2020 Honda Pilot Electrical System

My vehicle has had repeated instances of the audio "infotainment" system causing loud, unexpected popping and crackling noises. During these instances, the infotainment system sometimes quits working completely and often the handsfree telephone function quits working. When this occurs, the volume control and audio on off button have no effect whatsoever. It can occur with or without my telephone connected to the system. The only way to temporarily correct the condition (and it only works sometimes) is to pull off the road, turn the car off completely, and then restart it. This issue has occurred during three seperate time periods, and each time, it has progressed from intermittent to continuous. The first time I took it to the dealer and they replaced some small wiring harness connectors. The second time, they had a Honda Field Engineer look at the car and replaced the entire dashboard harness system (July 2022). Then today, it began doing it again. I have reported this to my Honda Dealer (Hendrick Honda Pompano Beach, FL) and they said they are contacting Honda for more information

The radio began making crackling noises. After a week or so, the entire system (navigation, clock, charging ports, dvd, radio/ sound system) stopped working completely. Shortly there after, the battery became completely drained. The dealership refused to honor the 100 month battery warranty, so I was forced to purchase a new battery. The radio & electrical system began to work again, but only for a week. Then the crackling sound began again, followed shortly thereafter with the entire system not working again.

Head unit has supposedly been "fixed" already, still losing all electronics, black out screen, loud and startling popping noises. Been asking Honda to fix for months, assigned a case, they just do not seem to care and now vehicle is undrivable due to loud, startling sound that may cause an accident, as well as not knowing if any of the safety electronics are working or not. It almost sounds like shorting out and that means possibility of electrical fire. Honda is dragging their feet doing ANYTHING on this obviously as this has been going on for months.

The infotainment system makes a popping/crackling sound. The dash display and infotainment display flickers on and off at times. This condition makes impedes the use of the the user controls and feedback systems. The vehicle went in for service on October 15, 2021 to have a technical service bulletin update implemented. The vehicle started exhibiting the issue again on February 9, 2022 in a much more extreme and severe way. It went back for service on February 15, 2022 to have the original work "inspected". The dealer said everything was fine and did nothing. Honda as implemented a couple of Technical Service Bulletins, but no permanent fix has been implemented. The dealer mentioned that they apply this TSB to approximately 2 Pilots per day.

Third time now that my speakers have been popping and crackling. All this leads to "Network Connection Lost" and the entire NAV screen goes black, also the main dashboard display sometimes...very unsafe. First couple of repairs were the connectors in the dash being replaced. This time my dealer has to call Honda for authorization. Received a call from dealer this morning that my battery was dead and this cleared out all of the warning codes, how convenient and it's only 3 years old. Now it needs to be kept until the warning codes "possibly" come back.

Since new, the audio/navigation system has repeatedly turned off and on, had crackling noises emitted from the speakers and issues system warnings. I retuned my first Pilot for the same issues and now this Pilot is demonstrating the same issues. I have had the vehicle at the dealer several times and they just say that it’s common with this vehicle model and the Passport with navigation systems. HONDA national service does not return calls and this issue is noted on many HONDA forums. This condition is unacceptable and dangerous.

Stopped and put the car in park and the entire vehicle shut completely down. No electrical power. Wouldn't start up again. Took about 3-5 minutes before I could restart it.

Frightening experiences with Auto Engine Idle Stop feature. My local mechanic, as well as the dealership where I purchased my brand new 2020 Honda Pilot Elite AWD were unable to address the issue. Have been experiencing electrical failures associated with my AEIS for about a year that have gotten progressively worse. At first, once disengaging from AEIS at a red light (by releasing my foot from the brake pedal) the radio would shut off and switch back on, but to AM radio. What seemed like a few months later, when AEIS was disengaging, my whole dashboard went blank and I received a message to "Shift to Park + restart engine". I have tried to be diligent in turning off AEIS immediately after starting my vehicle, but in the few times I have forgotten, and my AEIS has failed, the dashboard goes blank and the car shifts to neutral (indicated by the red light becoming illuminated around N). My local mechanic looked at this issue in June of 2022, and said that my battery was only holding a 30% charge, so we replaced it. After my most recent Pilot engine electrical failure, I called Honda, and was advised to contact my dealership since I was still covered by the powertrain warranty (<60k miles). To have a vehicle stalled in the middle of the road, once on I75 in stopped traffic in downtown Atlanta, is an OBVIOUS safety hazard. I was trusting HONDA with my family's safety when I purchased my Pilot, but that trust has been lost. Today, November 01, the dealer told me my battery was bad; it's less than 5 months old, mind you. Went straight to my mechanic, they ran a diagnostic on my battery, and was told it's fine. Called Honda Corporate and set up a case investigation today.

