VehicleVerdict

2016 Honda Pilot problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2016 Honda Pilot carries two red flags at once: 2,328 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA — 7.7× the Pilot norm — and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Engine failure). It is one of the Pilot years to avoid. Complainants reported 43 injuries in total across these filings.

Engine leads the complaint categories with 786 reports (34% of the total). In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

2,328

NHTSA complaints

8

Recalls

4

Investigations · 2 open

40

Crash-involved

15

Fires reported

43

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2016 compare to other Pilot years?

Pilot NHTSA complaints by model year, 2016 highlighted2,328 complaints2003: 877 complaints2004: 644 complaints2005: 955 complaints2006: 330 complaints2007: 266 complaints2008: 165 complaints2009: 174 complaints2010: 142 complaints2011: 389 complaints2012: 228 complaints2013: 368 complaints2014: 153 complaints2015: 138 complaints2016: 2,328 complaints2017: 1,296 complaints2018: 634 complaints2019: 1,365 complaints2020: 759 complaints2021: 669 complaints2022: 219 complaints2023: 174 complaints2024: 155 complaints2025: 274 complaints2026: 15 complaints
Pilot NHTSA complaints by model year, 2016 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Pilot years to avoid →

What are the most common 2016 Honda Pilot problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Engine78634%
Electrical System61626%
Other28612%
Transmission1978%
Fuel System1798%
Body & Structure542%
Driver Assistance442%
Speed Control392%
Brakes301%
Steering171%
Lighting141%
Airbags141%
Visibility & Wipers131%
Tires & Wheels131%
Suspension80%
Seats80%
Seat Belts60%
Latches & Locks40%

Does the 2016 Honda Pilot have recalls?

8 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V365000SuspensionJune 4, 2026 · 880,514 units

Defect

American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.

Consequence

Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

23V751000EngineNovember 13, 2023 · 248,999 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

Consequence

A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.

21V932000Latches & LocksNovember 29, 2021 · 724,826 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.

Consequence

A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.

17V219000Fuel SystemMarch 30, 2017 · 136 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.

Consequence

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KE8.

16V417000Fuel SystemJune 9, 2016 · 39 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.

Consequence

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).

15V668000Electrical SystemOctober 16, 2015 · 35,406 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".

Consequence

If a safety system cannot immediately warn the driver when needed, the driver may be at increased risk of a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV7.

15V424000Seat BeltsJuly 6, 2015 · 1,358 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.

Consequence

If the third row seatbelt is trapped, the occupants may not be restrained properly, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JS7.

Open NHTSA investigations

PE25008

Engine failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline.  The subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a Recall Query (RQ24013).  It was determined that these engine failures are outside the scope of Honda Recall 23V-751. Further, evidence gathered in conjunction with RQ24013 does not suggest this failure is caused by the same crankshaft manufacturing defect that is addressed by Honda in Recall 23V-751.  Based on analysis of data from RQ24013, NHTSA has closed that investigation. The significant number of reports of engine failure in vehicles outside the scope of RQ24013 presents a potential safety risk that warrants further investigation.  ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to further evaluate the scope and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues.  To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

EA25004

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“SURGE WHILE BRAKING DURING PARKING CAUSED VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AHEAD AND HIT VEHICLE PARKED IN FRONT. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE EXCEEDING $1600.00. SEE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 16-008. THIS BULLETIN WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION UNTIL AFTER THIS INCIDENT EVEN THO MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED BY MY HONDA…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · February 9, 2017 · crash

“SINCE BUYING THIS VEHICLE THE TRANSMISSION AND COMPUTER MODULE HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE DUE TO SIMILAR PROBLEM. WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING AROUND A CORNER ON A CITY BLOCK SO TURNING LEFT AT 15 MILES PER HOUR THE TRANSMISSION SUFFERED A FAILURE AND ERROR MESSAGE AND ACCELERATED FORCING HIM OFF…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · October 21, 2020 · crash

“THE PUSH START BUTTON DOES NOT WORK, IT IS GIVING ME AN ERROR 'KEYLESS START SYSTEM PROBLEM'. I CHANGED THE KEY FOB'S BATTERY TO A BRAND NEW BATTERY AND IT IS NOT THE KEY FOB WITH ISSUES, IT IS THE BUTTON ITSELF. I HAVE TO KEEP PRESSING THE BREAK AND THE START BUTTON TO GET THE CAR TO START…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · January 25, 2021 · crash

“SURGE WHILE BRAKING DURING PARKING CAUSED VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AHEAD AND HIT VEHICLE PARKED IN FRONT. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE EXCEEDING $1600.00. SEE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 16-008. THIS BULLETIN WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION UNTIL AFTER THIS INCIDENT EVEN THO MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED BY MY HONDA…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · February 9, 2017 · crash

“In 2021, my 2016 Honda Pilot had routinely had restart issues from when going idle at stop. In some situations, it simply would not start again and had to be jumped off. I ended up getting the battery replaced multiple times, but on [XXX] I went to my vehicle to start up and it was dead yet again.…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · November 3, 2021 · fire

2016 Honda Pilot — common questions

Is the 2016 Honda Pilot reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 2,328 complaints put the 2016 model at #1 of 24 Pilot years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Pilot years to avoid.

What are the most common 2016 Pilot problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are engine (786 complaints), electrical system (616 complaints), other (286 complaints).

Does the 2016 Honda Pilot have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns affecting the 2016 Honda Pilot. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2016 Honda Pilot under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — 2 investigations remain open (Engine failure). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda Pilot years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Pilot years to avoid are 2016, 2019, 2017, 2005, 2003, 2020, 2021, 2004, 2018, 2006, 2025, 2007, 2022, 2023, 2008, 2024. The cleanest record among Pilot years belongs to 2026.

How safe is the 2016 Honda Pilot?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2016 Honda Pilot earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.