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
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 3, 2024
While driving my 2018 Honda Pilot I stopped in an intersection to make a turn and when I came to a complete stop my vehicle stopped running. Assuming it was the auto start/stop I released the brake and attempted to accelerate to complete my turn the vehicle failed to re-start and shuttered / stalled. I then could not get my vehicle to restart and had multiple warnings on my dash along with check engine light being lit. 1 of the errors showed "Emissions System Problem" as well as "Move vehicle to side of road and park". I could not get the vehicle to do anything even though it was already in parked from stalling out. I had to press Start/Stop button to turn my vehicle off completely for approx. 2 minutes and then was able to get vehicle restarted and then shifted to Drive to clear intersection. This has happened multiple times in different circumstances. I have had the vehicle back to Honda dealership twice and they said the do not see any issue or cannot get issue to repeat.
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.
Other or unspecified, Jul 8, 2024
Unsure what component or system is failing. From purchase of vehicle, there has always been hesitation when accelerating from a stop. Vehicle was taken in several times while under warranty. On at least one occasion, dealership did not even address concern on paperwork. Dealership suggested on 2 occasions that transmission fluid was cause and needed changing. Transmission fluid change at 33,000 miles(when not needed) and also at 103,000 miles. Vehicle was taken in recently due to issue possibly being related to recall. Recall has been in effect since December and still no parts available to repair. Dealership indicated that issue was not apparent and that fluid change caused improvement on test drive. NO. Did not happen. Issue continues and has worsened over time. Driving this car is a risk, as there is so much hesitation at times that near accidents have happened. There have also been honks from others as I am trying to accelerate and it takes time.
Other or unspecified, Jul 5, 2024, fire
We were on a road trip to Gatlinburg from Brentwood TN. We were about a mile from our cabin when we saw a mama bear and cubs. We rolled down the window to take photos and my [XXX] smelled smoke. We didn’t see any smoke but thought maybe someone was burning brush or cooking out. We rolled up the windows and continued to drive for about thirty seconds when we saw smoke billowing out of the front hood. There were no warnings on my dash of any problem. We jumped out and I saw a small ember under the front of the car. I called 911 and we started to run, the car quickly went up in flames and then exploded before fire department arrived. We lost everything inside and are grateful to be alive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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.
Other or unspecified, Apr 5, 2024
Torque Converter - DTC P0741. I received 'Transmission System Problem' warning message. Took to the dealer and was told that it is Torque Converter issue. However, my VIN is not included in the extended warranty of 8 years or 150,000 miles. This is the same 2018 Honda Pilot and should be included in the warranty.
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.
Other or unspecified, Jan 20, 2024
Honda contacted me to say parts are available to complete recall. Plymouth Honda stared no parts are available. Email is either not accurate or dealer doesn't have accurate information. Please work with Honda to contact customer base with accurate information.
Other or unspecified, Nov 22, 2023
Engine stalls from a stop to accelerating It has happened several times and nearly caused an accident at an intersection The transmission shifts rough The mechanic can’t find the problem but it’s been ongoing since I purchased the vehicle new
Other or unspecified, Nov 7, 2023
I had brought my vehicle to the dealership to perform the repair for the auto-restart recall issue. I was told this would fix the issue. Several weeks later, my husband and I were driving the car. I stopped at a red light. When the light changed and I lifted my foot off the brake, the vehicle would not restart. I repeatedly tried applying the brakes and shifting into neutral, then shifting into park, but neither would work. I tried turning the car off by pushing the start button, but that would not work either. I immediately placed my hazard lights on, but vehicles were already approaching our car rapidly on this six-lane road. I began blowing my horn to try to alert them, that we were stopped despite the green light. Several vehicles almost slammed into the back of us, since the speed limit on this major road was 50 mph and vehicles did not expect a car to be stopped with a green light. Fortunately, no cars actually hit us. When I brought my vehicle back to the dealership, I was advised this was related to the prior recall, but that the more lengthy, expensive fix was considered a "warranty extension" and not a recall, so it would only be performed after the vehicle continued to have problems after the initial, cheaper, easier recall was performed, but the car still had a problem not restarting. I was shocked that Honda would allow its customers to continue to drive a vehicle that that know can place them in danger. The repair for the "warranty extension" was completed on this vehicle, however, we have another Honda vehicle that falls under this same "warranty extension"/recall issue. Honda refuses to perform the "warranty extension" portion of the repair on that vehicle, until it actually occurs, thus placing my family in danger again! I called Honda and was told they did not care that this placed my family at continued risk and that I should contact NHTSA if I still had concerns. They refused to tell me how often the problem occurs after the recall fix.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Aug 24, 2023
Purchased and next day warning light came on for transmission problem. Took it to Honda and was told it was the torque converter. This part is on back order due to multiple installs on other Honda’s.
