELLING FUEL IN THE CABIN WHEN DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS. ALSO WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS TOPPED OFF, WE SMELL FUEL WHEN PARKED IN THE GARAGE FOR 1 TO 2 DAYS AFTERWARDS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO INDEPENDENT SHOP WHO ADVISED THEY SEE SIGNS OF SMALL FUEL RUN-OFF FROM TOP SIDE OF TANK. THEY PERFORMED A SYSTEM PRESSURE TEST AND THE EVAPORATIVE SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK FAILED THE PRESSURE TEST. THE VEHICLE IS OFFICIALLY NOT PART OF RECALL LISTED BY HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 16-051 OR 17-021. THE REPLACEMENT TANK PART NO. 17044-TG7-A00 OR 17044-TG7-A01 IS NOT AVAILABLE FROM ANY HONDA OEM DEALER DUE TO BACKORDER WITHOUT ANY DATES. WE WERE ADVISED TO ENSURE VEHICLE IS PARKED OUTSIDE OF GARAGE FOR FUME AND FIRE SAFETY. CALLED Honda Automobile Customer Service Recall Line, THEY ONLY CAN ESCALATE AS A GOODWILL REQUEST FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE.
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 1, 2025
High pressure and low pressure fuel pumps were defective.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 1, 2025
My Transmission went out on my 2016 Honda Pilot I bought it on 8/25/24 with 68,000 miles on it, six months later I have 81,000 miles on it and I’ve been quoted $9222 to install a rebuilt transmission at the dealership. 3 mechanics & transmission specialist do NOT even work or offer to replace transmissions on this model of honda pilot due to its known issues in the 6 cylinder V6 3.5 L. My car was in excellent condition, low miles, always well maintained. 2/21 It started rough/delayed shifting, during gear changes, hesitation when accelerating, unusual noise like quiet whining, on 2/22 the check engine & emissions & transmissions system lights came on I immediately took it to the Honda dealership/service on 2/22/25 I dropped it off and left it after hours (weekend Mon. 2/23 they diagnostic performed $200 transmission fluid flush and software update $500 it did not fix a thing. They evaluated & diagnosed on 2/24/25 Error codes stored P0776 & P0777. Recommending a rebuilt transmission for $9222. I got second and third opinions from experienced, highly recommended mechanics & transmission specialists who won’t even touch the 2016 honda pilot because it is considered problematic model/year with frequent reports of glitches & complex issues which can be make the job time consuming & potentially costly for the mechanic due to the need for speciality parts & diagnostics. Ive contacted American Honda & service/dealership inquiring “goodwill” program with no resolution. I have personally owned a 2005 pilot, 2011 pilot, 2007 odyssey, my parents & sister both currently own two Honda pilots & a Honda Ridgeline to say we’re loyal Honda customers is an understatement. I regret buying this 2016 Honda Pilot 6 cylinder V6 3.5 L I believe honda made a huge mistake and recalls must be issued. Show some integrity and take accountability this is unacceptable. If consumers & mechanics want nothing to do with it you should probably follow the evidence. From a very disappointed customer.
Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 16, 2025
Vehicle started jerking bad and all the lights on the dash started rotating through the error messages. Took care to shop and confirmed fuel pump was bad. There is a recall on 2016 Honda Pilot Fuel Pumps but not for this particular model.
Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 5, 2025
Car started surging while driving in rush hour traffic was very scary and almost caused me to be rear ended at a high speed. It cost 3200.to repair and when I spoke to the dealer they said they were under recall for all models 2017-2024 and it has been an ongoing issue since 2014 I think they should pay to fix it not just let us eat it on the repair because the vehicle is older not that old and it’s a safety issue
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 14, 2025
We have always taken great care of our Pilot, regular oil changes, tire rotations, checking the fluid levels. Just before we went on vacation, our Pilot's check engine light came on and started blinking under normal driving conditions. When we hooked up the code reader, it was for a misfire in the second cylinder. Having changed the spark plugs about 30-40k before this incident, we tested the plugs and assumed it was the coil. We changed the coil. After returning from vacation, we drove the car minimally yet after about 40-50 miles, the code returned with knocking sound. We had the car towed to our residence...to find the same code. We inspected the plug and coil, no issues were present and the code was cleared. The next day, the code came back on and the engine was knocking very loud and had definite performance issues. I checked the Honda recall page and our car had no open recalls. I noticed that other Pilots with the V6 engine in our model year range were included an investigation by the NHTSA. Our mechanic drove our pilot for 30 feet and immediately called me to tell me that he would not suggest even spending money on diagnosing the problem....as he believes the engine is a total loss. It seems unfair that Honda would not address this issue as it seems a wide spread problem after a simple google search.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 11, 2025
I was driving down the highway when I started to hear a knocking sound at certain RPM. No check engine light and I was unable to safely pull over. As I continued driving looking for a safe place to park the vehicle, within a few minutes the noise in the engine got worse and then suddenly the vehicle completely lost power and would only drive in limp mode. Luckily I was able to pull off to an offramp and get the vehicle into a gas station parking lot. I called for a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership. At the dealership they inspected the vehicle and found that it was damaged similar to the Safety recall related to NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 and advised me to have it towed Calgary Honda. I called the Honda Dealership and they informed me that it did not qualify for the recall at the time but the issue sounded familiar. I had them and the current dealership quote me the pricing and decided that I would proceed with the repair from Honda directly. It took awhile to get a replacement engine in and I had to wait several weeks but I was finally able to have it replaced at Calgary Honda in November of 2024. It cost me $10,000 to replace the engine as well as have the work done to repair the alignment after the power failure and replace the battery due to the vehicle sitting for weeks in the cold. I believe my vehicle is part of the same issues as: NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 and wanted to submit my report to hopefully get reimbursed by Honda for the engine and all other costs associated with the Recall
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 9, 2025
Fuel pump inside the fuel tank failed while driving and caused my engine to stall and almost causing an accident in the highway. Several 2016 Pilots had a recall but my specific VIN does not show in the recall even though I had an issue with the Fuel Pump in 2023.
Suspension, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 27, 2024
A few years ago I was told my fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Last month, I was told that my suspension needed to be replaced and it wore out. Shortly after that my struts were leaking and making noise. I do not drive my car over rough terrain, just regular street driving and I get my vehicle maintained regularly.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 17, 2024
My vehicles engine will stop running sometimes while the car is at a complete stop and sometimes while it's in motion. Sometimes the vehicle restarts immediately and sometimes it struggles to restart. The problem happens sporadically sometimes going weeks between occurrences. This has caused me to be stalled in busy traffic and has also caused more dangerous situations where the vehicle loses power while in motion. I have taken the vehicle to a dealer and a local repair shop and neither were able to reproduce or confirm the problem. They each performed what they thought could be helpful maintenance procedures but these did not seem to work. Other than the local repair shop and the dealer nobody else has inspected the vehicle.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 16, 2024
Car keeps hesitating to accelerate, stalled a few times & is burning through gas extremely quickly. Error code "engine emissions problem" came up, believe this is part of the recall
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 12, 2024
