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
Engine, Oct 27, 2022
I was driving on a city street, during traffic I came to a complete stop and the car turned off the engine automatically by the idle-stop feature. When traffic was moving, I lifted my foot off the brake pedal expecting the engine turn back on and move forward but the engine never started and I tried to start the engine manually stepping on the brake and press the Engine Start button but in didn't work either, all the while I could have easily gotten rear-ended by driver behind me. Luckily other drivers were paying attention but nonetheless I was pressure to move my car. After struggling for 5 minutes, I finally manage to restart the engine again. I am the original owner and service my car at the dealer and the car only have 39160 miles on it. This problem happened before but is happening more often now, which is causing more safety concerns for me.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 26, 2022
At 50,000 miles the car started to make a clanking noise. The car was checked no issued were found. at 60,000 oil change was preformed vehicle was checked no issued were found. At 63,000 the following lights came on at once: check engine, TSA, Hill start problem. Took the car again to get checked and now they have stated the car needs a new engine no lights had previously came on.
Engine, Oct 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for another issue and the contact inquired about the failure. The contact was informed that the idle Start/Stop system sensor might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was a Technical Service Bulletin for the failure however, the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 6, 2022
The auto off/on is dangerous. Multiple time the car does not turn back on and everything turns off. A few times the car started to roll backwards, when on a hill and I took my foot of the break. The car didn't start, I had to reapply the break and push the start button again.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 3, 2022
The vehicle routinely shuts off at intersections and is unable to restart. This often causes traffic to back up behind the vehicle and vehicles around us having to make sudden stops. This occurs during normal driving conditions about 3 times/month. It seems to be attributed to the automatic shut-off feature but does not restart as it should when operating properly.
Engine, Sep 28, 2022
On September 27, 2022 the vehicle start/stop failed at Georgetown Texas highway 195/I35 overpass stop light. When the light changed the vehicle started to move forward then stalled in the left lane. I engaged the emergency flashers, stopped the vehicle, put it in park and proceeded to restart the vehicle. During this event, there were several near misses including a gravel truck. I believe a review of service orders will conclude the vehicle’s engine start/stop feature has been problematic for a few years.
Engine, Sep 26, 2022
The engine stop feature did not allow the car to restart at multiple stops. I was not able to immediately restart the car. It did restart after some time. This was concerning, since I was stuck on the middle of an intersection. There are no problems if we immediately disable this feature when starting the car.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 16, 2022
Was in the middle of an intersection and pressed the button to turn off Engine Idle Mode as I have had instances where it was very slow to go when this mode is on and it delays getting out of the way of other drivers. When I pressed the Idle Off button - the car “shut down” and went into neutral. I could not get it out of neutral. Pressed D, R, P. Multiple times. Didn’t work. Had to press the turn off car button twice to turn off car then it finally restarted. I was stranded in the intersection and almost got hit by several cars. Once it started I pulled into a gas station and the radio stopped working. I turned off the car and restarted. Then the engine wasn’t shifting properly. Shut off the car again and went to the dealer. Dealer ran diagnostics and couldn’t find a problem. Checked the battery and all other items - no issues. Somebody is going to get killed and now I’m scared to drive my car.
Engine, Sep 10, 2022
I was on a six lane highway at a traffic light. The idle stop engaged while I was sitting for the light to turn green. I released the break and the car didn’t start. I tried to put the car in park and push the start button and the car wouldn’t start. I sat through a couple light cycles in the middle lane with my hazards on. I turned off all accessories and the car did start and I was able to drive off.
Engine, Sep 7, 2022
Sitting at stoplight with the auto start on (turns off at light to save emissions). light turned green took foot off brake, the car died, had to push the start button a few times before car would turn back on. This has happened to us twice.
Engine, Aug 31, 2022
The engine engages the auto-idle feature but fails to restart at stopping points in the roadway or at intersections. This leaves the occupants stranded in the roadway in traffic congestion. There were no warning indicator lights on the dashboard before the incident indicating a potential issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 30, 2022
The automatic engine stop-start feature of the car is having serious issues, the car engine shuts off automatically after stopping the car at stop signs/red lights etc and does not restart automatically after releasing the brake. This has been an intermittent issue and has happened noticeable number of times till now. When the system does not restart its asks to pull over without having engine turned on which is conflicting message. I have spoke to the dealership and they say there is no known issues with the system which says otherwise based on my research multiple customers are facing this issue. Though not a huge safety risk, unable to start a car in busy intersection induces some amount of safety hazard.
Engine, Aug 29, 2022
We are original owners of the vehicle. At busy intersections, including when in the middle of the intersection for a left turn, the car has shot off with the auto-off feature. Upon removing our foot from the brake the truck shut off completely (engine should have restarted). To restart the vehicle we had to ensure we were in park and restart the engine. This catches the driver off guard and creates a panic which is not safe. This has happened about 10 times since owning the vehicle. During my last service appointment I reported the incident, and they checked the battery to ensure it was not a battery related issue. Since that appointment in February we have had this happen ~3-4 times. There is NO OPTION to just disable the auto off. Se we are doing our best to remember to de-activate it every time we start the engine. I'm taking the car in for service again within the next week and will have them recheck the battery.
