Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

On 11/08/2026, my daughter was driving our 2017 Honda Pilot at highway speeds on the freeway when the engine suffered a sudden, violent, and complete seizure. The vehicle experienced an immediate, dangerous loss of motive power while traveling in active traffic, presenting an extreme safety hazard to herself and surrounding motorists. First the engine was running rough, then the accelerator stoped working, then the battery and the oil lights came on, then she pulled over to the side and the brake stopped working (the brake pedal locked and wouldn’t let me press down anymore) then she put the car in park and put the emergency brake on, the the brake failure warning screen popped up, then when she tried to turn the car on and off the engine wouldn’t start and all the warning lights would flicker on the panel, and the engine rpm indicator would just shake around 0 rpm the vehicle was towed to a secure location and has been diagnosed with total internal engine failure. This catastrophic failure mirrors the exact parameters outlined in the active NHTSA recall query rq24013 regarding premature connecting rod bearing wear on Honda 3. 5l v6 engines. The 2017 model year was improperly excluded from the previous engine recall (campaign 23v751000), despite suffering from the identical manufacturing defect. I am requesting that NHTSA expedite this investigation to force a mandatory safety recall before this defect causes severe crashes or injuries.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

2021 Honda Pilot ex-l, 3. 5l v6. The engine cranks slowly and is sluggish to start when restarted after a short stop of roughly 10-30 minutes (for example, running errands). After the vehicle sits an hour or more, it starts normally. The condition appears tied to engine heat-soak. The battery has been tested and ruled out as the cause. This is a repeat of a prior problem. The vehicle previously received Honda's repair for the idle stop no-restart condition under service bulletins a23-010/23-009, including starter assembly and starter relay replacement and a valve adjustment. The slow hot-restart symptom has returned since that repair. This matches the condition under NHTSA investigation ea25004, where owners report the problem returning after the campaign repairs. Safety risk: slow or failed restarts when the engine is warm could leave the vehicle and occupants stranded, including in traffic or unsafe locations. With auto idle stop, a weak restart could also cause the engine to fail to restart at an intersection. Dealer: scott clark Honda performed the work the first time. I have an appointment with hendrick Honda for Tuesday 11/10 warning lamps or messages: none the vehicle is available for inspection on request. Video of the slow crank can be made at any point as it’s every time I drive.

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Frequent struggles/failures to restart engine from the auto idle start/stop feature engaging. Multiple times, despite top of the line battery with agm have even failed to restart the car and that is with a battery being than a year old. Wife and children have been stranded at a light in the middle lane of a busy roadway, intersection and at work. These issues also occur from cold starts, again, with newer batteries + agm at just about the 1 year mark each year. Costs, risks, inconvenience that have been present year after year. We must disengage the auto idle feature manually every time we enter the car or else we are at risk for our safety or at the least a costly/frustrating series of events to restore the situation.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The manufacturer’s defective fuel delivery system (faulty fuel injectors covered under Honda TSB #19-056) causes severe engine cylinder misfires, dropping the vehicle into an immediate, unpredictable, and sluggish 'limp mode' while driving at highway speeds. This sudden loss of power and acceleration creates a severe traffic hazard, preventing the vehicle from keeping pace with traffic or safely merging. The primary fueling malfunction has also led to cascading damage, sequentially melting and destroying both catalytic converters and prematurely destroying brand-new spark plugs in under 5,300 miles due to raw fuel dumping into the exhaust stream.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I am filing this complaint as a proactive safety measure regarding my 2021 Honda Pilot ex-l, equipped with the 3. 5-liter v6 engine. I am deeply concerned about the severe manufacturing defect involving connecting rod bearing failures that cause sudden, catastrophic engine stalling and total loss of motive power while driving. This exact defect was the subject of NHTSA recall campaign 23v-751. However, Honda arbitrarily restricted that recall to select 2016, 2018, and 2019 model years. As a current owner of a 2021 model year vehicle utilizing the exact same j-series v6 engine architecture, my vehicle is suffering from the exact same underlying vulnerability but is entirely excluded from safety protections and repair remedies. A sudden engine failure at highway speeds poses an extreme and immediate safety risk to myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. I am submitting this to formally urge the NHTSA to expand its current investigation into Honda’s v6 engine failures and force american Honda motor CO. To expand recall 23v-751 to include the 2021 Honda Pilot fleet before a catastrophic failure occurs.

