general problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot - part 2

172 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2020 Honda Pilot. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2020 Honda Pilot based on all problems reported for the 2020 Pilot.

36 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

American Honda states they performed NHTSA recall number 23v-431 but rear view camera still does not operate correctly. They are stating that I must pay out of pocket to replace a different part to be able to have the rear view camera operational again and per the terms of the recall notice, I am to have this fixed without charge and within a reasonable amount of time. Please help!.

37 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2023

Nhtsa recall number 23v-431 calls for cable connectors to be changed out due to poor connections resulting in the rear view camera image to function intermittingly or not display at all. Per Honda engineering, this repair is not sufficient to fix the issue and the main head unit has to be replaced too. Please include this as a part of this safety recall because of the safety issues it is causing as it relates to driver safety and federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 111, "rear visibility".

38 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/27/2023

When stopping at a red light, my vehicle completely shut off (engine stopped, all lights went out, radio went blank) for a few seconds. The car turned back on (except for the engine). I was able to restart the engine after about 10 seconds, but I was stuck in the middle of traffic. I disabled the engine idol-stop feature.

39 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/13/2023

Numerous times while stopped at a red light/stop sign/traffic, the auto idle stop feature will kick in, but then the car will not immediately restart. Most times if the car is then turned all the way off and put in park it will restart. Now two different times, it would not start back up at all causing to car to be stuck in the middle of the road and requiring it to be towed. Prior to the incident occurring there were no warning lights or error messages.

40 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/11/2023

The engine failed to start after being stopped at a red light. I engaged the gas and the entire car just shut down. I was stuck at the light in the middle lane with cars honking all around me. I attempted to put the car in drive, neutral, park and nothing worked. Somehow I was able to restart the car after many cycles of the light. This came out of nowhere; I. E. - it's never happened to me prior and is a huge safety issue. After doing some research, it seems this is an issue many Honda owners are complaining about. The incident occurred to me just as many others are detailing the exact same issue. To date, no one has inspected the vehicle but an appointment with the dealership has been made. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to this occurring.

41 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/23/2023

I was stopped at a stop light with my auto-idle system engaged. When the light turned to green the auto-idle would not disengage leaving me stalled in traffic. When I pressed on the gas I got an error message about the 'anti-collision system' being offline. I had to restart the car to resolve the issue. The dealer/service center states no known issues.

42 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/16/2023

Last week, my wife was picking up our 2 year old son from daycare in our 2020 Honda Pilot. She secured him in his car seat and placed her purse with the Honda key fob on the back seat and closed the door. The car somehow locked itself between the time she closed the door and attempted opening the front door, leaving my son locked in the back seat. The key fob battery had just recently been replaced so we are certain this is not a matter of the key fob battery being low. We needed to call the fire department to come and emergency open the car for us. Today, we did have a second key fob made at Honda for our vehicle so that we have a spare in the event this happens again closer to home. We are hoping to be reimbursed for this cost and the "diagnosis" fee we are being told by Honda customer support we need to pay for in order to diagnose what the issue might be. This is a major safety concern that Honda needs to review immediately. The key was inside of the vehicle while the vehicle was not on or in motion.

43 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/13/2023

There is an intermittent problem with loud crackling noises coming from the speakers. The information center is turned off, but the crackling continues. It is either an electrical malfunction or a short of some sort. It is a distraction when driving and therefor a safety issue. There is a recall open with regards to the most cable for the camera but the camera does not have audio so it doesn't make sense that these would be related. We do not have many miles on the car and the information center is used primarily for navigation. Shutting it down in traffic is a safety issue because the driver is distracted. If this is an electrical short then there could also be a fire issue.

44 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/13/2023

July 21,2023 pulled of highway and car went idle at a light car turned off completely and didnt turn on car turned on after 2 minutes. August 13, same situation happened car didnt turn on for 3 minutes. In may car was serviced forr idle recall and I never had this issue until now. The dealer says its a weak battery. But it only happened when it was on idle and not when I turn it on. I had kids in the car and just got off highway. I could have had an accident. The 2nd time it happened it said to put the car in park and restart the car. There were no issues prior to the failure.

