Electrical System Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

Honda’s auto idle stop system shuts vehicle off when at a full stop and fails to restart after removing foot from the brake. Instead, when you remove your foot off the brake, the vehicle switches to neutral or park and does not restart despite following on screen instructions to restart (example: switch to park, put foot on the brake, and press start button). We have to put the hazard lights on and try the steps over and over again until it restarts. This is a major safety issue, especially when at a traffic light or in heavy traffic, where every second counts and you have to worry about someone not noticing that you are stopped or have hazard lights on and plows into you.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Wife was driving car and it stalled when slowing down for a red light. No check engine light or dash warning notices. Car then displayed instructions to restart the car tried to restart 4 or 5 times. Finally started. We were lucky she was not on a highway driving at highway speeds.

Car alarm going off randomly when locked. When car is near fob and turned off the head unit will randomly turn on and off rapidly, appears to be a Smart power module failure. This has been going on intermittently since 50k miles. Most recently today, I had to disconnect the battery to make it stop.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Auto-idle feature shut off vehicle at a stop and would not restart when light changed. Have to shut off vehicle and start like it was parked. Not safe in city traffic. Dealership said there is no issue with auto-idle feature.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Component inspected by Honda dealer it’s the forward camera it has already malfunctioned and no longer works I only have 62,000 miles on my Pilot. This seems excessive there is definitely a defect in these vehicles. The incident is the warning lights that came up and no longer worked.

The auto shut off has been not working properly and the vehicle wont restart after it shuts off. My wife was at a traffic light, and the vehicle shut off. When the light turned green, it did not restart. As a result of this she about got taken out by a semi that was coming in behind her. This could have been a deadly accident as it is raining and wet. She was stuck at the light on a busy highway for 3 minutes before the vehicle would restart.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The auto idle stop feature on my 2019 Honda Pilot is a critical safety defect. The engine repeatedly fails to restart automatically after the idle stop engages at a complete stop, resulting in the vehicle stalling in traffic. This is a major crash risk, not a minor inconvenience. I have experienced this dangerous failure multiple times while waiting to make a left turn in busy intersections. When I release the brake to proceed, the engine remains stalled, leaving my vehicle immobilized directly in the path of oncoming traffic and creating a high risk of a side-impact or rear-end collision. On one occasion, the engine stalled as I was attempting to clear a red light, leaving the Pilot stationary and exposed. I manually disable this feature every time I drive because of the known failure risk, and the stall only occurs when I occasionally forget this essential step. Replacing the battery, as recommended by the dealership, did not resolve the high rate of failure. Honda's existing fixes are inadequate, and this defect puts vehicle occupants and other drivers at serious risk of injury or death.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Car is slow to start or doesn't start at all, particularly after frequent engine stops/starts or when engine has idled for a period of time. Battery has been replaced. Symptom comes and goes, but seems to get worse with frequent engine stops/starts (I. E. , driving to different locations with short stays at each, or with the automatic engine shut off).

El carro tiene fallas con el sistema eléctrico DE frenos y no arranca.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Honda issued service bulletin 20-117 regarding a warranty extension for the 2016–2017 Pilot and 2017 ridgeline addressing a keyless start system error with dtc b12c5. Following an NHTSA investigation, Honda extended warranty coverage to 9 years or 125,000 miles under this bulletin. My 2016 Honda Pilot currently has 107,000 miles and is only six months past the nine-year time limit. Earlier this year, the keyless start system warning indicator began appearing intermittently—illuminating for a few seconds before disappearing for days or weeks. Recently, the warning began to stay on continuously. Per Honda’s initial guidance, I replaced the key fob battery and even swapped fobs with my wife, but the issue persisted. On October 16th, I brought the vehicle to Honda of chantilly, where technicians diagnosed a faulty start/stop button requiring replacement. I then opened case #15920037 with Honda, but they declined to cover or reimburse the repair, despite it being a known defect covered under the extended warranty for others. I respectfully request that the NHTSA assist in having Honda honor the warranty extension for this documented issue, given the close proximity to the coverage limit and the long-standing nature of the defect.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My battery died while the vehicle was parked. I needed to physically move the vehicle but could not because the electronic button shifter would not allow me to put the transmission in neutral. The only way to move it out of park is a lengthy process requiring tools, engine component removals and a manual shifting of the linkage using a long wrench. My solution, was I had to leave the vehicle unattended, call a friend, get tools and replace the battery while blocking traffic. Safety concerns were that the vehicle was blocking traffic at a business and no documentation by Honda of how to fix or even shift the vehicle into neutral. Now consider if someone has to try and manually tow the vehicle while in park! I replaced the battery myself, but this is a well documented issue with electronic shifters, that will never make a dealership or service departments records or statistics! there was no warning of the failure, or battery light illuminating. Previous vehicle inspections at the dealership gave no indication that the battery was failing.

