Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

When I press down on the gas, the car is delayed in responding. This has gotten increasingly worse, at times resulting in near collisions with on-coming traffic. I've reported this to my local dealership (priority Honda in chesapeake, virginia) but they continue to tell me there are no diagnostic codes that allude to there being an issue and will not review it further. When I took a technician for a test drive and was able to replicate it, the technician said that it was normal that the gas was not immediately responsive. The unresponsiveness happens when I'm trying to get initial momentum (starting at a full stop), when I'm changing from reversing to moving forward, and when I'm already in motion and trying to advance speed.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

#1 connecting rod bearing failure at 89,000 miles, all oil changes were done timely and properly. Car is very well maintained. While engine is running it has a very loud rod knock coming from bottom of engine. I did some research and it’s the same symptoms and issues as (NHTSA campaign 23v751) 2016-2020 Honda Pilot recall.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Alternator had been replaced a few days prior. Heard a rattling the same day we picked the car up. Called the dealership to arrange a drop off for inspection. An hour after that call, the car was at a stopped and the engine shut off. The car is currently at the local dealership. We were at risk because the engine cut off with no warning. No lights to indicate an issue. The vehicle has been inspected by a Honda certified service department. According to the service department, this issue has been recalled but this specific VIN was not involved in the recall.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My 2021 Honda Pilot touring intermittently fails to restart after the auto idle stop system shuts off the engine at a stop. This occurs about 10% of the time. When I release the brake, the engine does not restart, creating a risk of being stranded in traffic. I must shift to park and press the start button to restart it. No warning lights or messages were observed. The problem has not yet been inspected by a dealer. The vehicle is available for inspection. Scheduled appointment at Honda service.

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".

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The auto idle engine system was on. I came to complete stop at a stoplight, the engine turned off. Then when I released my foot off the break, the car shut down and flashed a bunch of lights. The engine then shifts itself to neutral and then park. I have to press the start button several times to get the engine to turn on again. This has happened numerous times to myself and family members driving the car. The car just stops and shuts off. Very dangerous when other cars are behind you.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the engine failed to restart with the auto start/stop feature engaged, causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was manually restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA action number: ea25004 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

I came to a complete stop at a red light. The car went into neutral and shut off completely. In order to restart the car, I had to put it in park to completely restart it in traffic. This same thing has now happened multiple times and each time it does, it comes shortly before the battery fails and will not start the car at all. I have been through 3 agm platinum batteries in the past year. Something is draining the battery. The starter, alternator and auxiliary battery have each been tested in the course of taking the vehicle to 3 different auto mechanics before going to the Honda dealership. All of them said these components tested fine (and they were tested under load). Honda acted like they didn't know about this being a common problem and suggested we replace the starter as an experimental remedy. We asked the Honda dealership for the software update fix and were told we already had the 23-008 update. However, after more research realize that it also needs a 23-009 and 23-010 update as well which was not offered. Honda's failure to take responsibility on this known chronic problem is disappointing at best and likely negligent/reckless.

If the auto engine shut off is activated the engine shuts off randomly and it does not restart the engine. The battery needs to be unplugged to reset the electrical system. This happens daily.

Pilot broke down and when diagnosed, the rod bearing broke causing the engine to seize.

Vehicle had an engine fire yesterday. Inner cv boot is burned. Luckily fire was put out quickly with a fire extinguisher.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I was with my mother in law coming home from shopping. Car jerked and went into limp mode. We pulled over and restart the car and we were still in limp mode. We could past 2k rpm. We pulled in to the autozone that was near by, had them check the code and we have p0369 which indicates a camshaft sensor. I notified the deal where I always get my service done and they couldn’t take in the Pilot. I called multiple places but lead time was fair. I took it to a master mechanic and he states that he had ran into multiple problems about the camshaft has a play and hit the sensor. Sure enough he was right! older vehicle has a recall on this. I called Honda customer service about the problem I have and they don’t a recall for this year make and model. They couldn’t help nor steer in the right direction. So we are now out of pocket for the issue that is known.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

When at a stop, the automatic idle stop shuts off the engine and doesn’t come back out of that to start back up. Have to put the car in park to restart. This is a major safety issue especially when vehicles are behind me beeping the horn. Happened on several occasions.

The vehicle displayed a check engine light with a message stating an emissions issue. The car would accelerate on its own up to 10-15mph without any input to the throttle. Braking was extremely difficult and the car could not accelerate over 40 mph. My wife was driving and my 6 week old daughter was in the car.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Pilot 🔎.

