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, Dec 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle at lower RPM’s between 1,500 – 1,800 RPM, the vehicle intermittently surged and hesitated to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who reprogrammed the PCM and replaced the transmission fluid however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 6, 2022
The vehicle does not restart when at a stop. the auto idle shut off will not work. This has happened multiple time since we purchased the vehicle. It has been to the dealer multiple times with this problem. When it happens, you must put the vehicle in park and restart the engine. This causes a problem for traffic as sometimes it is very hard to restart.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 6, 2022
I have had multiple time of my vehicle's auto stop start feature failing to START after being engaged. When you come to a stop, the car turns off. When you lift off the brake to go the engine cranks for a second, but does not start. The screen says "shift car to P". I am often stuck at an intersection and traffic gets upset we are not moving. There is no warning light or lamp. I have had the vehicle repeatedly serviced by the dealer. They said they cannot replicate the issue. The battery has been replaced several times.
Engine, Nov 25, 2022
The engine completely stopped working while driving on the interstate. The engine only has 130,000 miles on it and I am now facing a $15,000+ repair on a known issue with the Pilots.
Engine, Nov 24, 2022
SEVERAL times when stopped the auto shut off for the engine does not restart and engine completely turns off with the car in drive and me unable to move. This leaves me at an intersection while cars are trying to go and I have to restart my car. I have been almost hit when cars coming up to the intersection assume I am going to be moving soon. I have brought this up to my Honda Dealer several times. One time they claimed it was my battery so I paid to have my battery replaced only to have it continue to happen. The last time I was in the Honda Dealer they said they have had a number of complaints and Honda has no solution. I asked if they could disable the feature so that I didn't have to worry about it happening. They said no. I have to manually disable it every time I start the car. There are no indicators or lights showing that there would be a problem.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 22, 2022
i driving home from a local costco and slowed to a stop at an intersection not far from my home. The car stalled and would not restart. After several attempts the car completely shut off and I was unable to even turn on any of the accessories. Ultimately I had to have the vehicle towed to a local shop because I was obstructing traffic and was at a dangerous intersection. I late continued to have similar issues after several battery replacements and jump starts. I had my vehicle serviced at a local dealer and they advised that it was the central power module that was bad. I was advised that this also controls the Intermittent Idle control function that is designed to save gas when the car is idle and not running. The car was was not under warranty so I had to pay for the new part and installation. The car is now experiencing similar issues. The car will randomly loose power and most recently will be completely non operational and jump starts are necessary to restart the car. A Keyless start System error has now been appearing randomly. Their is a TSB out for this particular part but have been advised that code has to be present in order the the local dealership to initiate a repair. I am going to attempt to have the vehicle brought to a local dealer for inspection.
Engine, Nov 17, 2022
When I was driving my Honda Pilot 2016 on highway 59, suddenly my car lost power and jerking. Multiple warning light went on. It was very dangerous and almost got me killed. It turns out that Honda knew this problem, TSB# A18010i, due to a part is out of spec. Honda should recall this problem.
Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2022
All warning lights turned on during a normal drive. The dealer said it is a harness issue and needs to replace the harness to fix the issue. Surprised that a part that does not move had to be replaced. It has happened a couple of times before.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 16, 2022
Since buying my 2016 Honda Pilot Elite in June of 2021 I have had innumerable instances of my vehicle's auto stop start feature failing to START after being engaged. I believe the first instance was in Sept 2021 (after the lemon law time frame passed for my state). When my vehicle is stopped, I try to hit the gas and the vehicle does not go. At this same time an error happens on the screen that says "shift car to P". The first few times this has happened I tried to shift to P and that did not help. I figured out that it is best (i.e. quickest, I am not sure it is the best for the vehicle) to just turn the car off. Wait a few seconds, and then turn the car back on and put it back into drive and go. Keep in mind that I have cars peeling by me, screaming at me, honking, yelling, etc. all with my 6/7yo daughter in the vehicle. I am often stuck in an intersection going left. Additionally, sometimes but not always, the radio and heat/ac turn off when this happens. This has occurred far more times than I can count but a few examples in bumper to bumper city traffic, when waiting to make a left hand turn in intersections, while taking turns at a stop sign both flat and uphill (which is terrifying), just while being stopped at red lights and having the light turn green, when taking turns to enter a rotary, when trying to go at a yield sign, etc. There is no warning light or lamp. The warning lights/sounds occur while/after its already happened. Sometimes the radio turns off and the heat/ac. I have had the vehicle repeatedly serviced by the dealer I purchased it from. They said they cannot replicate the issue. They have asked me to take video of it which is infuriating and UNSAFE as I am in the vehicle with a child in traffic, sometimes in the middle of an intersection, trying not to get T-boned. We have changed the battery. The dealer has cleaned carbon build up out of something. They continually say it is not an issue and cannot be replicated.
Engine, Nov 15, 2022
I am experiencing the same issue as is described in NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 for my 2016 Honda Pilot. It has been in for service numerous times and Honda has no solve for it. The auto idle stop turns the engine off correctly, however, it has failed to restart more than a dozen times over the last 2-3 years. Honda has replaced the battery twice since the start of this issue. This stall has caused dangerous situations and has impeded traffic while I get the car restarted. I see the NTSB has an open investigation about this issue and I would like to add my name / car to the list of people reporting the issue. The date I am listing in this report is the last time it happened.
Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 14, 2022
There is an emissions warning system that pops. Upon diagnosis, it is determined that the fuel injectors need replacement (all 6 of them) because the parts were manufactured with contaminants in them. There was no recall and due to the nature of the incident, it is NOT covered by an warranties once you pass a certain mileage (80,000, I believe). Unfortunately, this issue/alarm did not pop until after I had passed that mileage point and because it falls under an emissions system problem, not a drivetrain, I have to pay out of pocket. If this problem stems from a manufacturing issue, it should be a safety recall.
