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, Apr 5, 2022
For the past few months, I have been having issues with my vehicle stalling. This issue occurs while stopped at red lights, stop signs, and while sitting in stop and go traffic. My vehicle is equipped with the Auto Start/Stop feature, and while stopped at a stop sign for instance, the vehicle will auto stop but fail to auto start when taking my foot off the brake and hitting the gas. This has happened on numerous occasions, putting those in the vehicle and those in other vehicles around my vehicle at risk. I brought my vehicle to my local dealership, at which point they checked it and found nothing wrong with the vehicle. They also stated that they, and the vehicle manufacturer were aware of the issue, but have no solution for it. The first time I brought the vehicle in, the dealer told me that a possible fix was an update to the system, however I would have to pay for the update. After the service adviser spoke with the service manager a few times, the dealership paid for the $220 update. The vehicle has since continued to stall, the only thing that seems to assist is to turn off the Auto Start/Stop feature every time the vehicle is turned on. Last Thursday, the vehicle stalled again on my wife with our son in the vehicle at a t-intersection. The vehicle failed to start for approximately 10-15 minutes. I contacted my dealer again and was advised to bring my vehicle in. I brought it in and was told that I could have a rental car, but that I would need to approve paying a $160 diagnostic fee. They were unsure of a permanent solution for the problem.
Electrical system, Apr 1, 2022
Alarms go off for no reason. The display shows Keyless Start System Problem.
Air bags, Mar 28, 2022, crash
I was driving on highway and hit a deer going approximately 45mph. Significant front end damage. Airbags attempted to go off as car filled with smoke. Some of the areas where airbags are located like the steering wheel appear to have separated but not far enough for deployment. Seat belts locked up. Although my family is safe in this accident, I feel that this should be looked into. We may not be so lucky next time.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Mar 25, 2022
Our 2017 pilot tries to turn on by itself, with the electronics in the dashboard starting and engine compartment relays firing, along with the exterior lights turning on without any driver being present or attempting to start the car. It happens even without the keys being present. As a result, the battery drains while the car is parked. We took our car to the dealership where we bought it and they confirmed the issue and stated we needed to replace our keyless access/TPMS unit to start and that we may need to a new start/stop switch. It cost $190.83 with tax to access. The car is serviced at Klein Honda in Everett, WA. The R/O number for the service visit is 652453/1. Instances of other Honda owners experiencing similar car issues can be found here: https://www.piloteers.org/threads/control-unit-problems.168522/ I noted that the 2016-2017 honda pilots have a recall/service bulletin for the start/stop switch (Honda Service Bulletin 20-117) and was told by the dealership my car is not included. I find that very disappointing since I own a 2017 honda pilot. I was quoted a repair cost of $967.36 + tax. This did not include the cost of the part (part number 38320-TG7-A32) costing $469.36 with tax. Therefore the total cost of the repair is greater than $1500. I ordered the part on March 16, 2022 and it is on back-order with no expected arrival date. I cannot currently drive my car because the battery is constantly being drained when the car is off due to this error. Our low-mileage 2017 Pilot (delivered on 5/31/17) should not have the failure(s) noted above. I am not aware of a greater recall that addresses the failure(s) and was told that our car is outside of the manufacturers warranty that could cover this since it is not part of the powertrain.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 25, 2022
Vehicle randomly does not automatically restart after the auto engine idle stop engages when in stop-and-go traffic or when stopped at an intersection, resulting in a stalled vehicle in the middle of traffic. Takes multiple attempts of hitting the start-stop button to restart the vehicle. Have taken the vehicle to the dealer numerous times and each time told they can't figure out what causes the problem, but they replaced the battery at a cost of $500...didn't fix the problem. No warning indicators before the vehicle stalls, the engine simply doesn't start again after the brake is released, which should disengage the auto idle.
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 19, 2022, crash
I returned from work at approximately 5 pm on 03-01-22. As I prepared to enter my garage, I realized I could not pull in due to objects in the way. I put my foot on the brake, and as I planned to reverse, the car lurched forward and into the side of my house! No warnings, no air bag deployment, and a sudden lurch, stopped only by my (less than 2 year old, custom-built) house! Garage door would not close after the car was backed out. Car was towed to Performance Honda in Fairfield, Ohio. No codes were recorded and they did not indicate reproduction or attempt to reproduce the problem. They reset all computer systems in the vehicle. The included photos also show the skid mark on the driveway, indicating to us that the brakes were on when the car "lurched" into the house.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 17, 2022
My car keeps stalling after being in the idle engine mode. At intersections waiting to turn left, or sitting in traffic on the freeway, at a 4 way stop, it has happened numerous times in the past year where the engine is in idle mode while my foot is on the brake, and when my foot comes off to switch to gas, the gear shifts to N automatically. It's seizing up and I can't hit the button to switch back to Drive or Park. I have to turn the whole car off and that takes awhile to do that too. Every time I go to the dealership, they do a quick battery test and it's been in the normal range. They cannot replicate the issue. There have been so many times I've created a traffic hazard, stalled traffic, and almost been hit by a car. They finally advised I turn off the engine idle option but then it defeats the whole purpose to be environmentally friendly. There is something wrong with the electronics or battery with the car. It is a huge safety issue that is not being taken seriously at the dealership.