Other or unspecified, Jul 31, 2023
The sun visors on both driver’s side and passenger side are unusually difficult to pull down. It got to the point that you needed two hands to pull it down. The stiffness progressively got worse over the last year. In the last six months the visor does not return to flush with the ceiling, impeding clear view thru the windshield. Taller drivers needed to move the visor to the side position in order to view clearly out of the windshield. Dealer mentioned that it’s not the first Honda vehicle with this issue and a quick google search shows evidence of such as well.
Other or unspecified, Jul 28, 2023
The timing is not working correctly. And have to pay 2500 to repair. I can see that is open safety recall for this par for the same model that I have. But when I enter the VIN say that not have that recall
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 16, 2023
I previously reported issue 11360107 which Honda attributed to a bad battery cell and replaced the battery on this vehicle. I followed up with them that I consider auto-idle-stop functionality that doesn't restart despite the battery being capable of restarting to be a safety issue. I re-iterated to them that I "rebooted" the car by holding the car start button down until the Honda logo appeared in the driver display. The car then proceeded to start and I didn't have any issues with the battery being able to start the car before or after that. As stated in that issue, this happened on the access road of a major Texas Freeway while stopped at a stop light. Cars were flying by at 50 mph with my family in the car sitting at a green light. Honda has apparently issued a "fix" for this, but today I experienced a similar issue at the gas station. Today was different b/c my auto-idle-stop was disabled. My Honda dealership had disabled it the second to last time I brought it in for service, but didn't tell me. I had complained to my dealership about this issue in the past, but the feature had been disabled when I received it, without notating the change in any paperwork. I asked about it the last time I had my car at the dealership and they acknowledged that Honda was telling them to disable the auto-idle-stop on vehicles where the owner said something. Today, July 16th, 2023, I experienced the same behavior when I stopped for gas. The car would not restart, the starter would not attempt to star the car. I had driven about 60 miles in this 100 degree weather in Aransas, Texas. After filling up with gas my car wouldn't start, the electronics worked, the radio came on, but the car wouldn't start. I got out of the car while the electronics were on, went to talk to another person in the caravan. I came back and tried again and the car started. The battery was obviously capable of starting the car without jumping.
Other or unspecified, Jul 12, 2023
Regarding the Action Number PE22005 that is still in open investigation, I would like to report having this same issue with a 2018 Honda Pilot Elite that I purchased through a dealer on June 24. I recently had this same issue, where at a stoplight the car went into the engine idle stage, and the engine completely shut off, instructions popped up on the dashboard to put the car in park and restart the car. Hopefully this will be figured out by Honda soon, as this can be a real issue. I had a similar issue, when stopped in the road to turn left, the engine went into idle stage, it restarted when going to turn however there was a huge delay in this.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 1, 2023
When the vehicle is turned off, the lights panel will flicker. You can hear the relays clicking behind the panel. The headlights will come on. The car alarm will go off at random. On average 7-10/per day. I’ve taken the vehicle to the dealer and there appears to be a back order of the part needed to fix the issue.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 21, 2023
Good afternoon, I would like to bring an issue to your attention and file a complaint on Honda Motor Company. Last week, I scheduled an appointment in the Service Department at Russell and Smith Honda to diagnose my 2018 Honda Pilot. My vehicle jerks when driving at a low speed. Russell and Smith diagnosis was a transmission oil flush and a system update with "recommendations to replace the battery and spark plugs" ; total charges to fix the problem was roughly $365 additional to the $110 that I paid for the diagnosis. That same day, I picked up my vehicle from Russell and Smith Honda and refused to pay because its a 2018 truck that I shouldn't be dealing with a transmission problem. As I was driving the truck back home, it started to turn off automatically and an engine light alert would turn on. The truck would start working after turning it back on. Two days after, I took it back to Russell and Smith Honda and advised them of the truck shutting down and I was notified to pay another $100 for a diagnosis which I refused to pay since it was recently diagnosed two days ago. This is putting my life at risk on the streets. The employee who assisted me went inside to ask a mechanic on duty and came back to notify me that I do need to pay for another diagnosis to determine whats wrong. I refused to pay and left the dealership. I called Honda Motor Company on 4/10/23 to advise them of the problem and they created a case #13752705 to further investigate and I advised them if not I will report it to NHTSA. Honda Motor Company requested a copy of the diagnosis and when I called them for an update, the case worker assigned to my case Samir stated they agreed to pay for the transmission flush and system update and they have notified Russell and Smith Honda. The next day I called Russell and Smith Honda to advise them that I will drop off the truck according to Honda Motor Company and they said I need to pay for the recommendations listed on the diagnosis first. Faulty vehic
Other or unspecified, Apr 1, 2023
I was driving 55 miles per hour on a highway when I intended to press the hazard button to illuminate my hazard lights, but instead accidently pressed the ignition button. When I pressed the ignition button the car turned off while going 55 miles per hour. I lost all power including steering. I was able to muscle the car off an exit ramp and put it in neutral to press the brake and restart the vehicle while moving on the ramp. This could have been a catastophic event for me and my daughter and others driving along with us one the highway. I have not tried to reproduce this event as it would put me in an unsafe situation. The vehicle has not been inspected. I plan to do this next week at the dealership. No warning from the vehicle occurred when the event occurred. No warning lamps or messages or symptoms.
