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, Engine, Nov 25, 2021
When on the road and you stop at traffic light with auto stop and go the car shuts off completely. It won’t start afterwards and car needs to be placed in park and turned back on. Though this isn’t an immediate solution. The car has been brought in multiple times into dealer. Changed battery couple times and problem persists regardless of what they do and they continue to say they don’t see anything. Though it still continues and is completely dangerous.
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2021
Keyless start system problem: the light come and Honda does no know how to address this concern.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 21, 2021
Vehicle unexpectedly and unpredictably shuts down when stopped for a red light, at stop sign, or for an extended break period. Vehicle does not immediately restart after shutting off. Vehicle is available for inspection; however, given the safety concerns for our family and unanswered questions from Honda with no resolution in sight, we plan to buy a new vehicle. Vehicle has been disabled when it shuts down in the middle of intersections with cars swerving to avoid. It puts vehicle occupants and other drivers at risk of an accident. Dealer cannot reproduce. After the 1st instance, dealer claimed they found info that was sent to Honda corporate. Vehicle has been inspected by dealership with Honda corporate involvement 3 times. After the 1st time, Honda corporate/dealership replaced battery and state of charge sensor at no cost even though vehicle was not under warranty. After 2nd time, Honda said valves may need adjusting but refused to cover expensive ($1000) work and indicated they were not sure it would even resolve issue. If issue continued, they stated they would not refund money. They now refuse any resolutions without reproducing the car shutting down. There are no warnings, messages, or notifications that vehicle will shut down until it does. A variety of errors display after the vehicle shuts down and vehicle shifts on its own into neutral.
Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2021
Hello, I have 2016 Honda Pilot Touring. The car was stalled many times since last 3 years where the car stalled out at a red light while using the auto stop-start. It would happen frequently now when I took my foot off the brake and nothing would happen when I put my foot on the gas. Instead of the engine starting up again, the car would stall completely and I would have to put the car in park, press the brake pedal and push the start button to get it on again. I took the car into the dealer David McDavid Frisco and they did not do anything saying they do not see any issue and they said they cannot reproduce the issue. Last night it happened again at a red light with the car stalled when i about to start i was about to get hit by the speeding car behind e and the driver was realized my Car was stopped and he just changed the lane to avoid hitting me. This incident really scared me since i was with my whole Family in the car. Please take this as a serious concern related to human life. Also i noticed from the internet many Honda Pilot owners are having same issue and Honda did not take any action on this.
Electrical system, Nov 10, 2021
I have 2 problems. First my error is Keyless Start System Problem, that also will not auto lock the car when I walk away with the keys. Second is every once in awhile they audio system will completely reset itself.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 9, 2021
Auto engine idle malfunction: engine would not restart when brake pedal released. Dash instructed to shift into park. All electrical stayed on, but engine would not restart for several minutes. With electronic shifting, wasn't even able to get into neutral to get out of the way of traffic. At busy intersections, being stranded could be very dangerous or even fatal.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 7, 2021
When stopped at a light, the idle auto engine off feature turned off the engine, then when I remove my foot from the pedal, the engine fails to start again. After several attempts to start the engine it finally will start, but this has left me stalled at intersections on several occasions for up to 2 minutes. Honda has stated that this is a known issue with no known fix which is distressing and unacceptable.
Other or unspecified, Oct 31, 2021
Keyless Start System Problem. Only 52000 miles on car
Air bags, Oct 27, 2021
Hi. Soon after I bought the car the steering wheel is making a loud cleacking noise. I took it to the Schaumburg Honda dealer and they replaced the cable reel under the airbag 4 times. They replaced the wrong part while the car was under the manufacturer warranty. Now the car has no warranty and they said honda knows about the faulty airbag and they do not want to replace it. When you turn the steering wheel to the right or to the left is making a loud cleacking noise. I have all the paperwork. Please help me so no one will get injured or killed on the road. Thank you.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 25, 2021
My 2016 Honda Pilot Touring randomly completely shuts off at traffic lights rather than restart in the automatic shut off. It displays "Shift to Park" on the dash. This has been occurring for the past 2 1/2 years and has been reported to both Honda and the dealerships with no resolution. Despite my numerous reports to both Honda and dealership, only two times have they documented as requested. The past 8 months it has been occurring more frequently and has become increasingly difficult to restart. The past two times, I have been in a location with high speed limits so traffic approaching from the rear was coming at high speeds. The first of these recent incidents, it took 6 attempts to restart the vehicle and the second time I lost count. These situations were terrifying to the point I am no longer wanting to keep this vehicle. I can't help but consider if I have children in the back and am rear ended. The dealer has repeatedly told me there are no codes, so they can't identify the source of the issue. Interestingly, I purchased this vehicle when it was 18 months old and the switch for the auto shutoff was missing. The dealership replaced it, but now I am wondering if the previous owner was experiencing this same problem and had it removed.
