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
926 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 8, 2025
My car started sputtering and lost power on the interstate and the dash lit up with warnings while driving. I brought the vehicle home and the code is for a bad camshaft position sensor after only 78,000 miles. That is absurd. The neglect for safety here is astonishing by Honda.
Engine, Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred while on a four-lane highway. The contact stated that later, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact's minor child was an occupant of the vehicle when the failure occurred. The contact and a nearby driver pushed the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact was informed by the tow truck driver that the failure was engine failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 141,496.
Engine, Jan 6, 2025
The cars RPM continuously os ul and down while driving causing the car the continously jerk while driving. Which has been to the shop two times for the same issue. The car hesitates a lot when pressing the gas as if it's lost power.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 3, 2025
Late 2023 our Honda Pilot Touring had all lights and dash display systems come on while driving in town. The vehicle became extremely jerky and wouldn’t drive more than 15mph. Major engine vibration and systems failures. Had this happened while on the freeway it could have been a catastrophic accident. There were no symptoms prior to this issue happending. We towed the vehicle to Honda and they told us the cam shaft had worn out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had just over 100k miles. Cam shaft and the cover were replaced as Honda admitted to poor tolerances in the manufacturing and this being a know issue. They never recalled only made the issue a service notice to dealerships. Well, about a year later and our Honda Pilot experiences the same issue. We have it towed to Honda and they say the engine is a complete loss. Needs a cam shaft again. Has a crack in the engine block. Has a fluid leak into the engine from the rods and piston area. Total loss and they want 15K to replace. We reach out to Honda of America for assistance in July of 24 and it took them over 3 months to respond and offer ZERO assistance or help. This issue is a known problem and we believe our engine is in the situation it is due to poor manufacturing and the previous issue with the poorly machined camshaft. It’s become clear that Honda doesn’t intend to build engines that last long and they no longer intend on supporting their customers who spend hard earned money expecting support.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 28, 2024
I purchased my 2017 Pilot new from Honda. Around 10,000 miles a code appeared and said Emissions problem and a picture of my engine. I immediately called Honda and took in to service dept. They said my fuel injectors need to be replaced and gave me an extended 150,000 warranty on injectors. Everything ok for awhile…until I hit around 60,000 to 80,000. The emissions engine light came on suddenly then after a few drives/ turning off then on engine it went away. I talked to Honda about this concern they said if light not staying on could be nothing more than a misfire or need to do a tune up. I did the required tuneup …. Emissions engine light still appearing off and on. Now the emissions engine light hardly goes off and has been doing this since around 117,000 miles and I just recently having issues with key faub auto start working since this engine light on … it now won’t work. I took to Honda again recently and they wanted to do the diagnostic test to see for sure the codes. Honda still can’t determine what the issue is… Honda says my injectors, catalytic converter passed the tests. Honda at a loss and so am I. I’m afraid my engine could fail me while driving with my family .., and I take my car to the place that should be able to fix and they don’t even know what’s causing the engine problems.
Power train, Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, rattled, jerked, and shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred while driving at 15 MPH and higher speeds. The contact stated that the Push to Start button was inoperable intermittently. A message advising that the Push to Start button was defective was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission fluid flush was performed on several occasions as recommended by the dealer; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Power train, Dec 27, 2024
My husband was driving on the highway to a competition for our daughter. He said the Transmission System Problem light came on 4 different times in 20 minutes. This had happened once while I was driving last year and had never happened again. We took it to our local transmission repair shop and the guy could not get it to repeat and the transmission worked as it should when he was testing it. He said it's something that he thinks is happening on the 6th speed that the rpm is not going to where it should. He said if it continues, we will have to put a new transmission in which will cost around $6000 and we are obviously past the Honda warranty. Looking online, it seems like many pilot owners of the same year are having the same issues. I would like to issue a complaint that Honda needs to extend a warranty for this issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 26, 2024
Engine fails to restart after the engine idle stop shuts off the engine when stopped. It is difficult to restart the engine from this state and creates a safety hazard with the car being disabled for a period of time. It does not happen every time. The battery in this vehicle was replaced 18 months ago and the vehicle has no trouble starting normally.
Engine, Dec 24, 2024
with approx 65,000 miles the engine died. While driving on the freeway the engine all of a sudden was making a sound sound then the vehicle stalled. It was towed off the freeway. Honda determined that the engine was destroyed because somehow oil was prevented from getting to the engine. There was oil in the vehicle. The oil level was good but the engine had no oil. Although the 2016, 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot engines were recalled but not 2017. They told us that they could not really determine why there wasn't any oil in the engine. We had to replace the engine. The original quote was $18,000. After reviewing our service records and speaking to upper management the offered to replace it for $4,062. (we assume they made the offer because the problem was similar to the recalled engine problems). We accepted the offer even we believe that it was a defect related to the other engine recalls but knew that it would cost more in attorney fees to fight it.
Power train, Dec 20, 2024
I am writing to file a complaint regarding a potential safety defect in my 2017 Honda Pilot. My vehicle is experiencing issues with the torque converter clutch, resulting in a P0741 error code. I am aware of Honda recall which addresses similar torque converter issues in 2017-2019 Honda Pilots. I believe my 2017 Honda Pilot should also be included in this recall as it exhibits the same defect. I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter and consider expanding the existing recall to include my vehicle.