Other or unspecified, Mar 15, 2023
Vehicle auto start/stop feature actually shuts the car off (at times) and requires me to put the car in part and go through the car startup process. This causes issues when you’re at a green light. I have taken the car to Honda and so far they’ve performed a software update, replaced the starter, and tuned the valves.
Other or unspecified, Mar 10, 2023
Our 2018 Honda Pilot Touring has had auto idle stop issues from the moment we purchased this vehicle. We have addressed this safety concern with multiple Honda service centers and were repeatedly told this is how the car was designed. The auto idle stop function stalls every time the vehicle is stopped at an intersection and fails to automatically restart the engine as expected. Instead of the engine starting up again after take foot off the brake and press the gas pedal, the car stalls completely and have to put the car in park, press the brake pedal and push the start button to get it on again. Sometimes have to try several times before car restarts. This has been a major safety concern for our family and Honda refuses to fix it.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Mar 3, 2023
Powertrain: The transmission has problems engaging, where I have had several near misses due tot he car not moving in the delay of the transmission engaging. This has been going on for some time and the dealer tells me there is nothing wrong, that it is a special transmission and I need to get used to the shifting mode. I have 36,300 miles and have complained several times over the past five years, this is a real safety issue since the car will not move and when it dose it lunges forcefully. Idle shut-off: the engine shuts off and will not restart, it has also shut-off on the freeway at random times.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 26, 2022
Vehicle engine shutdown while at full stop and does not turn on or has difficulties turning back on. This happens sporadically and only happens at stops such as red lights, stop signs, and or stop and go traffic.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 21, 2022
he auto start/stop is not working for my 2018 Honda Pilot Elite. The vehicle does not start in the middle of the traffic when it stops. I've stuck stuck multiple times and now for last 1 year I have to force switch off that feature every time I drive the car.
Other or unspecified, Dec 8, 2022
I have, on several occasions, been driving my vehicle and when I stop and try to start again the engine fails to start again. This most recently happened when I got off the highway and had to stop suddenly and then had difficulty getting my car started back up in almost the middle of the intersection. This could have ended up being a really dangerous situation. This has occurred now several times. I brought my car in because I was concerned about it and they just told me that I would need to replace the battery. The battery worked fine except for this, so I am unsure why they aren't helping us understand this all better. They did confirm the issue was happening and said that they have seen it a lot. Lots of warning lots would pop on and back off when this happened.
Other or unspecified, Dec 4, 2022
Upon stopping for a red light, the car turned off the engine and is supposed to restart when the brake is released. However my car stalled out and wouldn't auto start. After 20 seconds it then prompted to restart the car. This was on a busy road and I was lucky no one rear-ended me or got into an accident themselves while trying to avoid my car that should have been moving with traffic but was just sitting idle at a green light. I called the Honda dealership and they weren't alarmed by this or even interested in looking at the car. The told me to select the "disable auto stop" when starting the car so the engine won't idle. This is OK as a short-term solution but remembering this every time we start the car isn't a sufficient solution. On instances when I forgot, the car stalls out, and now occurs at least once a week. I'm now resorted to adding a post-it note to remind myself (and anyone else that uses me car) to turn the auto stop off. This isn't practical solution for a defective, default feature that Honda added to their cars. There needs to be a permanent override for this unnecessary feature that compromises safety, not only for the vehicle occupants but for those trying to avoid the stalled vehicle.