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: engine
481 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 29, 2023, fire
Shortly after entering the freeway, the dask lights began to flicker and car started stuttering. Drive for another mile or slow looking to pull over. By that time smoke coming from rhe engine. Once we pulled over, engine area smoking a lot to where smoke coming into car. All of us git out and saw flames coming from engine area. Our pilot was on fire. Firefighters able to put out, but car was a total loss
Power train, Engine, Visibility/wiper, Oct 25, 2023
The transmission completely broke/ went out. Honda knows this is a recurrent issue with these vehicles. The fuel injectors had already been replaced on this vehicle at 40,000 miles before Honda was admitting a defect. They are well aware there are transmission issues for the Honda Pilot but are not taking responsibility costing car owners thousands. We were left on the side of the road, needing to use insurance to cover towing. Rather than dealing with labor we sold the car at a great loss of money. This is hear say but the towing complaint reports they are towing Honda Pilots consistently these days. Honda should be held responsible.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 16, 2023
I am getting the 'Emissions System Failure" notification on the dashboard. It comes at random times and sometimes it goes away. I am not sure what the problem is as the vehicle is well maintained and there is no other issue. I read that it is in the recall list of 2019 vehicle so I guess this is the same issue for 2017 as well.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 1, 2023
Car auto shuts offs and completely shut off and need to put the car in park and pray it restarts. Dangerous ... One day someone will slam into me when i am trying to start it and I hope i am not killed. I picked one date, but it happens weekly.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 27, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? In the past few months (My 23 to current Sept 23) the idle stop system would occasionally not restart when gas was applied. This mostly occurred when stopped for a traffic light and I would have to go through a complete restart procedure taking a good amount of time. and causing the folks behind me a great deal of unhappiness. I believe this a significant safety issue because it causes people to drive unsafely in dense traffic environments. The system is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This caused the folks behind me a great deal of unhappiness. I believe this is a significant safety issue because it causes people to react hurriedly and drive unsafely in dense traffic environments. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? It has not been checked yet. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet - I will take it to the dealer next month for the annual VA safety inspection. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Not that I saw.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 15, 2023
The auto start/stop will intermittently fail to restart the engine from a stop after releasing foot the brake pedal. 2017 model year. In 2022 (4 year old vehicle) the auto start/stop failed to restart on three separate occasions from a stop at traffic lights over the course of one winter month. All electronics in the vehicle shut off while dash needles oscillate rapidly. It takes several attempts to restart the vehicle from park. Replaced only the battery with new AC Delco Group 48 AGM CCA 760 on my own. Problem did not reoccur until 18 months later in the summer of 2023 with the same exact symptoms but occurring more frequently now. The battery is 18 months old, the vehicle is now 6 years old. It has failed to restart seven times in the last 2 summer months. Have not taken it to the dealer or mechanic for repair yet. No warning lamp.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 4, 2023
En algunos modelos Pilot 2016-2017, Ridgeline 2017 y Odyssey 2018, la luz indicadora de fallas (MIL) puede encenderse si uno de los siguientes códigos de diagnóstico de problemas (DTC) se almacena: P0420 (Eficiencia del sistema catalizador del banco trasero por debajo del umbral [banco 1]) P0430 (Eficiencia del sistema catalizador del banco delantero por debajo del umbral [banco 21) P0300-P0306 (falla de sincronización)
Engine, Sep 3, 2023
The idle function shuts the car down while driving. At random stops the car turns off causing us to restart the car. It has created a very dangerous scenario for the family at intersections. The Honda dealer did not address the issue.
Engine, Aug 26, 2023
Honda pilot with start stop system will shut off the engine when possible. In some cases the car will shut off and. Or restart and flash various warnings on the dashboard. Only way to fix is wait some time and shut off car and restart. This is dangerous as this happens randomly when highways and local roads. And it takes time to get the car restarted and the engine restarted in those cases. I went to the Honda dealer to get a recall around start stop, the dealer said this would fix the issue, but this issue is still happening. There are no other issues with the car.
Engine, Aug 19, 2023
auto start/stop completely shuts car off and forces you to put car in P and hit the start button. creates a dangerous situation at intersections.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 18, 2023
Car has died twice when coming to a stop at red lights. seems to be related to the auto stop/start engine setup. Car turns itself off but cannot start right back up again. Every red light flashes but will not easily restart. hundreds of complaints regarding this on the NHTSA website. The NHTSA needs to investigate this, cars being stuck in traffic is a safety issue. since its affecting cars years off the line, it must be some component that is failing prematurely. All of these are extreme safety issues as the car is stuck in traffic, or at light and has to be completely shut off, wait and then restart. Last time took a good 3-4 minutes to get it started again.
