2025 Honda Pilot
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Forward collision avoidance is the leading concern among 202 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 23 Pilot model years with reports.
Of the 2025 reports, 11 involved a crash. 11 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, pedals and linkagesJun 12, 2025
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
A brake pedal that shifts out of position can prevent the driver from applying the brakes as intended, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.
Campaign 25V391000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, rear/otherFeb 5, 2025
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The third-row passenger seat belt assembly may not function, due to incorrect routing that traps the seat belt behind the passenger side panel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
A non-functioning seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Dealers will inspect and repair the seat belt routing as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is ZL4.
Campaign 25V056000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, fuel injection systemJan 23, 2025
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
An engine stall or loss of power can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.
Campaign 25V031000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assembly, filler pipe and capNov 27, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Passport and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles. The fuel filler neck tube and fuel filler pipe may separate, allowing fuel to leak.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will inspect and repair the fuel filler neck tube and pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is OKM.
Campaign 24V900000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
202 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Jun 20, 2026
Drove from Branson, MO to Nixa, MO. At first stoplight intersection in town, stopped for red light, when light turned green, car died when I released brake pedal to accelerate. Lost all electrical systems like battery was dead. Took several attempts of pushing hazard light button before I was able to turn on my hazard lights. I had to jump start it to get it running again.
Other or unspecified, Jun 17, 2026
This vehicle is equipped with Auto Engine Idle Stop. When stopped at a light or stop sign the engine shuts off and restarts when the accelerator is pressed. We stopped at a light and when began to move forward again, the engine did not fully restart and lunged a bit. I tried several times unsuccessfully to restart the engine. Traffic was all around us so I was lucky enough to limp it across the intersection and get into a turning lane out of the traffic flow. After a couple minutes I was able to get the engine started and continue home. I called the dealer service department immediately and was told they had never heard of such occurrence. After researching online I found many posts and comments with the same problem going back possibly 10;years. How could Honda not know about this problem when many have experienced it? I contacted American Honda and felt brushed aside. Imagine sitting at a light, not getting the car to start and a semi rolling up behind. This could be a disaster waiting to happen. Please investigate.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 13, 2026
The car brakes for cars parked on the side of the road when using cruise control if the road curves. Today, it braked on train tracks while there was nothing impeding our path for at least a mile.
Service brakes, Jun 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH on a clear day, the braking system activated without driver input and caused the vehicle to come to a sudden stop. There were no other vehicles, pedestrians, or objects nearby to cause the automatic braking system to be activated. The sudden braking was recorded by the Insurance App. Due to the abrupt stop, the contact struck her head on the steering wheel when the vehicle jolted forward. The contact stated that the seat belts failed to respond or properly restrain the contact during the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle resumed normal operation after the failure. The local dealer was contacted, and a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and opened a case about the failure. The manufacturer advised that a representative would provide a follow-up call. The contact was additionally provided with the telephone number for Roadside Assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 17,500.
Structure, Jun 7, 2026
While driving, our moonroof spontaneously shattered. Is that
Lane departure, Jun 2, 2026
Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) regularly misidentifies road geometry on divided highways (specifically [XXX] between [XXX] and [XXX] ). At 55mph, the forward camera tracks the expanding lane lines of dedicated left and right turn bays, actively steering the vehicle into the turn lanes rather than maintaining the straight highway path. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 2, 2026
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) experienced unprovoked phantom braking events. Event 1: Driving 25mph in traffic; system falsely targeted a low-speed mobility power scooter on an adjacent sidewalk. Event 2: Abrupt, unprovoked hard braking at 70mph on an open highway with no forward obstacles, creating an immediate rear-end hazard from trailing traffic.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 2, 2026
2025 Honda Pilot Elite. Honda Sensing / Adaptive Cruise Control consistently fails to recognize motorcycles traveling directly ahead (approx. 66% failure rate). The system radar/camera bypasses the motorcycle and locks onto the larger passenger vehicle further ahead, creating an imminent rear-end collision risk with the motorcycle.