45 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2023

I received a recall notice from NHTSA about my Pilot. The most cable connected needs to be replaced. I am writing because I have contacted two different dealerships. They are unable to address the defect until January 2024 or April 2024 respectively. You letter said that if the repair could not be done within 60 days of receiving the letter, to contact the NHTSA. The second dealership informed me that they only schedule one recall appointment per week, and that was why they can't fix it until April of next year. Please advise what I should do.

46 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/16/2023

On three separate occasions, after stopping at a traffic light or in a parking lot, I was unable to move my car. The first time, the transmission dropped into neutral and I was unable to get it to any other gear . I had to turn off and restart the car multiple times to get it into gear. I was on a heavily trafficked road with multiple cars behind me at the light. Turned my flashers on and prayed to not get hit. The second time. I was in a parking lot and was leaving. I pulled into a space to look for something and got a message to put the car in park. I was unable to do so. Had to turn off and restart the car twice before it would go into park. I then turned it off and back on and was able to get it into gear. Happened again on a 55 mph road with my grandkids. Very scary. Honda dealer said that for a tiny second after the auto idle engaged the battery power was too low to restart the car. Their solution was for me to purchase a new battery. I feel this is an engineering and safety issue and was not properly addressed during the auto idle recall.

47 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/07/2023

My husband was getting off the highway when a car ahead of him braked suddenly. He attempted to hit the brakes but the car did not stop. The automatic stop crash feature did not turn on. The abs did not work. Ultimately, crashing into the car ahead of him.

48 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/03/2023

The auto idle stop system was engaged at a red light after exiting an expressway. When the light turned green, and I removed my foot from the brake, the transmission moved to neutral, and the engine would not start up again. I was unsuccessful in getting the car to start again by either pushing the start/stop button or adjusting the transmission to park. The battery indicator light was illuminated during this process, but no other errors were displayed. I connected a battery-powered jump starter within 3-5 minutes of the failure, and the vehicle started on the first attempt. The auto idle stop system had worked as expected earlier in the drive and there were no other indications of any issues with the vehicle prior to the incident. My entire family's safety was at serious risk since we were stalled on a busy 6 lane road with no ability to move the vehicle to the shoulder and I had to avoid traffic to get to the trunk and under the hood and spend time connecting the jump starter and subsequently attempting to start the vehicle. We are yet to bring the vehicle to the dealership for inspection.

49 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/11/2023

Car completely shut down while in drive. Towed to dealership where I was told there was a software update that needed to be done. Car working fine now.

50 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/03/2023

We had the recall repair done for the crackling speakers issue but it started again and is worse. The crackling sounds like rocks hitting the windshield and scares the heck out of everyone in the vehicle. Now when it does this we also get a network failure notice on the infotainment screen and then the infotainment system shuts down. Sure wouldn't expect these issues with a $50 k dollar vehicle barely over 3 years old with only 24 k miles on it. This has happened 4 times since it started again. That's 4 times in the past 3 weeks.

51 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/15/2023

When auto start/stop feature engages at times vehicle does not restart and will not restart. This has happened 5-6 times in heavy traffic leaving the car dead in the middle of the road until we repeatedly try to reset and restart.

52 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/11/2023

As I was driving vehicle it shut down. Dashboard went haywire as did the front panel, radio, windows. Could not turn on car at all, not even put it on neutral. Hazard lights did not work either.