I picked up a brand new 2026 Honda Pilot xle with 10 miles on it. I drove it about 22 miles on my commute that evening and noticed the acceleration to be sluggish and shifting hard. I also noticed when I turned up the audio system the sound would skip out and make a crackling noise as if a wire wasn?t attached to a speaker. I parked the vehicle overnight and then began my commute the next morning with my 12yo. Less than a half mile from our home, upon acceleration of the vehicle in rush hour traffic it began to bog. It immediately shut down and threw the vehicle into neutral as I was attempting to accelerate. No warning lights initially came on. I could not figure out what was happening. I attempted to pull off but the car wasn?t running despite the dash being lit. The car put itself into park. I attempted to restart the vehicle to get off the road (thankfully I did not get hit from behind when the vehicle went into neutral. I repeatedly attempted to turn on the vehicle and it would immediately shut off. The indicator to turn off the vehicle by pushing the button twice came on. When I attempted to do this the vehicle would attempt to restart and then shutdown again. I could not change gears or turn the engine over. It would start and turn off on its own. Eventually had the vehicle towed back to the dealer where I refused to take the vehicle back. Safety was compromised when the vehicle automatically shifted into neutral then park while driving. With my 12 yo child in the vehicle we had almost been hit multiple times because I could not get the vehicle onto the shoulder due to this malfunction. Even when I called Honda roadside assist they refused to send a tow unless I had called emergency personnel and I “got to safety”-which, of course, I couldn?t do because the vehicle was completely disabled. Dealer was unable to replicate issue. No warning lights or indicators appeared until multiple on/off then the battery light came on when attempting to turn over.

Hello, while driving, the engine developed a distinct, heavy metallic knocking sound coming from the bottom end. I took the vehicle to an independent repair shop for inspection, where the mechanic drained the oil and cut open the oil filter. The filter pleats contained significant metallic debris and bearing shavings, confirming internal connecting rod bearing failure. The mechanic confirmed the engine has severe bottom-end damage requiring a complete replacement. The damaged oil filter and engine are available for inspection upon request. According to the previous owner, the vehicle was brought to an official Honda dealership in April 2024 for this exact knocking noise. Per the seller, the dealership misdiagnosed the engine knock as a faulty timing belt tensioner and charged approximately $2,000 to replace the timing belt assembly. That repair failed to resolve the noise, but because of the dealer's misdiagnosis, the vehicle continued to be driven with failing rod bearings. This failure poses an immediate safety hazard. Sudden connecting rod bearing failure on the highway can lead to complete engine seizure, abrupt loss of power at high speeds, power steering loss, or a thrown rod causing an engine fire, putting passengers and surrounding traffic at severe risk. Prior to the diagnostic check, there were no low oil pressure warning lights or dashboard indicators. This failure directly aligns with NHTSA campaign 23v-751 (Honda recall xg1) for 3. 5l v6 (j35) engine connecting rod bearing defects. This 2016 Honda Pilot has the exact affected j35 engine type and exhibits the exact failure mechanism described in the recall, yet this specific VIN was excluded. Given that non-recalled vins are experiencing identical catastrophic bearing failures, Honda should expand the recall parameters or cover the replacement engine cost for vehicles with this confirmed defect.

Vehicle went into limp mode. Engine had p0369 code for the camshaft position sensor. Timing belt kit is now getting serviced. The camshaft position switch needs replaced. Lastly the bank 1 camshaft needs to be replaced due to excessive play. Seems to be a manufacturer issue and is a safety issue because the vehicle went into limp mode up a hill in traffic.