Visibility/wiper, May 26, 2026
four cracked windshields while driving from debris hitting windsheild
Electrical system, Air bags, Seat belts, May 26, 2026
Supplemental Restraint System Problem deactivates airbags and dealers do not want to fix it under warranty.
Other or unspecified, May 25, 2026
My front windshield cracked without any impact. I noticed quite a few honda pilots on the road with almost the exact same crack. It started on the passenger side and went completely across to the driver's side.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 25, 2026
"On Friday afternoon, while driving alone on an open stretch of road at approximately 40 mph, my 2025 Honda Pilot's Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) experienced a catastrophic malfunction and initiated full emergency braking. The brakes locked up aggressively with absolutely no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles present in front of me. A transient warning light flashed on the screen for a few seconds but disappeared too quickly to read. The violent deceleration slammed me forward against the driver's seatbelt, causing physical trauma. The brakes released after a few seconds, allowing me to regain control and park the vehicle. I sought medical care first thing Monday morning, resulting in a diagnosis of acute neck strain and petechiae, as well as necessitating a specialized cardiovascular evaluation to check my pacemaker function due to localized swelling under the seatbelt line. The vehicle is entirely unsafe to operate, has been parked in my garage since Friday and is currently awaiting a Honda Care tow truck for dealer transport and data retrieval."
Steering, May 25, 2026
Steering locked up with all warning lights lite up. No control over vehicle. Yes this put all people in the vehicle at risk of death or injury. This happened at an intersection while making a turn-no other vehicles were at the intersection- if there had been or had this happened entering an interstate highway or turning onto a high speed road could have been hit from several directions. Not repeated. Must have been confirmed by dealer as they hooked up the computer with Honda Headquarters and said the starter was at fault. No prior symptoms. It is available for inspection. Killing the engine and restarting cleared the dash lights and was able to turn afterwards.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, May 20, 2026
I am reporting a safety-related driver visibility concern involving a 2025 Honda Pilot. I also observed substantially similar behavior on a 2026 Honda CR-V loaner vehicle and another Honda Pilot provided by Koons Honda. The issue involves the front driver and passenger windows and their interaction with the outer window seals/belt moldings. During rainy, snowy, foggy, or wet conditions, lowering and then raising the windows leaves significant moisture, streaking, fog residue, or debris on the glass surface. Current image shows fog residue, however, the same results occurred with snow where visibility was impaired after cycling the front driver and passenger windows. The outer window seals do not adequately clear the windows during normal operation. This results in impaired visibility around and through the side view mirrors, especially during lane changes, merging, and monitoring adjacent lanes. The condition is repeatable and occurs during ordinary use. I documented video evidence showing: •the issue on my 2025 Honda Pilot, •another Honda Pilot, •and the same/similar issue on a separate 2026 Honda CR-V loaner vehicle from Koons Honda. I presented the evidence to dealership personnel. However, the service manager refused to document that side mirror visibility was impaired, reportedly because such wording would imply a safety condition. This concern may involve: •ineffective window seal/belt molding performance, •excessive water retention on side windows, •impaired driver visibility, •and a potential safety defect affecting multiple Honda vehicles. The issue can create unsafe driving conditions because drivers may be unable to clearly observe adjacent traffic through side mirrors after operating the windows in wet conditions. Furthermore, similar reports are found online with different newer models. The date below reflects today's interaction with the dealership, however, this is an ongoing issue since we received the vehicle last year.
Other or unspecified, May 17, 2026
Sunroof exploded while driving down the road.
Forward collision avoidance, May 15, 2026
The collision mitigation breaking system has wrongly engaged the breaking system on two occasions since I have purchased the car in September 2025. The car is available for inspection. Both times, the car hard braked when turning right at stop sign. The second occurrence, today, 5/15/26 the car also honked. I plan to call the dealer tomorrow report the issue but from what I have read so far this is a known issue with no resolution and is not easy to replicate, therefore I am filing this complaint to document the issue. Both times this was very alarming for me. Today, there was another person at the stop sigh to my right and a pedestrian a bit a way when the car slammed to a halt and honked, alarming me and probably them as well. There was no warning or alert, the car just halted.
