2021 Honda Pilot
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 434 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 23 Pilot model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 12 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 8 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
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerFeb 1, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Campaign 24V064000 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
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, master cylinderJun 29, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Campaign 23V458000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, display functionJun 15, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the MOST cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EEL, ZEM, and SFC.
Campaign 23V431000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, rearview mirrors/devices, exteriorMar 16, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Campaign 23V174000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresNov 20, 2020
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain 2021 Pilot vehicles equipped with Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/50R20 102 H tires with DOT serial number A376 D3K9 2920 and mold numbers S-421920 and S-421921. The tires may have been cured for a time beyond the specification limits.
Over-cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four tires and replace the tires that have the affected DOT serial number and mold number, free of charge. The recall began January 11, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is U8Y.
Campaign 20V725000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareJul 28, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Pilot, 2019-2020 Odyssey and 2019-2020 Passport vehicles. Incorrect central network software programming may cause several errors to occur that can delay or prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
A delayed or inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners that updated software is available. Owners have the option to either follow the mailed instructions to download and update the software for free, or visit a dealer to have the software update performed, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is Y7Y.
Campaign 20V440000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraJul 28, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019-2020 Passport, and 2019-2021 Pilot vehicles. Incorrect instrument panel control module software can cause the instrument panel to not display critical information, such as engine oil pressure, speedometer, and gear selector position until the next ignition cycle. Additionally, it can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Operating a vehicle without a functioning instrument panel or rearview camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument panel control module software, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is T89.
Campaign 20V439000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: forward collision avoidance
98 reports, newest first. Show all
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 19, 2023
When driving the collision mitigation and brakes apply , flash dash and shake wheel violently. Almost loss of vehicle control. Almost not drivable on 2 lane roads This happens multiple times during any driving. This has been ongoing since Purchase and has been reviewed by Honda dealer without correction. Only recourse was replace controls at owner cost even while under new car warranty
Power train, Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, May 10, 2023
The Auto Idle Stop is defective on this vehicle and has resulted in multiple incidents where the vehicle stalls after the break is applied in sitting traffic. I have had near collision experiences that pose a severe safety risk. The car jolts forward after releasing the break at an intersection, and immediately becomes immobile. This has happened in sitting traffic, at intersection and more dangerously, while trying to make a left turn which has left me stranded in the middle of busy intersections at risk of nearly being hit by moving traffic. Honda has done the software update on the vehicle and yet, this continues to happen. Honda needs to be held liable as this will result in injury and/or death to consumers.
Forward collision avoidance, May 7, 2023
I’ve purchased my Honda pilot 2021 Brand New within the last two months. My car is CMBS has initiated, breaking for oncoming objects that were nonexistent or when on coming traffic was passing me in the other lane, causing my vehicle to break abruptly nearly causing an accident followed by all Honda, sensing features such as forward, collision collision lane assist us cruise control assist to driving along with automatic head beams. High beams. Are no longer functional.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 4, 2023
When driving the collision mitigation and brakes apply causing steering wheel shake and braking WITHOUT passing of vehicles. This happens multiple times during driving. This has been ongoing since June 2022 and has been reviewed by Honda without correction.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 22, 2023
Collision warning system goes off when no vehicles present. Steering wheel starts shaking and brake flashes on dash display. This has happened several times before. Date of last incident recorded.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 4, 2023
The brake light come out for no reason
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 17, 2023
The CMBS regularly activates with the brake warning lights, audible, and steering wheel shaking. There has never been anything in front of the vehicle when the CMBS activates. Most recently, the CMBS activated and applied the brakes when driving approximately 40 mph for no reason. Obviously, the safety of the driver and all passengers are at a risk of an accident caused by the CMBS' faulty activation, as well as any other people and/or property involved. We have been complaining to the dealership regularly since we purchased the vehicle over 2 years ago, to no avail. The dealership states they have not been able to confirm or reproduce the CMBS' faulty activation. No one other than the dealership has inspected the vehicle for this problem. The CMBS is on by default, so the only option until repaired is to remember to deactivate the CMBS every time the vehicle is use, by every driver. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the Forward Collision Mitigation system inadvertently activated. The contact stated that the brakes were independently activated. The brake and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated with an audible chime. The contact stated that the software independently reset and returned to normal driving. The contact stated that the failure became constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer on three occasions, but no repairs were performed. On the third service appointment the contact was advised that the manufacturer was aware of the failure and was developing a remedy. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,486.
Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 1, 2022
With the auto idle feature engaged (disengaging requires manually turning off the system with each vehicle start) while at a stop light the auto idle feature shut the engine off. Typically, when you release the brake the car start back up and you can begin to accelerate. Over the past few months the issue has stalled the engine, but restarted and give the warning "Collision Mitigation Braking System Malfunction." On the past 2 occurrences the engine has shut off completely and I have had to restart the car. This occurs when at an intersection or similar after going into a complete stop, so vehicles around you are ready to move. Once it took me opening the car door and closing it to get the electronics to allow the car to restart.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 25, 2022
The car braked automatically without any obstruction or car in front. I lost control of the brakes causing a severe Jerk and car to slip on freeway. I had a 2 month and 5 yr old in the car. We nearly escaped a serious accident as the truck was behind us in full speed. The whole warning/stopping event occurred in a few seconds. There were no obstacles in the road," the driver wrote. "There was a truck following me about 2 car lengths behind who had to stop very quickly in order not to rear-end me." I am scared and dont want to drive the car anymore
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 15, 2022, crash
The controls froze while driving and I was unable to safely maneuver the vehicle and it crashed in nearby bushes. I don’t see any recall for the VIN, Also we asked the motor repair team run scan though nothing was found. But would like to report this as we still feel it is some mechanical failure
Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 8, 2022, crash
Auto braking applies randomly cause brakes to lock up happens when driving in any conditions. This problem has already caused a minor accident with my vehicle due to brakes locking up and no throttle
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 9, 2022
Forward Collision Warning system has many times flashed the large ‘BRAKE’ and loud beeping warning when collision was not imminent. It never actually applied the brakes but worries us that it could slam on the brakes unnecessarily and cause an accident by getting rear ended or causeing the car to lose control and skid cross lanes. Most of the time this happens on an undivided road, sometimes on a curve, when the car may think the oncoming traffic may be coming at us.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 23, 2022
The cars automatic emergency breaking system malfunctions and randomly activates and applies the brakes while driving. This specific incident has occurred three times when entering the highway on ramp the "BRAKE" message is displayed in the car and the brakes have been applied as I've attempted to get up to speed entering the highway. There were no cars in front of the vehicle at the time the emergency breaking system applied the breaks. In addition, the braking system has applied when changing lanes on the highway with no vehicles or objects in front of the car and several times on curvy roads. I've taken it back to the Honda dealer and they have stated that no codes were stored and were not able to recreate the problem. However, the service advisor also informed me that they could not reset or make any changes as "there is pending litigation and investigations with the NTSB" I was charged $109 for a 'diagnosic fee' for a car that is still under the manufacturers waranty and told to watch for a recall at some point because their is nothing they are able to do to fix the problem because of the pending litigation/investigation. The incident happened two more times on my drive home from the dealership. There is no warning lamps that have come on or other symptoms that can be isolated, other than the "BRAKE" message appearing and the automatic breaking being applied. This is incredibly dangerous when the car drastically is slowed down for no reason on roads that have 45 + MPH speed limits.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2022
There have been several times the automatic braking assist has completely stopped the car. This has caused vehicles behind me to break hard almost causing accidents. I now disengage the automatic breaking assist when I use the car. I saw there were incidents with other Honda vehicles that didn't include the 2021 Honda Pilot which I believe should be included. I have witnesses of the car breaking to a complete stop several times. Please investigate before more accidents happen with injuries. Thank you for your hard work involved.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2022
Automatic braking system is engaging when there is nothing in front of or near the vehicle. When driving on the highway it will engage, flash BRAKE on the front dash, and engage the brakes and slow WAY down while doing 60+ mph.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2022
Automatic braking system is engaging when there is nothing in front of or near the vehicle. When driving on the highway it will engage, flash BRAKE on the front dash, and engage the brakes and slow WAY down while doing 60+ mph.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 25, 2022
There have been multiple instances where the Automatic Braking system has engaged preventing me as the operator from making adjustments. I have almost been in 2 collisions due to this feature. The automatic braking system prevents me from making a correction and will automatically lock up the brakes and steering. Both times I have almost been rear ended due to this feature. There has been an instance where the braking feature engaged where there was no car in from of me but a car coming from the other lane and my Honda Pilot engaged the automatic braking system. Luckily there was no car behind me. This feature while could be useful is not in my opinion a safety feature but a safety hazard due to these multiple instances. This feature should be permanently disabled upon start up. Multiple times when I start the car I don't realize it is engaged until something happens.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
automatic brakes happened a couple time on highway for no reason. happened most in carpool lane and curve freeways
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
My car has had the automatic emergency braking system kick in randomly at least 6 times since I bought it. No cars in front of me, nothing on the shoulder next to me. Twice when a car was in opposite direction lane but nowhere near the center line.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 18, 2021
On 2 different occasions within the last 2 days, the automatic emergency brake engaged for no reason. The first instance, I was driving down the road with a car in front of me about 3 car lengths ahead and a car in a left hand turning lane. For no reason the brake light engaged and the brakes hit hard but not fully. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough to not hit us as I had my child in the car. On the second instance, again with my family in the car, driving down a different road with no cars anywhere around us, going around a bend, the emergency brake engaged again and the brake hit hard but not fully.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 9, 2021
The front end collision camera will register on coming traffic and warn me to brake. On one occasion the vehicle actually braked for me. Luckily I was only driving 25 MPH and there were no vehicles behind me. We took the vehicle to the dealer to have them look into the issue but they informed me that Honda did not currently have a fix for the issue and that I would have to turn the camera off every time I started the vehicle to prevent it from potentially braking for me and bringing me to a complete stop while driving. Our main concern is that the camera picks up an on coming vehicle and stops us while driving on the highway causing us to veer off the road or get rear ended potentially injuring us or other drivers. We have tried several times over the course of several months to contact Honda directly about the issue but they will not return our calls.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 2, 2021
I have a major safety complaint with Honda’s computer system. I understand that Honda works hard to make their vehicles as safe as possible. With that said, on 7/29/21 around 9:40am I was driving on a country style road. Out of no where with nothing around me but trees the auto break safety feature came one. When this occurred I was jerked forward and got whiplashed. The car went from 40mph to 0mph immediately with no reason. As someone who has had concussions in the past this immediately gave me a headache. Thank goodness no one was behind me that would have rear-ended me. This issue with the auto break system occurs a couple times a week. Sometimes the breaks don’t enact but the break warning light comes on and shakes the stirring wheel in which is extremely distracting. With this being said we have brought it up to a Honda Service Member and the response back we got was: “Oh, yeah that happens sometimes. There’s nothing we can do about it”. The car is my leased by my spouse.