Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

While stopped at an intersection, the car died, the transmission shifted to neutral automatically and the radio would not turn on. The agm battery was replaced approximately one year ago when a similar situation took place.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Rod bearing knocking noise.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My car is a 2019 Pilot and with 105k miles, engine has the rod bearing knock problem currently being investigated by NHTSA.

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When driving and wanting to accelerate at 65mph car just because limp, won’t go when accelerating for a few seconds, speed drops, then you press back on the accelerator and after a few times the car goes back to normal. So, you loose control of the accelerator for a few seconds and you cant go faster, it just freezes and speed drops. This has been happen g for awhile. I even called Honda corporate to advise them. It’s been happening for over 2 years. It comes and goes. We are starting to hear a clunk noise now.

While driving home the car started making loud noises and lost power. I pulled over as quickly as possible and had the vehicle towed to a Honda dealer where they they reported: "new engine assembly (long block with heads) due to internal engine failure. Found metal shavings in engine oil when strained through filter and magnet ran across bottom of pan. Includes engine replacement, gaskets and fluids" when researching my repair options I found that there were known issues with the 2016 Honda Pilot, but my vehicle was on included in the initial VIN list.

Transmission is sluggish and the rpm’s fluctuate between 1200 and 1400 at any speed going back and forth so the car has a back and fourth motion. Engine failure on 12/3/25 car stopped while driving. Makes a loud knocking sound. Most likely faulty bearings due to poorly engineered camshaft. White pear paint peeling since I purchased car. Capital Honda in san jose unable to address any issue saying nothing is covered under warranty. These issues where taking place even while under warranty.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Was at a complete stop and my car turned off and all my dash lights came on. On the freeway.

We had road issues recently and the care stalled on thanksgiving. We ended up having it towed to 2 mechanics, the final mechanic determined that this issue is a recall for other Hondas. Ours is not listed. I called the recall hotline and they will not fix the car under the recall because they did not add our VIN number to the recall. They informed us we could pay for the repair and keep our receipt for reimbursement if/when the VIN number is added. I was not happy with this outcome as if it's a problem with other vehicles why are we not being added. The recall is "a manufacturing defect in the connecting rod bearing that could cause the engine to seize and fail, leading to stalling while driving. ".

When driving on highway, heard loud engine cranking sound, followed by sudden jolts of the car. Stopped the car in the road median and then noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. Passengers got out of the car and noticed fire under the engine; called 911 immediately, then police and fire engine arrived to extinguish fire. Towed the car to local Honda service center. Diagnosis from the service center mentions: "a connecting rod broke and exited through the engine block/oil pan area on back of engine. . . . . And engine assembly need to be replaced along with other fire damaged and water damaged parts/sections. . . . " this looks to be related 2016 Honda Pilot connecting rod recall ( NHTSA recall# 23v-751 ). Car maintenance has always been done on-time at the Honda service center (records available for inspection). There were no warning lights before the incidence. Insurance company has inspected the car for claim purpose.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the engine failed in a matter of seconds on the interstate to where the vehicle was inoperable making a loud knocking sound and every system light on the dashboard turned on. We were able to take it to a local oil shop that was within a few miles and had them check on the car. The mechanic stated the oil looked brand new even though we just had it changed 2 months ago and he couldn't service the inside of the vehicles engine. We had to have it towed over 100 miles to chicago. To a Honda dealership that stated the engine looked like it was starved of oil. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? vehicle violent started shaking while myself, my wife, and our three kids were in the vehicle. All systems had failed by the time we got it to a dealership 5 miles away. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes the Honda dealership stated we need a new engine costing us well over $15,000. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no we have only had a mechanic at a Honda dealer confirm what was said initially that the engine seems to be malfunctioning. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? there was zero issues until all systems lights came on within a matter of 5 minutes.

My check engine light come on and started flashing on 11/24/25 and came along with a knocking sound. Got it to the shop, and they confirmed that the vehicle has a rod bearing knocking in the engine. I see that this has been a frequent known issue with this specific car and believe my car should be apart of this recall.

Dealership believes the conneting rod bearing failure. Engine seized and was towed to dealership. So was driving 35mph and lost all power and braking on a 2 lane road. He was able to direct the car off the road safely without further incident. Car was towed to the dealership and has been there since.

