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: engine
162 reports, newest first. Show all
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the instrument panel illuminated with several unknown warning lights, and the check engine warning light. The vehicle sputtered, misfired, and slowly decelerated. The contact noticed that once the vehicle was idling, the sputtering ceased; however, once the tachometer was over 2,000 RPM or more the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the failure experienced was not related to the recall. The dealer diagnosed that the Cam Position Sensor sensor experienced intermittent signaling failure. The dealer diagnosed that the camshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,198.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 7, 2024
Recall needs addressed. Car is throwing codes and serging going down the road.
Engine, May 21, 2024
The vehicle's auto stop/start function shut down power to the engine at an intersection and would not restart. The vehicle was unable to move at a busy intersection and would not manually restart either. A dealer or independent service center has not reproduced the problem, but I do see plenty of other cases on different automotive forums. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or others. There were no warning lights or other symptoms prior to the engine shut down. This has happened on more than one occasion and usually in the summer months when the A/C system is running. It doesn't seem to be an issue without the A/C running. Thank you
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 18, 2024
Misfire code cylinder 4 injector
Engine, May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving or parked, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 13, 2024
This issue started last year upon purchasing my used Honda Pilot. The gas save mode that allows the engine to shut off at stops and restart does not work properly. Rather than the engine restarting, the car will instead shut down. Taking about 2-3 minutes to have to put the car in park and being able to restart after several attempts. The Pilot was taken to Honda last year where they did a computer upgrade. This issue happened again last week on 5/8/2024 and again this morning, 5/13/2024. This can cause a safety issue as the car is stopped at a stop sign or a light, and when traffic is trying to move, I am holding traffic up which may cause cars to attempt to go around or cause an accident. I need to know why this is happening and when Honda plans to have a solution.
Engine, Apr 17, 2024
This vehicle is subject to NHTSA Recall Number 23V-858. Four months after the recall announcement, our local Honda dealer does not have parts to perform the recall service nor has an ETA when they will have parts.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Mar 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 40-45 MPH, the vehicle lost power and regained motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 20, 2024
for months Honda dealer has not yet resolved the two recalls indicating parts and instructions from Honda are not availalbe. Thus, the dealer is unable to resolve the recalls. This has been going on for months and is unacceptable. When the NHTSA issues a recall, why can't consumers get their recalls fixed ?
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 7, 2024
The car since purchased was juddering between rpms, eventually the emissions and check engine light came on and prompted us to take to dealership. The dealership said this was part of a recall and both problems would be fixed at no cost and we would get an extended warranty on the parts and labor. That sounds great. The problem though is the pilot has been in the shop since January 29th! We have been given 4 different Eta's of when the part would come in and they all keep passing by! No end in sight.
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his partner was driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective starter; however, the failure persisted after the starter was replaced. Upon further investigation, the contact was informed that the engine had failed due to a damaged connecting rod bearing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was offered a payment plan to help with the cost of a new engine. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which was linked to the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Engine, Feb 18, 2024
Emission system problem warning sign come and go
Engine, Jan 13, 2024
On [XXX] as I was driving northbound on the [XXX] in California going the speed limit there was a sudden loud crash coming from the engine block. After the loud crash, there was a dramatic drop in engine power causing the car to drastically lose speed. Noticing something wrong with the situation and all the service lights displayed on the dash I quickly got off the freeway and pulled off into a parking lot of industrial buildings. Then called a tow to take the car to the Ocean Honda dealership in Ventura CA. The dealership stated that it was a factory issue that they would resolve with Honda. Giving me a loaner they sent me on my way. On [XXX] Ocean Honda contacted me stating that Honda has not approved the work order and that I either have to pay $13,000 for a new engine or tow my vehicle out. And have until EOD of [XXX] to decide. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 12, 2024
Dear Sir/Madam, My Vehicle stalls and stutters suddenly when driving. It does not accelerate the way it should. Engine light is on. I called Honda Customer Service and even though it says "Fuel Pump recall" on my vehicle they say they don't know when parts are going to be available. Their responses were very evasive. They said it was a placeholder and were not willing to help me. They don't have any concrete responses to my questions. I asked them when will the fuel pump parts be available for dealers to fix the recall and they asked me to check back in February. I got a letter in December stating that after Jan 2nd they will help with this issue. Now they are saying Feb. My vehicle maybe unsafe to drive and if the engine seizes or is ruined because of the delay in fixing this recall, I would be at a total loss. Please help me. Thanks so much! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 4, 2023
I noticed when driving between 10-30 miles per hour the pilot will stall in between 2 rpm and 3 rpm jumping up and back down, shortly after I received an emission problem alert and the car started driving very strange pulling forward then losing power. Noticed that this is a common problem in Pilots and it is very concerning.
