2017 Honda Pilot
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 926 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 23 Pilot model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 9 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 6 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
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Campaign 26V332000 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
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
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
265 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Aug 28, 2022
I was stopped at a stop sign and the auto-idle engaged. When I went to start again, the entire car shut down and would not start. I told me to depress the brake to start the vehicle, but the brake would not depress. I was stuck at the stop sign in the middle of a busy intersection because the car wouldn’t restart after the auto-idle engaged. After about 10 minutes, the car was able to start and I was able to drive it home. Prior to this, I have had some instances where the auto-idle would engage and when I went to drive again, all the lights would flash and it would delay in starting. The code reader read zero codes. Previous inspections from the deal found no errors as well. We are replacing the battery, but there are no other indications the battery was dead, dying or faulty and would cause this issue.
Electrical system, Aug 26, 2022
1. The problem is linked directly to the Auto Start/Stop capability. The Car is available for inspection upon request. 2. Car shut down electrically in the intersection of the road and caused traffic and police presence, semi trucks rolling through were frightening 3. Honda West Dealership in Las Vegas inspected the problem but had no resolution to fix it. 4. No warning lights indicated a shut off was emminent.
Electrical system, Aug 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that alarm on the vehicle would activate erroneously. The contact stated that after deactivating the alarm, the alarm sounded again hours later. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 24, 2022
The auto start/stop on my vehicle doesn't always work. I come to a complete stop, the vehicle turns off and when I pick my foot up off the brake to restart the car sometimes it will stall. There is no warning message or indication whether or not the car is about to stall, it just happens randomly. We cannot consistently replicate the issue. In order to restart the car I have to hit the start button, wait for the car to completely shut off and then turn the car back on creating a huge safety issue especially if I'm in the middle of an intersection waiting to make a left-hand turn. This is an accident waiting to happen. I brought my car to a Honda dealership approximately 6 months ago and brought the issue up to them. They told me they could find no issue with the car, couldn't replicate it and told me they had never heard of it before. It wasn't until I did an online search a few days ago that I realized that I wasn't the only one having this issue. I drive my children in this car and would be willing to allow anyone to inspect my vehicle to try to get to the root of the issue. This is a huge safety issue for what is supposed to be a safe family vehicle.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 23, 2022
we bought April 2021 and 1st issue not even 60 days after purchase, dealer removed warranty without us knowing! We have had problems ever since with warming lights coming on & flashing on multiple occasions, even while traveling @ 50 mph!. Huge safety issue as the vehicle jolts and then looses power and can't pick up speed and go with flow of traffic! Someone will get in an accident because of it and that will be a HUGE liability for honda as you all are ware of these issues and are doing NOTHING to recall them and fix the problem! This is a problem for many honda pilot owners from all the honda forums i have read and research ive been doing! i want the issue resolved as this is NOT a random. I just read that there was a service bulletin in 8/2019 pertaining to this specific car/VIN and it references faulty fuel injectors. i have no way to know if this was completed. i feel i should be able to have the injectors serviced/replaced at NO COST to me as this is a HUGE problem with 2016-2017 pilots and the fact a honda dealer pretty much sold us a LEMON of a car! I want our pilot fixed as it is a problem that Honda has been having with 2016-2017 pilots and Honda should be liable for this! Happened again today and has been happening more frequent in the past few months but have been dealing with it since we bought the vehicle. recent mechanic said the ECM/PCM may be faulty as you cant get a viable code as everytime it happens it throws all kinds of warning lights & codes that are not accurate.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 19, 2022
I have a 2017 Honda Pilot Elite. My car has had issues since I purchased with the stop/start feature and it’s progressively gotten worse. It’s currently failing every day. In 2017, it was the automatic stop not working right. It would intermittently come on/off when at a complete stop. It never quite functioned properly. It’s so bad, that I turn feature off when I start the car. Unfortunately, I can’t have it default to off so if I don’t remember to turn off auto-start every single time, then I have issues. My son was 3 years old when I bought my car. I would be at stops and the car would shut off. Then, it wouldn’t start. It would require me to press brake+gas+start button to reset car. I have come very close to getting into accidents while at stops and have had drivers with road rage come after me since I made them miss the light while my car restarts. I have been