When I drive the 2020 Honda Pilot it has started to make a cracking noise when I turn or go over any bumps in the road. It cuts off navigation and phone conversations from my infotainment system. The cracking noise happens if the system is on or off. It makes it difficult to even carry on a conversation with someone in the car. Not what I expected when I paid over $40k.

To whom it may concern, VEHICLE: 2020 Honda Pilot Touring Purchase Date: 9/9/2020 After purchasing a 2020 Honda Pilot Touring brand NEW, the vehicle began to make a crackle sound via speakers. Then we began to notice the entire infotainment center would cut out displaying a "Network Communication Lost" and "MOST Net Off" message. The music, radio, dvd player, aux, dash board electronics would no longer work until the vehicle is stopped and restarted. Upon reboot, the same thing will occur once you hit a bump or just randomly will show same message. Below is a timeline of occurrences. Timeline 12/29/20; Dropped vehicle off to Chantilly Honda to resolve problem - dealer replaced "fakra connectors". Problem occurred shortly after. 04/21: Received notice from Honda Inc. of MOST Bus Network Connectors recall 06/21/21: Dropped vehicle off to Chantilly Honda because dash was going out. In addition, vehicle lost 80% of power on major highway and had to be pulled over to avoid accident. We were stuck driving 20mph on the NJ turnpike in the middle lane. THIS IS DANGEROUS. VERY SCARY INCIDENT. 8/5/21: We filed a claim with Honda Inc to resolve situation b/c now this has become a safety hazard. 10/26/21: Newly designed Honda Issued connectors were installed via Chantilly Honda. 11/4/21: Vehicle displays "Network Communication Lost" error again on infotainment/dash. We have not been able to resolve this dangerous recall with Honda. After many phone calls and requests to speak with managers, nothing has been done. We are out of options and would like to receive counsel from the state. Thank you in advance, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

When vehicle is on, in drive-braked-or parked status, an incremental sound of electrical crackling and popping increasingly develops both in noise level and intensity, and emits throughout the vehicle. Culmination of this erratic electrical activity results in a loud chromatic/bursting "crack" sound and shutdown of the audio system. Component - appears to be in the wiring harness and electrical system connections. Safety Issue - total distraction to driver's attention, disturbing, and alarming concern to passengers. Problem Confirmed or Reproduced - Yes. Diagnostic errors captured and recorded on multiple occasions, with shutdown randomly occurring. Warning and Appearance - No warning or apparent related catalyst is evident. First occurrence at 7,000 miles and continues.

I'm reaching out to you because I have no options and am completely frustrated. After looking into it (simple google search), I know I'm not alone. There appears to be hundreds (or thousands) of 2020 and other year Honda Pilots where the Infotainment system is failing. It begins with "pops" & "crackles" and just keeps getting worse. Also, intermittently, you will get error messages or a blank screen which could be dangerous. The problem comes and goes which makes it even more frustrating. I have personally taken my 2020 Pilot Elite (MSRP near $50,000) into my local Honda dealer 4 times already. Ten days after the most recent "repair" it has started all over again. In the past they have admitted they really don't know how to fix it and just keep replacing harnessing and wiring. They want me to bring it in AGAIN for a 5th time. Why should I bring it in when they clearly have no fix? The Pilot was purchased from Shottenkirk Honda (Cartersville, GA) in May 2020 and currently has around 30,000 miles on it. . My father lives in another state and he asked his local Honda dealer if they knew of the issue. They quickly admitted they did and again, admitted they don't know how to remedy it. If you do any simple research you will see it over and over. You can start with this simple Google search: honda pilot infotainment problems. As I said, I haven't found anyone who states it's been fixed permanently. I do appreciate the efforts and kindness of my local dealership (Shottenkirk) but at what point will Honda step up and do something of substance to fix the issue or replace the vehicles? This, in my opinion, is not a "Shottenkirk" problem, it is a "Honda" problem. I have tweeted Honda North America and Honda Customer Service and simply got a reply that says they've created a file and will look into it.