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 16, 2022
Driving into work, busy road/heavy traffic, the auto-stop engine function engaged. It shut down the entire car and would not restart after releasing the brake. I had to put on flasher, and then restart the car as normal. Component failure: Auto-Stop Safety issue: Could be rear-ended, or worse if this happened in an intersection Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by Honda. This problem has occurred before.
Engine, Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the emission system, transmission, and Collision Mitigation Braking System warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over and park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with an oil rocker arm error code within the VTEC system. The dealer informed the contact that a non-OEM oil filter was used, which might have caused the failure. The dealer performed an oil change; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and diagnosed with oil rocker arm spool valve failure. The dealer informed the contact that the oil rocker arm spool valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Power train, Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after starting to drive at an unknown speed, the transmission shifted down a gear independently. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,225
Electronic stability control (ESC), Service brakes, Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH he went through a standing pool of water on the right side of the road, the vehicle instantly slowed as if the contact had applied the brakes with force. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact did not take the vehicle to local dealer and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred on both sides of the vehicle while driving through standing water. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
Structure, Latches/locks/linkages, Feb 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The vehicle had previously been serviced by the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Structure, Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated that the failure recurred with the hood vibrating after the recall was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they had met their obligation through the recall repair and provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Service brakes, Engine, Feb 24, 2022
atomic breaking systems kicks on almost caused accident 2 times, and the engine shot off while driving, please investigate before death happen
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 29, 2022
There is a strong smell of gasoline inside the cabin. It is very intermittent, but seems to happen most after it is warm and is restarted after sitting less than 1 hour like going in somewhere to shop or eat. Other times it has happened in the summer when idling the car with the air conditioning running for 10-15 minutes. It is not an exhaust smell, but unburnt gasoline. The dealer smelled it when I dropped it off, but couldn't find anything wrong. It has been happening for over a year. After several months we got a check engine light, it was an issue with the evaporative canister. An $1,100 repair was made outside of warranty. We hoped this would at least fix the issue. It did not fix it. The smell happens regardless of gas tank level and is not from over filling the tank.
Electrical system, Jan 29, 2022
It appears the Power Control Module is failing on this vehicle. Honda should recall this part. Basically, it goes off automatically. The alarm will go off at random times, which I actually had to disable, as it would wake us and our neighbors up at all times throughout the night. The dashboard lights up and blinks randomly. You can hear clicking sounds. A lot of people online who have had the same issue report that replacing the Power Control Module is the only fix. They have tried replacing the battery, the ignition switch and other parts to avail. This first happened about 6-months ago. I also recorded the issue that is happening, but the below evidence upload will not accept video. Please let me know if you want me to provide the video.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 27, 2022
This is a random issue that has now happened 3 times in the past couple of months. When the auto idle system is engaged and going to restart, the car stalls. You are stuck in an intersection, at a light, etc. You then have to figure out how to restart the car, which isn't easy, the start button has to be pushed multiple times as you are trying not to panic.
Electrical system, Jan 20, 2022
When the vehicle is off, there's a clicking sound and the dashboard turns off and on randomly as if it's possessed. Also, the air bag lights go on. It does this even when the car is completely off. The keyless remote problem also lights up even though this was repaired last year.
Power train, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 31, 2021
Traveling about 70 mph on the interstate using cruise control. I don’t think there was a change in steepness/grade, but if there was it was mild. Suddenly, the rpm’s were erratic and the engine and gears seemed out of sync. Pressing the gas pedal didn’t seem to effectively accelerate the vehicle. I don’t believe the brakes were affected. The “D” for drive indicator kept blinking on and off. Multiple warning lights on the dash display: transmission system problem, all wheel drive problem, and interestingly, blind spot monitor problem. The last indicator to show was emissions system problem, and this indicator remained on the screen. I exited the interstate. Shifted to reverse, then parked the car and turned engine off. After a few moments, I restarted the engine and the only anomaly I observed was the warning indicator light on the dash read: emissions system problem. There was roughly 1/4 to 1/2 tank of gasoline remaining at the time of incidence. I continued to drive approximately 350 miles more to my destination, without using cruise control and without further or other issues. I made a couple stops to add gas and both times the engine was turned off then back on again without issue. The following day, after restarting the engine, the “emissions system problem” warning indicator light was no longer showing on the display. I have yet to encounter the problem thus far, but I haven’t used the cruise control since nor have I driven at interstate speeds for any considerable length of time. I haven’t yet taken the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. But will do so.