Engine, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 14, 2026
There are three dangerous systems in my 2025 Honda Pilot EX-L that should be permanently disabled or removed by the manufacturer or dealer. In order of danger; (1) Collision Mitigation Braking System, (2) Auto Idle Stop, and (3) Road Departure Mitigation System. All three of these systems have nearly caused wrecks for me several times. The Collision Mitigation Braking System (1) is especially dangerous for rear-end collisions to the vehicle using CMBS. Example, I was driving in heavy traffic in the middle lane on I-40 near Hermitage, Tennessee on 23 Apr 2026 with adequate distance between me and the car in front of me. A tractor-trailer was close behind me. Suddenly, a car in the lane to my right moved into the gap in my lane between me and the car that was at a safe distance in front of me. The CMBS activated and started braking the car. I pressed the gas pedal hard to try and maintain my 70 MPH speed to no avail. The tractor-trailer swerved into the lane to my left missing the rear of my car by inches, and avoiding a massive chain reaction collision of many cars. This was a near fatal event for me. Without CMBS, I would have simply held my speed steady until I could create a safe distance and ease into a safer position, possibly in the lane to my right, a much less eventful situation. The Auto Idle Stop (2) has a knack for shutting off the engine when I am trying to make a left turn in heavy traffic. After several near misses, I have learned to turn this system off when starting the engine (the default is on). The Road Departure Mitigation System (3) shakes the steering wheel if the system thinks you are moving out of your lane. It shakes the steering wheel to alert you. Twice, I was caught by surprise and overcorrected the steering when the Road Departure Mitigation System started shaking the steering wheel. So instead of staying in my lane, this almost caused me to go out of my lane and possibly collide with another car or a road barrier.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 13, 2026, crash
This car on April 2nd, 2026 did not stop. I had pulled into a parking lot. Parked in the same space I have parked in for the last 12/13? Years. Upon driving into the space .. I pressed my brakes down for the car to stop. It did not stop. The car kept going/rolling My husband the passenger told me to STOP. I heard him plainly say. I told him I am stopping. But the car would not stop. It kept going and rolling into a brick building at the end of the parking space. We braced ourselves. What else do you do when your car won’t stop I was probably goingb8 mph. Nothing fast. Not on the phone. 75 degree perfect weather in [XXX] I’ve had this car about five months. No problem at all until this incident never in my life had I ever had brakes to fail me. Well the brakes failed. Technology is built by men and programmed by men. I am a nine car Honda owner. This car has a brake technology problem. With all the technology, it should have stopped on its own. It didn’t. When brakes are applied technology should work. In this case technology failed. This car has a brake defect technology problem. Brakes were applied a car doesn’t have to have a recall on it for it not to have a technology problem. These cars are not perfect. Programmed and built by human hands. ImnsurevifvMr. Soichiro Honda sat down with me and did this problem with one of his cars.. he would surely say” I’m sorry that happened to you” I’m sorry you’re brakes did not work and they did not . American Honda needs to recognize accountability. I wish they would experience what I experienced. It would be a scary situation that is if you survived yrs, I’m sure if it happened to them. No car is perfect. This one sure isn’t. I no longer am an owner of this 2025 Honda Pilot. Death trap it’s gone to somebody else. My life is worth living Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 12, 2026
Vehicle: 2026 Honda Pilot – Mileage 20,847 Issue: Engine Failure, oil leaks, wheel alignment, air conditioning, major gas leaks from the engine, safety electronics alerts on front dash display are saying the vehicle is not safe to drive. History of issues: 03-11-2026: Car broke down while driving in [XXX] . 03-12-2026: Received call from Ira Honda service and was told they needed to replace the engine. 04-04-2026: I was told the vehicle was ready to be picked up. I started driving home and found the vehicle was all over the road. I returned to Ira Honda and once again was given a loaner. Also, the engine was leaking oil. 04-09-2026: Ira Honda called and said one of the engine gaskets was defective and they needed to replace it. They said that now the alignment was back in spec. I was told that the 3 yr engine warranty begins anew. When I got home I looked more closely at the alignment document and saw that the alignment was still slightly out of spec. I called and was told that it was the best they could do. 04-10-2026: air conditioning not working and asked for them to fix the alignment. 