Engine, Aug 14, 2023
I stopped at a red light and the engine wouldn’t start. It took several tries to restart the engine and after 5 minutes, it finally restarted. I had to put on my hazard lights and held up traffics on the road.
Engine, Aug 8, 2023
This car is equipped with an idle atop feature that shuts the engine off when the brake is engaged (for example, when idling at a traffic light). Upon releasing the brake, the engine should automatically start. However, in many instances the engine does not restart and remains unresponsive. It is not resolved even if I shift to park and return to drive mode. It seems to reset when I turn off the engine completely.
Engine, Aug 8, 2023
When I come to a stop (like a red light) the auto idle kicks in. When I move my foot from the brake to the gas pedal, the engine shuts off completely. It then takes a couple times before I can get the starter to start again. Therefore I am sitting at an intersection with an engine that is dead while other cars are coming up behind me, either from a stop, or coming up behind me at full speed. I am concerned I will be rear ended. I have taken it in and they replaced the battery which helped for awhile. I then got a notice from Honda, took the car in and they did an "update" on the computer system. Again the other day, while at a light, the engine cut off when I moved my foot from the brake to the gas pedal. No warning lights, no other symptoms that give me warning as to the problem.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 1, 2023
For the past two years, I have been taking my Honda pilot to a Honda dealership, complaining of the auto shut off feature. I will come to a stop at a stop sign or stop light. The car would do the auto shut off and when I lift my foot from the break for the car to start again, it won’t. The car will have its lights lit up, but I won’t be unable to turn the vehicle on. I will then have to turn the car off and then start it all over again. All while cars are honking and I’m in the middle of the road. Holler Honda never fixed this problem. I took in videos and photos and I explained it to them and they said they could not replicate the problem and therefore could not fix anything. I continued to drive the vehicle like that. In January 2023 a service bulletin was released where Honda described this exact issue that were happening amongst other 2017 Honda pilot. I took my car in and I said this is exactly what’s happening. My service advisor told me that he needed to do the software update first per the service bulletin. He said if it doesn’t work then to bring the car back and they will do the remainder of the repairs, such as replacing the starter and the assembly. I asked him if we could skip the software update since we’ve been having this issue for over two years and he said no. Six months later I am driving down the interstate and come to a complete stop and the entire car shuts off and never restarts again. I was stranded on the interstate for over four hours, waiting for a tow truck. I had to have the police come because it was at 6 PM and soon after got dark. It’s a huge safety issue especially considering that I have two kids. Something could’ve happened to me. I have the police report number and receipt for the tow truck ($281.00)
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 26, 2023
I had been driving for over an hour at 70 when I crossed into Pennsylvania and encountered crawl speed traffic. I exited the highway at exit 1. At the top of the ramp there is a traffic signal. I stopped at the red and the vehicle shut down. The light turned to green and the vehicle immediately in front of me proceeded into the intersection. I removed my foot from the brake and attempted to go. The engine auto stop-start kicked the engine but then the engine immediately cut off and the chimes went off. The car behind be stopped abruptly to avoid contact. Attempting to understand what occurred i looked at screen. The screen indicated to shift the vehicle into park. I did. The vehicle did nothing. Since there is no way to to start the engine without it, I was forced to turn the vehicle off using the On/Start/Off button. Hitting the button turned the car off, a second press would normally start the vehicle but it did not. I cycled the button 2 more times and the engine started. This system is flawed.