Other or unspecified, Oct 25, 2021
The vehicle has a keyless remote start problem that won’t go away. The keys have new batteries. Taking it to the dealer but when researching the issue there are several people experiencing this same problem with no way to fix the issue. This should be a recall If Pilots are getting this error message.
Other or unspecified, Oct 25, 2021
When stopped at a red light the idle-stop initiates and engine shuts down. Upon release of the brake peddle the engine does not start leaving you stranded at a green light or even worse in the middle of the intersection waiting to make a left turn. I have to turn off the car completely and then try to restart it. It never happens when I disable the idle stop. I have read this same problem with many other people on various forums. This must be addressed ASAP before someone gets hurt or killed. This happens at least twice a week.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 21, 2021
At a stop when the idle stop shuts the engine off, the car will not restart automatically like it's supposed to and I'm stuck in the intersection until I can get the car to restart. This is obviously very dangerous. Others with Honda Pilots are having the same issue. This needs to be addressed. This has happened many times over the past 4 months.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Electrical system, Engine, Oct 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light and after releasing the brake pedal the fuel-saving feature had malfunctioned and the engine did not immediately restart. During the incident, the message "put vehicle to park mode" had displayed. The contact indicated that the failure was very intermittent and when the vehicle was taken to the local dealer the failure could not be duplicated therefore no problem was found and no service was performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Other or unspecified, Oct 19, 2021
I have a 2016 Honda Pilot Elite and have been experiencing some issues with the Auto Engine Idle Shut Off for the past few years. Whenever the car is stopped either at a light or in a traffic on road, highway exit ramps, the auto engine idle feature shuts of the car upon pressing the breaks fully. However once the break is released the car get stalled by automatically switching the car to Neutral with message on the screen asking to put the car in Park mode. A number of warning messages show up on the center console as well. Things like, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation, Brake System warnings start displaying. Once car is put in the park mode, it says press break and start button to start the car but car will NOT start for about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. This stalling creates extremely dangerous situation when you are on busy road with a risk of getting hit from behind. I have taken several videos of this incidence happening and shown it to dealership who has taken a stand as they can't fix the issue as they are unable to replicate. I have taken car multiple times to dealership for this issue and also reported the issue to Honda as well however I have been told that they cannot replicate the issue and thus unable to fix it. Unless the car is used like a daily driver I am afraid they will never be able to reproduce the issue and this creates a big safety hazard for me and my family. Stalling car in middle of road has left us in panic situation multiple times and it also possesses inherent risk to others driving on the road especially during night time . After googling about this issue I have noticed many other people having the same issue. Honda needs to make recall on these cars and MUST get this rectified immediately. Please note my car still has extended warranty and Honda has not been able to identify and fix the issue. I request you to look into this and many others who possibly have reported same issue.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 16, 2021
The first issue is when the car is stopped and the auto engine idle is on, when I lift the brake to press the accelerator, the car shuts off the engine completely, puts itself in Neutral or Park, and requires me to put the car in Park (if not there already) and restart (press brake and ignition button). So when I’m at a red light that turns green, when I attempt to go by lifting the brake my engine quits. It occurs when I take my foot off the brake after having been at a stop with the auto-engine idle on. Engine shuts off, the car puts itself in either Neutral or Park, and I have to restart after 30 seconds to a minute (including a prayer to not be rear-ended in the meantime). Sometimes, I can get the engine to start up again within 30 seconds. Sometimes, it's been more than a minute. A number of warning messages show up on the center console as well. Things like, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation, Brake System warnings start displaying. I’ve had the dealer look at the car and they can’t find anything wrong with it. This has been happening for months and the dealer ended up putting a new fuel injector on to see if that would fix it but it hasn’t. I am very concerned for myself, my kids and my family who ride in this car. I’ve been in some scary situations at red lights where I couldn’t go. I pray this doesn’t happen on railroad tracks!!!
