general problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot - part 1

2017 Honda Pilot 3. 5 l v6 170,000 miles has mechanical "knock" noise corresponding to engine rpm at start, idle, and acceleration. Knock comes from engine block and can be heard from top and bottom of the engine bay, louder from underneath, clearly coming from the rear bank of cylinders. Possibly connecting rod bearing failure. General routine maintenance and oil changes have been completed consistently. If the connecting rod bearing were to fail while running, metal fragments would damage and seize the engine. If this would occur while driving, vehicle would unexpectedly lose engine power, crippling other systems like power steering, electrical, and possibly controlled braking. This could result in a serious or even fatal collision. Me and my children rely on this car for our transportation needs and no longer trust its reliability. I'll have the dealership inspect the engine components according the the 2023 recall campaign, even though my specific VIN, model, or year are not included.

Random complete engine failure while driving due to connecting rod bearings. Mechanic diagnosed and shows damage. Car will not start or run at all.

I recently purchased this car from a Nissan dealership a week after we purchased it the emissions system problem light came on took it back they replaced a catalytic converter it was ok for a couple weeks and all of a sudden it showed up again my VIN doesn’t show any open recalls but I have a feeling this is a part of the recall that affects the certain years of affected vehicles.

The car is having issues with the idle stop. It started taking longer to restart after a stop and now it turns completely off. It happened today in a traffic light in a big intersection.

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.

While driving car it made some noise from engine area and only would drive about 35 mph. The car then shut off and had to coast off highway into parking lot. Luckily it didn't stop in middle of 4 lane highway. Car would not crank and had it towed to Honda dealer. Upon inspection from walker jones Honda dealer the following diagnosis. Verified motor locked up. Dropped the oil pan and inspected. Found bearing material in the oil caused by bearing slippage. Pictures were taken. There was no warnings or lights when this event occurred. The car has been taken care of and regular oil changes made through the Honda dealership. We are having to pay to get the engine replaced. The car has 103,965 miles on it.

It first started having an engine light on that came back to emmission errors. It was intermittent though and didnt cause mucj issues. The shop said if it kept up to take it somewhere for that . Then on xxx all the engine lights, brakes everything just came on and seized up and it stopped working completley. Trying to restart just dies once you try to drive it. This should have been recalled with the other engine years. The shop is saying it needs a brand new engine. . Please advise. [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The engine started throwing emissions codes and running rough about 6 mo ago but it was very sporadic and always cleared on their own. However on 8/23 my husband was driving it, all the lights started coming on and it froze up and died while he was driving it. We had taken it to the shop where they confirmed that the whole engine was dead that its a known problem with these years Pilots and would require a new engine.

Started the car check engine lights and all the other lights came tire pressure, abs,acc, break, emergency break, collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation,vsa. Turned off the car, the lights and check engine lights went away and a few days later while driving car did that again and then it engine decline in speed and died on highway.

The connecting rod on my 2017 Honda Pilot is coming apart and metal is present in the oil. The engine began knocking and progressively got louder. The sound was coming from the bottom of the engine around cylinder 1. We shut the car off and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer service center confirmed that the connecting rod on cylinder 1 was coming apart and found metal in the oil and filter. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. There was a warning lamp that came on saying there was a fuel emission problem. That lamp has come on intermittently since we had recall service done on the transmission 6 weeks ago (June 2026). We did have that looked at, but were told they could not reproduce the issue. A check engine lamp also appeared just after the noise first appeared. I included the dealer repair center diagnosis and estimate of repair. I also included documentation that their records for our maintenance are incorrect. We took immaculate care of that vehicle from the day we purchased it.

When trying to accelerate car is yanking very bad seems like it is a very bad shutter or something with the transmission there is also a very bad squeak when you drive under the car.

Was traveling in moderately heavy highway traffic at 65 mph (actual speed limit) and vehicle suddenly started slowing down and hesitating. The narrow shoulder made it unsafe to stop but was able to continue at 45 mph or so and pulled off at first exit. There were numerous trouble lights on the dash. Car towed to Honda dealership and they found trouble code p0369. They found front camshaft sensor to be ground down in the center, as it had been damaged by the cam sprocket. The camshaft had excessive end play causing the cam to walk. New camshaft, thrust cover, sprocket, and related gaskets required. There were no symptoms for the issue before it happened. Honda has a 'technical line summary article' that says issue is caused by thrust cover manufacturing problem, specifically "we’ve found that the camshaft thrust cover surface roughness is out of spec. ".