All the sudden the lights in dash went off reading lane keep assist failure, adaptive cruise control failure, and automatic brake system failure. Nothing was working, lights stayed on, took to auto body shop, they said I need a whole new front windshield camera and for it be recalibrated, that will cost more than $2000. Honda is saying this isn’t under warranty or recall but it seems like it keeps happening to many Hondas when you look up the same problem so it should be a recall.

When I started my 2022 Honda Pilot special edition (VIN: [xxx] ) in a parking lot, the vehicle immediately behaved abnormally. As I attempted to turn into a space, the car unexpectedly accelerated and moved in an unintended direction. Despite pressing the brake pedal firmly, neither the standard brakes nor the automatic braking system responded. Shifting into park did not stop the vehicle, and the transmission did not engage to hold the car. The vehicle continued moving through the parking lot, striking property and other vehicles. The entire event felt like a loss of braking and control, with both the brake system and gear selector failing to function as intended. This was a sudden and dangerous incident that could have caused serious injury. The Honda dealer has confirmed there are no open recalls or campaigns for my VIN, but the event aligns with reports of unintended acceleration and brake failure in other 2022 Honda Pilot vehicles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The auto stop/start idle function does not re-engage after stopping the engine. This has happened at least 4 times in the last 3weeks with my vehicle. When stopped in traffic or at a light and stop sign the engine idle engages and stops running the engine, when releasing the brake pedal the engine does not turn on as it should and the car stalls. This requires the operator to engage hazard lights, shift into park and repeatedly try the push start button to turn on the vehicle to proceed. The passenger safety of myself and children are of concern. While having to wait on a car function, that is the core operation of the vehicle, it is dangerous to shut off a vehicle while in operation. Having other vehicles honking and trying to pass or even stopping at a highway entrance ramp then trying to engage the car to meet highway speeds is a dangerous time for an engine to stall and not re-engage. Yes, the issue has been reproduced and a dealer has already addressed the issue with a software update. This update has not resolved the issue. There are no current recalls on my vehicle. There are no warning signs or messages or the ability to turn off the function permanently. In addition, there a times during the operation of the vehicle where the engine stop/start function works after many stops but then randomly does not start. It is an inconsistent feature.

The front camera which controls all of the safety features went out! 1 week ago. It has been confirmed and I am now having to pay almost $2700. 00 to have it fixed. I am really upset to see how many issues this year of the car has. And the fact that Honda has known about it since 2019 and did nothing to fix them. There are 318 complaints on this car and I’m guessing over half of them have to do with the front camera. It is showing 5 safety codes.

Vehicle: 2021 Honda Pilot VIN: [xxx] complaint: my 2021 Honda Pilot continues to have the same issues described in NHTSA recall 23v-431 (backup camera / infotainment coaxial cable defect). The recall was marked “completed” about two years ago, but the safety problem persists. Symptoms include: •infotainment screen going black •“network communication lost” error messages •backup camera flickering or failing to display because the backup camera is federally required under fmvss 111, my vehicle is not compliant with safety standards. The dealership told me that since the recall was already performed, I would now have to pay out of pocket for further repairs. This means the original recall remedy either failed or was not effective. I am filing this complaint because Honda and its dealership are refusing to correct an unresolved safety defect, leaving my vehicle unsafe to operate. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2019 Honda Pilot randomly started showing all these errors at once: lkas, collision mitigation problem, road departure mitigation system problem, auto highbeam problem, adaptive cruise control problem. After speaking with the Honda dealership, they said this is a chronic problem with 2018 to new Honda vehicles. He stated he's unsure why there is not a recall for this yet. They stated that the issue is the front dash camera, which will need replacement. Replacement is around $2,000.

Vehicle adaptive cruise control and emergency braking completely stopped working.

When I stepped on the gas after starting the car, my car suddenly accelerated and there this 25 mph warning popped up in my dashboard. After stepping my brake the car slowed down but I can still see the 25 mph on the dashboard.

While operating I was on highway driving my car the driver seat was set up according to my height, when I use the break to slow down for the heavy traffic during the rush hour wasn't that fast at all I believe my car was at 30 in mph around somehow my car seat dropped too low and I was afraid that I can barley seen in the front. Some how I manage to get home but not sure if there is blown fuses, faulty switches, or loose wiring connectors under the seat or electrical seat problems. This vehicle is from year 2019 when we purchased. I haven't call the Honda for service yet, cause it's weekend now. I will call on following Monday 22. For check up.

