2016 Honda Pilot UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
When driving vehicle shuts off for no reason. Then I have to put my four-way on and turn my vehicle back on. It has already happened four times, and no one seems to know what the problem is or what is causing the issue.
Three times at a stop light my car goes into the engine idle stop mode and when the light turns green my car won’t get out of the mode. I have to put it into park and restart the car to go. I have almost been hit twice.
Auto idle stop function causing car to not start back up. Could be at a stop sign, in a left turn lane, in the middle of an intersection waiting to turn. Very stressful and unsafe driving conditions. This has been ongoing for years. Dealership has blamed it on the battery, which has been replaced theee times (one of those times under warranty), dealership has looked at the car multiple times. Also made recommended Honda repairs per the issued safety bulletin. But it continues to happen.
This accident happended about three months ago. While I was driving on highway, all of suddend, most the signals popped up like firework, AWD/VSV/EPS/TSA and Hill Start Asssitance and etc. My pilot just like lost power and hardly to be speeded up. This was really scarily on the highway. Then I managed to drive to my friends' garage. My friend, who owns a garage, helped me to diagnosis the issue and failed to find anything significant (See attached) . He then cleaned up a the signals above, and let me drive home. Amazingly after a the error signals cleaned up, my pilot was running normally. So couple of weeks later, I sent my car to DavisHonda, a dealer close to my home, to have a close check. Unfortunately, the report shows that everything is normally. At this moment, I am so surprised how could that happens to my car. My gut feeling for this accident is this one is mostly the software issue than hardware issue. So how in some particular conditions the software has some hacuup. But this could rely on your investigation. Maybe this is only one or two cases. But for me I still feel no comfortable to drive this car around, since I feel it is not that safe any more. Hope you guy can find some answer for me.
The Auto Idle Stop System sometimes stalls car instead of re-starting it. It is still in gear when it stalls and can roll on its on. You expect it to start up the way it should and for you to accelerate but it stalls and rolls on its on. You need to put it in park, shut it off and restart it. Not very safe if you were stopped in traffic.
AIS is failing. Car stalls out multiple times. Sometimes car will not even start when turning trying to turn on the first time. Weird instances occur all of the time: screen going black, radio going to full volume and not able to turn down, screen not working at all. Reached out to Honda several times with specific dates of incidents, and they ignore.
UNKNOWN - The hydraulics of the power tailgate in the 2016 Honda Pilot are defective. After opening, it randomly starts 1 long continuous beep while the power tailgate closes - and it will not stop. I have had multiple items crushed. I have known other owners of the 2016 Honda Pilot where the hatch closed on them and trapped them in it. This is a huge safety issue! I am afraid when my teenage son opens the power tailgate that it will happen and trap him! It has happened since the purchase of the vehicle, which was brand new off the Honda dealer lot, in 2016. Honda dealer blew me off multiple times. They cannot "recreate" the issue - but it is random, however it does seem to happen more often once the air temperature is below 40 degrees.
This is my second complaint regarding my other 2016 Honda Pilot (VIN: [XXX] ). Like my first Pilot, it suffers from serious transmission issues — jerking, rough shifting, and occasional loss of power. Both vehicles were maintained properly and now have the same safety-related defect. Honda refused to replace the transmission, citing that the vehicle is over the mileage limit for warranty coverage. I believe this is unacceptable, as safety issues like this should not be dismissed based on mileage. A known defect that puts lives at risk must be addressed, and I urge NHTSA to investigate this pattern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My name is [XXX] . I am submitting this formal complaint regarding the repeated and serious transmission failures on two 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles that I own. Both vehicles were purchased together and have developed nearly identical transmission problems, posing serious safety concerns. Despite regular maintenance, including expensive and frequent transmission fluid changes, both vehicles have experienced significant drivability issues. I brought one of the Pilots to an authorized Honda dealership, where I paid out-of-pocket for an inspection, but Honda refused any assistance, citing mileage. However, I believe the nature of the defect, not the mileage, is the true concern, as transmission failure affects the safe operation of the vehicle. Transmission failure at any speed, especially in family SUVs like the Pilot, presents a real danger to occupants and others on the road. High mileage should not excuse serious mechanical defects that directly impact vehicle safety. Given that there are many similar complaints online from other Honda Pilot owners, I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether a broader manufacturing defect exists with the 2016 Honda Pilot’s transmission systems. I appreciate your time and attention to this important safety matter INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While stopped at a busy intersection, the “auto idle” feature turned the car off. When the foot was removed from the break, the car is supposed to turn back on and go. This time the car made a sound like metal grinding on metal, then the car automatically shifted into neutral. It would not shift back into drive. We had to put the car in park, turn it off and restart. Fortunately there was no one behind us at the light, this could have ended very differently since we were unable to move when the light changed.
paint chips all over pealing
Idle stop feature caused the car to fall dead and go stuck into neutral while at a stop sign and getting ready to pull off into traffic to make a right onto the feeder of a busy freeway. I had to place the car into park then press the ignition button to turn the car back on then shift back to drive before being able to pull off.
I began having intermittent issues with my electric start button. I called Honda of mentor where I purchased the car. They told me I'd need to bring it in for diagnostic. Initially since they claimed this wasn't something they had heard of as an issue and since it was only an Intermittent issue I didn't take it in. The issue got worse until 1 day at work my car didn't want to start. I again called Honda of menor and explained the issue and asked if they had heard of anyone else having the same problem and was told no and all I could do was bring it in for diagnostic. So I scheduled the appointment and once off the phone I got on Google and found a service bulletin for my exact issue so I was obviously upset and felt lied to. I took the bulletin to the appointment but was told that since my car was like 2000 miles over they wouldn't cover the issue.. but I had called about it 4-5 months prior and I was never notified the bulletin was issued. They ended up charging me to fix the issue or they were going to charge me a diagnostic fee. I feel robbed and now I am reading about the engine recall and many who are supposedly not a part of the recall but having the exact problem. I certainly hope I don't encounter issues with my engine. Honda is apparently not as trustworthy as they once were and they don't care.
