Body problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot - part 1

The white paint on my 2016 Honda Pilot (white diamond pearl, nh-603p) is peeling and flaking off on the roof and tailgate, exposing the primer. The vehicle has never been repainted or damaged. Honda confirmed my VIN isn’t covered, but this is the same factory paint defect affecting other Pilots and Hondas with the same color. The issue keeps spreading and reduces resale value while exposing metal to corrosion. This is a clear manufacturing defect, not wear or neglect. I’m requesting that NHTSA investigate and push Honda to expand coverage for all affected vins.

When I reach interstate speeds the hood starts to rattle and makes a very loud noise. It shakes as if it is going to come open. It also does then when I am behind a large tractor-trailer where the wind coming off whips the front of my care. I have checked to see if the hood needed a height adjustment but that isn't the issue. It is up as far as it can go and if I lower it any it gets even worse.

At highway speeds, especially in wind or drafts from trucks, the hood vibrates/flexes by inches. At higher wind levels it creates a tremendous roar and vibrates the whole car. The latch seems loose. A recurring problem which first occurred in 2017 just after we bought the car. I have taken it in to the dealer several times but the problem remains. When the car was recalled I hoped it would fix the problem but it did not.

I purchased this vehicle a little less than two months ago… this vehicle is babied and I make sure to stay on top of everything possible as it’s a primary transportation to bring my toddler to his many appointments. While operating on the highway, everything was smooth sailing as expected, until I heard a noise. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see a part flying off of the car and colliding with the vehicle behind me. I couldn’t locate where the item came from. Today, I went to pick my son up from preschool and noticed the entire piece on the roof was hanging outward, right off and over the side of the vehicle. Had I not noticed, it could’ve caused further danger to others. I hopped up to look at my roof to realize the rear trim is the piece that flew off, and the following straight part is what was now dangling over the side. On top of everything else, on the same side, the trim along the side my of windshield is upraised and I am absolutely torn. How dangerously this could’ve ended had I not noticed. I’ve seen other Pilot-owners discuss how their trim pieces have caused trouble and even further dented some trunks. This needs to be brought to attention, I didn’t spend $$,$$$ on a vehicle that is not safe.

The tailgate paint started to peel. I took the vehicle into the Honda collision shop. They said I missed the extended warranty by a few months. I called America Honda and they said there is nothing they can do about even though they are aware of the issue with the white paint. This was about a year ago. Now the roof of the vehicle is peeling. This is a hazard because of the potential of rust and weakening the structure of the vehicle.

My vehicle had a recall on my car hood because its lose. When you drive it when its windy it moves. I had recall fixed at a Honda dealership in hutchinson KS. Now my hood is lose again. I had to pull off the interstate yesterday to try to get it to latch because it was moving, and it was very windy, and I was afraid it was going to blow open on me. I wanted a whole new hood, and I was told I'd have to pay for that myself. I really think a new hood and latch system should be included in recalls with this type of vehicle. Im honestly afraid to go over 65mph in my cars current condition.

Roof molding comes loose and flies off while car is in motion on roads. Imposing risk to other drivers on roads. Once removed area is exposed which can result in increase in deterioration of vehicle.

Hood cracked due to excessive vibration over the years from late 2015 until latch was repaired by Honda in 2021. Due to the number of years prior to the repair, the hood has cracked and could potentially fall apart or fly up and block the driver's vision.

Hood - flutters and wobbles significantly at highway speeds. Per recall check, this vehicle is not included. Seat belt - more of a personal thing, but the driver's seat belt cuts into the driver's neck, even when high of shoulder strap is adjusted. When using a device to help control where the shoulder strap lays, it was found that the driver's seat belt is much shorter than all other in the vehicle. Therefore not allowing the driver to use something to adjust the shoulder portion and still safely check blind spots.

I have a 2016 Honda Pilot, color, pearl white. The paint started to peel appointmently one month ago. The area is on the roof in front of sunroof behind the front windshield. There is a recall on the same color, make, year and model. Peeling in the same area. I was told by Honda of America that it was only for Honda that were painted at a certain factory that are covered by the recall. I did have the vehicle inspected by Honda and a body shop that they sent me too. Total estimate is around $1200. They both confirmed that it's the same area as the recall. I do have the email with pictures that they took to send to Honda. Honda is only willing to cover 25% and told me to put a complaint into your department. Per Honda they said if there is enough complaints. There would be a recall for the other VIN numbers to cover the paint job. We find there response unacceptable based on pass practice and previous recalls.

On the highway I can see the hood is vibrating and air is getting under it. I had a recall for the hood latch and believe I completed that service but am concerned that it’s still not safe.