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the Auto START/STOP feature was activated, but the engine failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. Additionally, the transmission intermittently shifted to neutral(N) or park(P) while at a complete stop. The Collision Mitigation Braking System warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted the transmission to drive(D), allowing the vehicle to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Electrical system, Dec 16, 2024
Honda has a bulletin 20-117 Warranty Extension: 2016-17 Pilot and 2017 Ridgeline Keyless Start System Error with DTC B12C5 That does not include my vehicle VIN but my vehicle is having this exact issue. This warranty extension needs to be extended to all vehicles with this year and model as the issue is obviously happening to them.
Engine, Dec 10, 2024
Rod Bearings failed on the vehicle. No indication that were going bad. we were driving on the interstate and all of a sudden heard major "clunking" and safety system lights on the dash flashing. The vehicle was towed to a private auto shop and inspected to find it was the rod bearings. there are recalls on the same motor for model years 2016, 2018, and 2019. The vehicle is available for inspection.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 9, 2024
My car for a long time has had the errors/emissions engine light on and when Honda has performed the diagnostic testing they say it could be the oxygen sensor or catalytic converter or fuel injectors or many other things...I've replaced the oxygen sensor recently and the light still on and doesn't go off. I think my car issue needs to be investigated and a recall performed. I see other recalls for my year and make of vehicle but when I enter my VIN its not saying no recall at this time. I feel like Honda doesn't know what is wrong with my car and of course at this point my car's is not under warranty and the fuel injectors they had replaced when I had around 10,000 or 20,000 miles on my car that also is now not covered on any warranty. Please help , all I want is my car to not have this light on every time I drive it. Thank you for looking into this for me.
Lane departure, Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 9, 2024
Four warning lights have been on for the past week. Brought it to Honda for diagnosis and repair, and they state that the multi-purpose camera has failed and will need to be replaced at a cost of $1,900. This is seems like a huge safety issue and, after reading several forums, appears to be a global issue.
Engine, Dec 6, 2024
2017 honda pilot brought the car to the dealer ship because I heard the engine nocking but there was no code for the engine at the moment. They told me it was the torque converter. And they told me that nocking noise was my timing belt. Fixed the torque converter and on my way home from the dealership car brakes down on the side of the highway… engine replacement at 154,000 miles, was well taken care of. Dealership told me cylinder 2 rod bearing failed. Replaced the engine with a 60,000 mile engine. And this just sucks because I had to pay outa pocket for this engine replacement. It was very expensive to replace this engine. It wasn’t easy at at the dealership trying to pick your first car to make payments on. And everyone telling you to get a honda because it’s reliable. And your engine blows less then 6 months of having the car as a Teenager. At the moment I only have a paper copy of everything tomorrow morning 12/07/2024 I will call the dealership to get a pdf form copy because I know the pictures might be blurry on you guys end. Feel free to email me anytime and I will provide the pdf copy. Not sure how the system works after I submit this
Suspension, Dec 3, 2024
The front struts has started leaking. I was searching about this issue and realized it is a very common problem that Pilots have. Even the car maintenance person also indicated that this was a common problem in2017 Honda Pilot. I am raising a complaint hence. Honda needs to fix this design flaw
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 99,000.
Service brakes, Dec 2, 2024
Vehicle shakes when braking.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 2, 2024
We are going through gas at a very accelerated rate. We were told in September that there was a recall for a fuel related part. We were told this by AutoFair Honda in Manchester, New Hampshire, where we purchased the vehicle. We were then told that appointments for the recall repairs would be made in November. Upon calling today, They are claiming there's never been such a recall. I was told by three different representatives over the course of the past two months that they're still awaiting appointment times because they don't have the parts in to do the recall repair. It's a 17.5 gallon tank and we have to fill it twice a week and don't do a lot of driving- enough is enough.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 29, 2024
Car shut down while driving on highway. After 10 Seconds, restarted but engine was sputtering along.
Engine, Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, several unknown warning lights and sensor lights were illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal chirping and knocking sound while starting. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 (Engine). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was determined that the engine had misfired, and the dealer replaced the spark plugs. Additionally, the dealer also diagnosed the vehicle with a fractured rod bearing in cylinder #1 and a crankshaft failure. The dealer determined that the engine assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
Engine, Nov 26, 2024
My engine has a rod knock and apparently needs replacement. It is at only about 50,000 miles. The technician estimated the repair at $21,911.47.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 25, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Our call has stalled 3 times within a month. I looked online to see what could be the issue. It states there is a recall for a fuel pump issue but I looked online and it is saying our VIN isn't effected? I don't see how that would be the case if we are having the issue many others have noted. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - It has stalled while trying to pull out of a parking lot and shuts off. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Not yet. It is random. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - I have an appointment with them in a couple weeks. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - No it has lost propulsion while we have been on road trips but never any lights.
Engine, Nov 22, 2024
Over the course of two week, my engine went from light engining knocking to violent knocking with limited acceleration. My dashboard started flashing multiple errors messages. Fortunately, no one was hurt given my daughter was in the vehicle. I took my vehicle to the Honda Dealership. The dealership informed me my engine has a bad rod knock and will likely fail soon. My miles are 99,009.