Other or unspecified, Oct 12, 2021
Having issues with the auto idle function. Car is stalling out when car Is stopped for more than two to three seconds. Doesn't matter if the auto idle function is engaged or turned off. This has become very dangerous as I have been almost hit twice. The car losses power, no steering or anything else. Car has to be shut off and on numerous times to restart. I am seeing post that I am not the only one with this issue. Seems to be an ongoing problem with Honda pilot of multiple years and models. No one seems to have a fix for this. I no longer am driving this vehicle as it is not safe.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 12, 2021
The car, when at idle, and the "idle start/stop" feature is active, does not restart. The car stalls, loses all power, including hazard lights. This happens at busy intersections, and the car is able to be started again after several minutes. The las time it occurred, the power was not restored until the hood was popped (while on a major highway in the left lane) and battery power cable checked. The power suddenly was restored and the car was able to be restarted. After which, error appeared on screen for power failure. We purchased this car used in April 2021, and this issue has occurred consistently (at least weekly) since the beginning of May 2021. The last incident occurred on October 1st. The car has been at the dealer since October 5th, and they have been unable to diagnose or recreate the issue.
Vehicle speed control, Oct 7, 2021
Several times, while driving on the freeway, I've taken my foot off the accelerator to naturally slow (rather than brake) for traffic in front of me. When I put my foot back onto the accelerator to speed back up, the car actually decelerates before catching with a "clink" noise and then finally accelerates. This has only happened to me while driving at higher speeds (65 mph) on the freeway and is quite a safety issue as those behind me wouldn't necessarily know my car was suddenly decelerating. It is extremely scary when this occurs and has me scared to drive in any middle lanes, in the event I need to get over to an emergency lane suddenly. My car has been to the dealership three times now and they cannot find the root of the problem.
Electrical system, Oct 7, 2021
At 40,000 miles the vehicle was receiving the following WARNING message when started:Keyless System Start Problem. For 3 years it has consistently gone on and off for days. Honda states it’s a key fob battery change need - when this does NOT fix the problem. I am now being repeatedly referred back to their service dept. to pay for diagnostic when they know that this is a manufacturer issue.
Electrical system, Oct 5, 2021
We've experience two instances where at a stop light, while under braking and the auto engine has idled, the car shuts off and after a long delay appears to restart its ECU and displays a prompt on the display to start the car again. This was of particular concern as we were at a stoplight on a rather busy crossing of a local freeway with heavy truck traffic for local manufacturers. There was no warning prior to the car shutting itself off. After it shut off, it triggered nearly every Honda warning symbol on the dash: LCAS, ABS, etc. all reporting problems.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Oct 1, 2021
Auto engine Idle shut/off malfunctioning. At red light...when turned green, took foot off brake to accelerate...car completely shut off. Dashboard lights came on and instructed to shift vehicle to park and restart. Vehicle in rear view coming up fast and thought I was going to be rear-ended and quickly found hazard lights and luckily driver was paying attention and shifted to other lane. Never happened when brand new now happening few times a week. Of course am making an appt with Honda but if they can't replicate the problem in the shop they can't/won't fix. This is a safety issue and people are going to get rear ended! Honda needs to rectify this situation as I have seen many threads with others stating the same problem.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 25, 2021
My Honda Pilot2016 has intermittent “keyless start system problem”. The error comes and goes, it once caused me not able to start the engine. From online forums, this looks like to a common issue of Honda Pilot 2016. I am very concerned with my safety when I drive this car.
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 21, 2021
Automatic idle engine was enable and once I took my foot off the brake, the car stalled. I was unable to start the car for a minute or two and had to turn off the entire car and then restart. This has happened multiple times before this occasion.
Engine, Sep 21, 2021
This car has an auto idle feature that, when the brake is pushed down at a stop, the car engine stops but then restarts either when the brake is disengaged or after a certain period of time. At that point, the car engine restarts. Since owning this car, I have reported to the dealer the issue with the auto idle which is a clicking sound and the radio cutting out when the car restarts. That issue has accelerated from clicking to the engine stalling to the car completely shutting down and having difficulty restarting. I have had this occur in traffic in an intersection twice and it was quite frightening and dangerous to say the least. Honda has not been able to repair this issue and the only solution they can offer is for me to manually disable the feature upon starting the car - this is not a safe solution. Please force Honda to solve this issue. I am now worried that my safety is at issue when the car stalls in traffic.