2018 Honda Pilot
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 440 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 23 Pilot model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 9 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 11 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
Engine and engine cooling, engine, hard parts internal/mechanicalNov 13, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Campaign 23V751000 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
Engine and engine cooling, engine, gasoline, belts and associated pulleysApr 12, 2019
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.
Teeth separation from the timing belt may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected timing belt free of charge. Vehicles receiving a replacement timing belt will also have the engine inspected and any damaged components will be replaced for free. The recall began June 7, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4M. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is Z4L.
Campaign 19V298000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsApr 5, 2018
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018 Honda Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles and 2018 Acura MDX vehicles. The front driver and passenger powered seats in the Honda vehicles and the driver powered seats in the Acura vehicles may have been assembled with improperly manufactured rivets. In the event of a crash, the rivets can break causing the seats not to be secured to the floor. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," and 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the floor, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat frame assembly in Acura MDX vehicles, and replace the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames in Honda Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall is D0S, and T0T.
Campaign 18V221000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
85 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 3, 2026
If the auto engine shut off is activated the engine shuts off randomly and it does not restart the engine. The battery needs to be unplugged to reset the electrical system. This happens daily.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Jul 15, 2026
The vehicle will not start occasionally and states brake issue. The brakes becomes rigid and I'm left stranded until it corrected itself. This is a KNOWN issue, and yet they won't do a recall. It seems like a deceptive practice.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 30, 2026
Honda pilot would not restart after auto ideal engine stop. This issue caused all the warnings lights to come on with blinking engine light! Honda dealer was not able to resolve the issue and ended up paying $1500 even though it was a part of their service bulletin 23-009.
Steering, Engine, Electrical system, Apr 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH on the interstate, the vehicle started shuddering. The vehicle was pulled over safely to the side of the road. The AWD, Hill Descent Assist, power steering, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact checked the manual and continued to drive. While driving days later, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The contact continued driving approximately 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The failure was associated with the fuel pressure pump. The lower fuel pressure pump was previously replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the high-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,320.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Mar 15, 2026
Engine failure due to connecting rod bearing manufacturing defect (NHTSA PE25008). Component: engine; available for inspection upon request (replaced; documentation available). WARNING SYMPTOMS: At 94,000 miles during routine maintenance while under warranty, I reported engine knocking to the dealer. The advisor dismissed it as "normal valve noise" and did not document the complaint. Knocking progressively worsened over thousands of miles. FAILURE: At 100,750 miles the engine required immediate replacement. Dealer diagnosed rod bearing failure; bearing was worn and failing. Engine was replaced before catastrophic seizure. I had just returned from a family trip — seizure at highway speed would have caused loss of power, power steering, and braking assistance, creating serious crash risk. CONFIRMED: Dealer diagnosed and performed engine replacement. Honda provided partial goodwill coverage but refused to disclose the percentage or provide written documentation. When I formally requested full coverage for this defect under federal investigation, Honda stated the case was closed and refused to put the decision in writing. Honda recall 23V-751 addresses this defect but excluded this vehicle despite identical failure. Vehicle was maintained per Honda Maintenance Minder at dealerships.
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Mar 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate, and the RPM became elevated. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where a partial diagnosis was performed, and it was determined that there was a catastrophic failure in cylinder #3. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, a case was opened, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Lane departure, Oct 17, 2025
All warning lights triggered on by faulty rear view camera sensor making one unable to discern if there is a true issue with one of the systems
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 31, 2025
Auto idle system is faulty. I repeatedly experience a failure when this system is not turned off. It causes my engine to shut off when I step on the gas - or (mostly) it causes my car to almost shut off (the dashboard shuts off and flashes back on when I step on gas at a stop sign or other stops, also when I’m driving and accelerate there is a lag of nothing like the car almost turns off followed by a big jerk or jolt when it turns back on again. I’ve asked Honda dealer in town about this and they said it’s just the transmission and could get it replaced but now I see (via a class action suit I read about) that this is a big problem and it’s not just my personal issue with the car. I’m concerned someone will get hurt if these problems are not recalled and fixed by Honda.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 29, 2025
The car unexpectedly sent out emissions failure systems warning Effecting the ability to accelerate without a pause in a forward movement. I had my mechanic diagnose the warning lights which indicate a connector rod issue. This diagnosis aligns with all of the symptoms. My mechanic warned me the engine could stop at any time. We will have the repair done this month. Honda put out a recall and stop production for this issue in March of 2024 but my car does not show up in the recall when I inquired to Honda about the issues I was experiencing. They basically said there is nothing for me to do.
