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: other or unspecified
74 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Sep 12, 2026
Auto restart issues. I have reported this before. When coming to a stop and the engine shuts off it does not automatically restart. It has left me sitting at a light having to sit and wait before I am able to turn my car back on. This can be a huge safety issue when in traffic or when a line of cars is behind me or at any time. I have had services done and computer upgrades in the past and the problem continues.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 29, 2026
High Pressure Fuel Pump fails after implementing recall listed below. See recall information: December 18, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V858000 Fuel Pump May Fail Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. NHTSA ID Number: 23V858000 Manufacturer Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) Components FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Potential Number of Units Affected: 2490460
Other or unspecified, Aug 3, 2026
-the transmission too hot message came up on my dashboard. yes it is available for inspection upon request -we could not continue to drive to our destination -they could not find any issue when i brought it to Honda Service center, they did recommend ATF cooler which i had it installed -there are no other warning messages, it first appeared in 2023 going to california, it happened again in 2024. and happened again last month.
Other or unspecified, Jul 19, 2026
As I was driving I had a transmission system error come up. Took it to a mechanic and code P0741 came up related to the torque converter problem. A service bulletin for 17-18 Pilots is out but does not include mine. I feel like this should be covered as I had to fork out $3000 for a known issue.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, May 28, 2026
Safety recall on 2018 Honda pilot fuel pump Honda dealership refuse to repair unless other repairs where done due to engine light on . I ask advisor who was helping me [XXX] to give me clarification on the reason his respond was i am just doing my job no other dealer will be able to help you Technician doesn’t want to proceed with repair due to engine light on , unless you do other repairs rough estimate amount $1851.64 I politely denied those services walk out contact another Honda dealer on May 28 2026 , I spoke to advisor Jennifer Cruz explain the situation set up an appointment for safety recall on fuel pump @ location 9055 Washington blvd , Culver City , Ca 90232 [XXX] Repairs will be done by 3pm on May 29 2026 , Jennifer Cruz was really helpful and apologized for my bad experience with previous Honda dealership INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Apr 22, 2026
The moonroof glass shattered for no apparent reason while driving at highway speed. Fortunately, the inner moonroof cover was closed preventing glass pieces from entering the vehicle interior. The incident happened while driving on an interstate highway in light traffic.
Other or unspecified, Apr 21, 2026
While stopped at an intersection, the Auto Idle Stop engaged and the engine shut off. The vehicle failed to restart and became unresponsive. I had to shift into Park to restart the vehicle. This created a dangerous situation in traffic.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Dec 10, 2025
Whining noise during acceleration in any gear, gets louder as acceleration advances
Other or unspecified, Oct 17, 2025
Reporting recall for crankshaft connecting rod bearing and the fuel pump. Notified Jan. and Feb. 2024. Have called many times. "Never had the parts". "Not on the list to be called". "Recall not on list to be called". "No suitable appointment time available. Will call when they have one." Left messages. Have never gotten called! Frustrated. Almost 2 years. What do I do?? Seriously, do I need a lawyer or what. Lately the car seems to hesitate. Kind of a rocking sensation while driving. Is that from the fuel pump that should have been replaced more than a year ago?? Recall issued 11/9/2023
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 22, 2025
Driving to work on the freeway, all of a sudden acceleration stopped. Pulled over as warning lights came on due to transmission. Additionally, the check engine light appears randomly due to emission and also the “AWD” light comes on. Within a few days or even weeks it turns off. This has been on and off since we purchased the vehicle from CarMax.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 12, 2025
My Honda Pilot 2018 is a modified vehicle with wheelchair ramp. It is in the recall list for Honda. Recall: swelling of fuel pump motor impeller, fuel pump may seize/stop working. Defective impeller may cause fuel pump inoperative, which could prevent engine from functioning. May cause a loss of motive power/stall while driving, increasing risk of crash or injury creating a safety hazard. -Replace the fuel pump motor. I contact the Honda dealer in San Jose, CA, but they were unable to perform Fuel Pump replacement due vehicle being modified. Tell me to find a dealer that specialize in accessible vehicle to removed cover on floor to access fuel pump then bring fuel pump to Honda for them to replace. DMV requires to perform recall to renew vehicle registration. I do not know which dealer I need to perform this recall.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 13, 2025
when honda service perfomed the recall repair on 12/12/2024. We notice that there is something wrong with the vehicle and we immediately report to Honda service and return the vehicle the following day for further diagnosis but the Honda service failed to resolved the issue until now. We spend out of pocket payment for their recommended repair @ parts replacement . With hopefull promises to resolved the issue but this resulted to more repairs and no guarantee in resolving the issue. And this delay of resolving the issue causing much more concern on our safety onto what will happened as this issue was not resolved
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.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 9, 2025
On [XXX] we left Charleston, SC for Pittsburgh, PA. In Columbia, SC a maintenance light came on "Transmission System Problem". Soon after, another light read "Transmission Hot." I stopped at the next Exit where Precision Tune- 7000 Garner Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC was located. The shop determined the transmission overheated. I paid $1,105 to have the transmission fluid flushed (3x) and the Honda computer reset. The vehicle had 43K miles. The SUV ran fine for 1800 miles. About 100 miles on our return trip to Charleston at 10:00pm on [XXX] a light read "Transmission System Problem." On July 01, Precision Tune Columbia told me to take the SUV to Precision Tune Summerville. On July 03 I dropped off the vehicle. I spent $517.45 on a rental vehicle. On July 17 my SUV was returned. Precision kept my vehicle without servicing it until the 30 day warranty ran out. I contacted Honda Corporate and informed them there were multiple online forums of other 2018 Honda Pilot 6cyl owners reporting similar transmission issues noting the torque converter. A few months later the "Transmission System Problem" light came on again. Since July, 2024 I have only driven the SUV 5K miles and not out of Charleston. In June, 2025 I received a product recall advisory that the torque converter was a known issue with the model. On July 8, 2025 I dropped the SUV at Stokes Honda. I received a call that the transmission fluid is bad. Precision sent over the Carfax report. It has been a year and my vehicle with 50,750 miles is inoperable and no one will take responsibility. I have only purchased Hondas for 22 years. We have a small trip scheduled July 11-17 and I have had to rent another vehicle, costing another $500. I would like my SUV repaired by Honda under warranty extension as the issue is a known problem with this year, make, and model. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, May 1, 2025
The driver side sun visor quit staying up after just 1 year. It’s dangerous always stuck hanging halfway down.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 30, 2025
EVAP Error Code for the capless gas cap error. you have to super careful when filling your car up with gas. Honda needs to fix this defective capless gas tank system. It is too fragile and requires an immense amount of work to repair for a regular old Joe.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 5, 2025
Crank shaft rod bearing, engine needs to be replaced due to internal damage. Honda has recalled other VINs for 2018 Honda Pilot, but not mine. I am having the same problem as another recall already issued, and Honda is refusing to pay for engine replacement.