SPEAKERS MAKE CRACKLING NOISE WHILE PLAYING DVD/BLURAY. GETS LOUDER AND MORE FREQUENT UNTIL ALL AUDIO EVENTUALLY STOPS.

On April 4.7.2020 I visited The Honda Dealer to report my dashboard and control console shutting off while driving. On 4.14.2020 I again visited the Honda Dealer to report a problem related to the same issue since it was not repaired. On 5.4.2020 I emailed the asst service manager about the backup camera going black/off. On 4.21.2021 I returned to the Honda Dealer again for the entire control display/camera display shutting off and crackling from the audio system. The dealer is not writing my concerns when the vehicle is inspected, I believe to deny the issue and avoid lemon law.

THE INFORMATION/ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM SHUTS OFF EVERY FEW MINUTES RENDERING THE BACKUP-CAMERA, GPS, AND ALL OTHER INFORMATION PRESENTED ON THE CENTER DISPLAY INOPERABLE. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THEM FOR REPAIR.

I KEEP HEARING STATIC FROM MY DASH CONSOLE. I TOOK IT IN MANY TIMES AND THEY JUST RESET IT. I'M AWARE THAT THE HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FROM RESEARCH.

VEHICLE CRACKS AND POPS FROM SPEAKER SYSTEM. SOUNDS AS IF YOUR IN A HAIL STORM. RADIO / NAVIGATION SYSTEMS GOES BLANK AND BACK UP CAMERA GOES BLACK. HAVE HAD TO HONDA OF BRISTOL AND THEY HAVE 'FIXED/REPAIR' THE PROBLEMS. VEHICLE WORKS GREAT FOR A FEW MONTHS, THIS PAST TIME AFTER REPAIRS IT HAS ONLY LASTED ONE WEEK. I DO NOT FEEL AS THIS IS A SAFE VEHICLE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY . THE CRACKING POPPING SOUNDS , THE BLACKOUT OF THE PANELS AND NO BACKUP CAMERA IS A HAZARDOUS SITUATION . THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION AND IT'S SCARY I HAVE READ THEIR IS A CIVIL SUITE AGAINST HONDA FOR THIS VEHICLE- HOW DOES ONE FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON THIS

INFOTAINMENT SCREEN GOES BLANK, INSTRUMENT PANEL GOES BLANK, RADIO, LOOSE BACKUP CAMERA, RADIO, GPS. THE RADIO INTERMITTENTLY WORKS, AND HAS A STATIC OR CRACKING SOUND. THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, OR STATIONARY, WHILE IN THE CITY OR ON A HIGHWAY. I GET MESSAGES SUCH AS NETWORK COMMUNICATION LOST, NO AUDIO CONNECTION, CHECK TUNER. THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONS WHERE I LOST THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND DID NOT HAVE A SPEED INDICATOR, AND HAVE BEEN BACKING AND LOOSE MY BACKUP CAMERA. THIS LAST TIME I TOOK IT TO A DEALER, THEY PULLED IT OVER TO THE SIDE FOR OVER AN HOUR, THEN CAME TO THE WAITING ROOM AND TOLD ME THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY PARTS TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, AND DID NOT KNOW WHEN THEY COULD GET THE PARTS. IT WAS AS THOUGH THEY NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP DID UPDATE THE GAUGE CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE, BUT THE SAFETY PROBLEMS PERSIST. I HAVE VIDEO ON MY PHONE OF SOME OF THESE OCCURRENCES, AND CAN UPLOAD THE INVOICES I RECEIVED FROM THE DEALERSHIP.*DT*JB