The auto idle stop feature will turn my engine off like it's supposed to, but then my engine dies when I try to accelerate again. This is happening more and more. I would allow my car to be inspected. My car tried to roll backward into the car behind me today, and I have held up traffic each time this has happened. I have seen on chatrooms that other Honda Pilots have this problem. No one has inspected my vehicle. This time my car went into neutral and flashed an alert that my car was now in neutral.

On four occasions, my 2021 Honda Pilot se awd (VIN [xxx]) has shut off at a stop under the auto idle stop system and then failed to restart, leaving the driver stranded. The incidents happened on xxx, xxx, xxx, and xxx in and around [xxx]. Component: the starter system and the auto idle stop engine restart function. Honda has acknowledged this exact condition in service bulletin 23-009 and warranty extension 23-009/23-010 (“engine does not auto restart after entering auto idle stop”). The listed remedy is a software update, a valve adjustment, and replacement of the starter assembly and starter relays. The vehicle and the original starter are available for inspection on request. Safety risk: the engine shuts off at stops as designed, then will not restart. The vehicle is left disabled at intersections and in traffic with no warning, which puts the driver and passengers at risk of being rear-ended and stranded. My wife has been stranded four times. Idle stop turns itself back on every time the car is started, so the driver’s only protection is remembering to switch it off manually on every trip. The fourth failure happened when she forgot. Dealer confirmation: the Honda dealer in [xxx] has performed product update 23-008, the pgm-fi idle stop software update xxx, and a valve adjustment xxx. The failure has continued after both repairs. The dealer has not replaced the starter assembly and relays, which is the remaining step of Honda’s published remedy. Manufacturer involvement: american Honda customer relations has opened case #xxx and is “reviewing” my request. Honda has not inspected the vehicle directly. No police or insurance inspection has taken place. Warning signs: the failure to start is random when auto start is not disabled, and motor is hot. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While stopped at red light or stop sign the car goes into engine auto off mode when the brake is pressed. When then trying to go, the car is turning off or going to neutral. This causes vehicles behind me to stop suddenly and can cause an accident. The only way to then go is to turn the vehicle off, and restart, then put back in drive. This is happening very frequently and again is a safety hazard for me and others.

I am writing to report a severe internal engine defect on my 2016 Honda Pilot that poses a sudden stalling and safety hazard, identical to the failures covered under NHTSA recall campaign number 23v-751. My vehicle is currently experiencing a distinct metallic rattling/knocking noise coming from the lower engine block. This noise is highly noticeable under acceleration and high-load conditions right before the transmission shifts gears at higher rpms. Upon performing an inspection of the engine oil system, the drained engine oil revealed a heavy concentration of microscopic metallic "glitter" and shimmering copper/silver shavings suspended in the fluid. This confirms acute, active connecting rod bearing degradation and crankshaft journal wear. Despite displaying the exact textbook symptoms, failures, and manufacturing characteristics of the defect outlined in recall 23v-751 (improperly ground crankshaft journals from the factory), my specific VIN is currently excluded from the recall scope. I am submitting this complaint to formally document that my vehicle is a clear positive match for this manufacturing defect. I request that my VIN be added to the active recall scope or included in the NHTSA’s ongoing investigation regarding Honda’s under-inclusive recall volume, as this failure introduces an immediate risk of catastrophic engine seizure and sudden loss of motive power at highway speeds.