in the turn lane with heavy traffic and my car stops in the middle of the intersection. In 2018-2020, it progressively gotten worse. I took to Southeastern Honda to get looked at and was told that’s just how it works. After 2020, the car stops and will not restart at all. It would intermittently happen where I would need to get a jump start to get car running. I took to Space Coast Honda thinking it was my battery or starter. I was told that it tested fine, but still does it. In 2022, my car progressively got worse and requires a jump start. I since purchased a jump starter that is portable. I have to use it every single day. I have narrowed down the symptoms. If I drive 30 minutes and turn car off and immediately back on.. it will not turn over. I have to wait 4 hours and it works. I have measured my stop battery at 11.7 when it doesn’t work. If I wait 4 hours or jump start.. then it requires a 12.6 to start. I researched and found article that is exactly what happens https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2016-2020-honda-pilot-nhtsa-investigation-engine-failures/#ftag=COS-05-10aaa0j
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 19, 2022
Failed to restart when auto engine stop engaged in the middle of a busy intersection. Large truck with heavy duty battery jump started but it took 10 minutes of being connected to the battery for the engine ignition to start again. No lack of charge (all electronics working but turned off just in case) but a defect in the restart after cutoff.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 17, 2022
We own a Honda Pilot 2017 Touring trim. I saw your news report that there is a document out there published by the NHTSA that is investigating this issue. I’d like to add my experience to this. On or about April 2022, we started experiencing the start/stop issue while living in Kansas. When the issue occurred, an error message would flash very briefly across the dash, quick enough where we could not take a picture of the message. Our Honda would stutter then start back up. At this point, we took it to the Legends Honda dealership [10050 Parallel Pkwy, Kansas City, KS 66109] and after a free diagnostic they told us they could not A) replicate the issue, B) find evidence of the error message in the system. The next week, we had a complete engine failure while at a stop light for a full 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes, the engine remained off, the transmission shifted to Park on its own, and the vehicle could not be restarted manually. Traffic built up behind and around us as we were trying to figure out how to get off the road and we could not turn the hazard lights on. It seems this issue is related to an electrical component. After 5 minutes, we were able to push the ignition button to turn off the car completely and restart the engine. The vehicle operated normally afterwards. On August 12, 2022, the same issue occurred where the vehicle engine would not restart and we were prevented from manually restarting the vehicle for about 5 minutes. Once again, the transmission shifted itself to Park, an error message flashed across the screen briefly this time, and after 5 mins we could manually restart the car and continue as normal. Between these catastrophic failure dates, we would experience multiple start/stop stutters with error msg The only experience we have where this would not occur is to manually turn off the auto start/stop feature when driving the car. We see this as an issue that could cause injury, aggressive drivers, and other safety concerns.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 16, 2022
The auto restart feature fails to restart the car after releasing the break sitting at a busy intersection. The car information center provided information to put the car in park and hit the ignition button again. I was able to get the car to restart after several tries by putting the car in park, shutting it off and turning it back on. This the third time this has happened in the past month.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 14, 2022
Car stalls when auto stop turns back on
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 14, 2022
My car completely shuts off at stop sign/red light when engine idle feature is activated. I have to put car in park and restart it. This has been an ongoing issue since summer 2021. Vehicle was evaluated at dealership with no resolve. In addition, a new cam shaft had to be installed in fall 2022 , at Honda's expense.Car completely stalled while passing another (55mph)
Electrical system, Aug 7, 2022
Vehicle stalls REPEATEDLY when the automatic anti-idle function is active. Whenever the air conditioning and audio is on and I stop the car, the engine stops (as the anti-idle system is intended to work), then stalls out as the engine restarts. This has been happening for about 2 years and happens almost every time the anti-idle system engages. It’s terrifying when it stalls in stop and go traffic on the highway.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 4, 2022
In support of NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 2017 Honda Pilot multiple experiences with the auto idle cutting off and not restarting. 8/4/2022 was worst experience to date. The vehicle cut off at a stop light and would not restart. The ability to roll down the windows and unlock the doors was disabled so 2 occupants were potentially trapped inside. Fortunately a door had just been opened to waive backed up traffic around the disabled vehicle. AAA and Sheriff's were called to the scene. It was successfully jumped and the AAA diagnosis was that nothing was wrong with the battery, starter, nor alternator. This is a major flaw in engineering and a fix has to be developed or the vehicle appropriately replaced.