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY INFOENTERTAINMENT CENTER FROZE, COMPLETELY SHUT OFF MY DASH. IT WOULD SAY NETWORK CONNECTION FAILURE. I LOST ALL DASH OPERATIONS. NO RADIO, PHONE, SPEEDOMETER, FUEL RANGE, REVERSE CAMERA, ETC. AFTER THE 5TH TIME THE FIRST DAY, ON THE WAY TO HONDA IT WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. WINDSHIELD TELLS THE CAR TO BRAKE WITH NO ONE IN FRONT OF IT. THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS WAS REPLACED. THEN, AFTER BEING IN HONDA FOR 7 DAYS, THE NAVIGATION FROZE AND THE DASH FROZE AGAIN. IT SPENT ANOTHER 4 DAYS WITH HONDA. THEY HAVE NO ANSWERS. THE INTERIOR LIGHT IS DIM AND PULSATES, THE WINDSHIELD DOES IT'S OWN THING, HIGH BEAMS TURN ON AT INCOMING TRAFFIC. IT BRAKES WITH NO ONE AROUND. THE DASH FREEZES AND GOES TO A COMPLETE BLACK SCREEN. IT'S A BRAND NEW PILOT BECAUSE MINE WAS TOTALED WHEN SOMEONE DROVE INTO MY 2018 PILOT. I'M NOT HAPPY I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY SAFETY SINCE THE VEHICLE BRAKES RANDOMLY. MY 2018 DID NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE ISSUES AND MY HUSBAND'S 2017 PILOT DOES NOT HAVE THESE ISSUES.

ABOUT 30-40 MINUTES INTO DRIVING WHEN WE HIT A BUMP OR POTHOLE THE SPEEDOMETER AND INFOTAINMENT SCREEN FLICKERS SAYS TUNER LOST, THE AUDIO POPS SEVERELY LIKE SOMETHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. IT'S SCARY - LOOKS LIKE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS LOOSE

IINFOTAINMENT SCREEN AND SPEEDOMETER GO OFF RANDOMLY. HONDA HAS NO FIX, AND HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS FOR YEARS. PICTURE 2 IS FROM 3/17/20. 5 IS FROM 4/14/20. 10 IS FROM 5/14/20. I HAVE 4 VIDEOS OF THIS IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A WAY TO SEND THEM. PROBLEMS STARTED 2 DAYS AFTER BUYING NEW CAR.

BRAND NEW VEHICLE. ABOUT 500 MILES IN, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL FROZE -- NAVIGATION, RADIO, ETC--BASICALLY ALL FUNCTIONALITY ON IT WAS INOPERABLE. TRIED TO SHUT THE CAR OFF TO RESET EVERYTHING, BUT POWER WOULD NOT SHUT DOWN TO THE SCREEN, DRAINING BATTERY. BACKUP CAMERA ALSO DID NOT WORK AS A RESULT. THIS WAS HIGHLY DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING. THE NON-FUNCTIONAL BACKUP CAMERA + RELATED SENSORS ALSO IMPAIRED SAFE MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE IN DENSE PARKING LOTS. WAS ASKED BY DEALER TO SCHEDULE SERVICE FOR A FEW DAYS LATER, BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT WASN'T AN OPTION AS THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT ITSELF DOWN. I INSISTED ON A FIX THAT DAY, AND THE DEALER DID A HARD RESET TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. DEALER MENTIONED THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN LATE MODEL HONDAS, BUT DIDN'T HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO PERMANENTLY FIX. BASICALLY HAVE TO KEEP BRINGING IT BACK IN EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND MY WHOLE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHERE MY SPEEDOMETER IS AND APPS ECT ARE TURNED BLACK WHERE I COULDN'T EVEN SEE HOW FAST I WAS GOING , BUT BEFORE THAT HAPPENED MY STEREO WAS CRACKLING AND CUTTING OUT AND THEN BLACKED OUT AS WELL AND THEN CAME BACK ON AGAIN. I HAVE IT RECORDED FOR MY RECORDS. THEN WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WHAT THEY SAID AT THE DEALERSHIP WHICH WOULD FIX THE DASH WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE BUT AS SOON AS I CAME IN MY CAR THERE WAS AN UPDATE ON THE DASH OF MY STEREO, WAS STILL CUTTING IN AND OUT AND I COULDN'T USE MY BLUETOOTH LIKE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO OR LISTEN TO MY RADIO THROUGH THE INTERNET OR JUST REGULAR FM RADIO. I ONLY HAVE 3800 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE FOR JUST SHY OF 5 MONTHS. IT'S RIDICULOUS TO SPEND 40K FOR A VEHICLE THAT DOESN'T EVEN WORK PROPERLY. ALSO BEFORE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE I ASKED THE SALESMAN AT TRACY HONDA WHO THEN ASKED HIS SALES MANAGER MY QUESTION IF THERE WERE STEREO PROBLEMS IN THE VEHICLE I WAS BUYING LIKE THE ONES I'VE BEEN READING ABOUT AND RESEARCHING AND THEY TOLD ME NO IT WAS A MODEL ABOVE MINE AND THEY HADN'T HEARD OF IT AT FIRST. I ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE DASH TURNING BLACK AND THEY RESPONDED WITH THE SAME THING. SO TECHNICALLY THEY SOLD ME A VEHICLE WITH A RECALL AND LIED ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WERE WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE BEFORE I EVEN BOUGHT IT. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOLD TO ME AS A USED VEHICLE DUE TO THE RECALLS ALREADY ON THE VEHICLE BEFORE I PURCHASED. WHEN I TOOK MY PILOT IN FOR MY RECALL THE SERVICE GUY SAID THAT HIS 2019 CIVIC DOES THE SAME THING AND HE JUST LIVES WITH IT AND THAT'S KIND OF PATHETIC ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WORK AT A HONDA DEALERSHIP DO YOU STILL HAVE VEHICLES AND CAN'T EVEN HAVE A STEREO THAT WORKS IN A CAR SOMETHING SO BASIC.