A roof moulding flew off my vehicle on the expressway. Apparently there is a Honda service bulletin that came out to the dealership that indicates these mouldings need to be secured better. However, they listed only some of the vins and mine wasn't one of them, but the moulding ended up flying off anyway. It sounds like is a problem for other vins that Honda didn't indicate.

Molding trim on roof of the vehicle is lifting and not secured. Molding trim around windshield is not secured and a plastic screw deteriorated and fell out. Trim won't stay in clips on the roof or on the windshield. I noticed the trim around the windshield was lifted while driving on a city street. I noticed the roof trim lifted when I arrived home and the screw on the windshield by the vent.

While driving on the highway, in strong winds, or passing larger vehicles or semis, the hood flexes as if it is going to unlatch and fly off the car. This is not a minor flex, the hood can bounce 2-3 inches. It is extremely unnerving and after time, the latch on the hood will fatigue and eventually break. It is becoming loose. There are currently no recalls by Honda. This is a serious oversight. The dealerships have tried to fix it, but never with success. Please look into this. Thank you.

We were hit on the drivers and passengers sides of the vehicle by another vehicle that was travelling at an estimated 90-100 mph, and the airbags did not deploy. My vehicle was travelling at about 50 mph on an interstate when it was struck on the driver's side first. The force of that impact pushed my vehicle into a large box truck on the passenger's side. The police stated that the airbags should have deployed with the extreme force of the impact.

The rear lift gate has been malfunctioning periodically since we purchased this vehicle new in 2016. It has been repaired several times but keeps malfunctioning. The issue is that the lift gate starts to open, but then closes itself for no reason and does not stop closing even if a person or obstacle is underneath. Sometimes the lift gate also will not reopen. Our ongoing concern is that a child or other person will be crushed beneath the malfunctioning lift gate. This has happened in all types of scenarios - when the car is parked flat, on an incline, inside, outside, etc. And there does not seem to be a consistent cause. Also, our Honda dealer is often unable to identify the problem using their computer system - they have told us nothing is wrong with the lift gate until they have watched this happen.

I bought this vehicle as a "certified pre owned by Honda" and four days after the purchase the car was parked in my driveway, in "park" when I hit the start/stop engine button and the vehicle didn't start. Alarms started to go off so I assumed it was the key was still inside the house. As I went inside to check, maybe a few seconds, when I went back outside the vehicle was gone. I found it in my front yard. It had rolled off while in park without engine on. After getting it towed to Honda, days later I was informed that there was a problem with the start/stop engine system and that it also needed the entire a/c system replaced. Attached you will find the photo I took of the vehicle still in park when I found it in my front yard.

Roof moldings have been popping off without having anything damaged them or affected then in any way. They are coming off on their own.

The hood flexes in the wind when driving at higher speeds on a windy day. Unnerving to see it pop up and down. Took to dealer and they adjusted the "knobs" on each side. Didn't help. Then logged a ticket with them and they replaced the latch. Still a problem. We've tried adjusting the knobs again, but if on the highway on a windy day, it still flexes. We've seen others' complaints on the internet of the same problem. Afraid the hood is going to pop up if a gust catches it and kill someone. It has happened multiple times over the time we've owned it (3 years). The latest was on April 29, 2019.

Drivers side window. When the button is pressed it brings the window down. However this feature is automatic for rolling the window up and down. This is not working. Keyless start stopped working, and the most important concern is the ignition for button start is acting up. Today it worked in the morning but later in the afternoon the car would not start. Dash board lights were flickering. This evening tried again and it worked fine now. This is an important safety concern.

At highway speeds, the hood was bouncing and when a semi truck passed me the hood would bounce up to 1 inch. I took it into the dealer and they adjusted it but it did not fix the problem. Now, after a few months the hood looks like it is going to come off of the car and people passing me are indicating that the hood is coming off. Rudolf Honda said that it is up to spec. I am bringing it back to the dealer soon.

While driving on residential street going 10 to 15 mph both airbags front passenger and driver side airbags deployed did not have any accident did not hit anything enclose is pic and videos of the vehicle with no visible damage to body or under carriage of vehicle.

While driving on residential street 5 to 10 mph both airbags deployed front passenger and driver side vehicle did not have any accident or hit no undercarriage damage I also have more photos plus a video showing vehicle did not have any damage.

If it is windy, I'd um traveling over 65 mph or if a drive alongside a big rig the hood of my car flexes in four directions (when two or more of these factors come together it is quite bad). I've pulled over to be sure it is closed correctly (it is) but the problem persists. It feels as if the hood is going to fly up. There is a lot of space between the body of the car and the hood (thick seal). I can see from the driver's seat the mat the hood is not flush with the body.

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 dealer only since ii purchased it new.