Connecting rod spun a bearing/ rod knock verified le customer's concern regarding an abnormal engine knock?r oise. Conducted a diagnostic inspection and confirmed pronounced metallic knocking noise originating from the ower engine assembly. Used a mechanic's stethoscope tr isolate the noise to the crankshaft/connecting rod area technician verified a catastrophic lower-end engine failure. Specifically, the diagnostic notes state: "connecting rod spun a bearing / rod knock verified" "pronounced metallic knocking noise originating from the lower engine assembly" "testing indicated that the knocking noise was most prominent at cylinder #2, consistent with excessive connecting rod bearing clearance and a spun connecting rod bearing. " furthermore, the computer scan sheet shows zero codes for low oil pressure, engine overheating, or vehicle neglect. The temporary misfire codes listed occurred solely because the technician intentionally disconnected individual ignition coils to isolate the mechanical knocking sound. This precise diagnosis—a spun connecting rod bearing at cylinder #2 due to improper clearance—is the textbook definition of the inherent manufacturing defect that triggered the major NHTSA action regarding Honda 3. 5l v6 engines. Because my vehicle was manufactured at the Lincoln, alabama plant and has been maintained perfectly by Honda its entire life, this failure is undeniably due to a factory structural defect rather than normal wear and tear or owner oversight.

My 2016 Honda Pilot has suffered catastrophic engine failure due to an apparent connecting rod bearing failure, identical to the defect described in NHTSA recall 23v-751. During driving on the interstate the engine began knocking, made a loud banging sound, abruptly seized while driving which caused a sudden loss of motive power on the roadway, which created an immediate traffic hazard and safety risk. My VIN was checked and is currently excluded from the existing recall when checking through Honda. I am filing a complaint to urge investigation to expand the scope of the recall to cover my vehicle since it seems to exhibit the exact same rod defect currently under this federal investigation.

Having strong raw gas smell when the driver pressing the break to stop from running.

To whom it may concern: I am requesting immediate escalation of a serious safety concern involving my 2021 Honda Pilot touring, which I purchased as a Honda certified pre-owned vehicle directly from tempe Honda. I also purchased additional warranty coverage at the time of sale. I have owned this vehicle for less than two years, and it has already required service for an issue involving the automatic idle-stop system. That issue remains unresolved. More recently, the vehicle has begun unexpectedly shifting into neutral without any action on my part. This has occurred on multiple occasions, including when transitioning from reverse into drive and, most alarmingly, while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop at a traffic light. During these incidents, the neutral indicator actually illuminates on the dashboard. This is not simply an inconvenience or a minor performance concern. It is a potentially dangerous malfunction that places me, my passengers, and other motorists at risk. I am particularly concerned because I am a single mother who relies on this vehicle for daily transportation, including transporting my child.

I opened case #xxx with Honda motor CO. Regarding a fuel-injector issue with my 2019 Honda Pilot awd. At approximately 32,725 miles, the check-engine light came on. A diagnostic scan displayed code p219a, which was later confirmed by an authorized Honda dealer in [xxx]. Based on my understanding, Honda technical service bulletin (TSB) 21-010 addresses this issue in 2018–2019 Honda Pilot vehicles. However, both Honda motor CO. And the dealer denied coverage, stating that my vehicle’s VIN is not included under the bulletin. The dealer initially told me there was a 99% chance the repair would be covered, but the following morning I was informed that my VIN did not qualify. Honda also declined to cover the repair as a goodwill adjustment. Instead, Honda offered approximately $400 toward the repair cost without acknowledging that the underlying problem was a Honda-related defect. I declined the offer because I believe Honda should accept responsibility for the issue and cover the full cost of the repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Auto start / stop for the engine when coming to a stop at idle. We cannot replicate the situation over and over, but it has happened numerous times. If the auto start stop feature is allowed to function and the vehicle motor turns off at a stop sign or a stop light, it sometimes does not turn back on when you let off the brake and push the accelerator. This puts us in a very dangerous situation at intersections with a stalled out car. It sometimes takes several minutes to restart the car, all the while (my wife usually drives this car) she is panicking while cars honk and swerve around her disabled car. Honda dealer has been less than helpful stating they cannot do anything unless they can replicate it in the shop. Most recent incident happened today while my wife was driving to work.

