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.
Power train, Jan 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationed at her employment parking lot, after starting the vehicle with the auto start, she was unable to shift into reverse. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and had to restart the vehicle four times before being able to shift into reverse. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the Drive (D), transmission fault, and sensor failure warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that she continued driving to her residence while experiencing the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Engine, Jan 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a turn out a parking spot, the vehicle would not auto start, and the collision mitigation warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted the vehicle into park and restarted the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Electrical system, Jan 18, 2023
Keyless entry problem error continues to pop up. Car will not always shut off. At times when I’m stopped at traffic light it tells me to put car in park
Other or unspecified, Jan 17, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The liftgate malfunctioned. it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I opened the liftgate for my wife and it closed while she was trying to take something from the back. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? It has not been confirmed by a dealer or anyone else. it happens sporatically. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The car makes a loud beeping noise when closing. It first happened on December 4, 2022. and it has happened a few times since then including yesterday.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 16, 2023
The car consistently stalls out when we stop and the auto idle begins. When we remove foot from break the car doesn’t restart and takes a few minutes of turning it on/off before vehicle resumes functioning. Honda says nothing is wrong but it has been an issue since purchase. It is more likely to occur when ac is running. I have to manually turn off auto idle every time I turn on vehicle to prevent stalling.
Other or unspecified, Jan 16, 2023
The stop/start system will fail to restart the engine and stall the vehicle. This is the system that is designed to shut the engine off when at stop lights in order to save fuel. There are times when the engine will stall when it attempts to start the engine again. This does not happen all the time but has happened frequently enough that my wife and I have both stalled at the same intersection. You can turn off the stop/start feature each time you get in the car but we do not always remember. When it does stall all the lights on the dash flash and it's normally a frantic moment of trying to restart the car while cars behind you are honking. So far we have been able to restart it each time but I'm concerned this won't always be the case. We've taken this in to Honda and they don't have a solution or even really seem to acknowledge it. This is also a safety issue since my wife is working at various hospitals and some are in higher crime areas. I do not want her to stall there. I also don't want someone to hit us if they try to go when the light is green and we are stuck in front of them. There should at least be a permanent override of the system so we don't have to remember to turn it off each time we are in the car. That could completely solve the issue.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Jan 16, 2023
My car (2016 Honda Pilot Touring) SHUTS DOWN due to the auto shut off feature at least once a month and I am very nervous to hand it over to my daughter in a next year when she is old enough to drive. I have been stalled out at intersections...it is irresponsible of Honda to not issue a recall. People are going to get into accidents if they can't start their car in the middle of intersections! Why is this not being recalled. I understand it will cost Honda a substantial amount of money to correct, but it has to happen. What if you have an older battery that is losing its charge. Does this mean that WE are to blame for getting into an accident because the battery is not brand new and can't handle this auto shut off feature? It's totally unacceptable! I realize we can turn the feature off...but what happens if my daughter (new driver) forgets to push that button EVERY time she gets in the car. I'm sorry...I know some will say it's the driver's fault for forgetting but the potential of that mistake is real and the possibilities could be devastating.
Electrical system, Jan 12, 2023
2016 Pilot Touring electrical issue, issue with keyless control unit, panel / relays flicker, alarm goes off unexpectedly.
Tires, Jan 8, 2023
Pirelli scorpion verde plus 2 honda pilot 2016 awd while driving at safety speed about 40mph the rear tire suddenly explode right on the sidewall,no report or inspection by the store or any other. No damage to the vehicle,nobody injured.,weather temp at that time 67 F.
Other or unspecified, Jan 7, 2023
When driving my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring and forgetting to turn off the auto idle my car will completely shut off and not turn on. This has happened a total of 3 times since owning my car. All three have occurred at a red light intersection. I’m grateful nobody has rear ended me in these occurrences. It seems when the car tries to start the engine, all the dashboard lights light up and we get the messages lane departure mitigation or brake problem and the car stalls. The first occurrence happened in October of 2020 and we had to jumpstart the battery. This happened on a short 15 mile trip. We replaced the battery at that time. The 2nd and 3rd time was this past week of January 2, 2023 when driving a long distance trip 500-1000 miles. Luckily the car started back up since we were on a trip and did not have family or friends in the area.
