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.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 19, 2022
My 2016 Honda Pilot has been experiencing an issue with the auto start-stop system, in which the vehicle's engine fails to restart after a stop and/or the dashboard indicators flash on and off with multiple error codes displaying. This has happened many times on the highway and on streets, one time where it would not restart on the highway and cars were going around me on both sides which was very dangerous. I reported this to Honda corporate and opened up a case, which was open for many months while the Pauly Honda dealer in Libertyville, IL and the Muller Honda dealer in Gurnee, IL tried to diagnose the problem. They ended up trying several fixes, including replacing the battery, but nothing has fixed the issue. The dealer also contacted the engineers at Honda Corporate, and they indicated that they were not aware of the issue and have not been able to provide any fixes. This is still an issue today, and the only workaround I have is to disable the auto start/stop function manually, every time I start the car. Dates: - I checked and we actually brought our car into Muller Honda of Gurnee in September 2021 where we reported an issue where "C/S (customer) feels like it wants to die coming to a stop. Dash lights turn off like vehicle died. All displays go dark." They felt that it was "Caused by: Technician verified keyless remote system problem light on dash. Tech found code B12C5 stored in system. Corrected by (Y9300) (6S100) Warranty extension. Keyless start system error with DTC B12C5. BulletinS". This did not fully resolve the issue. - Then in October 2021 we brought the car into Pauly Honda of Libertyville where we again reported the same issue where "Customer states in eco mode the center screen now goes blank then cycles and comes back on." This did not fully resolve the issue. - Then in the spring of 2022 we brought it back to Pauly Honda as more severe issues started occurring. I also opened up Case #13103604 with Honda Corporate.
Electrical system, Oct 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the charging system error light and brake system error lights illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V668000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Electrical system, Oct 18, 2022
Stop/start failure. Engine fails to restart after stopping
Engine, Oct 17, 2022
When driving and stopped, the fuel saving features shuts the engine off to save fuel, it should restart the engine after letting your foot off the brake. At least 25 times now, the car fails to restart. In a panic, you have to put your foot back on the brake, put the car in park, restart the engine by pushing the start button, then put the car in drive before you can resume. This has nearly caused us to be hit by other vehicles that assume you will start to move when traffic resumes. On the interstate there was an accident ahead and the car did this when a semi was moving at great speed toward us with our family. I’m not sure this car is safe. The Honda service department suggested we have valves adjust at a cost of $700-$800 claiming that could help. There are no warning lamps. The car has had the battery replaced in the last year and starts every time, the first time when we begin a trip. Our teenagers can’t drive this car due to this safety issue. This started about a year ago and is becoming more frequent. It happened three times in the last week.
Engine, Oct 16, 2022
Repeatedly, the engine idle auto-stop function fails. The dealership and authorized Honda repair facilities say it is a known issue to them but not acknowledged by Honda. They state it must be due to driver error. When this function fails, it is random and creates an immediate emergency situation. The engine auto-stop feature is on by default. We try to remember to turn it off every time. But when we forget, we come to any stop (light, traffic etc), the engine will go from idle to stall! No notice, no warning, no indicator light. The car will completely turn off with the car in drive. You need to put the car in park, try to restart the car, get back into drive and hope an accident doesn't occur. We have a college teen now who drives this Honda Pilot. Soon to have a High School teen. They do not have enough driving experience to react to something like this. My fear is that a serious accident may incur. Last year this same engine had some type of issue where every light on the dashboard would light up. Apparently a know problem with a defective fuel injection system. We were never notified about this issue from Honda. Honda repaired it at no cost but, it was another know issue about a major engine flaw. Now this auto idle which is going out of control. Honda needs be accountable before fatalities occur. This car is becoming a lemon.
Electrical system, Oct 14, 2022
The infotainment screen and system frequently shut off as you are driving down the road. It has been doing it for years and I’ve brought it in to the dealer for them to update the software and other tricks they said they could do. It did not help and the problem is getting more frequent.
Engine, Oct 11, 2022
About a year after we bought the car the engines fail to restart after stopping, in some cases the jump start was required to get the engine going again. After it happened on the highway a few times we took the car into service and they said it was the battery they changed the battery which cost us a lot of money. After changing the battery it happened over and over again, we took the car again into service and they said it is not related to the battery and that they shouldn't change the battery in the first place. They said it's a software issue and they updated the software and we paid a lot of money and the problem continued. We report the issue every time we take the car to a car maintenance and they say it's a Honda problem and they can't help us (the service we go to is Honda car service). Whenever there is traffic we are afraid the car will stop and we will cause a collision. No warning lights before the failure.
Engine, Oct 10, 2022
I was exiting a highway and entering a right hand turn lane. There was traffic in the turn lane and I came to a complete stop. When I stopped my car shut down. I attempted to restart by pushing the engine start/stop button but the car did not restart. It took about 30-60 off trying the butting, attempting to shift into drive and opening/closing the door and trying to restart before I could get the car to restart.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 7, 2022
The start/stop turn the car off and when I tried to restart the car nothing happen. The battery is good and I heard a click sound but it won't start back for a few minutes sometimes.
Power train, Oct 5, 2022
Around 60,000 the transmission started to shift erradically. The key indicator is the tachometer is not steady. My mechanic suggested to change the transmission oil which I did. It resolved the problem, except now at 68,300 thr problem has returned.