2018 Honda Pilot – engine failed to restart during auto idle stop I own a 2018 Honda Pilot that has experienced an intermittent auto idle stop restart failure. Approximately 18 months ago, my Honda dealer performed the Honda service bulletin repair related to the auto idle stop restart issue, including replacement of the starter. More recently, I began experiencing intermittent hard starts after driving the vehicle and allowing it to sit for approximately 10–15 minutes. The battery is new and has tested good multiple times, and no diagnostic trouble codes or check engine light were present. Based on the starting symptoms, the evap purge solenoid was replaced. Immediately after that repair, the auto idle stop system began functioning normally again. However, two days later, while stopped at a traffic light, the auto idle stop system shut the engine off as designed. When the vehicle attempted to automatically restart, the engine failed to restart and the vehicle remained disabled in the traffic lane. I had to shift the vehicle into park and manually restart the engine using the start button. The engine then started immediately and operated normally. Since that event, the vehicle has continued to exhibit intermittent hot-start hesitation after short drives, although it runs normally once started. This is a significant safety concern because a failure of the auto idle stop system to restart the engine can leave the vehicle disabled in an active traffic lane or intersection, increasing the risk of a rear-end collision or other crash. I am submitting this complaint because the vehicle experienced an auto idle stop restart failure despite having previously received Honda’s repair for this issue, and I believe the condition warrants further investigation.

Auto idle stop (ais) system failed to restart engine after automatic shutdown at high elevation (~10,000 ft), following a long sustained incline. Vehicle had been driven through extreme heat (100°f+) in foothills prior to the climb, then ascended into cooler mountain air (~70°f). Coolant temperature gauge read normal (under half) at time of incident. At a stop, ais shut off the engine as designed. Engine did not start when I released the brake pedal. I have tried to turn off the car completely and start it again. Engine would not restart via the engine start/stop button afterward. Cranking was strong and fast, but engine did not catch/start. Vehicle was inoperable for approximately 5 minutes, after which it started normally with no further intervention (no jump start, no mechanical repair). After restart, auto start/stop was manually disabled for the remainder of the trip. Vehicle then completed a 1-hour drive home with no further starting or performance issues, suggesting the ais restart logic, not an unrelated mechanical or electrical fault, was the cause.

We were driving from [xxx], to [xxx], on xxx. That morning we'd taken the Honda Pilot in to xpresso lube and got an oil change and all fluids checked out. Eight hours into the drive we heard a little clanking and started to pull off the freeway. As we did so, a low oil pressure light came on for a few seconds and then we heard a loud bang and then very loud, rhythmic, clanking noises in the engine as it was losing power. The first mechanic shop we had it towed to diagnosed engine failure, so we had it towed to a Honda service shop 30 miles away. They said it was a rod bearing and the entire engine needed replacing. Our mileage at the time it entered the Honda shop was 72, 275k. We have done regular, consistent oil changes and maintenance on this car that we bought new in 2019 (a 2018 model). We at first wondered if the wrong oil was put in or if it was a faulty oil filter, but Honda said there was plenty of oil in the engine. We did get a sample of the oil that came out. The filter will be sent in to the manufacturer for quality assessment. Our safety was at risk to some degree, but we were able to pull off the road. The Honda dealership is holding the engine for me and could be inspected. . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle stalls when the car shuts off from the auto engine idle shut off feature. The concern was allegedly resolved twice with an update but the issue persists. My battery died in December 2025, when asked if it was a result of the recall causing repeated start failures, the dealership denied. Recently my vehicle shut off from the auto engine idle stop feature and completely died, I had to push to start my vehicle several times to start it back up and this was after replacing my battery 7 months ago. A heavy duty battery was purchase to meet my vehicle needs.

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.

I was driving down car highway 395, at highway speed, when my vehicle suffered a sudden and catastrophic engine failure with no warning. The engine began to shutter and knock and I lost power. The check engine light then came on. I was able to quickly pull over and the vehicle shuttered to a stop and would not start. I and my family were stranded on the side of the highway in a remote area for hours late at night. Chp a contacted, non emergency, and was able to contact a tow truck. No officer was available to assist due to a wildfire in the area. After being towed, a mechanic was able to start it briefly and stated it seemed like a rod or bearing problem. I've now had a second mechanic say the same thing.