Traveling on 295 getting off onto route 6 west, when suddenly the engine stopped working and miraculously I was able to get to the side of the road into the breakdown lane. The vehicle was towed by aaa to a garage. When the mechanic was able to get it started, it sounded like something was clanking around in the engine. He states it appears a rod broke inside the engine. And now I have to put a brand new engine into it or get rid of it.

Driving home late Tuesday night October 13, 2026 the car made a severe noise, pulled to side of the road turned car off. The car would not start, the car was towed the next day to the Honda dealership it was bought from. The car had just been in the Honda shop for routine maintenance. There was no warning lights. The safety concerns being on the side of a busy road. My wife and 2 children had to wake up and come and get me. This Pilot is our primary car the other one is not safe enough and is used for in town driving. According to the dealership it was towed to it was a p0304: cylinder 4 misfire misfire with a brand-new plug and a healthy timing belt, together with a loud engine noise, points to mechanical damage inside the engine. That fits a rod bearing failure.

The engine has developed a severe internal engine knocking/rattling noise while running. This symptom matches the defective crankshaft and connecting rod bearing failures detailed under NHTSA campaign 23v751000, presenting a severe risk of sudden stalling and complete engine failure under load.

My 2017 Honda Pilot suddenly experienced engine failure. While drive the check engine light came on and could hear engine noise. Towed vehicle to a repair shop where they found bearing material in the oil filter. This vehicle has been well maintained, with regular oil changes.

A recent drive on the expressway with my two young children turned into a nightmare when my vehicle's transmission failed without warning. Traveling at 65 mph, I was faced with a huge risk to our safety. Sadly, this was not the first time I've experienced problems with this vehicle. The steering wheel has locked up on me multiple times. I've lost count, but it's happened at the least 7 times – and I've been living with the constant fear of being involved in an accident. I've previously tried to address these issues through the lemon law, but unfortunately, I haven't seen any resolution yet.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Pilot 🔎.

On [xxx] at approximately [xxx] with my car being at 136,390 miles I was at a stoplight and my engine idle engaged, but when I took my foot off the break, it would not reengage. It shifted to neutral. It took me several tries to get my car to start back up. This is the second time this has happened to me since owning this vehicle. I purchased it brand new and 2017 from the Honda dealership in richland washington. After the first time it happened, there was a bulletin that went out for a software update. I took this in and had it done. Obviously that did nothing. This is not only very frustrating but very dangerous. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

We just purchased last month a 2017 Honda Pilot elite. We have had issues with the auto start/stop function. Once at a drive through and once at a stoplight. After letting off break, it failed to restart and had to put it in park and restart. This is a dangerous situation being stalled in the road at a busy intersection. I haven't got it in the shop yet, but planning it next week.

The ''low oil pressure'' light came on with limited driving function. It's been verified by an independent automotive repair that it has a rod knock that's similar to the rod bearing failures from the 2016 Honda Pilots that warranted a recall.

This has happened to me 5 times in the last month or so. It is a safety situation and is scary when it happens. The idle stop feature is malfunctioning and could cause me to be rear ended. When I am waiting to turn right at a red light, or waiting for someone to turn at a yellow blinking light, the idle feature isn't working properly. Sometimes the entire car actually turns off, the car goes into neutral, and the dash board shows a crash detection or battery image. This is a safety hazard because in a right turn lane, when I am waiting for the cars before me to go, and then they do go, the people behind me are expecting me to go. Instead, I have to put on my flashers, put my car in park, and then restart my car, then put it in drive. It is not the usual idle stop happening; this is different; the car is actually shutting off and going into neutral and has to be put in park and then completely turned on. It goes into an accessory mode feel. I have a 2022 Honda Pilot touring.

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My 2016 Honda Pilots has given me trouble lots of people call it the christmas lights effect, all the dashboard lights turn on in the middle of the highway and my truck jerks and turned off , they now about this dangerous trouble and has not put any recalls on this matter, had to spend 3,000 dollars had to replace the fuel pump and the fuel injected , will not recommend this truck, I was so stressed and scared.