Driving our well-maintained 2016 Honda Pilot with 133K with cruise control set at 65 on [XXX] in Kingman, AZ in October 2024, when the "check engine" light came on. I pulled off as soon as I could on the exit ramp 1.5 miles later. By that time, the engine was ticking and clicking loudly and all of the various system errors were flashing on the dash. The engine then started vibrating and sounded like a box of marbles being shaken violently. At that point, the engine had 10% of less of the normal acceleration. The local shop in Kingman, that I managed to limp to, said the engine had blown. I had it towed to the Honda dealer in Kingman (Anderson Honda) and they confirmed that a new or rebuilt engine and quoted me approximately $19K or $13.5K, respectively. They made no mention of the existing recall for three weeks of Pilot production, but I found that on my own, along with many frustrated Pilot owners. I'm now weighing whether I should have the work done by the Honda dealer in Kingman, whether I should have the Pilot towed to Phoenix, Arizona, where I live and there are more repair options, or whether I should wait and see whether the NHTSA forces Honda to expand the existing recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 2, 2024
Vehicle has strong fuel smell after driving. And took to mechanic and fuel is leaking out
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 18, 2024
I was driving on the interstate last March of 2024. I have a Honda Pilot 2016. Im going 70 miles an hour or so and my engine just stalls and quits. So many alerts come up on my vehicle as well. Check engine lightTrailer Stability Assist Problem, Power Steering System EPS Problem, Trailer Stability Assist Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, and others. I make it to the off ramp coasting this is a huge problem because I could have killed someone or someone could have killed me or provided Serious injury. I get it towed and I called the dealership and no recalls. I take it to my Mechanic and discover it was reading Code (P0087) The fuel pump not working at all. I had to replace it to drive the car. I am so livid as I see on the Honda Service Bulletin of a Safety Recall for 2016-2021 Pilot Fuel Pump Motor. This revision supersedes the previous recall of the Fuel Pump Motor from July 19th, 2024. I can see why their wasn't a recall when I checked. Cars from those years are now having this problem and should not be subject to certain VIN# on cars. I called Honda today 10-18-24 and was told this isn't covered.because my VIN wasn't in covered cars. How the heck does a VIN number cover or not cover you. Those years are what matter and my safety was at risk and could have proven fatal. Not warning was given it just happened as I going down the interstate 121 in Texas.Lucily I did not go over a high bridge which was another way to get home and one of the most dangerous interstates in the area I-25E. I could have flipped over the bridge and killed someone else going a descent speed. Im usually really careful on super high bridges cause they are scary. Getting stalled on that bridge is deadly. I'm really Upset over this and gave up my awesome Toyota 4Runner for a Honda Pilot and now this happens. I also stalled 3 to 4 other times after I turned on my hazards and restarted the car. it was 7pm and dark so it was quite scary my vehicle out of nowhere just quit on me.
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 10, 2024
On 9-4-2024 my 2016 Honda Pilot was being driven on a city street when the engine stopped. The vehicle re-started and was driven to my residence. Messages had appeared on the dashboard. I scheduled an appointment with Courtesy Honda for the next day. On 9-5-2024 the vehicle started and I proceeded to drive it the 6 miles to Courtesy Honda. About halfway there the engine died. Multiple messages appeared on the dashboard. My wife had been following me in her car when the Pilot died. She helped me by steering the Pilot as I pushed it off the busy street manually to a side road. It was a hazardous situation. The Pilot would not start . I called a towing service to tow it to the dealership. At Courtesy Honda a service technician examined the vehicle and diagnosed the problem as “ high pressure fuel pump failure and low pressure fuel pump failure.” He recommended replacement. I approved the repair. It was completed for a total of $1754.46. I researched Recalls Of Honda Pilots For Fuel Pump Failure. I found there was a massive recall of thousands of Honda Pilots from 2016 and beyond. Letters were sent from Honda to owners authorizing replacement of fuel pumps. My VIN number was not included in the recall. It should have been.
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 5, 2024, fire
In 2021, my 2016 Honda Pilot had routinely had restart issues from when going idle at stop. In some situations, it simply would not start again and had to be jumped off. I ended up getting the battery replaced multiple times, but on [XXX] I went to my vehicle to start up and it was dead yet again. I then hooked up a jumper and the vehicle instantly started smoking from under the motor. Within 20 seconds, fire had started under the hood and it caused extreme damage to my home. The car was also destroyed. There seemed to be some sort of electrical system issue. I was able to get my 1 year old daughter safely away and nobody was hurt. However, this caused extreme losses. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)