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
1,706 reports, newest first.
Air bags, Nov 18, 2024, crash
I was hit in the front of the vehicle in the driver side by a large deer while traveling at 55 mph and you could smell airbag smoke but there was no airbag deployment whatsoever.
Engine, Nov 18, 2024
While driving a 2016 Honda Pilot, the vehicle began to lurch, and engine failed by what appears to be rod(s) failing within the engine, penetrating the engine casing leaving a large hole in the casing. The RPMs went fully to the right before the engine seized. The hood smoked significantly, likely due to oil through the hole in engine. Luckily the driver was in the right lane of a 3-lane interstate, and was able to pull over to the shoulder and exited the vehicle on foot as the cabin began to fill with smoke. The Pilot was towed to a Honda dealership that night and repairs were assessed in the morning. The technician took photos and a video of his findings. He noticed oil leaking from the engine block and ran a scope up and he observed and documented a very large hole in the engine casing with metal appearing to fold outward, an indication of impact from inside the engine, likely from a rod failure. The engine was seized and could not be cranked by hand. The repair would require using a used engine block and rebuilding the engine. The cost of the repair was significant and so we sold the Honda Pilot to the Honda acquisition team. The fair market value for this Honda Pilot was noted as $16,916 via KBB.com as run by Honda based on the VIN# and mileage. Due to the damage, the price of the vehicle offered to us was only $2,500 (a $14,416 loss in value). We assumed this was a very rare incident, however the very next week we saw an article that NHTSA was investigating Honda for this exact issue. A recall was issued for model another model year, but the recall did not include the 2016 model year. The particular investigation is NHTSA RQ24013. In our instance, there were no warning lamps and our oil changes were current. There was an ongoing vibration issue we first observed at around 6000 miles that we correlated with specific RPMs and documented. To our frustration, Honda service never was able to find and fix the issue and we lived with this issue until the failure.
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.
Engine, Nov 17, 2024
My Honda Pilot started having a jerky-hesitation-lack of power at certain RPMs and make a loud clicking noise during acceleration. I had my mechanic look at it when I took it in for inspection. He said that the rod bearings were causing the noise and that the engine needs to be replaced. He advised me to check for any Honda Pilot recalls that might apply because he said rod bearings should not be an issue. Although there is a recall from some 2016 Honda Pilots for rod bearings, but my VIN number is not within the recall numbers. I called Honda and they said that the recall only applied to cars on the assembly line at a certain time. They recommended getting a diagnoses from a certified Honda service center, and maybe I could get what they call a "good faith" repair. The Honda service center would only say they hear "lower engine noise," and that to say it was rod bearings they would have to charge me $600 to drop the oil pan. I didn't because I can't afford it. However, at the bottom of the invoice, they gave a quote for replacing the rod bearings. I was able to find out about the rod bearings before something dangerous happened, but I am also unable to afford a new engine in my Pilot right now. So, I am barely driving it (only when I have no other choice-we have 3 children and are primarily using one car right now). The Honda dealership told me that because I bought my Pilot used and don't have the service records, that I wouldn't qualify for the the "good faith" repair anyway. I just saw a news article that you were opening an investigation into 2016 pilots for problems with rod bearings, so I wanted to file this report, even though I have been lucky enough not to have an accident because of it. I am attaching both my regular mechanics' invoice, as well as the one from Honda.
Engine, Nov 17, 2024
Was driving on the highway when I heard a loud, banging, crashing noise coming from the engine, followed by clunking repeating noise. I managed to safely pull off and get the car towed to the repair shop. The repair shop said that the engine was completely damaged and not repairable as per the invoice. There is already a recall for this issue for the same year make and model of the car but honda said it does not include my particular VIN number in the recall. The mechanic said that in their opinion, it is the same issue. I am kindly requesting that you review this and extend the recall to include other Vin numbers that are currently not included for this make model and year of car.
Engine, Nov 16, 2024
Engine started to make noise at around 130,000- difficult to get diagnosed- engine noise went away - engine started to run rough at around 147,000: changed plugs and coils along with air filter- engine power returned momentarily but then the engine started to get noisy - diagnosis was engine failure due to possible rod bearing letting go. Vehicle ran so rough- it was parked. 151,000 miles - regular maintenance and oil changes.