Power train, Engine, Aug 24, 2022
This has happened to me about 10 times in this vehicle: I am at a stoplight or stopsign and my "Idle-Stop" system in the Honda shuts down my engine and then when my foot comes off the brake it does not restart like it is supposed to leaving me stranded in the middle of traffic with a non moving vehicle. I think this is extremely dangerous and I am scared this will cause a terrible accident if not fixed. The only way the engine restarts is after about 30 seconds to a minute it finally is able to power back on. Please have Honda issue a recall for this issue.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 24, 2022
The automatic Stop-Start feature has had multiple issues in the last two years on my 2018 Honda Pilot Elite. The lesser issue has resulted in ALL systems turning off when the brake pedal is pushed all the way down. While the usual, expected result is just the engine cutting off, many times the entire electrical system shuts down. On two (seemingly random) cases, however, the car did NOT restart for quite some time. Once was at an interaction, the other was in stop/go traffic in the rain on the highway. Here is where it could have been catastrophic as I could not even turn on my flashers to warn (in low visibility) that I was stopped while all other traffic was flowing. In neither case did I require a jump start and I have never had any reason to blame the battery. Even in the winter, the car starts right up (here in Virginia). My local Honda dealership is claiming that I need a new battery and a software update. I have a claim in to Honda CustomerCare (even have a Case Manager assigned), but I have not heard from them in the last 3 days.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 22, 2022
On multiple occasions / almost daily the engine auto shut off kills the engine completely. The vehicle needs to be restarted to get moving. This poses as a significant safety hazard. This delay is going to get someone killed. The engine dies at stop lights, stops signs, off ramps and sitting in traffic. A complaint was made to the Honda dealer on 4 or more occasions with them informing us they can not replicate the issue and there isn’t a safety recall on it yet. This issue has gotten so bad that I am thinking about selling this car do to a safety issue. Honda is usually a trustable brand and stand by their brand, but some reason they will not admit to this reoccurring problem in the Honda Pilots.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 19, 2022
The automatic stop/start for the engine is failing. It stops at inopportune times, and it is very slow to restart. Sometimes i have to put it in park and push the start button. This has been problematic at intersections and it has been happening more and more frequently. The SUV only has 24,000 miles on it.
Engine, Aug 13, 2022
Engine unable to restart after stopping at traffic light. When Auto Engine is enabled I have faced this problem multiple times and it was unable to restart. Traffic backed up because I could not go forward. I had to literally shut down everything and then start the engine again. I have already seen this news that you guys are investigating this issue with Honda. Now I disable my engine before I start my journey.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 11, 2022
The engine stop start function fails to "start" the truck in traffic when the failure happens 60% of the time you can follow on dash instructions and restart the truck - the remaining 40% it will ONLY restart after you JUMP Start the vehicle with another car. This has left my Wife Stranded 2 times in a busy intersection and we had to get jump started in the busy intersection While in this state we also could NOT put the vehicle in neutral to move it from the intersection trapping it where it was until it was jump started.
Engine, Aug 9, 2022
routinely if the auto stop is on the car will stall out when you try to accelerate from a stop. It will completely die, multiple errors will flash on the board. The car will be completely unresponsive. Eventually I have thus far been able to restart the car but it frequently happens at intersections and I am constantly concerned about getting rear ended. The dealership denies there is a problems. I have replaced the car battery and even with a brand new battery the same things happens. Only way to prevent it, is to disengage the idle/stop every single time you enter the car.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 8, 2022
As I was coming to a stop light and started to slow down the automatic start/stop system engaged, but the light turned green and when I tried to accelerate the car was not running anymore lights I the dashboard where flashing that I needed to put vehicle in park to start back up. Our vehicle was almost impacted by the truck behind us because he assumed I would be able to speed up instead of having to come to a complete stop. This has happened at least 20 more times since then when I forget to turn off the automatic start/stop feature. It's always when I'm coming to a stop, the suv will not turn back on mostly its inconvenient to drivers behind me that feel I just didn't see the light turn green but a couple of times it has happened when approaching metering lights in the freeway where the cars behind me or in the lane next to me are ready to accelerate not knowing that my car will have to come to a complete stop because of this issue before I car start the car again.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 7, 2022
Auto start stop function is activated at stop light. Upon releasing the brake to accelerate, the car shuts off completely and am unable to restart vehicle immediately. Requires me to push on/off button a few times to get vehicle back on and running.
Power train, Engine, Aug 6, 2022
On multiple occasions over the past month or so, my wife has experienced engine issues associated with what we believe is the Auto Start/Stop function on our 2018 Honda Pilot (Touring Edition). Upon coming to a complete stop, the Auto Stop function disables the engine. Upon releasing the brake, the system is supposed to restart the engine. However, on at least five occasions the engine has not restarted, and it has required her to turn the vehicle off and completely restart it as if starting from cold. This has occurred at stop lights, which obviously could cause safety issues/implications. On at least a couple of the occasions, she had to attempt to restart the vehicle multiple times by applying the brakes and pressing the main start/stop button). I frequently drive the vehicle and always turn off the Auto Start/Stop function. I have never run into these issues whatsoever. The vehicle is scheduled for routine maintenance at a Honda dealership in two days; the vehicle is serviced solely at this same dealership. The issue will be brought to their attention as well.
Engine, Aug 3, 2022
Our Honda Pilot began stalling four years after purchasing the vehicle. When the Honda was stopped, the engine shut off but the engine wouldn't automatically restart when the accelerator was pressed. I fortunately was able to get the Honda to restart after a couple tries.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 21, 2022
After the car was stoped at a red light with the auto-idle feature on, the car stalled out when I pressed the gas petal to drive. The radio and A/C shut off and a PARK warning displayed. It took several attempts to turn the car back on. After the car started it took several minutes for the radio to start working again. None of the touch buttons for radio, phone or navigation would respond. This happened when I was at a light after getting off the highway. It almost caused a car accident with the drivers around me who were coming off the highway. Since this happened, every time I turn on the car, the radio stations can not be found. I have to turn the radio off/on once or twice for the car to find the stations. Frequently, when I go from stop to drive at lights or stop signs, the radio and AC will turn off for a second. This seems to only happen when the auto idle feature is on. The car transmission is also having lurching when going from 1st to 2nd gear.