Electrical system, Engine, Jul 4, 2023
While Stopped at a stoplight the Auto Start/Stop feature stalled the engine. This has happened to us multiple times.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jun 28, 2023
A few months ago, car started alarming randomly. Upon entering vehicle all lights on dashboard were going on and off, screen was going through each system followed by "problem" and repeated clicking heard in steering column and captured on video for 1 minute. This continued for several days but car drove okay. Alarming bouts came and went for a few days. I researched and found that it was probably the Keyless Access Control Unit based on other owners of similar years/models. Took to dealer and showed my video. After inspecting they came back saying that they called Honda and it was a different part (unknown) but described as more of the control computer for the car. They placed the part on order, but said that another customer had the part on order for over 4 months at that time with no ETA. Six weeks later, without an incident, the car started alarming again on a hot day. Dashboard lights lighting up, clicking in steering wheel, etc. I drove the car for a few errands just fine, until I went to pull out onto a US Hwy and the clicking began, lights flashed, and the car felt as if it stalled as I was entering the road. Suddenly, it couldn't go more than 2 or 3 MPH, although speedometer wasn't working. I was able to stop it and reverse back (2-3 MPH) into the driveway quickly just before oncoming traffic hit me. When the clicking and flashing stopped, the info screen went through every car system alphabetically and listed "Problem" afterwards. I couldn't get the car to drive normally after turning it on/off several times. I disconnected the battery and that stopped the problem. Two weeks later, dealer said part was in so I scheduled replacement. Dealer replaced "Keyless Access Control Unit" despite telling me 2 months beforehand that it was something different. Car has been problem free since replacement, but it has not been long. Additionally, my neighbor has Pilot of similar year, and has the same exact problem of alarming/clicking, etc.
Electrical system, Engine, May 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while at a complete stop, the vehicle stalled due to a defect with the Auto STOP/START feature. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated during the failure. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions where a software update was performed, the starter motor, starter switch, fuel injector and valve adjuster were all replaced; however, the failure persisted and worsened over time. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 8, 2023
This vehicle keeps having a "Emissions System Problem" Then other times says "Transmission Temperature Too Hot" I bought and get this serviced at my local dealer. They don't know what the problem is and it goes away after I see them for a couple weeks but the problems come back. They say no problem. It's unnerving to drive a car with theses messages and I drive long distances.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Apr 9, 2023
Emission system problem , transmission system problem. Car frequently stops with these error messages and it stopped the acceleration during driving on a freeway. It could have caused a major accident if I had not pulled over safely.
Engine, Apr 6, 2023
When stopped at a stoplight in traffic, the auto stop/start feature failed to restart the engine after removing my foot from the brake to the gas. All lights on the dashboard were lit and there was an orange message on the dashboard saying I needed to push the brake to restart the engine. However, I needed to put my car in park, fully turn off the engine and then it took several attempts to restart the engine in the middle of traffic, causing a safety concern of a stranded vehicle in the middle of a busy highway. I attempted to push the brake to move the vehicle into neutral and try ti coast to the side of the road, however, I was not able to move my car out of park until the engine was fully restarted.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 29, 2023
On March 18th, 2023 at 6:30 PM I parked my car and waited for the curbside pick up at a cafe with my 3 girls 6 (my niece) 7, (daughter), and 11 (daughter) years old. The car started blinking all the lights started accelerating by themselves and turned off immediately. while I tried to turn it on it never started instead it blinked and displayed many messages, including transmission system problem, emission system problem, etc. I thought the battery died and called my husband to jump-start the car and it took 30 minutes to get driving with all these scary movements. my kids were traumatized by the experience and I thought thank god they were safe and the problem is solved. After almost a week once again on March 27th at I'm driving the kids to Karate and driving back at 5:45 PM all of sudden it started blinking, shanking, grinding noise, loud noise, and many messages, transmission system problems, emission system problems, etc. "D" drive started blinking. smoke came and I was still on the road not sure what to do. I thought I will be hit by the other cars behind me. luckily I was almost close to our street and it made a loud noise and I parked the car. it still blinked and smoked heavily and I turned off and got out of the car. It was a very scary movement of my life. I have 2 kids and I drive them every day for their day-2 day school/activities. I cannot believe I bought a new car in 2017 trusting the brand and it is already failed, my family. The car has to be towed to the dealership the dealer gave me a code P-2652. I want Honda to take care of their mechanical issues. I cannot get over the trauma I went through and I'm still shaking while I'm writing this. My 7 year old do not want to talk about the car which made me very sad. My girls loved the family car and now I'm in tears thinking about their safety. I want NHTSA to safeguard the consumers who go through these issues. HONDA PLEASE WAKE UP. My girls are ready to draft a letter to HONDA and NHTSA.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Mar 20, 2023
The autostop feature on the car fails to restart the engine. The car completely shuts down and all electrical is dead. This has happened multiple times over the course of many years. Often is takes multiple attempts to restart the vehicle while sitting in dangerous traffic situations (e.g. highway, nighttime with no lights). This is a significant safety issue. Honda has failed to fix the problem despite a new ignition switch and new battery. They don't seem to know how to fix it.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer confirmed being aware of the failure; however, there was no fix for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.