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, Nov 16, 2024
Around October 1, 2024 we were driving home and our entire dashboard lit up. The car still drove but lost all power. Concerned we would cause an accident as we were in a busy section of town, we immediately turned around and limped it to our independent mechanic. Upon inspection by the mechanic the following day, we were sent a list of codes. The mechanic also sent a video of the engine, explaining it sounded like a blown engine. He advised replacing the engine. The mechanic, who was previously a Honda technician, said he had rarely seen a Honda engine blow with so few miles. Given his experience and expertise, we moved forward with replacing the engine on October 9, 2024.
Engine, Nov 15, 2024
When I am at a complete stop all the sudden when I want to accelerate my engine shuts off and all the warnings come up, this is very dangerous as it has happened to me a few times when I have cars behind me and my cars slows down and does not accelerate. I have to turn off the car and restart like 2 or 3 times to go back to normal. Could be the auto restart, I have tried turning it off when I get in the car but since this can only be done once you turn it on not permanently if you forget then this could happen. Is unknown when it happens but definitely a safety issue.
Power train, Nov 14, 2024
My 2016 Honda Pilot engine rods failed on 1/31/2024 causing complete engine failure. My pilot was not recalled. Honda wanted $10920 to replace my engine. I negotiated with Honda and my out of pocket cost was $7000.
Engine, Nov 14, 2024
My engine failed at 133,000 miles and had to be replaced. I have owned Hondas for many years and found them to be very reliable vehicles. No accident was involved but I was very surprised that the engine failed so early with no apparent causes. I understand that there have been many issues with engines with 2016 Pilots so I wanted to report my problem in case there is a manufacturing issue that needs to be corrected for safety issues.
Engine, Nov 14, 2024
On Sept 29, my vehicle’s engine light came on while driving on a hwy. I have kept the vehicle serviced, and have all maintenance records. Due to minimal shoulder space, I continued to the nearest turnoff, and before approaching the turnoff the engine shut off entirely, creating a dangerous situation (no power, no power steering or power brakes), and I was forced to cross the highway by coasting. My vehicle was undriveable and towed to a Honda dealership, where I was told the engine was finished. I found a recall linked to engine failure, but Honda claims my VIN isn’t included, though it likely came off the assembly line during the affected period (May-June 2016) and the symptoms are indicative of the recall. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-RQ24013-27484.pdf
Engine, Nov 14, 2024
Engine stall out while driving in highway was able to cruse to safety. Check engine light on and was unable to restart. Was told by local mechanic that the engine jump timing and damage the valves. Vehicle is not operational.No warning lights just happened. VIN was not in range with Hondas engine recall.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
Engine suddenly seized. Had to spend $3800 to have another engine installed
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
While driving vehicle on freeway heard a loud knocking sound from engine, took vehicle to Honda dealership . Dealership said it was a rod bearing…
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
I am writing to report a serious issue with my 2016 Honda Pilot. After taking it to 3 mechanics ,the vehicle has been diagnosed with premature rod bearing failure, which I believe could be a safety concern for other owners as well. Despite regular maintenance and care, the rod bearings failed unexpectedly, causing significant engine damage and posing a potential safety risk. I am concerned that this may be a widespread issue affecting other vehicles of the same make and model. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter to determine if there is a manufacturing defect that needs to be addressed. Ensuring the safety and reliability of vehicles on the road is crucial, and I believe this issue warrants attention. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
driving on highway engine made a large bang and lunged froward and started to rattle and driver panel lite up with codes and check engine lights . towed to repair shop .. quoted need a new engine . known failure rod issue .... had the vehicle towed to nearest dealership and was told the engine needed to be replaced and contacted Honda America for assistance and said since I did not do all of the repairs at a dealership my product loyalty was not good enough for repair .. this is my third honda . had the engine replaced at 175k total cost of repair was $6,200.00
Power train, Nov 13, 2024
Purchase Honda Certified with around 38,000 miles. Within days of owning became apparent there were drivetrain issues. In higher gears while cruising at speeds between 25 and 60 MPH, the car would pulse -- the speed goes up and down and the tachometer indicated same with RPM pulsing. I've had the vehicle at the dealership shop 7 times and very little was done to remedy. Very nearly one year later - near the end of the extended warranty they finally correctly identified, acknowledged and made an attempt to solve with a triple flush of the transmission fluid. That seems to have solved the pulsing issue, but a couple months later the transmission began making a loud clunking judder noise when shifting lower gears while accelerating. Also apparent the transmission is slipping. Very poor gas mileage and tach shows unreasonably high RPMs for given speed. Vehicle still has less than 60,000 miles and is undriveable. Been sitting undriven in my driveway for nearly 3 months. Of course the pulsing behavior that was evident for a year was a bit of a driving hazard. Now the clunking transmission is also a hazard. Only a matter of time until there is a major failure. Only once, briefly, have I seen a warning indicator.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that his wife was driving at 35 MPH when she depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) however the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance informing the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall and the repairs were completed by an independent mechanic. The failure mileage was 135,830.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the same diagnostic result was provided to the contact. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 78,500.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
