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
440 reports, newest first.
Power train, Electrical system, Jan 1, 2025
There is an auto start/stop feature on my 2018 Honda Pilot. I’ve owned it new since July 2018. My wife and I have experienced the same issue both together and separately. The auto stop feature will engage with the break depressed, but the auto start function will not always engage when the break is released. This has left us stranded in the middle of intersections in the middle of left turns with oncoming traffic driving around us, stalled on the freeway with cars whizzing by us at 70+ MPH blocking the fast lane, blocking congested one lane roads with no recourse for drivers behinds to get around us, etc. This feature stops the engine but periodically does not allow it to turn back on. With the engine stopped by this feature, but not shifted to park/ neutral, pressing the ignition start/ stop button does nothing. Shifting to park, and pressing the ignition start/stop button significantly delays removing the road hazard now created by the vehicle’s now dangerous location. To further complicate the matter, the engine starting has, on many occasions, taken multiple minutes to start, endangering myself, my wife, my four children, and other family / friends on too many occasions to count. My local dealership recommended replacing the vehicles battery, even though I had no other battery related problems. I did, in fact, follow that recommendation, only to have the same problem persist. I have encouraged my wife to disengage this feature proceeding forward, but the feature automatically resets itself everyone the ignition is started. This becomes problematic if the feature is forgotten to be turned off or, due to placement of the features button, the feature is inadvertently re-engaged.
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine warning light Illuminated. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine while parking the vehicle at work. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 170,000.
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine, Dec 26, 2024, fire
I was driving on the highway, and the sensor stating the transmission is too hot popped up on the dashboard. This is an issue I have brought to Honda's attention on a few other occasions over the past three years, as this light has shown up before, but only when the outside temperatures had exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was driving at speeds of 55mph or more. I'd been told that since there was no active re-call, there was nothing they could do each time I reached out to Honda. Shortly after the light showed on the dashboard, I lost the ability to accelerate. I was pushing the gas pedal down, the RPM's were increasing, but my speed was decreasing. At that point, I decided it was best to exit at the upcoming Oasis, and before I could start to merge right, I heard a loud "pop" noise from presumably from the engine. Flames began to shoot out from under the hood on the driver-side. I merged over to the shoulder as quickly and safely as I could, grabbed my purse and exited the vehicle immediately. I then called 911, and while I was on the phone with dispatch, more loud "pops" occurred, growing the flames, until the car was completely engulfed in fire and black smoke. After a few minutes, the state police, EMT and South Holland FD arrived. The firefighters put the fire out, and the car was completely destroyed, resulting in a total loss of the vehicle.
Engine, Dec 21, 2024
Removed and replaced connecting rod bearings after engine knock noted and confirmed at Honda dealership during unrelated maintenance work. The mechanic noted wear and scoring on the connecting rod bearings and the engine knock went away after replacement. This could've resulted in catastrophic engine failure and loss of control while driving if unaddressed. This VIN was not covered under NHTSA recall 23V-751 related to connecting rod bearing failure but was in the same year / model groups. Request that the recall be widened to include a bigger range of vehicles.
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.
Power train, Dec 17, 2024
Transmission failed suddenly while on the highway. Engine light came on, and could not shift above first gear. Took to the Honda dealership where we purchased the vehicle (purchased new in 2018) and was told transmission failed and needed to be replaced. This is a 2018 Honda Pilot with only 35,000 miles on it with all routine maintenance done.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000(Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Power train, Engine, Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing engine hesitation while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission fluid and the coolant were flushed. The contact was charged a service fee; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the third lane of an interstate with her children in the car seats in the rear seats, the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound. The vehicle decelerated to 35 MPH abruptly, causing the driver's and passengers' seat belts to retract. The contact immediately depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH, nearly causing a crash. The contact activated the hazard lights and drove to her husband's shop. The contact's husband cleared the diagnostic trouble codes, and the vehicle accelerated as needed while driving; however, the vehicle shuddered, made abnormal sounds, the engine had a misfire, and the vehicle stalled while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Emission System Problem" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Dec 5, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 2, 2024
This recall for the fuel pump has been outstanding for a year. The dealership insists parts are still not available. When will this be resolved?
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
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
Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 21, 2024
My car hesitates during acceleration, I received the recall for the fuel pump in February, called the dealer, they say they do not have parts, I called again in early November, and they say the same thing. I am afraid the pump isa going to go out when we are driving in Traffic, so I do not trust the vehicle. I can take the car to any repair shop and they will replace it in a day. Why can't the dealer replace it? They are slow-walking this recall while we take the risk. What can I do?
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the manufacturer was unable to confirm when the part would be available. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Power train, Nov 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and hesitating with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 64,000.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on three separate occasions. The contact waited for several minutes before being able to start the vehicle. The check engine warning light had illuminated but then disappeared. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. However, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.