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Engine connecting rod bearing failure diagnosed at the dealership. At 30mph, engine lost power and clunking noise was heard, coasted into a parking lot and had the vehicle towed to the baierl Honda wexford PA dealership quoted total engine replacement at $9,978. 93 +labor, + tax.

My vehicle has 1,500 miles on it. Last time I drove it from work back home was Friday 11/21 and nothing was wrong. Got back in the car Sunday 11/23 and my engine light was blinking and all kinds of warnings were displaying such as engine, break, and steering problems. My wife and I noticed the car vibrating a lot and I had to drive 20mph. If not the car felt like it was going to shut down.

Following all repair/recall/warranty work recommended by Honda, the auto stop/start feature is again failing. This results in the vehicle not restarting after the auto idle engine stop is engaged while in traffic, stop lights, stop signs etc. This is a random occurrence, but results in a significant safety hazard as a stopped vehicle in a lane of travel. This is a recurring issue, no specific date of incident.

Incident happened on November/22/2025 was driving on a major highway with 2 other persons in the vehicle the check engine light began to flash and all the power form the engine was lost immediately pulled over. Called the Honda dealer when they opened took it to them to look at engine was knocking was told at the dealer there was metal in the oil and the knock is coming from the bottom of the engine. The engine is in non repairable shape and needs an engine replacement.

Vehicle has approximately 145k miles and regularly maintained at the dealership. With no prior warnings, the low fuel pressure light came on, started jerking, and making noises, and was unable to start. The vehicle was towed to the nearest mechanic where they said the engine has failed. The car was driven up to that point with no warning signs.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? 2017 Honda Pilot (127k miles) has experienced complete engine failure. Independent mechanic and Honda service have both said an engine replacement is required. Vehicle is at Honda of katy and available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? a breakdown occurred while my young son was driving. Thankfully, he was not on the highway, but the situation was distressing and has shaken my confidence in the vehicle's safety and reliability. He had to push it out of an intersection into a gas station, posing a safety risk to him, his passengers, and other cars on the road. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? it was towed to our mechanic and then to Honda after his inspection found the problem to be consistent with the NHTSA recall 23v-751. Honda's inspection shows that the engine needs to be replaced. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? an engine light came on 11/17 while my son was driving (1 mile from home. ) once he arrived, we immediately took it to the shop, but the light disappeared between his stop at home and when we started it up again. The mechanic could find nothing wrong. He took a drive for a few miles and the light never came back on and no codes were found. The oil was then changed (as part of routine maintenance) and the breakdown happened after driving about 10 miles post-visit. After having it towed back to the mechanic when the engine failed, it was confirmed that the oil levels were still good, but metal was found in the newly replaced clean oil.

While driving on the freeway at a slow speed due to two freeways merging, my Honda Pilot suddenly stopped/stalled. When I tried to restart the car by pressing the auto idle stop button to vehicle did not start. It took three times of pressing the auto idle stop button for the engine to restart. I am lucky that the traffic was going at a slow speed due to the merging of freeways so I was able to right away press my emergency signal lights on. I panicked and was scared for my safety and what could have happened to myself and others if the vehicle was running at a higher speed. This could have caused a major accident. Because this happened yesterday, I will be calling Honda to report the issue as well and have my vehicle inspected. My vehicle has had issues many times in the past with the auto idle stop button not starting, however, it has never happened while driving. The concerning part as well is that the vehicle did not give any kind of warning light or message.

Recall has been open since December of that year I have documentation that I took it last year to get this recall fix and your web site is stating that it is incomplete. Today 11/12 at 7:30am my engine caught on fire there was a lot of witness at the elementary school waving me down that my car was on fire. I panic and got away from the elementary where a lot of kids and families where present and went where there was no one insight and rush and got my set of 2 year old twins and my 3 year old son out there car seats and ran from the car and called 911 the fire department came and put out the fire and I have a report from them as well. Now that I remember about this recall I remember it stating that if this recall wasn't fix that it can start a fire so I put two and two together and order my car fax report and seen that this was never completed. And have paper work that it was completed.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The auto engine idle stop system just quits and stalls out at intersections. I have to put the car in park and restart the vehicle. Some times it takes a few minutes to get it moving. I’ve brought it to the dealership and they updated the software but it didn’t make any difference. It doesn’t happen all the time but it’s very frequent. I’ve started disabling it because it’s frightening when your call stalls and people are coming up behind you quickly at a green light. Today it’s entirely malfunctioning with a warning so I will have to take it back to the dealership again for them to tell me nothing is wrong. Honda should do a recall on this. I’ve searched the internet and I’m apparently one of many people having the same issues with this feature. Thanks so much.

