What breaks most · 2003 to 2019 model years
Honda Pilot problems by year
Owners have filed 3,493 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Pilot across model years 2003 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2004 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2015, 2014 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2005, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 2015, 2014, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 34932003 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003665 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 22354 fires · 245 injuries · 4 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 154Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 665 | 35 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (210) | |
| 501 | 28 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (132) | |
| 628 | 37 | 15 | Powertrain and transmission (174) | |
| 216 | 18 | 10 | Air bags (55) | |
| 168 | 9 | 9 | Air bags (49) | |
| 102 | 7 | 9 | Air bags (31) | |
| 113 | 8 | 9 | Air bags (27) | |
| 94 | 9 | 10 | Air bags (27) | |
| 235 | 27 | 11 | Air bags (61) | |
| 123 | 13 | 9 | Engine (24) | |
| 189 | 8 | 6 | Engine (48) | |
| 65 | 6 | 3 | Wheels (15) | |
| 45 | 4 | 4 | Brakes (9) | |
| 237 | 9 | 8 | Electrical system (78) | |
| 71 | 4 | 4 | Seat belts (12) | |
| 25 | 1 | 7 | Seat belts (8) | |
| 16 | 0 | 13 | Electrical system (6) |
What fails on the 2003 Honda Pilot
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 32% |
210 | 7 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2003 Honda Pilot |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 18% |
117 | 5 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Honda Pilot |
| Air bags | 15% |
100 | 12 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
42 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2003 Honda Pilot |
| Seats | 6% |
39 | 4 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
36 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Honda Pilot |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
32 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2003 Honda Pilot |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
28 | 3 | Shop steering parts for the 2003 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.
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03 HONDA pilot transmission is slipping in between gears talked to HONDA dont want to take care of problem even wen they hav recall on it ive seen hundreds of same exact issue all over internet with exact same problem and HONDA is still trying to charge fior there own recall
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When accelerating at approximately 35-40 mph the cars shakes and vibrates. If you let off the accelerator the shake will go away.
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At approximately 146,000 miles light in the 'd' drive gear on the dash board began flashing. Took it in for repairs and was told the transmission was shuddering 35 mph - 40 mph when it was test driven. Looked into the issue and was told the the transmission would need to be replaced (faulty), immediately.
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 30, 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, 2003, 2005, 2004 carry the most filings on the Honda Pilot. The 2003 alone has 665 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Honda Pilot problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 210 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 79,000 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.