Electrical system, Jun 18, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 98,423 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was over 230,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 11, 2025
Unfortunately, due to the extended delay in this repair, my vehicle has experienced significant mechanical problems, which I believe are directly related to the faulty fuel pump.Fuel Injector Contamination, Catalytic Converter Stress, Transmission Performance Issues
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 3, 2025
The "start/stop" function has always been an issue and also the response to acceleration. Luckily the start/stop failed at the mailbox in front of our home. The car shut off just like at a light but instead of picking back up upon acceleration, it completely died. We have had it shutter and slowly pick up in an intersection before but we have learned to really over exert the acceleration to complensate. We have had the fuel pump recalled but i dont think it fixed our problem. Luckily nobody has been hurt yet, but this is my wife and eight year old daugthers car. We have had multiple warning lamps "fixed" in the past, but there are currently no indicators on the dash.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 1, 2025
Auto restart failed. Vehicle failed to move forward at a red light. Dash instructed to place vehicle on park then press the engine start-stop button hence restarting in the middle of the road presenting a safety hazard, cars behind me almost tail ending mine. People were honking and I couldn’t move fast enough. Why is the Honda dealer saying they will charge $222 to inspect to see if it’s a starter issue? Just fix the problem. I already had the system reset due to recall. This is a prevalent problem, shouldn’t it be inclusive to a recall. Also putting the customers at risk knowing its an issue is a huge problem. Please advise and help resolve this safety issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Apr 29, 2025
Start stop system would not restart vehicle. Came to a stop at a stoplight. Engine stopped with system engaged. Let go of brake to creep up in traffic and the engine did not restart. Warning on Dash told me to place vehicle in park and restart. It took a couple of tries to restart . The vehicle eventually did restart.
Electrical system, Apr 25, 2025
On at least four separate occasions the idle engine stop has failed to restart when the vehicle was stopped at an intersection. The car not only does not restart but it also won’t respond for some time to attempts to turn the car off (in park mode and brake applied) so that it can be restarted. We must try to remember to disengage the idle engine stop at each use of car to avoid this issue as there is no way to do that permanently without installing an aftermarket product.
Electrical system, Apr 1, 2025
The car shut down on its own, the only way to started was with a jumpers, doesn't turn on screen nor dash,, Also the ac fan relay stays on and doesn't shut down making the car to over heat
Electrical system, Structure, Service brakes, Feb 7, 2025
The car was placed in park, and somehow it rolled backwards into a gas station post causing serious damage. The very badly designed 9 speed transmission is designed to shift into park when the door is opened this is a safety feature that failed! My child could have been in there! It could have rolled back into the file pump! DANGEROUS! I have heard of others complaining this happened to them too. I have video evidence but I need to obtain it from the gas station it happened at.
Power train, Electrical system, Jan 1, 2025
There is an auto start/stop feature on my 2018 Honda Pilot. I’ve owned it new since July 2018. My wife and I have experienced the same issue both together and separately. The auto stop feature will engage with the break depressed, but the auto start function will not always engage when the break is released. This has left us stranded in the middle of intersections in the middle of left turns with oncoming traffic driving around us, stalled on the freeway with cars whizzing by us at 70+ MPH blocking the fast lane, blocking congested one lane roads with no recourse for drivers behinds to get around us, etc. This feature stops the engine but periodically does not allow it to turn back on. With the engine stopped by this feature, but not shifted to park/ neutral, pressing the ignition start/ stop button does nothing. Shifting to park, and pressing the ignition start/stop button significantly delays removing the road hazard now created by the vehicle’s now dangerous location. To further complicate the matter, the engine starting has, on many occasions, taken multiple minutes to start, endangering myself, my wife, my four children, and other family / friends on too many occasions to count. My local dealership recommended replacing the vehicles battery, even though I had no other battery related problems. I did, in fact, follow that recommendation, only to have the same problem persist. I have encouraged my wife to disengage this feature proceeding forward, but the feature automatically resets itself everyone the ignition is started. This becomes problematic if the feature is forgotten to be turned off or, due to placement of the features button, the feature is inadvertently re-engaged.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 17, 2024
The back-up camera / navigation / infotainment screen is intermittently off. Without this screen one cannot get a camera view directly behind the car to back up, park, or see the rear position of the vehicle for loading and unloading. After visiting the dealership with an estimate of $2000 to $3000 for replacement, the message was clear they did not want to replace this part at a reasonable cost. On about 11/01/2023, this problem was taken to our dealership and it did re-occur at the dealership but does remain about 50% intermittent since the middle of 2023. When doing on-line searches, this must be a repeat problem for other Honda Pilot owners. Other manufacturers have implemented recalls for this same problem but not Honda to my knowledge. This vehicle now has about 60,000 miles on it; but this problem is a safety concern as well as a resale concern… but we would like to be able to keep it. This part seems to have been designed to be difficult to remove and replace with 5 separate cable connections, attached air vents, and without disassembling the two full panels across the full width of the dash. The dealer did remind us that this vehicle is out of warranty as well.
Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 11, 2024
My vehicle has been in the Honda Dealership (Honda of Fort Worth and Norm Reeves Honda) with no resolution to the engine failure issues I have had since purchasing my vehicle. Mainly in the heat of the summer if I was in traffic idling, stopped at a red light or in stop and go traffic my car would shut off and hesitate to restart. The collision mitigation system would show failed. Honda could never find a solution. The last time I had it in their shop they said I needed a new battery. I bought a new battery from them but the problem continued. I believe my car is part of the engine recall.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 6, 2024
The components of my vehicle that were affected is from the power train and emissions.Honda issued an TSB on August 2023 for this. The warning light on my vehicle is now illuminated. I have a DTC code P0471 stored on my vehicles computer and can no longer pass a smog chech without the problem being repaired. This issue has impacted my vehicles torque converter. When I drive at high speeds my car shakes and I get a warning that says transmission system problem. Also the transmission slips and has poor fuel mileage. Honda extended the warranty for this part because it is prone to failure. My vehicle was diagnosed at Gardena Honda on Sep 4,2024. The service advisers confirmed that my vehicle has the issue that the warranty was extended on. However, due to my vehicle having a salvage title they will not honor that warranty. This issue should have been recalled instead of extending the warranty. Other pilot owners may pose a serious risk to themselves and others as Honda failed to notify myself and other about the risks of having a defective part on the vehicle. I can no longer drive my vehicle because of the risk involved. The dealer quoted me $5000.00 to repair. Federal law requires car manufacturers to repair any issues that arise from emissions regardless of bad title. Honda refused to repair on 9/4/2024.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 27, 2024
Sitting stopped at a red light. These messages with the check engine light start scrolling on the dashboard: TSA, Emissions system problem, stability control, EPS, etc. it kept changing. When trying to go in drive to he engine had reduced power and I had to get out of the intersection quickly. The code to show up when scanned was P0369 camshaft sensor. Had the vehicle towed to Honda dealership to find out that other pilots in my same year model have this issue but my specific VIN was not included in the recall LVM or the service bulletin 19-045 even though the same year model is included.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Aug 21, 2024
The original manufacturer windshield and the adhesive holding it to the body of the vehicle was improperly installed by the manufacturer allowing water to leak into the A-pillar of the driver's side down into the lower dash and foot well. Moisture and degradation of the factory installed windshield adhesive can cause electrical faults, mold, a loose windshield, and other issues that can disable the vehicle and/or cause bodily harm. The dealer noted and advised about the possibility of the adhesive degradation before the vehicle was inspected, which confirms this is a common issue with this vehicle. Upon inspection, they advised that the windshield adhesive was the issue. The issues/symptoms presented themselves during recent and prolonged rain events at which time it was reported to the nearest authorized dealer. The local dealer claims a crack in the windshield as the cause of the problems. Unfortunately, there are no cracks in the area where the leak is originating from. The vehicle leaks from the upper driver's side corner of the windshield, with the crack noted being on the lower mid section of the windshield. Water would not run up into the corner from where the adhesive leaks.
Power train, Electrical system, Back over prevention, May 23, 2024
“Transmission system problem” message is displayed. Vehicle still runs fine, but reverse camera becomes disabled.
Electrical system, May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was stopped at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power; however, the vehicle was able to immediately restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The STOP/START warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000. The VIN was not available.