FIRST MONTH I BOUGHT VEHICLE 10/2019 BEGAN HEARING LOUD CRACKING AND POPPING NOISE WHICH AT FIRST THOUGHT WAS WINDSHIELD. AS IT CONTINUED WE REALIZED WAS COMING THROUGH SPEAKERS. THEN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM BEGAN TO SHUT DOWN AND RESET WITH VARIOUS MESSAGES. MAINLY "NETWORK COMMUNICATION LOST". OTHER MESSAGES AS RADIO NOT AVAILABLE WOULD ALSO COME UP. SCREEN WOULD GO BLACK. THEN SPEEDOMETER / TACHOMETER DATA SCREEN WOULD GO BLACK AND REBOOT. TOOK TO DEALER WAS TOLD LOOSE WIRES FROM DVD SYSTEM. THEY 'REPAIRED'. WITHIN TWO MONTHS ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS AND MORE BEGAN AGAIN. REAR VIEW CAMERA WOULD NOT COME ON. OR IT WOULD COME ON WHILE DRIVING FORWARD DOWN THE ROAD. SYSTEM WOULD REBOOT AND GO BLACK SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. TOOK BACK TO DEALER. THEY WERE NOW AWARE OF PROBLEM IN OTHER VEHICLES. TOLD ME NEEDED NEW WIRING HARNESS. THEY KEPT CAR FOR A WEEK AND REPLACED WIRE HARNESS. VEHICLE WAS FINE FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS THEN PROBLEMS ALL CAME BACK. SCREENS ALL WENT BLACK REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING, OR STATIONARY. IT DIDN'T MATTER CONDITIONS BUT ALL ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS WOULD CONTINUOUSLY SHUT DOWN AND REBOOT. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO EVERYTHING WENT BLACK AND HAS REMAINED OFF. VEHICLE IS NOW BACK AT DEALER FOR THE THIRD TIME TO TRY AND FIX PROBLEMS. THEY TOLD ME THERE ARE RECALLS FOR THE BACK UP CAMERA AND SPEEDOMETER PORTION. AND TRIED TO TELL ME THERE MUST BE A LINK IN THE WIRES SOMEWHERE THAT THEY NEED TO LOCATE. OBVIOUSLY HONDA MUST BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF POSTS ONLINE ABOUT THE IDENTICAL PROBLEMS IN OTHER 2020 HONDA PILOTS. IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY SPEEDOMETER OR INFORMATION SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V439000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS SEVERAL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. MANSFIELD MOTOR GROUP (1493 PARK AVE W, MANSFIELD, OH 44906, (419) 529-4000) WAS CONTACTED AND FAILED TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,999.