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.
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.
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 16, 2023
Emissions System Problem is an ongoing issue. I have used cataclean, only used premium gasoline, and had it reset multiple times. I feel there is an issue with acceleration from a stop.
Electrical system, Mar 10, 2023
Went out to garage and started noticing headlights and running board lights were on, so assumed another household member had opened door to put something in the car which is not common. After this started occurring more often, asked and no one fessed up so started paying closer attention and even opening garage door just to check. After that, started noticing clicking sounds under the hood. Googling, saw online that others had similar issues. One day went to start car to head out and the car was dead. Called dealer and they said I must have left the car in accessory mode, but I wasn't so sure. AAA jumped the car with much effort. Next morning, car would not start again. This time, I remembered I had one of those jumper boxes and was able to start it, maybe because it was just one day difference. I know I was careful to make sure I fully stepped on brake to not leave it in accessory mode like dealer had said I probably did prior. Drove it around to charge the battery and went to store. When I came out, my car alarm was going off. When I got home, I left car out to see if alarm would go off and sure enough it did. I had also noticed that dashboard lights would flicker Honda symbol. This time didn't lock car and the alarm did not go off. Googled some more and luckily found on piloteers a post about replacing the control module around the driver side dash and considered myself lucky that my alarm was only going off when locked as others were saying they had to disable battery because would go off even when unlocked. Made an appt with Honda. I had a video of the car acting up in the garage and hoped that it would start in the morning. It did and showed Honda the video but of course they could not duplicate the issue but I told them I wanted the part replaced and hoped it worked b/c no way I could have unreliability continue. Said found a service bulletin with similar issue where they replaced 38320-TG7-A52 control unit so $850 later my issues are good
Power train, Mar 7, 2023
I took the car in at approximately 55,000 miles (under warranty) because I was could heard a noise coming from the transmission and the vehicle was not driving correctly. The dealer flushed the transmission and did a computer update. The DEALER paperwork stated "judder from torque converter clutch." 25K miles later (now out of warranty) I get a warning light on the dash that states " transmission problem". I take the car back to the same dealer and they tell me that the torque converter clutch is failing and it will take $4250 to fix the car. I told them it was failing 25K miles ago and you put 2 bandaid's on the car and not Im out of warranty. I did call Honda of North America and they did nothing for me.
Electrical system, Mar 6, 2023
This appears to be a known problem with the Honda Pilot with the car auto start/stop feature. The power/engine cuts on and off when trying to start back up. The dealer replaced the battery but after around 6 months it has started again. Before the battery replacement, we had the issue happen on the freeway while driving. So, it wasn't just after the autostop but it happens more prevalently then. It happened at least 2 to 3 times on the freeway. After reading that some vehicles don't start back up, I am concerned that if this cuts out on the freeway and doesn't start back up, it could cause an accident on the freeway at high speeds. I urge you to push Honda to recall the vehicle to fix this issue before someone get hurt. The dealer tech doesn't know what to do to fix the problem. And, doesn't appear to be the battery as we had the new one checked again just to be sure.
Electrical system, Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and decelerating, the fuel saving feature malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to hesitate and almost stall. The contact was able to drive the vehicle off the road to turn off and restart the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the transmission erroneously shifted to neutral and failed to drive. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
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.
Power train, Feb 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was unsure which fuse the dealer stated needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Other or unspecified, Feb 25, 2023
Car has failed to restart numerous times after coming to a complete stop, typically at a traffic signal leaving me stranded in the middle of the road with cars whizzing by in adjoining lanes and cars behind me beeping. This creates a very great hazard. This has happened at least a dozen times. To restart the vehicle, I have to put the vehicle into park, put my foot on the brake, and press the start engine button. This issue started in 2019. Another issue is that periodically the dash display will rotate through every possible malfunction indicator. When this happens, each malfunction indicator light stays on the screen for a couple of seconds and moves onto the next one. When this is happening, the vehicle will not go any faster than 15-20 mph which I think is a safety mechanism to make sure the engine is not further damages if an actual issue is occurring. Fortunately, this has only happened on neighborhood streets where the speed limit is 35 mph so the sudden loss of power did not create an immediate hazard. This issue started in 2019. I took the vehicle to a Honda dealership regarding both these issues but they were unable to determine what caused these issues even after I showed them the video I took of the dash display rotating between all of the malfunction indicators. No police, insurance representatives, police or others have inspected the vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 22, 2023
Vehicle's start/stop system continuously failing. Vehicle will "stop" or shut off at intersection as intended, but then fails to restart, leaving my family stranded in the middle of traffic. This obviously creates a very dangerous situation for my family. This has happened several times. When you try to restart the vehicle it acts as if it doesn't have the power to do so. Inspections of the vehicle at the dealer continuously show the battery is in the "green" or great working condition. Although they've said this, their only response to the issue so far is to replace the seemingly fine battery.
Engine, Feb 18, 2023
The vehicle will start fine from being parked but when the auto stop turns the engine off, the vehicle fails to start back up. This has happened a few times now in heavy traffic creating a problem with traffic flow, putting us in an unsafe situation. Each time this happened, the vehicle has needed jumped, creating additional issues with traffic and our safety. We have had the battery and alternator tested and both appear to be fine. Looks like this has happened to quite a few others, so I feel that it is important to bring light to the defect.