Other or unspecified, Oct 5, 2022
On multiple occasions, the engine fails to restart after the auto start/stop function has engaged. I have previously had this addressed by a Honda Dealer at which time they replaced some parts having to do with the ignition system. The problem is still occurring and the only remedy is to manually shut off the auto start/stop function each time the vehicle is driven.
Electrical system, Oct 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after stopping at a red light, the Auto Stop/Start feature activated and turned the engine off to conserve fuel. After releasing the brake pedal the engine restarted but immediately shut off after the vehicle had rolled into the busy intersection. The vehicle could not be immediately restarted. The message "keyless start problem" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Electrical system, Oct 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after stopping at a red light the auto shut off feature activated and turned the engine off to consever fued. After releasing the brake pedal the engine restarted but immediately shut off after the vehicle had rolled into the busy intersection. The vehicle would not immdiatly restart. The message "keyless start problem" had displayed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. . The failure mileage was 120,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 5, 2022
When at a stop, t he start/stop feature is enabled and the engine shuts off as expected. When I lift my foot off the brake, it doesn't always restart, and I am left stranded in an intersection or at a light, and almost in accidents. Very unsafe. I have to turn it off every time I get into the car. When I forget to turn it off, it always fails to restart.
Electrical system, Oct 4, 2022
The idle stop shuts off my engine as designed but then it fails to restart approximately 10% of the time. When this occurs I have to put my car in park, turn off the car completely, turn it back on and put it in drive. While this most frequently happens at stop lights it has occured on the freeway when I have needed to stop. The frequency in which this is happening seems to be increasing. I have already had the start button on the car replaced twice. The issue continues to happen with increasing frequency.
Engine, Oct 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that on several occasions while at a complete stop, the vehicle would stall upon acceleration without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed him that the battery was likely the cause of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the auto Start/Stop switch which was under NHTSA investigation. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The contact stated that a maintenance check showed that the battery was actually fully functional and had a full charge. The stalling issue still affects the vehicle.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 30, 2022
Start stop failed in middle of intersection. The car died and would not restart without a jump. Battery has been replay and it continues
Engine, Sep 30, 2022
Engine has failed to restart after stopping on multiple occasions. When stopped, the engine shuts off and the dash prompts you to place your foot on the brake and press the ignition button. The engine may start back up after several attempts. All lights on the dash flash intermittently with each attempt to restart the vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Sep 23, 2022
Auto idle stop malfunctions regularly without any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the malfunction. This causes the vehicle to restart automatically or it requires the driver to restart the vehicle manually. An error message appears on the console screen for less than one second at the time of the problem, but no warning or error messages before or after. This presents a safety issue (i.e., risk of collision) to the driver and other passengers when attempting to accelerate when a traffic light turns green, proceeding after a stop sign , or turning left in front of oncoming vehicles. Service technicians at multiple Honda service centers have reproduced the problem, with the only solution being to replace the battery on two separate occasions (Jan-2020 and Sep-2022). However, the issue pre-dates Jan-2020 but the Honda service center did not perform any repairs after the diagnostic scans.
Electrical system, Sep 23, 2022
Driving in traffic. Idle stop system kicked in to turn off the engine. I let my foot off the brake pedal to turn left in the intersection, and the engine failed to restart after stopping. I put the car in park, and the car would not re-start. Ultimately, I had to turn the car fully off and then back on before it would restart. I was blocking traffic for over a minute with the car unable to restart. There had been several prior instances where the car almost didn't re-start, but this is the first time that it would not restart. I have seen prior notices that the NHTSA ODI is currently investigating this issue.
Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving, utilizing the engine idle feature, the vehicle would shut down while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated the vehicle struggled to restart. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had to depress the brake pedal, place the vehicle into the park, depress the brake pedal, and press the START/STOP button several times for the vehicle to restart. The Forward Collision Avoidance system would randomly depress the brake after the restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The mechanic informed her of several Forward Collision Avoidance system error messages in the system. The contact stated that while driving and making turns or driving in stop and go traffic with the cruise control activated, the Forward Collision Avoidance system inadvertently engaged. Additionally, while driving over a seam in the road the Forward Collision Avoidance system engaged. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 53,908.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 21, 2022
The vehicle is equipped with start stop feature. The issue is it will stop, then crank for a second or two, but sometimes not restart. It’s a safety issue when you try to move with traffic, but the engine is now off. This issue has been reported to the Honda dealer numerous times over a 4 year period. The starter & battery has been replaced, but the issue still exists.
Other or unspecified, Sep 20, 2022
My car often does not start back up at stop signs/traffic lights. I feel very much in danger. It is difficult to get my car to start back up after it fails to start back up. I usually have to press really hard on the brake and even this is difficult to get it to restart. This is supposed to save fuel but I’m so afraid that someone is going to crash into me and put us all in harms way. Please help!
Power train, Engine, Sep 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the engine heater coil, the fuel injectors, and the camshaft however, the failure recurred. The fuel injectors were replaced a second time however, the vehicle continued to experience the hesitation while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Engine, Sep 17, 2022
Car's auto start feature for fuel savings has failed to function on numerous occasions and required shutoff and manual restart. There is no provision to permanently disable this feature but requires disabling every time car is started.