Vehicle was being driven on the interstate going 70-77 mph. First noticed faint knocking sound and loss of ability to accelerate followed by check engine light and multiple system failure notifications. Pulled over on the highway between exits and turned vehicle off to call for assistance. Turned vehicle back on after 10-15 minutes to test, all warnings remained and acceleration was limited but possible. Drove vehicle on side of i70 until reaching an exit and parking for help to arrive. Two children and myself the driver were in the car. Vehicle was inspected and codes ran, but ultimately towed to our local Honda dealership. This event took place on July 18, 2026 causing us to miss a family wedding. The vehicle has been sitting at penske Honda since then waiting for diagnostic tests to be run, scheduled for August 6.

In the past month 4 times I had a software, module malfunction. All lights in in the dash are on like a christmas tree. Believe is related to the pgm. When to the Honda dealer in winter haven explained what happened and show a short video and they said that because my VIN [xxx] have no recall I have to pay $89. 99 for an inspection and other charges to fix the problem. I told the service department that my battery & alternator were ok that many Honda vehicles had the same problems and that I believe is the pgm. When this happens I can’t turn the SUV off, the brakes started acting weird, can’t open the rear door and the engine accelerates. If this is not a safety hazard I don’t know what it is. I have an appointment tomorrow with the dealer but I think that pay for a manufacturer malfunction is no way of doing business information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My daughter was driving my 2016 Honda Pilot ex when loud rattling noise came from engine compartment. The vehicle lost power and display warning lights came on. She pulled over and shut off the vehicle since the rattling noise was very loud. Vehicle was towed to an independent shop and the technician from the shop confirmed engine malfunction and found large metal bits in the oil. I had the vehicle towed to Honda of stevens creek, san jose, California. Technician also confirmed metal chunks in my vehicle oil. Brian the service advisor from the dealer told me that my VIN number is not part of the recall. I informed him of Honda's recall number xg1 and ggo, but he said he has to follow the VIN number and cannot include my vehicle's engine as a recall issue. Even though the recall article mentioned 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot in NHTSA recall no. 23v858000.

My engine has developed a severe internal engine/rod knock due to connecting rod bearing failure. My vehicle which is a 2016 Honda Pilot was built at the Lincoln alabama plant but my VIN was excluded from recall 23v751 based on production dates. However my engine is failing from the same exact crankshaft and bearing defect.

Engine start/stop function fails to restart after automatically shutting off at a light or in traffic. It falters and fails to start, then the dashboard lights up with errors, and I have to put it into park before restarting. Sometimes it takes a few tries before restarting. The battery has been replaced twice in the last year and the starter motor within the last year too, but the issue persists.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

When the vehicle is at a stoplight or stop sign, the engine regularly shuts off. The engine does not automatically restart and sometimes it takes several minutes to restart the engine, leaving the car blocking traffic at a light. This happens repeatedly and often.

Started up vehicle, and (all the bashboard warning lights illuminated),tsa,check engine light,power steering, brake lights. . . . . All of them. Doors won't lock, and the raido stays on, even when the vehicle is completely turned off. Vehicle purchased on:12/02/2024. 3 miles on the odometer. Currently 14,000 miles. . Honda corporation attempting not honor the warranty. $8400 dollars, to fix,and to contact my insurance company, and claim rodent damage; I, wouldn't have to pay, the insurance company will cover the cost.

Message emissions system problem – avoid heavy acceleration and high speed. See dealer. Car has been dropped off at dealer on 7/12/26 and has still yet to be returned. Dealer stated they contacted Honda corporate and they need to take the engine apart and submitt photos.

With auto stop enabled, was the first car at a stop light. What happens next may be out of order - apologies. Light turned green and I pressed the gas and car shut off. I went to restart the car and a dashboard notification appeared saying to put car in n ? so I did and pressed gas again that did not work. Could not put car in park - cars were honking behind me and it was pouring rain so visibility was not easy. I don’t remember the next steps as I was frustrated yet somehow I pushed enough buttons that I was able to push the brake and start button enough times that the car blessfully restarted. I disengaged the auto idle button at that point and my car returned to my house sluggishly. It was as if the car could not shift into gears properly. Car has been not hitting gears properly and has turned off at auto stop over a dozen times more. Honda service states they cannot duplicate so cannot resolve.