2026-08-06 ~7:50am check engine light came on/flashed while entering freeway, car generally ran as normal though felt as if cylinder was not firing (two weeks prior had regular maintanance and all spark plugs were replaced, assumed this was related to that). Dropped daughter off at camp turned off vehicle. 2026-08-06 ~8:05am restarted vehicle, check engine light did not come on. Engine ran as normal, proceeded to drive towards dealership. 2026-08-06 ~8:25am entered freeway, check engine light and many other warnings came on (rolling display of errors), engine limited to low rpms and ~30mph. 2026-08-06 ~8:30am called Honda dealership to let them know I was coming in. 2026-08-06 ~8:40am service manager utilized obd port which provided initial code of misfire on cylinder 5. 2026-08-06 dealership subsequently determined the engine had "spun a rod bearing". Honda recommended service "replace short block".

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while idling at a red light and then attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle shut unexpectedly. The contact was assisted with pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed it with connecting rod bearing failure. The mechanic informed the contact that it was a known issue and that there was a previous recall for the issue. Upon research, the contact became aware of NHTSA id number: pe25008 (engine). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed the failure and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer located a used engine, but the vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was informed of the issue and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

My son was driving the car and the engine started knocking and engine shut off.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 to 60 mph, the emission warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned about the vehicle stalling while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injector, torque converter, and front and rear catalytic converters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted and offered goodwill assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Driving home from church Sunday June 28th downslope of a small hill smelled hot metal; wasn't sure if the odor was from us, the large truck that just passed us or environmental; sudden "pop" was heard accompanied by a "jerk" in the vehicle; loss of steering and brakes; dash was lit and showed rpm/mph/etc then battery light came on smoke billowing from engine followed quickly by complete fire from enginge; all 4 passengers eventually got out; police and fire dispatched; complete loss; traumatic to say the least; only light previous was service soon as oil life was at 15%; believe to be a known issue with 2017 Pilots rods bend and break but now warning (researched after the fire).

There is a loud metallic knocking sound coming from my engine. I have lack of acceleration power, and the check engine light came on. You are more than welcome to come inspect the car. My safety was placed at risk as my engine can blow up, and/or I lose acceleration while driving and cause an accident. The sound is continuous and will be until the rod bearing is fixed so it’s easily reproducible. Yes it’s been looked at by a mechanic.

I own a 2017 Honda Pilot equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission. I am reporting what I believe may be transmission/torque-converter failure and a potential safety concern. The vehicle began experiencing shuddering, jerking, and hesitation. There is significant rpm fluctuation and harsh shifting. The problem occurs on highway speeds, accelerating or shifting lanes, 40–60 mph. During these episodes, the acceleration stalls and is accident prone. 8 months ago, I brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealer because of these symptoms, they couldn't get the code. 3 months ago, I went again for same issues, the dealer diagnosed a damaged air-intake hose and I paid for replacement. However, immediately driving off the lot, the original symptoms continued after the repair. I returned the vehicle to the Honda dealership because the problem persisted. The dealership has now diagnosed transmission failure and has estimated the repair at approximately $10,000. American Honda has offered approximately 60% goodwill assistance toward the repair, leaving me responsible for approximately $4,000. I am concerned because there are numerous reports involving transmission and torque-converter problems in 2017 Honda Pilots. Honda has issued technical service information concerning transmission and torque-converter conditions in this model year, including information involving the 9-speed automatic transmission. I am also aware of other NHTSA complaints involving premature 9-speed transmission and torque-converter failure in 2017 Honda Pilots. My vehicle has previously required other Honda-recognized repairs, including fuel-injector/emissions-related repairs that Honda covered. I am submitting this complaint because a transmission or torque-converter malfunction that causes hesitation, harsh or unexpected shifting, loss of acceleration, or loss of motive power can create a serious safety risk, particularly while entering or traveling on a highway or crossing traffic.