Electrical system, Feb 17, 2023
Idlestop issues
Lane departure, Electrical system, Feb 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently drifted into another lane. The contact also stated that while driving, the vehicle stopped independently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed accelerate as needed. The collision mitigation system, the ACC, and LKAS warning lights, the road mitigation warning light and the brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and produced codes: by001c-swlka and u0104, indicating “A Loss of Communication with the Body Control Module) however, the contact was not provided a clear diagnostic result of what parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 14, 2023
Fuel injection problem Vehicle less than 37000 miles on it
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 12, 2023
Was stopped at a very busy intersection today (2/12) and the vehicle's auto start/stop turned the vehicle off. When the light turned green, I attempted to apply gas and the engine stalled out. Was unable to restart the car again after many retries. I was very concerned that another vehicle would hit me since we were at a very busy intersection. All the electronic warnings on the dash appeared to flicker on and off when trying to restart. Eventually had to have the vehicle towed to the Honda dealer since the vehicle could not be jump started or restart on it's own.
Other or unspecified, Feb 12, 2023
I took ny Honda Pilot in for a routine oil change. I have had issues with a squeaky sound coming from under the hood. The dealership said my transmission fluid had broken down, and they had to flush/replace it. It cost me over $350. Honda said it wasn’t covered under warranty as it is a maintenance issue. I only have a little over 57,000 miles on it. The squeaky sound persisted, so they replaced a belt. I had to take it back a week after, because yup sound is still there. It was in the garage for over 2 weeks and I just got it back yesterday. I’m not sure exactly what they did, only know they had to take the undercarriage off to get to it. I never received the paperwork as the case hasn’t been closed by the repairman yet. I have an appointment Thursday February 16th to go over wheel bearing issues now and am supposed to get the paperwork for this last repair then. Very frustrating.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 11, 2023
Car turns off at stop after auto shutoff will not restart
Power train, Feb 11, 2023
I been hearing a rattling noise from the engine area for a while. I took it to Honda dealership where I bought it and they test drive a few times. They said they don't hear the noise, but when the test drive with me know the suv they hear they noise numerous times but don't know where the noise coming from. It's all over the honda bulletin customer are complaining about the same noise nothing I'd getting done about it. I opened a case with American Honda and they did nothing sbout as well. Now my transmission system problem light came on at 49000 miles and I see alot of people complaining about that as well and Honda dealership is saying it's not Honda problem. The complaints is on Honda forum and Honda sites. I think Honda should be investigated for these problems.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 9, 2023
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. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// This is an extremely dangerous vehicle malfunction and needs to be addressed as soon as possible before someone is killed. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// While driving on the freeway or highway, traffic comes to a complete stop, the engine idle feature stops the engine, and upon restart, the vehicle stalls. This leaves my wife and kids stalled, sometimes on the freeway for up to a minute until my wife can get the car restarted. During that minute, she's at risk of being hit by other motorists traveling at freeway speeds. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// I brought our Honda Pilot to the dealership, and they could not diagnose and fix the issue. The Dealshp also claimed they were unaware of any issues with the Auto Start/Stop feature. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Scott Robinson Honda 20340 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// I recently purchased a new battery to resolve the issue myself, and the issues continue with the new battery. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 4, 2023
The auto stop/start does not restart after stopping at a red light.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 3, 2023
Engine Idle Shutoff engaged while at stoplight, however, upon removing foot from brake and attempting to move along with the greenlight signal the vehicle failed to restart. This is the second occurrence with this vehicle since 2018. Engine failed to restart for several minutes while dangerously blocking moving traffic on a busy city street.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 1, 2023
For the past couple of weeks, I have seen an quick error message (flashes and then disappears) and my Pilot has hesitated upon restarting after the auto engine idle stop has engaged at a stop sign. This was a longer hesitation (almost a failure to start) than the typical hesitation I feel when this feature engages. Yesterday, an error message stayed on the information screen, warning me that the auto idle stop feature was not working. This morning the error message was not there on startup. When I was at an intersection, my Pilot failed to restart after the auto idle stop feature engaged. It took a couple of attempts (pushing the start button) before the vehicle restarted and I could resume driving. This is a safety hazard for both me and other drivers. I have not yet taken the vehicle to the dealer for inspection.
Electrical system, Jan 26, 2023
The alarm has gone off 30 times from 7am this morning to 2pm. I also have a picture of the dashboard lights. About a month ago I took it to the Honda Dealership and they charged me for a bunch of other things and gave it back for it to do it again the same day. Honda said it's a control unit they need to replace but I have to pay?
Structure, Jan 24, 2023
My car's hood continues to shake. It has been tightened by the dealer, Don Moore Honda in Owensboro, KY. I have taken it there three times because it continues to loosen. I am worried that it will loosen and fly up when I am driving on an Interstate. I am aware that other vehicles of the same year and make/model have been recalled due to this same incident but my vehicle VIN has not been recalled. It is the worst on a windy day or when driving on an interstate. Driving at speeds like 35-45mph doesn't really show.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 20, 2023
My 2017 Pilot Elite has been suffering repeated issues with stalling out / engine not turning back on due to some sort of issue with the stop/start function (which will automatically turn the vehicle off when the break has been suppressed for more than 3 seconds). This is extremely dangerous and has put myself, my family, and others on the road in harm's way on multiple occasions. It appears that both NHTSA and Honda are both well aware of this issue, but for some reason are not moving forward with formal resolution despite the severity.