My current 2021 Honda Pilot (purchased used may 2024) is stalling out in live traffic - the most recent on xxx creating a massive safety hazard. (in addition, the engine is making the same exact clicking noise that the 2015 Honda VIN:[xxx] made right before the engine catastrophically seized on my way to work. That 2015 Honda Pilot seized due to a defective variable cynlinder management (vcm) system. This defect was covered by a court-ordered federal class-action settlement warranty extension (alex [xxx] v. American Honda, case no. Xxx), extending coverage to 10 years/150,000 miles. While that vehicle was fully within this window - Honda of [xxx] wrongfully denied this legal warranty. ) the current 2021 Honda Pilot (purchased used) VIN: [xxx] suffers from intermittent engine stalling in live traffic. The dealership has failed to resolve this issue across three separate visits, while exploiting the emergencies. The timeline of failed repairs includes: 2/14/ the vehicle stalled in live traffic. The dealership charged me $420. 48 for diagnostics and a failed repair. 8/13/the dashboard lit up and the vehicle suffered engine failure leaving my family stranded for 9 hours waiting for Honda assist. It was brought to the Honda of new rochelle service center where they exploited this emergency to charge me an exorbitant $1,300. 00 out of pocket for unrelated work financed via sunbit loan. 9/24/2025: the vehicle stalled in live traffic for a third time. The dealership charged me an additional $572. 00 for another failed repair. They reguse to give me the ro's and the car has 29 active codes including u3006-16 (ecu power source failure), proving a severe electrical or fuel delivery hazard remains completely unresolved. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The problem on our Honda Pilot is related to the starter. We have had four instances now where the auto start/stop function has failed to restart the car after sitting at a stop light. This has happened at very busy intersections resulting in difficulty restarting the car and the car temporarily disabling the auto start/stop functions. I just had this happen for the fourth time on 7/9/26 at approximatlely 6:00 pm. I am planning on taking it into the dealership to have it looked at since it has happened multiple times. I also see on the internet that other owners are having this issue and NHTSA is looking into it. I feel this is a significant safety issues since this happens in traffic and could result in people being rear-ended when their car won't start. This problem started for me about two months ago but I thought it was just a fluke but apparently it is not. The battery and electrical system has been checked and are working properly.

While driving a knocking noise was heard which was worse during acceleration. An orange flashing engine light was displayed a mile away from home. Inspection completed by certified master technician was completed showing engine damage from rod beating and crank shaft. Vehicle was out purchased from Honda dealership and all services and oil changes were completed at same dealership. Vehicle is now inoperable. Nhtsa campaign number: 23v751000.

* collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) – southeastern Honda: shortly after purchase, the cmbs repeatedly slammed on emergency brakes without cause, incorrectly flagging adjacent or oncoming vehicles as collision threats. I presented video and photo evidence to southeastern Honda. The service manager dismissed the hazard, telling me I "just have to learn how to drive the car with these driver assist features. " fearing an accident, I was forced to permanently disable the system. * starter failure / battery issues – space coast Honda: the vehicle went through four batteries and repeatedly failed to restart when auto idle stop engaged, stranding my wife and children in parking lots and active traffic. I brought the car in multiple times insisting the starter was the issue, but space coast Honda refused to replace it because no codes were present and my VIN wasn't attached to a recall. Once out of warranty, I replaced the starter out-of-pocket, which permanently resolved the issue. Teardown of the original starter revealed extensive heat damage, burned insulation, and charred components. * current engine concern – space coast Honda: the engine now exhibits rod bearing failure symptoms aligned with recall 23v-751, including knocking and metallic debris in the oil and filter. I brought the vehicle and photo evidence to space coast Honda. One staff member claimed metal in the oil was "normal," while another disagreed. I left the car for evaluation, but two days later learned no inspection was done; they claimed Honda would deny it based on VIN exclusion and quoted $13,500 for a used engine. When I insisted they present my case to Honda anyway, they abruptly raised the inspection fee to $800—despite having completed zero diagnostics over two days.

Ive had about 5 times my car Honda Pilot 2021 stall at a stop light, a stop sign. The first it took a minute to go and the light was green. I was honked at and yelled at. It finally kicked on and we went, the next time it went into accessory mode at a stop sign, then into n then off…. All while in drive to start. The rest were times I was in auto start stop and it just wouldn’t start. Each 5 times it gave an error code that disappeared right after I had to try snd restart by pushing the button. I went to Honda 2 times now, first time they said they did the program… that didn’t stop the issue, I then took it again after the 4th time and they said it was a bad battery… replaced it mind you $400 later… and it did it the next day. . They won’t cover a free inspection and when I said there’s a bulletin about this they said they did id already but still doing it. I am very frustrated and j drive 3 kids under 7 this is very very unsafe especially someone who already has a brain injury from aka c I dent.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop at an intersection, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was blocking traffic and was pushed to safety. While in a safe location, the battery was diagnosed and was found to be in good working condition. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a seized engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.