04-13-2026: I again brought the vehicle in for service. But was told there were no loaners available. I arrived at 9:30am and at 1:00pm. The A/C was fixed and determined the frame was not set correctly when they replaced the engine. This was the reason the alignment was off by so much. So the alignment was fixed. 04-14-2026: Leaking oil. So again, I had to return to Ira Honda. No loaner was available. 04-18-2024: Saturday morning and we smelled gas in the garage. Started the car and it took about a minute to start. Asked if it was safe to drive, Ira service said yes. 04-20-2026: Started the vehicle up and same issue occurred. However, this time gas was leaking out. It leaked in our garage, on our driveway and all over the street. Again fixed. 04-29-2026: Car again failed to start. During startup the car leaked a large amount of gas. It is still at the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Vehicle speed control, May 5, 2026, crash
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while attempted to park the vehicle into a park spot occupied with her husband and granddaughter in the vehicle, the vehicle acceleratored independently causing the vehicle to crash into a brick wall. The contact stated that no air bags were deployed in her vehicle. The contact stated her granddaughter sustained a cut near her right eyebrow. No medical attention was required. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was towed to a collision center. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and they are investigating the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 1, 2026
I was driving with my cruise control on, at the speed around 50 mph, thank goodness no other cars were around us, all of a sudden my car slammed on the brakes, a warning flashed but I happened so fast I wasn’t able to see what it said.
Service brakes, Apr 27, 2026
The vehicle is experiencing persistent dashboard warnings including "Brake performance may be reduced," "Low Speed Braking Control problem," and "Parking sensor problem." These issues have been presented to your authorized dealer, Napleton Honda in Morton Grove, on three separate occasions with no resolution: September 29, 2025: I arrived at the dealer bay with active warning lights. The service writer instructed me to simply restart the vehicle to clear the lights. I have photographic evidence of the warnings from this date. October 25, 2025: The vehicle was brought in for repair. I provided cell phone photos of the active dashboard warnings, yet the dealer reported "nothing found." April 20, 2026: The vehicle was again brought in for the same issues. I again provided cell phone photos as proof of the defect, but the dealer reported "nothing found." Despite the dealer's inability to diagnose the cause, my photographic documentation from 9/29/25, 10/25/25, 4/20/26, and 4/25/26 proves these defects are real, recurring, and significantly impair the safety and value of the vehicle.
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 18, 2026
Adaptive cruise control fails nearly every time the car is driven more than 40 minutes with ACC activated. Failure indicated by warning lights and statement on DIC. DIC instructs operator to clean the front "H" emblem on grille, however, the emblem is always completely clean. The failure has been reported 4+ times to the dealership. Dealership reports the failure is a known problem and there is no fix available from Honda. Upon system shut down the vehicle disengages cruise control and has rapid deceleration causing unsafe driving conditions while in traffic. System usually resets itself without cleaning or other remedies within 10-20 minutes after fail, and will usually fail again +/- 40 minutes later. ACC is marketed as part of the Driver safety system and is unreliable. first occurrence was at 670 miles since new. Car now has < 10k miles and has failed 12+ times.
Steering, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly decelerated, and the steering wheel started jerking. The messages EPS Failure, Lane Keep Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control Failure were displayed. The contact safely pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,200.
Steering, Apr 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The driver was able to forcefully steer the vehicle over to the shoulder. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated normally. The driver was able to continue driving without any additional failures. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, and a service appointment was scheduled. The failure mileage was 8,000. The VIN was not available.