The vehicle was not functioning properly and was running badly on Friday 10/25/2024. The SUV was dropped off at Reeves Honda on 10/26/2024. Vehicle was picked up from the Honda dealership on 10/28/2024. The dealership service department reported a transmission code and the transmission and , torque converter would need to be replaced. Additionally, a failing AC compressor was noted and spark plugs needed to be changed at 100,000 miles. The vehicle currently has approximately 87,100 miles. On 11/3/2024 the spark plugs were replaced by myself. The car was test, drove and appeared to be running fine. However, the engine continues to have a mild knocking sound. They did not appear to be any issue with the Transmission/gear-shifting and appeared to be smooth. On 11/7/2024 while my son was driving to school suddenly stopped at the intersection of Davis and precinct line. A tow truck was required to tow the vehicle back to our home. After close inspection of starter alternator, battery, and virtually all fuses and relays without indication of problem. Code reader was applied to the ODB port and no codes were seen. An attempt to rotate engine was unsuccessful, indicating a seized or locked engine. On 11/13/2024 call to dealership for advice. The dealership denies any engine issues or any complaints of engine issues however, in their paperwork it specifically states that customer indicated a check engine light during the event on 10/25/2024 and that the engine was not idling and had a knocking sound. When the vehicle was driven to the Honda dealership on 10/26/24. To be running extremely with the very mild knocking sound again noted from the engine.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
While driving a knocking sound started progressively getting worse. I took it into the Honda dealership. They said I had the same engine rod problem as covered by the recall, but my VIN wasn't covered. I was told driving it was dangerous and it could lose power at anytime.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
My 2016 Honda Pilot started making a terrible clacking sound when I was driving it a few weeks ago. I brought it into my local auto mechanic and he told me the sound was coming from the engine and that it would probably have to be replaced but that he did not do that work. He told me it would be dangerous to drive, and that I should have it towed to another repair shop that does engine work to confirm his opinion. I did, and they did confirm that it would need a new engine. I then had it towed to a Honda dealership for a final opinion, in hopes that they could give me a break on putting in a new engine since my car was out of warranty but only had less than 75,000 miles on it, relatively low for engine problems. They did confirm that I would need a new engine and stated that it may be a rod. I have always gotten regular oil changes, and have not had many other problems with the car. They had been giving me the run around regarding paying for anything, and the other day refused outright to pay for anything. I have been without a car for 3 weeks now.
Engine, Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that valve timing needed to be completed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the engine had since started making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine connecting rod bearings were failing and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 (Engine). The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
Engine, Nov 12, 2024, fire
My friend drove my car and on the freeway the oil started leaking and the engine caught on fire and the car came to a complete halt. It has to be towed to the nearest Honda dealer and upon inspection found the following: DURING VISUAL INSPECTION FOUND HOLE ON THE BACK SIDE OF ENGINE BLOCK DUE TO CONNECTING ROD FAILURE CAN NOT DETERMINE CAUSE TILL FULL ENGINE TEAR DOWN UPON FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND COMPLETE INTERNAL DAMAGE AND METAL CIRCULATION OF OIL SYSTEM REC TO REPLACE COMPLETE LONG BLOCK ASSEMBLY Diamond Honda I looked online and saw the 2016 Honda Pilot had recalls on thai specific issue and called the headquarters. They said they don’t have any recalls test on this vehicle becuase not enough people reported a problem. It was very serious that the engine stopped in the middle of e freeway and caught on fire. I asked the rep how many incidences needed to be reported before they will open investigation and she didn’t say. I asked how many people. We’re indie before they will recall and she had no answer except to give me a case number and told me her manager will call me in the next two days but it’s been 3 and no one has called. Headquarter rep also mentioned that it’s 5000 passed warranty so too bad on my part. Dealer also said I didn’t do all oil changes at the dealer so it’s my fault. I feel like I got a lemon. I’m waiting to hear what the headquarters have to say and what they find out w the dealer. But I thought I should report this since it’s very serious.