Car engine developed a knock in the lower end we took it to the dealerships service department and they accessed it to have connecting rod bearing failure it is not safe drive with this issue as major engine failure is very possible we have owned this car for 8 years and done all recommended maintenance and repairs.

This car loses speed when passing while highway driving. Car decelerates and throws you into neutral throws dash errors of "blind spot" & "transmission problem". I was luck to be able to get over 2 lanes to break down lane without being hit from behind on several occasions. Car message to put in park and turn off. Car was in neutral and wound not go into park. I had to put emergency break on and power down car in neutral. Waited a few minutes then restarted and no errors on dash. Car back to normal. Car has major faults and you can't show the codes when you get to dealer because they are gone then they also want to charge you $175 diagnostic fee. Car also has issues with the stop light idle turning off feature and not turning back on for 5-10 minutes yet another way someone can hit you from behind. I am stuck with this unsafe car and Honda never has to recall anything. I am going tomorrow yet again to try and get the service bulletin 23-078 warranty extension for the torque converter covered to see if that will resolve issue.

Yes available for inspection. Was driving on highway when my engine lost power. Almost crashed and almost got rear ended on the highway. Mechanic said something about piston rod bearings? very loud knocking noise when car is started now . Not able to use. Only 100k miles. Fully maintained. Has to be part of recall soon? recall is for piston rod bearings. Same issue my Pilot has.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and waited for towing assistance. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

The v6 3. 5l engine in the 2016 Honda Pilot ex-l sounds horrible when shifting. It sounds like it is sticking, and in a way lurches. It is especially noticeable around 40mph, but you can audibly hear it shift at all gears. I am concerned that this vehicle should have been part of the previous 2023 recall, or should be looked at for the current 2025 investigation of the connecting rod bearing failures. I am almost afraid to drive the vehicle. The engine sounds awful.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearings, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v751000 (engine and engine cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

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.

Engine light came on when driving and started running bad. Engine now making a knocking noise. Connecting rod knocking sound. Had to tow the vehicle home on a trailer.

While traveling on highway a loud bang occurred, car jerked and started decelerating almost causing on accident. Car came to rest in middle of highway exit. Car was towed to Honda dealership where it was found to have a broken crankshaft rod bearing. No warning signs or symptoms had come prior to. New engine is required and confirmed by dealership.

Auto start/stop problems with car. When at a stop, car shifts into neutral and cannot get back into drive. Sometimes I cant turn off car. And when I do it's the only way to get car back into drive. Absolutely dangerous especially with kids in the car. Has happened on several occasions dating back so when car had only 50,000mi. Has had transmission replaced at 60,000mi. Still have engine idle issues till now.

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.

While driving the engine started smoking and stopped working. Upon checking by a mechanic it was found that the engine had no oil and was shut. Regular maintenance had been performed on a timely manner and there had been to previous issues or any oil leaks.

When I am driving my car and stop at a stop light sometimes the car will fail to start up. It goes into neutral and then will take at least a minute to restart which is very dangerous. Its something with the start/stop feature and I had this problem two years ago and after many times dropping off my car at the Honda dealership and them telling me nothing is wrong with the car I finally said there had been a service bulletin on the start/stop system and they finally fixed it. Now two years later the same thing is happening. It is very dangerous as it happened when I was at a stop light getting off the highway and a car was coming from the highway and it took a couple minutes to restart and I almost got hit. Honda refuses address the issue and says there is nothing wrong. In fact they told me I needed to replace the mechanism with the park, neutral drive which I did for $1100 and then picked it up and the same thing happened again then they said it was the battery which was less than a year old so I replaced that and again same problem. This happens at least twice a week. This is dangerous!.