Other or unspecified, Dec 23, 2021
I was driving down the highway and heard a loud noise. After a couple of minutes, I realized that my sunroof had shattered.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 21, 2021
On my way to work yesterday, I took my exit and stopped at the light where the idle engine function enabled and then my car completely shut off on its own. It took multiple tries to restart the car. Meanwhile, the light turned green, multiple cars were honking at me, and could have most certainly rear ended me. If it was the next street over, it would have been quite a dangerous situation as it is a super busy area. Upon taking it to the dealership today, they cannot figure out the issue.
Power train, Dec 4, 2021, crash
When slowing down to stop at a light, or pull into a parking space, the vehicle rather than braking and stopping, accelerates violently on its own, and there is no way to stop it other than putting the vehicle in park immediately, or slamming on the emergency brake. This is an intermittent problem. It happens once every few months, however last night it occurred and I did not put it in park quickly enough, and I was close to another vehicle while parking, that I slammed into the other vehicle doing extensive damage. Obviously, this is a very dangerous situation that could kill or maim myself or an occupant of another vehicle; the police officer who happened to own the other vehicle said I should not drive my vehicle until the problem is solved, which, of course, makes sense as my vehicle at present is unpredictable and dangerous. I have now taken the vehicle into the dealer, but I've found in the past these intermittent problems are difficult to diagnose. Should it not be diagnosed and fixed--I noticed that others have had this same vexing and dangerous situation, and it was not fixed or resoved to their satisfaction--I will no longer drive the vehicle as it is too dangerous. There seems to be a glitch with the drive trains/engines of the 2017 Honda Pilot and this needs to be fixed and the vehicles recalled before serious injury occurs, if it has not already. Owners of these vehicles should be compensated, or receive a comparable vehicle that is road worthy.
Power train, Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Dec 2, 2021
In the past week, my Pilot has stalled for no known reason. Both times the vehicle was stopped and the feature that idles the car down to conserve energy was activated. When I let off the brake instead of the car restarting or gearing up and accelerating, the car just died. Warning lights went off on the dash, but the car wouldn't restart for at least a minute both times. No warning lights were on the dash before the incident and after the car restarted, no warning lights remained lit on the dash. I took my car to an automotive store and had them check the battery, the alternator and the starter - all of these came back as being in perfect condition. I was extremely scared when both of these incidents occurred. One time I was at the bottom of an exit ramp of a busy interstate and the other occurred on an interstate in stop and go traffic. In addition to these two incidents, for the past 2 years, the car has been having issues after it idles down and then should restart and accelerate. About 2-3 times per month, when the car is stopped and has idled down, when I let off the brake and accelerate, the electrical system will flash on and off. The entire dash goes dark, the audio goes off and comes back on, etc. The entire electrical system reboots. When this happens, it does not impact the ability of the car to accelerate because it is more like a flash - the car doesn't die and have to be restarted. I am taking my car into the Honda dealer on Monday to attempt to diagnose the problem, but from the research I've done, may other Pilot owners are having the same problem and their dealers aren't able to find an error code caused by these issues. I have been attempting to get a video of this when it happens, but so far, I've been unable to reproduce the issue.
Engine, Nov 21, 2021
Auto engine stop does not restart when releasing brake pedal. This causes safety issues when stopped at lights as it takes time for the car to go into park in order to be manually started. Only solution is to turn off Auto engine stop every time car is started so that it won't automatically turn off when brake pedal is fully pressed. Honda needs to recall and provide a solution that permanently disables the auto engine stop.
Engine, Nov 4, 2021
On multiple occasions over several years the car will shut completely down when accelerating from a stop light or stop sign. The car has to be restarted and it is not safe. Most recently it happened twice in 1 week and the car will not restart immediately because you have to get it into park. It's very dangerous and the dealer is useless as they "can't get the issue to duplicate"
Engine, Nov 2, 2021
issue is when the car is stopped and the auto engine idle is on, when I lift the brake to press the accelerator, the car shuts off the engine completely, puts itself in Neutral. So when I’m at a red light that turns green, when I attempt to go by lifting the brake my engine quits, that i have to wait a few and restart the whole thing,