Engine, Jan 7, 2023
With Auto Engine Idle Shut Off on, the engine shuts off when idling at a stop, but does not restart when taking foot off the brake. It takes up to a minute to shut everything off and restart the engine. Only happens occasionally, but it's dangerous when it does because the cars behind are try to go.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 7, 2023
The automatic start/stop function works intermittently when I come to a complete stop or turn off the car for a short amount of time. Most of the time, when I make a complete stop, the Honda Pilot won't automatically restart. I have to put the Honda Pilot in park and restart the engine, which still doesn't work. I have to wait a significant amount of time before reattempting the ignition. If I disable the automatic shut-off feature when I turn on the Honda Pilot, the SUV drives like normal. However, there is no permanent vehicle setting to disable the automatic shut-off. Lastly, the SUV usually won't restart even if I make a short duration stop, such as pump gas or running inside a store. At first this was a rare occurrence. Over tha past year, the Honda Pilot has gotten worse. Now, it's an everyday occurrence.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 6, 2023
Beginning in the summer of 2020, intermittently when the auto idle was engaged the engine will not restart but will stall out and requires multiple efforts to restart the engine. It does not happen every time auto idle engages. It seems to happen more in the summer months. It has happened while at traffic lights, stop signs and while idling in heavy traffic. The safety of myself and my family is at risk due to having to put the car in park and go through several rounds of attempting to restart the engine. Just before the engine turns off, there is a flash of a warning light for the collision mitigation system. I took it to my local repair shop. They thought it might be the ignition switch and replaced it. That did not help. My local repair shop based upon their knowledge from other pilot owners said it was an ongoing problem and suggested I take it to the local dealership. The local dealership told me there was nothing wrong and acted like I was crazy. The issue has happened when my husband and brand new teen driver have driven the car. Now upon entering the car we turn the auto idle off to ensure our safety.
Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2023
The auto start on vehicle is defective. When sitting at red light the vehicle shuts off and the when you go to excelerate the car stalls. I have taken to 2 Honda dealers and have been told that your agency is investigating problem. This has happened repeatedly and the dealer doesn’t have fix. Does it take someone getting hurt for Honda to address issue.
Electrical system, Jan 4, 2023
Keyless remote control unit does not shut off therefore draining the battery, therefore car doesn’t start. I have been through two new batteries within 60 days.
Power train, Jan 3, 2023
The transmission has problems accelerating at all speeds. It jumps and jerks anytime when accelerating at all times. This causes safety concerns for everyone in the vehicle and on the road next to the vehicle as the transmission could fail at anytime putting all passengers' lives at risk. The problems started while the vehicle was under warranty, and we took the vehicle to a certified Honda dealer to get it looked out. They stated there were no problems when they inspected it. We took it back a few months later for the same issues while the vehicle had exceeded the time frame but not mileage of the warranty and they told us we would have to cover the cost of the transmission repair/replacement. We took the 2016 Honda Pilot to a local AAMCO repair shop. They stated the transmission would have to be replaced for $7500. Multiple warning lights came on, but the dealer stated those were just an electrical issue, they repaired those issues but failed to repair the transmission.
Electrical system, Jan 2, 2023
When stopped at a stop sign, the engine cut off but the interior electronics stayed on. We were unable to restart the car engine , and we couldn’t turn the car off either. Every time we pushed the stop/start ignition button, it would try to start the car, but fail. However, it would leave the car on in the “on” or “accessory” type mode with all the dash lamps on. We were stuck there for over five minutes trying to get it to restart or turn off. We were afraid to leave the car to get help because we couldn’t turn the car completely off. In the meantime we were obstructing traffic. We were finally able to get it started and went straight home. The next morning I took the car in to my Honda dealership and they said the battery tested as good and there were no error codes recorded, so there was nothing they could do.