53 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/04/2023

I pulled into my garage to turn off my 2020 Honda Pilot. I put my car in park and set the parking break. I pushed the on/off button of my car to turn off the ignition. The car failed to turn off. The electrical systems (radio, heating/ac displays) inside the vehicle turned off, but the engine continued to run. The error message "auto engine idle stop system problem" flashed on the dash. I tried multiple attempts to turn my car off. As I write this my car is sitting outside on my driveway, with the hopes my car will turn off. I have had previous issues with the auto on/off capability of my vehicle, to where the car would auto turn off and fail to turn back on. To combat this issue I always disabled the auto on/off capability of the vehicle. This car has had issue after issue from when I purchased the vehicle in August of 2020. My car has been at the dealership many times for different electrical issues. This car has been anything but reliable. This is a safety problem, due to not being able to turn off a running vehicle. This vehicle has not been inspected for this issue, but has been inspected my the dealership for previous electrical issues. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the problem.

54 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/31/2023

The infotainment system screen will go black/turn off for several minutes, completing disabling the backup camera and other functions. Last week, the system went black completely and I tried to turn off / on the car multiple times but the infotainment system still did not reboot. I had to disconnect/reconnect the main battery to make the system to reboot. Few days later, the system went black again for a short period of time. When the system is up an running, there are many time that my concentration on driving has been disrupted by the sudden cracking and popping sounds stemming from the infotainment system. There is no pending recall on my car, so I do not what to do with my situation.

55 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/21/2023

The entire infotainment screen shuts off, screen goes dark. So far it turns back on with no issues. The problem is intermittent. The usb phone connection also intermittently looses the connection. Sometimes it reconnects, other times I have to disconnect the phone and reconnect. I have changed the usb wire. . . Same problem.

56 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/04/2022

Auto start/stop feature failed to restart vehicle and shifted to neutral when foot was taken off the brake. Collision mitigation warning lights came on after vehicle power was shut off and turned back on to restart the motor.

57 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/28/2022

Third time now that my speakers have been popping and crackling. All this leads to "network connection lost" and the entire nav screen goes black, also the main dashboard display sometimes. . . Very unsafe. First couple of repairs were the connectors in the dash being replaced. This time my dealer has to call Honda for authorization. Received a call from dealer this morning that my battery was dead and this cleared out all of the warning codes, how convenient and it's only 3 years old. Now it needs to be kept until the warning codes "possibly" come back.

58 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/27/2022

Frightening experiences with auto engine idle stop feature. My local mechanic, as well as the dealership where I purchased my brand new 2020 Honda Pilot elite awd were unable to address the issue. Have been experiencing electrical failures associated with my aeis for about a year that have gotten progressively worse. At first, once disengaging from aeis at a red light (by releasing my foot from the brake pedal) the radio would shut off and switch back on, but to am radio. What seemed like a few months later, when aeis was disengaging, my whole dashboard went blank and I received a message to "shift to park + restart engine". I have tried to be diligent in turning off aeis immediately after starting my vehicle, but in the few times I have forgotten, and my aeis has failed, the dashboard goes blank and the car shifts to neutral (indicated by the red light becoming illuminated around n). My local mechanic looked at this issue in June of 2022, and said that my battery was only holding a 30% charge, so we replaced it. After my most recent Pilot engine electrical failure, I called Honda, and was advised to contact my dealership since I was still covered by the powertrain warranty (<60k miles). To have a vehicle stalled in the middle of the road, once on i75 in stopped traffic in downtown atlanta, is an obvious safety hazard. I was trusting Honda with my family's safety when I purchased my Pilot, but that trust has been lost. Today, November 01, the dealer told me my battery was bad; it's less than 5 months old, mind you. Went straight to my mechanic, they ran a diagnostic on my battery, and was told it's fine. Called Honda corporate and set up a case investigation today.