When I am driving on the highway at 65 or higher, the hood will flex up and down like it is not locked. It is worse in high winds. No vehicle I have ever driven before has done this. The first time it did it, I slowed down and got off the first exit I could. I didn't pop the hood because I wanted to see if it was open by itself. I couldn't open it and it seemed sealed. I popped the hood, checked it over and shut it. When I got back on the highway, it continued to flex up. It made me so nervous. I am so afraid to drive it on the highway with my kids. It has to be weakening it! eventually, it will let go and fly up, possibly smash the windshield, it could fly back into a car behind me and I don't want to think about the personal injury that it could cause. Honda needs to fix this now. There are many people having the same issue. No one knows how to fix it in the service dept. So are they going to wait until someone is dead? with all the problems popping up with this vehicle, I am starting to think I made a mistake.

Driving at freeway speeds I noticed the hood was shaking. This car has about 3500 miles on it. I pulled over to check the hood to ensure it was secure, got back up to freeway speeds and it continued to shake. It looks like it might fly off at any time. Also concerned about fatigue of the joints over time due to the vibration.

At high speed and especially when passing oncoming large vehicles hood shakes violently as if coming loose and threatening to fly up. . Greg may Honda of waco TX service department was useless in resolving.

Since purchase 3 months ago, the hood shakes violently at speeds above 55 mph and especially under windy conditions. It is exceptionally bad in high wind and when passing oncoming vehicles. It is obvious the hood is not sufficiently strong enough to withstand these wind pressures without causing some kind of damage in the future. Feels like it is only a matter of time before the hood actually bends or breaks at 80 mph highway speed limit.

My family was in our 2016 Honda Pilot touring. We stopped our vehicle and started to get out. My eleven year old niece was sitting in the middle seat of the second row. She was in between my two sons, both in carseats. When she removed her seatbelt the belt quickly snapped back and the buckle hit my three year old in the head. He was sitting in his forward facing carseat that is appropriate for his age, height, and weight. His seat is on the driver's side of the second row. The buckle hit him on the right side of his forehead right under his hairline. Two large knots, one for each side of buckle, popped up. One knot was large enough that it actually split open and bled. It was incredibly painful and took almost two weeks for bruising to go away.

The hood vibrates violently in speeds of 60+ miles an hour. When a large truck or vehicle drives passes the car the hood vibrates violently. When on a two lane road and on coming traffic goes by the car the hood vibrates violently. This issue has been present since I purchased the car in June 2016. The Honda dealership stayed this was within the design specs for the Pilot. I have made every adjustment I can make with the rubber grommets with no success. Honda tells me ther is no adjustment. I am a port enginner and I manage ship repair. This is a serious issue. The vibration will over time cause the hood hinges to fail from fatigue. This will create a situation where a consumer driving the 2016 Honda Pilot to potentially have hood fly off the vehicle during normal driving causing catastrophic failure and injury to the driver and passengers.

We were driving down the street, veering left and the rear passenger door attempted to open. A warning went off on the instrument panel showing which door was "open". Because the door was locked it didn't open all the way. In order to close it the driver had to push the unlock button. Had the door not been locked I'm afraid the door would have opened completely, putting my passenger at risk.

I am experiencing the same issues others mentioned of the hood flexing when driving. Under certain conditions when driving down a two lane highway and a semi goes by in the other direction or when passing a semi on the interstate you can see the movement of the hood from the front to the back as the air flows underneath. It looks like the hood lifts from latch and then flexes, moves or shakes as air flows guess that's best way to describe it. On the interstate I have even noticed shaking/movement when driving if it's windy without passing a semi. Car wash dryer also causes the hood to shake. I have taken to dealer and they tried adjusting the latch - that didn't help. Stopped by another dealer and they said to adjust the rubber bumpers on each side under hood but that didn't help either. It's pretty scary to see this happening. What if the latch doesn't hold one of these times? the hood flying off going 65-75mph is not a pleasant thought. Over time will the flexing and movement and the hood cause paint to crack and decrease integrity of the hood?.

~tl the contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle lunged forward and the contact smelled fumes. Also, the vehicle stalled while driving various speeds. The contact pulled over and it took numerous attempts to restart the vehicle. While driving various speeds, a piece of the fender on the front driver and passenger sides fractured and struck a person in the head. All the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired by multiple dealers and independent mechanics and the catalytic converter was replaced four times and two injectors were installed; however, the failures continued. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 83,000. The VIN was invalid.

I have a 2016 Honda Pilot elite and I noticed on my last road trip that the hood on the vehicle moves violently when I pass on coming vehicles especially large trucks. I also noticed that this happens during high wind situations as well. I made a service appointment for this week to address this with Honda. On both occasions I experienced this was at highway speed of 55 or faster.