Engine, Nov 13, 2022
Two weeks ago after a 4 hr drive, I pulled in to by gas and when I tried to restart the car, all the panel lights came on but the car would not "crank" on. Tried it several times with same result. outside lights OK, interior lights OK. Added problem as the car would not start there is no way to get it into neutral and the car was unmovable !! Fellow driver offered to jump it and it started right up. Took it right to the dealer and test the battery. Tested good. I then turned it off and on several times and it worked. I have driven it over the last two weeks and have not had a problem. Last night the same think happened in a parking lot. Again a jump started it right up and has worked "normal" since. This could happen anywhere, anytime (Safety) and the inalienability to move the car out of the way is a road hazard.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 10, 2022
Hi, today my 2016 pilot elite stop working on a red light. Once the brake pedal was released, the engine stop and warning lights appeared on the dash board: Neautral message light and Battery light. My wife and two daughters were scared and helpless. Cars were honking. After around 2 minutes and at least three tries to turn on, it finally did. We are happy to know that Honda is working on this matter, thanks.
Engine, Nov 9, 2022
No restart after auto start/stop engages
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 8, 2022
Auto Start for Idle fails at start intermittently. If stopped at an intersection, when proceeding to go, engine cuts off and gear shifts to N, requiring a shift to P and Start pressed before then going to D and continuing. This is always at intersections and the delay puts driver in jeopardy.
Electrical system, Nov 4, 2022
Keyless Access Unit failure/malfunction per honda service center. While park and turned off, vehicle randomly turns on to accessory mode causing drain on battery and/or alarm to sound when locked/set. No codes or warning or issue prior or since. This issue has noticed and continues.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 1, 2022
We own a 2016 Honda Pilot Touring AWD. For many years we have experienced issues with the idle-stop system as the vehicle fails to restart after the engine is switched off. It appears that the battery lacks the power to restart the engine or there may be a deeper issue with the engine restart system itself. We have taken the vehicle to the dealership twice and they cannot detect any issues. We have changed the battery twice, at our own expense, and the issue seems to improve temporarily while the battery is new. This issue is concerning when the engine does not restart at a busy intersection or when turning into incoming lateral traffic. The engine just shuts off and we need to switch to park to restart.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 31, 2022
A couple of times, while sitting at a stop light, the auto stop feature has failed to restart the car, resulting in a need to completely turn the car off and restart it in traffic. We have also had it occur when stopped at a stop sign and not having the car restart, as we've attempted to pull out in to traffic. We have not taken it to a dealer or service center, and have elected to turn the feature off to mitigate the system failure. There are zero indications that the car won't restart. Occassionally, when we forget to turn the auto start feature off "when it does work correctly" radio audio drops out while the car restarts. This problem has been ongoing for about three years.
Engine, Oct 29, 2022
Auto start/stop feature fail to restart multiple times. Leave me stranded on a busy highway and road.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 24, 2022
When car stops due to Auto Idle it then stalls and the engine completely cuts off. Then having to restart the car. This has happened to me an immense amount of times, in streets, freeways and it is going to kill someone. I have on. numerous had near misses where people have barely avoided rear ending me. I have reported to dealer, American Honda and nothing has been done. Every time it has gone into dealer for this they just say they can not replicate it. It is a Lemon and a dreadful defect in this car. something has to be done before someone is killed.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 24, 2022
Emission system problem light - is VERY COMMON 2016-2018 Honda Pilot. Why is there NO recall/permanent fix for this? This is a Honda Defect in manufacturing/workmanship. Honda should resolve!
Engine, Oct 23, 2022
the auto stop/start has left me stranded numerous times. The car won't start.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 21, 2022
2016 Honda Pilot touring Model Issue: Idle-stop Feature While driving the vehicle and comes on the intersection/stop light when you hit brakes the idle-stop feature will turn off your engine but once you release the brakes the engine wont turn on. To able to turn on the engine, you need to turn off the vehicle by pressing ignition button then you need to press it again to turn on engine (is like starting the vehicle again). Here some stances happened while this idle stop didnt work well. Driver at the back, you're using cellphone, start honking and when they by pass you yelling stop using cellphone. Or simple honk you and when you look they're confused as we're you what's going on. Honda or other people saying its related to battery but even with new battery this still happened. If this will not be fix or resolve soon, this cause an accident. either remove this feature or fixed this issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 20, 2022
My 2016 honda pilot will not restart after it idles at a stoplight. This has happened multiple times and is happening more frequently (twice today). Both times today I was in a line of traffic and was in fear that someone behind me would hit me. The dashboard message said to put the car in park but that did not work. I had to turn the car completely off and restart it. The second time it took me three tries to get the car started. The guy behind me was very angry, gesturing and yelling. Road rage is scary too. I had the car looked at several months ago due the same issue and they could not find anything wrong when they ran diagnostics. I cannot recreate the problem on demand. It is sporadic. And scary.
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 19, 2022
On multiple occasions, but the latest being 10/19/2022, my car will not restart after the auto idle start/stop feature malfunctioned while at a stoplight this afternoon. The battery is not old, and we recently had it checked because it has been doing this a lot lately. It checked out fine when tested. Something is majorly wrong with the electrical parts when this happens. Lights flash, my hazards didn’t even work today, which was very scary and not safe. The only door that would open was my driver side door. This is a huge safety concern and I am now looking for a new car. This has happened at least 20-30 times, but today was the worst. It took awhile to get it jumped off. In the middle of traffic, with my hazard lights not working. Honda really needs to fix this. We took it to the dealership once about this issue and they said nothing was wrong. Please investigate this issue before it causes injury.