59 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/20/2022

The auto engine idle function has been problematic for a while now, causing the engine to stall. It seems to have gotten progressively worse and now happens whenever I forget to disengage the auto engine idle. One time in the spring of 2021, my husband had pulled into the intersection and was waiting for the chance to turn, only to find the engine stall and not respond to anything. It took a good almost two minutes of turning off the engine and trying to push the power button back on. It finally did turn on so we did not need a tow, but it was extremely scary to be in the middle of an intersection with a stalled engine. Subsequently the engine stalled a couple of times, briefly flashing an error message on the dashboard before shifting into neutral on its own and then indicating to shift into park. I have had the diagnostic test ($99) done at the Honda dealership (dublin, OH) and was told that they could not replicate the engine stall and that there were no error records recorded in the engine log. A few times, the engine seemed to hesitate like it was on its way to stalling after being in auto idle engine mode, but would start up when I released the brake. Today the engine stalled again when I was at a red light, briefly displaying an error mode and then shifting into neutral on its own again. I had to power off the car, and try the engine start push button a few times before it finally powered on. I am constantly worried about the engine stalling, which is not a pleasant experience. It is scary to think the engine could stall while driving the kids somewhere.

60 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/15/2022

The Honda auto start stop system has been taxing my battery through daily use and creates unsafe situations. On more than one occasion, similar to the following, I have experienced the Honda Pilot stop the engine via the a. S. S. System. Upon releasing the brake, the system attempts, but fails, to come to ignition and the electrical system lacks the ability to start the engine, creating a need to re-start (or attempt restart). On 1 such occasion, my family was traveling through a city on the interstate. After driving on the interstate for a few hours we came to a stop light and stopped. At the green light, upon releasing the brake, the Honda Pilot attempted to start again and failed. The car went completely dead in the middle of a 4 lane interstate with my family inside. The car did not start again until the 3rd time attempting to restart the vehicle. Approximately 10 seconds later than intended, we were able to clear our vehicle from the interstate intersection. On normal occasions, such as the course of business with the Honda a. S. S. System, driving in situations that would be categorized as "start/stop" situations, the Honda a. S. S. System leads to stalled response and delayed lurching into traffic creating situations due to the delay in response. Multiple times this has been reported to my dealer. They acknowledge it as a "battery" problem. They test my battery per Honda warranty and tell me it "passes". They basically are just charging my battery and sending me out the door. The time between vehicle events is decreasing. Please help address this obvious vehicle shortcoming. There is no permanent means to disable it. Thank you.

61 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/08/2022

Engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the auto start/stop function engaged. I was at an intersection at 10:30pm and it was extremely dangerous as my car would not start and was completely black. I could not even turn on hazards or put the car in nuetral to move out of the way. I had to call 911 and have the police assist. My car was towed to the dealership and I am waiting for an update. This will be the 4th time I have had my vehicle there for service for an electrical issue.

62 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/03/2022

My vehicle has had repeated instances of the audio "infotainment" system causing loud, unexpected popping and crackling noises. During these instances, the infotainment system sometimes quits working completely and often the handsfree telephone function quits working. When this occurs, the volume control and audio on off button have no effect whatsoever. It can occur with or without my telephone connected to the system. The only way to temporarily correct the condition (and it only works sometimes) is to pull off the road, turn the car off completely, and then restart it. This issue has occurred during three seperate time periods, and each time, it has progressed from intermittent to continuous. The first time I took it to the dealer and they replaced some small wiring harness connectors. The second time, they had a Honda field engineer look at the car and replaced the entire dashboard harness system (July 2022). Then today, it began doing it again. I have reported this to my Honda dealer (hendrick Honda pompano beach, FL) and they said they are contacting Honda for more information.

63 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/20/2022

When stopped at a red light, the car went into idle stop mode. When I released the brake, the car did not restart. The electrical flashed. An error message was displayed to put the car in park, press the brake and engine restart button. That did not resolve the problem. The car would not start. We could not shift it from park to move it. I was in the traffic lane on the down side of an overpass with limited visibility behind me. I was concerned about getting rear ended. The car had to be towed and the battery replaced. The original Honda dealership performs all routine maintenance with the most recent service in June 2022. There has been no prior indication that the battery was weak or needed to be replaced.