Lane departure front facing projection camera suddenly went out disabling multiple safety features of the car. The part number for the car is 36160-tg8-a83. This car only has ~86,000 miles and this is unacceptable. This failure disables the lane keep assist, lane departure, auto high/low beam, adaptive cruise control, auto braking safety features and causes the brake light system light to come on. Apparently, this is a common issue and should be investigated. The parts are on back order nationally and good luck finding a used one.

At specific locations, the vehicle infotainment display will disconnect from a paired phone, causing the driver to lose gps and phone based audio. This is distracting because you tend to look at the radio to see what the issue is. The unit automatically reconnects within ~60 seconds, however during that time the display instructs you to connect via a cable, which is distracting while driving. Additionally, connecting a cable does not solve the issue. I have attempted to connect my phone via a usb cable before the reset occurs, however when I pass these specific locations, the reset still occurs. The issue is repeatable and occurs at specific geographic locations, suggesting there are rf emissions in that location that cause electro-magnetic interference. The radio system that Honda uses appears to have a susceptibility to radiated emissions.

After driving over a railroad crossing, all driver safety systems disabled, brake system error, awd torque distribution stopped and stated only fwd worked, and power steering stopped working. Was unable to manuever vehicle and had to ease vehicle over. Was able to stop the vehicle and shut it off. Restarted vehicle and power steering came back but other lights remained. Another few minutes went by and systems all returned to normal. This issue caused driver to lose all control of vehicle and thankfully didn't crash since vehicle was only traveling roughly 20 mph. If this happened at highway speed, there would be no way to safely stop the vehicle.

While stopped at red light the auto off feature engaged and the car stalled out when restarting. This has happened multiple times since buying the vehicle.

I have two issues. First issue is the car will hit an intermediately not start once shut off and will take a few times of making sure the car is completely shut off opening your doors letting it power down before being able to restart. The next issue is the forward collision notification will randomly beep at every car that goes by specifically white cars. And also the adaptive cruise control brakes a little bit harder than expected.

When driving long distances (10+ miles), the entertainment system suddenly goes black and shows an error message that says “network communication lost. Most net off. ” this includes the carplay/navigation system, backup camera, etc. Which causes distractions, navigation challenges, and impacts safety when happening mid-drive. It takes between 30 seconds and 3 minutes to re-boot. It typically happens multiple times during long drives (approximately every 5-10 minutes) which becomes very dangerous as dealing with this issue shifts attention away from driving.

Rearview camera images ot appear on the dashboard screen.

2019 Honda touring: driving down the highway the windshield would crackle ( electricity) then we started experiencing transmission delays in shifting and the transmission sounded rough and it was delayed. When the car was put in park the whole dashboard lit up with emissions system problem, stop driving when safe. Transmission problem, blind spot info system problem. After this showed up the car was not able to move at all. It would not move to gear. The problem was not reproduced at the Honda dealer. They recommend replacing the transmission. I had it towed to another shop where they tell me all codes that pertain this the initial issues stated and refer back to dealer to reset the tmc system failure and to reset the electrical system. Honda refuses to do work as they want to replace the entire transmission.

All safety features on the dashboard have lit up all are constantly on. Honda America states no open recall, I see many forums for Honda owners having this issue that also impacts safety.

Stopped at an intersection at approximately 2:40pm on August 28, 2025. The auto -stop/start stopped the engine and it would not restart.

Engine developed noises while driving and seized up. Prior to engine seizure, auto start/stop was having issues where it would not restart after stopping at a light or stop sign. Rear unibody rusting really badly due to cheap quality metal?.

The engine shuts off while driving and the car shifts the transmission to park or neutral.

So I have a Honda Pilot and have been seeing a light saying that my collision mitigation system is broke so I took it in for a diagnostic which I was charged for which is fine and normal I guess but they told me that the system was broken possibly from just driving through construction zones and this causes phantom braking so I have to get it fixed but they want to charge me for the repairs which from my perspective the customer I shouldn't have to pay for a defect like that that can cause injurie or much worse.

My 2016 Honda Pilot has continued to have engine restart issues with the automatic engine stop feature after taking it in for the initial recall. Upon telling this to the dealer, they said the recall work was already done and won’t address it further. They only did the software upgrade and did not tell me about the 2nd stage of repairs available. The issue is random but happens commonly, and seems to be worse on hot days. It also can sometimes struggle to restart after putting it in park after the auto restart fails.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the Honda sensing system misread roadway signs like jct-190, and indicated that the speed limit was 90 mph. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the dealer was aware that the functionality of the speed limit readings was not functioning properly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109.