All of a sudden, the car began to make a ticking noise (it sounded like a playing card was in the spoke of a bicycle). I brought the car home and took it to the Honda dealership in poway, CA. They diagnosed the car with pitting in the rod bearings in cylinder 4. They told us that this can cause engine failure (do not drive the car) and that the engine needed to be replaced. There were no error messages or warning lights. This could have been extremely dangerous for those around us had the engine failed while my daughter and I were driving, or if the car had stopped suddenly. The three options given were to replace the engine with one with 20,000+ more miles than the original engine, replace the short block and associated gaskets with a new one, or $2500 (as-is) for the car. We replaced the short block and associated gaskets at a cost of approximately $ 8,500. As my husband was doing his research, he found that there had been a recall for the 2016 and 2018-2020 Honda Pilots for the same issue. Please be aware that this has happened to our car too, and it is very dangerous and expensive to repair. Honda should be held responsible for ensuring that all Pilot engines are safe and that the defective rods are replaced free of charge to owners under a recall.

Engine idle at stop light or start & stop at traffic stop light doesn't work. It does stop completely; however, it didn't start after releasing the brake. You have to put the vehicle back in the parking gear, put the brake to restart the engine. This has happened three times in the last week.

While driving on the highway at approx 60mph my car completely lost power. I had no warning lights on the dashboard and the only warning I got was an alarm sound right as all the power to the vehicle cut off. I had to use my e-brake to help me stop and coast to the brake down lane. I couldn't get my car completely off the highway lane and had no way of getting out of the vehicle. I was towed off the highway and contacted my dealership. Prior to this the car was idling a little rough in the morning.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a red light, the vehicle stalled; the contact restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis however, the failure cause was unidentifiable. The contact did research and was made aware of an unknown NHTSA campaign number however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 mph, the check engine light was blinking. The vehicle began to jerk. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with faulty fuel injectors. The injectors were replaced. After further evaluation, it was determined that the engine and knock sensor needed to be replaced additionally the rod bearing was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but declined the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

Driving to work on the highway and the Honda Pilot suddenly slowed and stopped accelerating, started riding rough and making a loud whistling blowing noise. Check engine light was suddenly flashing. I was able to pull over into a lane split zone before being hit by all the traffic going around and bumping horns at me. I was terrified but thankful to be alive. I want in a good spot though, cars and big trucks were still speeding by pretty close to me. I started inside and called aaa. I tried turning on the car but it just made a fast tapping noise. Aaa worked to safely get me out and tow the car to the mechanic my wife and I chose. The mechanic ran a diagnostic report that says p0306 misfire in cylinder 6, and tear in inlet air boot. They said there is an engine problem that they don't service. We towed it to the Honda dealership. Late the next day the mechanic at Honda says we have an engine problem that is not due to the codes on the diagnostic report and is not covered under warranty and costs $7000 for labor and with a rebuilt engine, about 11k to $15k total. He says the engine was seized. He said it initially had no power, then they jumped and put a battery and the engine just made a thud sound. He said he could not generate another diagnostic report because he couldn't get the engine to turn on. We told him we saw that the engine problem was a known issue and that Honda was extending warrantees to 150k and 10yr and could he see if we were haven't that same problem. He said that problem was minor and only covered a few new parts, not the whole engine. I asked why was pep boys able to get a diagnostic and he could not. He said he doesn't know why the engine seized between pep boys and being checked at Honda. He said maybe the previous mechanic did something wrong. Now we have no car and have already purchased a 3rd Honda not even knowing we were driving around a death trap. The Honda dealership that sold us the accord didn't even warn us. We could have died.

The car began making a knocking noise when it was turned on and began moving. The noise continued every time the car was started until the engine light turned on and began blinking. We pulled the car over immediately. After turning the engine off and letting the car rest, we tried starting the car again and the light was off. Roughly 20 minutes later, the engine light began to blink again, followed by all the lights on the dashboard blinking. We had the car towed to a local Honda dealer. After being inspected, the dealer said the car needed new fuel injectors and an "engine rebuild/replace: the engine rod knocking during start up and shutdown, drained oil sample and found excessive mental particles suspended in oil. ".