64 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/17/2022

Honda auto-idle start/stop system does not restart. Auto-idle system will engage and sometimes not restart. This happens while at intersections (red lights/stop signs) and in traffic. Vehicle cuts off and can take several minutes to get the vehicle to turn back on. When it happens, it puts my safety at risk, along with any passengers, and any other vehicles nearby that might not notice my vehicle is disabled. Dealer is unable to replicate the issue. Honda America is aware of the issue. First occurrence 9/17/2022. 6/24/2023, 7/19/2023, 8/16/2023, 8/23/2023 all additional occurrences of same issue. Several of these I have video evidence of.

65 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/09/2022

Stop/start system shutdown the engine and failed to restart while at stop light. It occurred twice on 9/8/2022 and twice on 9/9/2022.

66 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/07/2022

I understand there may be an investigation of Honda's stop-start system, the system which is meant to improve fuel economy by shutting the engine off when the vehicle comes to a stop. I experienced this one (1) time while stopping at a traffic light, date unknown. The engine went off, as it was supposed to, but when I took my foot off the brake and pressed on the accelerator nothing happened, the engine had not restarted. I attempted to restart the car by pressing on the start button but since I was in drive it wouldn't start. I think I tried to shift the transmission into park (it's been several months since the incident) but I'm not sure if it shifted or not. I turned the car off by pressing the start button, waited briefly and then pressed the start button again to start, which it did. I shifted into drive and pulled away. That was a long time, probably not as long as it seemed, sitting at the light as others were going around me or blowing their horn at me. I have not had any further incidents since that time but wanted to register this one with you.

67 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/06/2022

I have owned the 2020 Honda Pilot touring since Jan. 2021. Up till now, theses similar situations have happened 4-5 times. It always happens when I am gradually slowing down to a complete stop at crossroads. My 2020 Honda Pilot has shut off a few times while stopping at a red light. Each time has been after coming to a complete stop at a red light and sitting there for a couple minutes. Suddenly there is a beep sound and the engine shuts down. Only the entertainment system is left on. The gear changes to n by itself and I am unable to change it to any other gear. With my foot on the brake, trying to change the gear and trying turn off the car for about 3 minute in the middle of traffic with my kids in the car, eventually I was able to shut off the engine completely off. I immediately try restart the car to avoid a car accident. It put itself in n (neural) and the dashboard screen said “put it in p (park) and hit bottom to restart car. ” the car wouldn’t let me push anything. The power button did nothing and even if you pushed the p for park it stayed in n. The battery light immediately came on when this happened also. And went away as soon as it worked again. I scheduled an appointment after the third time the this happen leaving the car for them to run tests. They ran the tests and when I returned to pick it up, the technician said they tested the battery, wiring, and engine and that everything was good. Nothing was provided to me but they did show me the report as they talked about the results I am sure I can obtain if requested. They almost changed me for the testing but waived the fee which I was thankful. I am concerned and at times scared for the safety of my kids and I. I really hope Honda finds a fix for this and recalls for whatever the issues are as quickly as possible. I like the car but it really is making me want to get a new car and never purchase from Honda again.

68 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2022

Electrical components for navigation, hand free devices, back up camera & radio have an advisory from Honda. Can has been into dealership multiple times claiming to be “fixed” but when delivered it is not. Wiring harness for radio is on back order for 5+ months, but dealership is unsure if this will correct the problem. Another concern is that 60,000 warranty is within 10,000 miles of expiring.

69 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/17/2022

There is a popping and crackling sound that comes from the speakers whether it is on or off. When this occurs the infotainment system, rear entertainment system, and blue tooth stops working. This happens every single time the vehicle is used. This causes distracting driving because the noises happen all of a sudden when driving. Second problem-the car seems to shut off and turn back on by itself after pressing the gas when its on auto idle shut off. For a few seconds when I let go of the brake peddle, instead of turning on from the auto idle shut off it just shuts off, then I press the gas and it turns on. It has done this several times that it is concerning and I fear it can cause an accident if it moves forward when I think it shut off on its own.

70 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/12/2022

Issues with infotainment system, a continuous crackling sound, sounds like electric spark. This occurs for several days and now the system is not working and this affects the operation of backup camera.



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