Other or unspecified, Dec 27, 2024
I have called about this recall at least three times. I brought it in to be serviced and told them that I felt like something was wrong with the car and that it did not feel like it was driving right like it wasn't getting power and sluggish. They assured me that my car would be given thew replacement part soon it's been over a year. I drive with my daughter on the highway 4 times a week. Two days before Christmas my car broke down. I was driving and it started to not shift properly and would stutter when I stepped on the gas to accelerate. The check transmission and emissions system sensors came on and I just barely made it into my parking lot at my apartment. It has several system warnings coming up and was not shifting right. It is now in the shop and they can't look at it for several days. I am just glad I was not on the Interstate highway when this happened.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 18, 2024
My transmission failed although it was scanned a few weeks earlier indicating no issues with the transmission. I was lucky that the car failed once I stopped and wouldn't shift back into gear however it could have failed while driving. The car was driving fine and was slightly slow to engage, but I believe that was due to the fuel pump recall, which I could not have fixed because of a shortage of parts. My concern is that the transmission would have failed during my trip while driving over the mountains. It would have been really dangerous. There appear to be problems with the transmission in the 2018 Honda Pilots.
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.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 3, 2024
The auto start and stop feature on my vehicle is not working. I called the dealer and they said they won't repair it. The recall for this issue is under investigation. When I have this feature on, and at a red light, my car turns off completely. I have to push to start over, but when I'm in drive and people are behind me waiting, it can be a safety issue because it frustrates cars behind me AND they creep up super close to my car. When this happens, and if a car is speed behind me, if I needed to make a quick safety decision to go and change lanes, i would be stuck a few extra seconds trying to put the car back in drive to make the lane change to avoid a potential accident. Sometimes people are on their phones and dont stop, but i check my rearview mirror, and move if needed. So, any delay is a safety risk.
Other or unspecified, Nov 28, 2024
My auto idle start/stop has been causing my engine to stall out when I come to a complete stop. I believe it started about a little more than a year ago. It doesn’t happen all the time and never happens when I remember to turn it off. I had it at the dealership multiple times mentioning about this problem and was dismissed every time. They told me they found nothing wrong and all codes were fine and nothing was popping up. Finally, someone tested my battery and found it wasn’t operating fully. I replaced the battery after be reassured this should fix the problem. It was fine for less than a year, maybe 6 months and then it started happening again back in mid/late July. This is a major safety concern and after reading online that many others are experiencing the same issue is causing me an even greater concern.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 26, 2024
I purchased this 2018 Honda Pilot in spring of 2024. Two months after driving it, it started hesistating to restart after idling. At the end of July an emissions warking appeared on the dash and the car would not restart after idling a few times and I would literally have to restart the vehicle by putting it back in park. I took it back to the dealership and they said it was a gas fuel shutter and they repaired that. For a while it still hesitated to restart but it didn't completely shut off until this week week (Nov 2024). This fuel saving feature is a safety defect. It will hesistate to restart when it idles or it won't restart and the red error message to put it in park and restart shows on the dash which is a serious safety concern that I believe Honda knows about that I discovered today is currently in a lawsuit.
Other or unspecified, Nov 23, 2024
Vehicle lagging when and most of the time does not run right away when you press the gas several times. Whenever I'm in an intersection and am trying to cross to my left when cars are coming towards me, I push the gas slightly so I can see the road complete; when I'm certain that there is no car, I try to push the gas right away to cross the intersection when I do this the car would lag in the middle of the street and has caused me almost to get hit several times with my kids and a baby inside the vehicle. I had been to the dealer many times and explained this situation, but they always made me spend for something that did not fix the issue. I had to beg them many times and even called the corporation to do something about the recall with the fuel pump, but I was always dismissed and told to wait. It has been almost a year since this started happening today. I got an emission light on again and am scheduled to return on Wednesday. I am hoping to get the recall for my car fixed. Please help me investigate this matter. I don't want to be in an accident, especially since I drive with my toddler and two kids every day to and from school. Thank you
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 24, 2024
I've brought the car to the Honda Dealer located at 2400 N State Rd 7 Hollywood FL 33021 for over a year I have complained that the car jumps and that there is a few recalls on my vehicle. I was told that the part isn't available and they can't fix it but did not offer any remedies to this issue. The car will shut off on me while I'm driving and it's very dangerous. I've mentioned this to them many times but they only try to convince me to buy another car and get me to trade in my car and pay a deposit.