Engine, Nov 25, 2023
While driving at interstate speeds, without any warning that there was an issue, engine began to run very rough and all warning indicators on the display were active, car slowed and had to pull off onto the road shoulder, very lucky the traffic was lite and was already in the right traffic lane, was able to pull onto the road shoulder quickly. Under heavy traffic and a multiple lane interstate, this type failure would probably resulted in a serious accident involving other cars and personal injury. Engine would restart but was running very rough, all system warning indicators were active on the display. Drove 1/2 mile to safe location at the next exit, parked the vehicle and called Honda for a tow to our local dealership. They indicated the problem was excessive wear to the camshaft. Parts were ordered and repairs are in progress. Drivetrain was still under an extended warranty.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 21, 2023
As of 11/21/23, our honda pilot has approx 75,000 miles, we purchased it new so we are the only owners. A few weeks ago, the vehicle while driving about 45 mph, completely shut off, all lights on the dash cam on and the transmission became disengaged. We were able to shut it off for a few minutes, and drive it about 1/2 mile to the local Acura dealership. The car did not operate normally though, it would only go about 20-30 mph, before the transmission disengaged for a few seconds, then re-engage and continue driving. Acura said it was a producing a bad cam-shaft sensor code, they reset it, but said if it happened again, they would need to open up the engine to inspect the cam-shaft. Two days later, the exact same thing happened, we returned it to the same Acura dealership, where they said the cam shaft, and abunch of other parts needed replacement, at a cost of about $2,500. We had no choice since the car was immobilized. Now, the week of 11/20/2023, a recall regarding the rod bearings was issues, which cause the exact same immobilization issues we experienced, which is very dangerous as a driver. Upon research online, the cam shaft sensor and faulty cam shaft is more common than I expected, and I believe should be investigated before someone is seriously injured. To add, our specific pilot is not showing the engine rod recall, but we have experienced issue with the vehicle in regards to the auto start/stop feature and the car not restarting, as well as cruise control issues where the car will go into neutral at 70+ mph when cruise control is activated. We will probably not have this vehicle much longer because of the issues we have had in the first 75K miles, and the continued safety issues that plague this model. More needs to be done for the safety of it's drivers and passengers.
Engine, Nov 20, 2023
I was on I-44 west of St Louis and between two trailer trucks and the 2018 Pilot started to shake violently and lose power going down that big hill before Lewis road after that it quit and after a 1/2 mile it did it again and shook so bad you thought front wheels were coming off.I took it directly to Napleton Honda in St Peters Mo and naturally they drove the car 6 miles and found nothing wrong. This was on April 22,2022. It did it again on October 31,2023 and at after dark it vibrated again and lost power and we coasted off the highway. I finally got it started and we went home frightened again. We figured no use to take to dealership because they charged 200 dollars to test drive and send us on our way.Please help us we have an unsafe car to drive and they claim it is not a 2018 Pilot under the recall, they are sending letters out to people affected on January 4,2023. Is a person supposed to get killed before they acknowledge they have a bigger problem than what they claim.The second incident happened on October 31,2023 at 54136 miles, the first incident was April 22, 2022 at 41337 miles.
Engine, Nov 19, 2023
While driving at highway speed, the engine stopped. The car coasted to a stop on the side of the freeway. I attempted to restart the car, but the engine would not turnover. The vehicle was towed to a Honda dealership, there the dealer attempted to rotate the engine at the pulley and the engine would not budge. The mechanic did verify that the engine had adequate oil.
Engine, Oct 21, 2023
The engine failed to restart after the auto idle function engaged at a stop light at a busy intersection. The car shut down, including turning off the tv screens and the a/c etc. and the dash instructed us to put the car in park (it had switched itself into neutral at that point). Once we put it in park it said to push the breaks and start the car. It started back up and we were finally able to move. We were at a busy intersection and it was very scary for us because we did not know what was happening. I’ve seen small signs of this before and it’s prompted me to turn off the function, but I don’t Always remember to do that. It’s a know issue and needs to be addressed. Most people do not know how to report it.
Engine, Aug 26, 2023
Vehicle stalls when trying to go after stop when auto start is engaged. Auto start must be manually disengaged and sometimes I forget to press the button. When the engine stalls, people behind me get angry and start making aggressive maneuvers to get around me. Normally I can restart the engine after 15 to 30 seconds but it feels longer than that when I have a long line of cars behind me.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 18, 2023
P0741 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance or stuck off. This is one of hundreds of Honda's between the years 2016-2019 that have this same issue, which renders the car undriveable as the torque converter cannot transfer fluid to the transmission from the engine. Honda is aware of this issue, though because torque converters are on "back order" they have not made any attempts to rectify this. Rather, they are waiting for individuals cars to break down and then providing with repairs. Not only is this dangerous, it's unethical.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped, the Auto START/STOP activated, the vehicle shutoff but failed to promptly restart while depressing the accelerator pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Engine, Aug 10, 2023
When I came to a stop sign the car died and would not start for several minutes, causing traffic to back up and a dangerous situation at a busy 4 way stop. This has happened on multiple occasions when the auto stop feature is not disabled.
Steering, Suspension, Engine, Jul 21, 2023
I have taken my 2018 Honda Pilot several times to the Honda Dealer, and they have failed to fix what appears to be a transmission problem with the vehicle. The transmission is burning transmission fluid. The vehicle makes a grinding sound when you shift gears. The gears feel like they are catching when you change them, The transmission gears shift appears to be delayed, slipping/jerking and pulling. This situation is very dangerous to me, my children, and the public. The Honda dealer appears to be stalling, so the vehicle runs out of the warranty. They do little to fix the problem; they keep charging me money and repeatedly replacing the burnt transmission fluid. This vehicle has a lemon transmission that they need to replace. Please help investigate this common problem that so many people are complaining about, and Honda keeps ignoring or excusing the complaints. They are selling unsafe vehicles. The incident/issue is contimous, they have NOT fix the issue. Please review the attached documents. Please contact me with some that can speaks Spanish or is able to translate. Thanks