On Thursday may 7th, while driving the 2017 Honda Pilot elite it lost power and all the dash lights started to come on. Once we limped it to our home, and the code information was obtained, it revealed number 3-cylinder misfire. After replacing all the spark plugs, I started the car to make sure all the codes were cleared and heard a "knocking noise". After further investigation noted the following, I found the following information via a google search, is there a recall for 2017 Honda Pilot knocking noise. Found that NHTSA is doing a major investigation on the 2017 Honda Pilot for a connecting rod and knocking noise. Honda did a recall in 2023 for the year model 2016, 2018-2019. This is the same engine that was in the recall for doing the same thing. Nhtsa is currently investigating a potential recall of 1. 4 million Honda and Acura vehicles, including 2017 Honda Pilots, over engine failures linked to connecting rod bearing defects that can cause knocking, stalling, or complete engine failure. Credit autoblog+2. Scope of the investigation models affected: 2016–2020 Honda Pilot, 2017–2019 Honda ridgeline, 2018–2020 Honda odyssey, 2018–2020 Acura tlx and mdx Honda-tech+1. Engine type: Honda’s 3. 5?liter j35y v6, which has been under scrutiny for rod bearing wear leading to catastrophic engine damage Honda-tech+1. Failure symptoms: knocking noises, sudden stalling, loss of power, and in some cases, fires or crashes autoblog+2. Reports: over 400 incidents of engine failure, with at least four involving crashes or fires; Honda has logged more than 2,500 warranty claims for the iss the oil had been changed at the correct intervals, no oil is leaking from the car, the timing chain and water pump were replaced at 100,000 miles with no issues. No metallic shavings are noted on the oil dip stick, and it has 50% oil life remaining as of 05-09-2026. I have it scheduled for a diagnostic service with flow Honda in winston salem, nc tomorrow, may 12th at 0800.

The engine failed. The car stopped completely with no warning. The same issue that other models are being recalled for turned out to be the problem with this engine. We had to have the engine replaced.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was pushed over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and inspected the oil, transmission fluid, and antifreeze, but found no failure. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 210,000.

Over the past couple of months the the vehicle has been "throwing" misfiring cylinder errors, particularly cylinder 4 (p0304) and every once in a while cylinder 1 (p0301), and a catalytic converter bank 2 error (p0430). Last week, I filled up with premium fuel and added a catalytic cleaner. This eliminated the p0430 error and reduced the frequency of the p0304 error. Yesterday ([xxx]) we were driving from casper, wy to gillette, wy for a volleyball tournament. About 35 miles into the trip, we were travelling at a speed of 72 mph when the tires squealed, accompanied by metal clanging and extreme vibration in the engine; the car nearly came to a complete stop. I was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pull off to the side of the road. I looked down at the console display and noticed that the check engine light was blinking. I connected an obdii scanner and observed a p0304 error. I then tried to pull forward slowly and the car barely moved and the engine clanging and vibration persisted. At that point I turned off the engine and called a tow truck; I also called my son to pick up my daughter and take her to her volleyball tournament. While waiting for the two truck, I attempted to start the car so I could run the obdii scanner again. The car would not start. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated to 25 mph unintendedly. While driving at a reduced speed, the vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the camshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The camshaft, camshaft thrust cover, and camshaft sensor were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that VIN was not eligible for the extended warranty coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward with the check engine warning light illuminated, and the “emission system” error message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with fuel pump failure. The contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.

So our family of four, two adults and two kids driving down buford dr in GA on March 29 2026 apparently at 11am found ourselves in a dangerous situation. The oil light on our Honda Pilot came on and the vehicle shut off in the middle of a 3 lane extremely busy road. This is not safe and I am a experience automotive technician for more then 20 years of experience and have not yet found a rod bearing to go bad at 167k with full oil and no oil leaks this is unacceptable for Honda to only recall only some year models knowing the used the same j32 in most of there vehicles.

While driving on the interstate I was trying to pass a vehicle and the vehicle all systems but the brake system issue. Check engine, emissions, power steering, hill start assist, traction assist. The vehicle would not accelerate. When I got on the shoulder the engine was struggling to stay on and had a loud knocking sound. Had the vehicle towed to nearest exit and had someone come pick me up with a trailer to take back home 5 hours away. The engine knocking got louder if you press on the gas.

I was driving, and my engine died in the middle of highway 40 about 5 miles outside of [xxx] . It was extremely dangerous, and colorado state troopers and colorado division of transportation workers had to stop traffic. The car could not be put into neutral, and towing to a safe location was very difficult and dangerous. The car has less than 76k, and there was absolutely no warning before the car died. No engine lights, no noise. Just died. I have read about rod bearing failures and believe my car is part of this problem. I have had frequent service, and my mechanic has said there was oil in the car, and the engine just seized. The mechanic believes it is a crankshaft rod bearing issue. I could have been hit and was traveling alone in an area that often does not have cell phone service available. This needs to be addressed, and engines should be recalled without delay. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).