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Aug 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the battery and Auto Start/Stop button replaced; however, the while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was able to restart and no error codes were retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 2, 2022
Starting in the summer if 2020 every few weeks after coming to a stop and the auto idle stop would stop the engine. When releasing the brake the engine would not immediately restart. The pause on restart would slowly increase as the time between occurrences decreased. Occurred during each trip. Pauses increased enough that the entire control panel and radio screen would go black, and then the car restarted with warning message coming up on control panel. Contacted Honda and took it in on 9/9/2020. They couldn’t recreate the issue. They charged the battery, did hard reset. Drove car with issue still occurring. Returned the vehicle for additional service on 9/16/2020. They are still unable to duplicate the issue and opened up a tech line case#4376911. They replaced a Dc/DC converter. Issue continued. Returned car with same issue. Don’t know date at this time. They replaced the battery which did fix the problem, temporarily. Began having same issue April 2022. Issue slowly increasing in duration of pause and frequency of occurring. July 10 2022 started having pause long enough for control panels to go dark and get warning light when engine restarted. Started occurring daily. On Friday 7/29/22 came to a four way stop and idle stop engaged. Lifted foot off brake, pushed on gas and realized car had not restarted and car was rolling backwards. Quickly pushed on brake to to stop car rolling backwards which then car restarted with warning light. Called Honda on 7/29/22 made appointment for 8/4/22. On Sunday 7/31/22 We were driving and came to a stop and idle off engaged turning off engine at a red light. At this occurrence the dash and radio went black when foot was pulled off break. Engine did not restart. Dash lights came back on with message that car must be in park to start engine. Attempted to switch to park but controls would not until few attempts. Finally Able to put in park, start car, put in drive and pull away. Stuck in traffic lane for about 15-25 seconds. Scary.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 30, 2022
I was stopped at a red light. The stop idol engaged and the vehicle did not start when I attempted to make my turn. The instrument panel indicated that I should shift to park. I did so and attempted to restart the vehicle but it did not start. After a number of attempts to restart it eventually turned on and I drove straight home. I was in the middle of a major intersection with my son in the car. Car zooming by me as my car was stuck in the turning lane. If a car failing to start as a result of a feature that was integrated by the manufacturer isn’t a safety issue then I don’t know what a safety concern would be classified as according the this institution. Permanently shutting off the feature is not an option as it renegades every time you start the car initially. The car has stalled a few times prior to today’s incident but this is the first time it failed to restart. As I drove home I reengaged the system to see what would happen, if failed to restart again and began the stall every time once the idol stop was engaged. This is unsafe. If I forget to turn off the function of this feature and I am on an expressway what happens if the car fails to restart, my brakes lights may not be pressed as I am thinking I am simply going to drive off and I could get rear ended at 60 miles an hour. This is a safety issue. This is a ticketing time bomb and further delays are putting thousands of lives at risk. I did I not know about the problem until I research the internet to find a solution. Why haven’t we been informed of this problem? Is this institution waiting for the body count to be high enough to warrant a consumer alert? This is a safety issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 27, 2022
When stopping for more than a few seconds auto-idle stop turns off the vehicle completely and does not turn back on by pressing the gas pedal. Car must then be completely turned off, back on and shifted into drive to continue moving.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 26, 2022
For several year I've had a problem with the fuel-saving stop-start system on my Honda Pilot. Unless I turn this system off each time I drive it routinely (several times a week) fails to turn back on after making a complete stop, usually at a traffic light or stop sign. This has placed me in several dangerous situations as cars are speeding behind me, not expecting my car to be at a dead stop when a green light turns. It takes several tries to re-start the car and causes chaos at intersections. I took the car to a Honda dealer and was charged $975 to replace the battery, which they said would fix the problem. I have also followed all the safety recalls and yet the problem persists. I wanted to file an official report because this faulty system is a major accident waiting to happen. Given that my car fails to re-start once or twice per week, it's only a matter of time before I'm hit from behind while I'm stalled at an intersection. Honda has made it so that I am unable to permanently disable this feature and has yet to provide a repair so that it doesn't occur. Meanwhile, I've spent almost $1k trying to fix the problem myself without success. If the fuel-saving start-stop system is going to be a required feature please hold Honda accountable for providing a system that keeps their drivers safe and will not be the cause of an accident bringing harm to my family or others.