I just purchased this vehicle this year if any components failed I do not know of it.
When at a stop at an intersection the engine auto idle/stop feature will engage and when you let off the break the engine comepletely dies and you have to put car in park and restart the car. This is extrememly dangerous when at intersections and in turning lanes.
I am reporting a problem with the 2016 Honda Pilot audio system. It sounds identical to the reported problems that have lead to a recall for the 2018-2022 models. The system works fine initially, but after 30 minutes of driving, the system becomes filled with static noise. The static noise starts out low, but quickly gets to the point where nothing else can be heard. This is across all input channels: AM/FM radio, Bluetooth, XM Satellite, etc.. The system then eventually shuts down and no sound can be heard.
The A/C in my 2016 Honda Pilot is blowing hot air. On my first visit to the dealer, dye was added to detect the leak at a cost of $422. Upon returning to the dealer a second time, the dealer replaced the A/C condenser at a cost of $1,075, which did not solve the problem. Upon returning to the dealer a third time, the A/C condenser was replaced again, and that also did not solve the problem. Upon returning to the dealer a fourth time, the dealer now recommends replacing the A/C evaporator at a cost of $2216. I believe these parts are defective, as Honda has already issued service bulletins extending the warranty to 10 years for the A/C Condenser in certain vehicles. This new warranty extension applies to the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Clarity, Civic Type-R, and Insight. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] According to the service bulletins "This warranty extension covers vehicles that have a defective A/C condenser from the factory. The A/C condenser was not manufactured to specification. As a result, corrosion may develop in the form of tiny holes in the condenser tube walls that allow the refrigerant to leak out." See (Warranty Extension: 2019–21 Insight A/C Condenser) I am requesting that the 2016 Honda Pilot be included in the warranty extension, as I am experiencing the same issues for the expensive repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
For the last few years the idle stop feature has resulted more than one dozen times of me being stuck at a stop light and not being able to get the car started. It will idle off and when I lift my foot off the break it will have trouble starting back up. If I wait a minute or so it can sometimes start back up but at least four times it has required a jump start to get it started again. It’s extremely stressful and scary to be at a light and stuck there with people honking and having to get out of the vehicle in a busy intersection to try to jump start the vehicle. I try to remember to turn off the feature every time I start the car but I forget sometimes. After the latest time being stuck with a toddler and trying to get someone to stop to jump start my car I am sending in a report.
A few years ago, I reported a problem with my car's auto idle stopping, causing the car to stall, and taking a few minutes to restart. Honda offered to update my software to fix this issue, which I did last March. Today, driving, the car stalled again. The issue has not been fixed with the software update. Again, after stalling, the car needed to be put in park and started again. This took a few minutes. I was in traffic, and numerous cars behind me honked and were frustrated. A few weeks ago, we drove the car on a very slow, crowded freeway. I was extremely concerned the same thing would happen. I have three teen drivers. We were so concerned about this issue that we purchased a new car for them (we would not have otherwise). This cost us a significant amount of money. I am anxious each time I drive our Pilot. I am concerned that some day someone will rear end me, or I will encounter road rage over not being able to move when cars are lined up behind me. Please, please require Honda to deactivate the auto idle feature or recall this vehicle. I do not feel comfortable selling it to someone else, but really don't want to drive it. Thank you.
getting intermittent exhaust fumes inside the cabin. co2 and other exhaust gasses getting inhaled by my family
This issue occurred [XXX]. The fuel door would not open when we were at the gas station to fill up. We opened the side panel inside the back of the vehicle and tried to open using the emergency lever but that did not work either. Had to take to our local Honda dealer, Swickard of Thousand Oaks in Thousand Oaks, California. Our vehicle had only 59,088 miles when this stopped working. On the service order from our dealer In the description of the concern it states that after inspecting the fuel door actuator, fuel door cable and the fuel door grommet it was found that the cable was kinked, causing the plastic grommet to break apart. From the description from the dealer it sounds like the cable was installed incorrectly when the vehicle was made causing the failure. We were fortunate that we were not traveling and not been near a dealer or mechanic when this issue occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Keyless entry malfunction. Vehicle not starting at times. Replaced battery. Error lights on dash. A known issue by Honda
Auto Start/Stop feature has repeatedly struggled to restart car at stop lights. Disabling this feature manually after starting the car is the only way to disable this feature. Initial failures were due to battery wear, but after replacing the battery we still have intermittent issues where the vehicle will not restart after the auto stop feature has shut off the engine. This is very dangerous in traffic or in an intersection when expecting the vehicle to restart when you remove your foot from the gas and it instead shuts the vehicle off and puts the vehicle in park. It can take multiple tries to successfully restart the car after this shut down event. The dealership has not been able to replicate the issue.
I am reporting a problem with the 2016 Honda Pilot audio system. It sounds identical to the reported problems that have lead to a recall for the 2018-2022 models. The system works fine initially, but anywhere from 10 min - 1 hour into driving the system becomes staticky. The static noise starts out low, but quickly gets to the point where nothing else can be heard. This is across all input channels: radio, ipod, XM Satellite, etc.. The system then eventually shuts down and no sound can be heard.
the auto engine idle stop repeatedly malfunctions causing the stopped car to not start up when it is time to go. It takes several seconds to restart the car and, in the middle of an intersection, this is very dangerous. It has happened numerous times. The dealer repeatedly says that there is nothing wrong with it. There are no warning signs when this happens. I am reporting the date of the last incident below
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The 2016 Honda Pilot has 151 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.