What breaks most · 2003 to 2026 model years
Honda Pilot problems by year
Owners have filed 9,209 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Pilot across model years 2003 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2016 for engine complaints, 2017 for engine complaints and 2019 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2015, 2024 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2015, 2024, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 92092003 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20161691 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 34495 fires · 463 injuries · 104 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 196Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720 | 38 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (224) | |
| 544 | 29 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (142) | |
| 679 | 42 | 15 | Powertrain and transmission (176) | |
| 267 | 23 | 10 | Air bags (61) | |
| 211 | 9 | 9 | Air bags (54) | |
| 133 | 11 | 9 | Air bags (32) | |
| 134 | 9 | 9 | Engine (35) | |
| 111 | 11 | 10 | Air bags (32) | |
| 292 | 29 | 11 | Air bags (68) | |
| 171 | 17 | 9 | Engine (35) | |
| 271 | 12 | 6 | Engine (79) | |
| 116 | 8 | 3 | Engine (31) | |
| 108 | 7 | 4 | Engine (22) | |
| 1691 | 23 | 8 | Engine (763) | |
| 916 | 9 | 4 | Engine (461) | |
| 437 | 9 | 7 | Engine (156) | |
| 894 | 13 | 13 | Electrical system (260) | |
| 483 | 10 | 11 | Electrical system (210) | |
| 424 | 12 | 10 | Electrical system (124) | |
| 149 | 7 | 5 | Forward collision system (39) | |
| 137 | 3 | 5 | Seat belts (30) | |
| 109 | 2 | 6 | Seat belts (23) | |
| 194 | 11 | 4 | Forward collision system (53) | |
| 18 | 0 | 1 | Steering (8) |
What fails on the 2016 Honda Pilot
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 45% |
763 | 5 | Shop engine parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 34% |
579 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
| Unknown or other | 17% |
289 | 2 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
198 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
169 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 3% |
53 | 3 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 3% |
45 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 2% |
39 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2016 Honda Pilot |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
2016 Honda Pilot EXL. At 100,100 miles, an engine rod bearing went bad. Honda told me my VIN was not covered and it would be $8000 to replace the engine with a used engine. I sold them my car
-
While driving car it lost power and was going only 35 mph then shut off completely while driving. Would not crank had car towed to Honda dealer and they said the engine was seized up. The car is at the Honda dealer now. No warning lights that I'm aware of. Honda dealer stated I would need a new motor.
-
My 2019 Honda Pilot had warnings( see pics). I took into Honda for inspection. We were told it was a radar (sensor). After doing some research online, this is a common issue with Honda vehicles. The cost is $2000 to fix. Why is this not a recall issue???
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda Pilot years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2019 carry the most filings on the Honda Pilot. The 2016 alone has 1691 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Honda Pilot problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 763 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda Pilot problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda Pilot complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.