Electrical system, Jul 26, 2022
The problem is that which is reported here: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10184330-0001.pdf My problem is that I am being told that my VIN number is not included in the group eligible for the warrantee extension and fee coverage for the replacement of the keyless start sytem. Seeing how my vehicle is the model, make and year that this problem is known to effect, I am confused and frustrated by the inequitable and arbitrary use of VIN numbers as determinant of coverage. This is a known issue for 2017 Honda Pilots. My vehicle CLEARLY demonstrated all the malfunctions described and therefore, I believe it should be provided the warrantee extension and that I should not have to pay for the replacement ($168.17).
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 22, 2022
The auto idle stop function caused the vehicle to stop running, needing a full shutdown and restart. This happened on busy roadways, and it has happened two times with this vehicle, one time each in different years. I think the first time was in 2021 and the second was definitely in June 2022. We have had this vehicle into a dealership multiple times attempting to resolve the issue. Each time the battery has been replaced due to low voltage, and they were able to reproduce the issue at least once. The most recent time I was informed that Honda released a service bulletin recommending a change to engine compression that may be straining the battery when restarting the engine, but I am currently waiting on Honda to decide if they will cover the cost of this service before agreeing to it. We are currently operating the vehicle with the auto idle stop disabled. Other symptoms included the electrical system blinking off and on when restarting the engine after a stop. This was reproduceable after 3-4 consecutive stops in a short period of time, such as urban driving with traffic lights. This first appeared 3-6 months after a new battery is installed.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 19, 2022
Vehicle does not start back up after auto shut off activates. It is also stopping suddenly on the road
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 17, 2022
The Auto Start/Stop feature on my 2017 Honda Pilot has had issues for the last 2 year. It started with the engine occasionally "hesitating" to restart after I held the brake pedal down at a stop light. As it started to happen more frequently, I took it to my Honda dealer and they told me that they could not recreate the issue and thus could not diagnose and fix it. Within the last 6 months, the issue has become more and more frequent and severe to the point that I have been worried about the car not restarting and have been manually turning off the Auto Start/Stop feature when I drive the vehicle. It does seem to occur more frequently in hot weather when I running the A/C and there is more of load on the engine and system. On July 16, 2022, I forgot to turn off the Auto Start/Stop feature, and at the first stoplight that I stopped at, the feature turned on, shut off my engine and then failed to restart. I had to put the car in Park and then it took me a few moments to get the car to re-start. The vehicle was very slow to respond, as I was afraid of the car not restarting at all. After a couple of minutes the car did restart. I turned off the Auto Start/Stop feature and did not have any further issues on my drive home. After the failure to restart from the Auto feature, my dashboard told me to put the car in park and restart. I do not recall if any other warning lights appeared, as I was franticly trying to get car restarted in the middle of traffic and cars honking at me. Once the car restarted all warning lights disappeared. Upon returning home that day, I Googled the issue before making an appointment with my dealer again. I became aware of NTHSA's investigation into this issue. From my experience, Honda should recall these vehicles and fix the issue. Someone could have hit me from behind at speed, as it was a green light and not everyone is always fully paying attention, or has poor depth perception.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 16, 2022
The Idle-Stop system shuts off when the SUV is stopped for two or more seconds. There are times when I release the break pedal after several seconds or more and the car engine does Not restart on its owLast episode 7/2/22
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 11, 2022
Vehicle stalls in the middle of intersection while attempting to auto restart with the auto on/off feature. This has been happening since we boughe the vehicle new in 2017. Dealer said they could not simulate. Happens a few times a day.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 9, 2022
When auto idle is engaged, the car SHOULD start when the brake is released after stopping. We noticed problems when we released the brake. The radio and A/C shut down and quickly come back on again. So release brake, radio and A/C shut down and then radio and A/C come back. Reported to Jeff Wyler Honda and I believe I have a video. As of yesterday, 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. You have to put your foot on the brake, shift to park and restart. This occurred twice in two days. Once at a traffic light and once after a traffic jam on the highway. It is scary especially the first time it occurs. It has the potential of leaving the vehicle in a stopped position in dangerous locations if it can’t be restarted, I.e. the highway. I’ve read that a jump is sometimes required.