My vehicle continues to stall when coming to a stop which is a huge safety concern. Please reference service bulletin 23-010 which is exactly my problem as well. Local Honda dealership and Honda directly confirm this is my problem. However since my VIN range wasnt reported to you they will not cover the repair cost. Can you please investigate and include my VIN on the bulletin or create a new investigation.

The car stopped in the middle of the high traffic highway in IL while driving to the airport on [xxx]. The car failed to restart on few restart try. Vehicle was put on emergency flashing light and turned off / turned on. It would not start. The break / clause was stiff. We turned off the vehicle completely for few min and then restarted. The vehicle started. It was the scariest thing ever happened. As we were 5 member in the car and the situation was very risky, prone to accident and death. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The motor is misfiring on cylinder 5 due to faulty engine components. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. My safety and children’s are at risk as the cabin fills up with raw fuel fumes and makes you feel dizzy. It is also a huge safety risk that I have a failed motor and not one sensor or computer component came up to warn on the dashboard(aka engine light). The problem was brought to two different Honda dealers and the second one confirmed all this is true and faulty due to the manufacturers. No it hasn’t been inspected because we can’t get corporate to take us seriously or call us back in the right department. There were no warning lights on and it first appeared since the injectors were replaced.

While driving our 2016 Honda Pilot on the highway approximately three weeks ago, we experienced a sudden, loud clunk from the engine, followed by catastrophic engine failure. The failure occurred unexpectedly while the vehicle was traveling at highway speed, creating a serious safety concern. Following the incident, we learned that the engine had suffered severe internal damage involving the connecting rod/piston assembly, with internal components breaking through the engine block. The vehicle now requires a complete engine replacement, estimated by the Honda dealership at approximately $20,000. At the time of failure, the vehicle had approximately 95,000–105,000 miles and had received regular maintenance at an authorized Honda dealership, including major engine maintenance in November 2025. We are particularly concerned because Honda previously issued safety recall 23v-751 for connecting rod bearing failures affecting certain 2016 Honda Pilots. However, our vehicle’s VIN was excluded from that recall despite experiencing an apparently similar catastrophic engine failure. Nhtsa also opened investigation pe25008 to investigate additional connecting rod bearing failures involving Honda vehicles outside the original recall population. We believe our vehicle’s failure warrants investigation to determine whether it is related to the known connecting rod bearing defect and whether additional vehicles were improperly excluded from the original recall. We have opened a case with american Honda, which is currently reviewing our request for assistance with engine replacement. We request that NHTSA document and investigate this incident as a potential vehicle safety defect, given the sudden engine failure at highway speed and the risk of a serious accident.

I was stopped at a traffic light just off a highway exit ramp, with my vehicle in drive. When the light changed and I attempted to accelerate, the vehicle would not move forward. I immediately shut off the engine. Because I was stopped in an active traffic lane near a highway ramp, I became concerned for my safety and restarted the vehicle in an attempt to move out of traffic. Upon restarting the engine, I heard a knocking noise that had not been present previously. I was able to move the vehicle approximately five feet to a safe position before shutting it off again. I did not attempt to drive the vehicle any further because I was concerned about causing additional damage. The entire incident unfolded within seconds. This was a single, sudden failure rather than a recurring issue. The knocking occurred only during the period leading up to the vehicle becoming inoperable. This was not an ongoing issue that I had been experiencing for months. Car would not accelerate, I began experiencing a knocking noise from the engine. The vehicle subsequently stopped running.

The vehicle battery will die and then 10+ error codes come up. After battery is recharged the codes disappear. No difficulty with turnover after that. The vehicle has also turned off after coming to a complete stop even when the idle option is unselected.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Driving on the highway the engine stopped no warning lights or noises. Private mechanic and Honda themselves have said it was due to a rod breaking off. Which was recalled for the same year make and model but did not include my VIN and I believe my VIN should have been included.