Engine, Jan 2, 2023
Engine failure in the middle of the intersection while my 16 year old drove home from work. Car has always seemed like it had a transmission issue and seemed like something was not right but Honda did not seem concerned. Now engine failure.
Forward collision avoidance, Dec 29, 2022
There is a problem with the collision mitigation braking system. The dash warning light for this system came on while driving and there was no foreseeable problem about to happen. The Honda dealer reset the system. Within a month or two while driving in the carpool lane of a freeway the warning lights for the system came on again. Once again there was no hazard at the time. This time the dealer was unable to reset it and quoted us $1,800 to repair/replace the system. We have not had the repair done as of today. The warning light on the dashboard is on whenever we drive the vehicle.
Electrical system, Dec 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was stalling and losing motive power. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under an extended warranty; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred, and that the vehicle was stalling. The contact also stated that while driving through an intersection, the vehicle stalled, and the gear independently shifted into neutral(N) and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that she shifted into park(P) and was then able to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start with the power steering, oil, and battery warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Steve Hopkins Honda (2499 Auto Mall Pkwy, Fairfield, CA 94533), where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced again. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 26, 2022
2016 HONDA PILOT AWD TOURING. 78,706 miles. Multiple incidents of car breaking without warning. Today, while driving on interstate at 70 mph the vehicle suddenly/without warning braked causing neck stain and nearly rear-ended by a semi truck. Similar reports on the internet point to the CMBS on this make and model. Also, the monitor screen goes dark intermittently and the vehicle stalls at stop light. The sudden braking is dangerous and I do not feel safe driving this vehicle. I have reported this incident to the Am. Honda Corporation through their website.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Back over prevention, Dec 12, 2022
When car stops due to Auto Idle it then stalls and gos into neutral shutting of engine completely With collision warning coming up. Then have to shut car off , put into park before it struggles to restart. I have documented on 2 other occasions with NHTSA and to be honest if I was to document this every time you would have 100’s of reports from me. This vehicle is dangerous due to Auto Idle. I try to over ride it if I remember but that’s not always the case. I have taken it to Hoehn Honda in Carlsbad CA multiple times but to no avail can they fix it. As a consumer I’m trying my best to take safety seriously as this car will kill someone. When will Honda or the goverment take this seriously. The defect in this car the auto idle needs to be looked at or recalled.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 9, 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 engaged. Vehicle must be placed in park and attempt to restart. Sometimes restart does not happen for several tries. Has happened 10-15 times over the last 3 years, since around 30,000 miles, and dealership has tried investigating and have failed to remedy after 3 separate visits. Date indicated in this report is the latest occurrence.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 8, 2022
When coming to a stop the vehicle engine’s automatic stop/start system stops the engine then multiple warning lights are on and the vehicle fails to restart automatically. Driver must work through a series of steps while sitting at an intersection or stoplight resulting in a vulnerable position.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Dec 8, 2022
1) Engine failure - Several times our 2016 Touring has stalled at a stoplight. It takes time to start back up. I have to turn on hazard light, and it is getting worse every occurrence. This has happened since I bought new, and when it happens, all of the lights come up on the dash. There is a investigation in the state of California, but nothing in Ohio yet. 2) I just had to replace my drive shaft that goes from from to back on center bottom of the car. They said the rear is failing, and that may be part of the problem with sluggish acceleration. 3) Transmission: Sluggish acceleration is this ZF 9 speed (outsourced) by Honda issue. I will be accelerating on the freeway, and all of the sudden, it would down shift to like second gear, causing me to slow down suddenly. Dangerous if cars are behind in rush hour. I also had 4 incidents where I could have lost my life because I could not accelerate (the gear would not engage). Dealer informed me that all of the updates are uploaded, and it should be okay. But it's not okay when you are carrying your children, spouse, or co-workers. I have informed the dealer many times that this car is not safe. I personally ran a business as Tier 1 supplier to Honda and visited many Honda factories. Nothing ever got done. It will be too late before they can help us. All of the data and information is at Honda Marysville (Ohio) dealership. All of my services (including oil change) are done there.