Service Brakes Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

While driving on u. S highway 521 in south carolina, the vehicle experienced sudden, unexpected braking and violent shaking even though there were no cars or obstacles directly in front of me. The sensation was so strong it felt as if the car had been rear-ended, but there was no impact. The issue has happened multiple times since I purchased the vehicle new in 2023. Each time, traffic was flowing normally, and no immediate hazard was present. The closest car in front of me was several car lenghts away, yet the Pilot suddenly braked on its own. The problem appears to be linked to the collision mitigation braking system or related driver-assist sensors, which seem to be misreading conditions and triggering false emergency braking. This defect creates a serious safety hazard. The abrupt, forceful braking puts me and my family at risk of being rear-ended by following vehicles. It has also caused panic and near-miss incidents in traffic. I am filling this complaint to ensure it is formally documented and investigated as safety defect. This is a serious risk to driver and passengers and could lead to accidents. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate whether this defect affects other Honda Pilot vehicles.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The vehicle intermittently thinks it is about to be involved with a collision. It illuminates the brake warning lights and slams on the brakes on its own and brings the car to a complete stop. We almost got rear ended by a semi truck the first time this happened and we were on a highway. Traffic had to take evasive action to prevent an accident. Honda is aware of this issue and admits their is a problem and has informed us their is no fix for it yet. Honda case # [xxx] and joel is our point of contact at the Honda outreach program. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) the vehicle is unsafe to drive and is going to get us hurt or killed or others as well. The vehicle has only 1,700 miles on it and is brand new. The last incident timeframe is listed below but it has happened quite a few times with no traffic present and clear roads.

Uncommanded braking at approximately 35 mph. 7-8 instances. All on same 1mile stretch of road.

While driving the car flashes a brake warning on the dash and then automatically begins emergency style braking attempting to bring the car to a stop, but this happens while driving at highway speeds which is dangerous for rear approaching traffic. This has happened before and the dealership could not reproduce the action. This is the third time it has happened.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Pilot 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I was pulling into a parking space. Hit the brake. Instead of stopping, the car accelerated, jumping a curb and barreling across into another business drive. It hit a sign and a stone garbage can, which caused the car to recognize a collision and automatically go into park which caused it to stop. If it hadn’t been for the stone garbage can, it would have gone through the store window where people were sitting. Luckily at that moment there wasnt a car parked in the space or something coming down the road. Because I didn’t understand what was happening , so I looked at my foot to see if I had pushed down on the gas instead of the brake. My foot was firmly on the brake. I talked to the local Honda dealership. They had never seen that issue before. They said they could do the diagnostic which I would have to pay for, but couldn’t promise it would show what happened. I also called Honda customer service. They started a claim, but also would do nothing unless diagnostics showed the problem and also said it may not. I was very fortunate that I didn’t kill or seriously harm someone. I am now scared to drive the vehicle. If I had not looked at my foot to see where it was placed, I would say possibly driver error; but I know it wasn’t. My foot was on the brake.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I was driving down a residential road at about 40 mph. There was no car or other obstacle in front of me, but my car suddenly slammed on the brakes. It brought the car to an abrupt stop for no reason. If a car had been behind me, they would have slammed into me. It was so abrupt, I felt like I had whiplash. It was terrifying. I had taken the car into the dealership to due to the brake pin recall just 3 days ago. They inspected and said the pin was fine. When I called them to report this experience, they said it was unrelated to the recall. I am bringing my car into them tomorrow to inspect what happened with the automatic braking system.

7/25/2025 I was driving my wife’s Pilot between 55 and 60 mph when the vehicle alerted me to several warnings and the braking system stuck at the top of the pedal not allowing the vehicle to slow in a construction zone. I was able to limp the vehicle home but the vehicle was extremely difficult to slow at red lights. The vehicle was towed from residence after sitting and the tow truck driver said the vehicle was not showing any warning signs. The dealership in paducah test drove the vehicle and did not see anything wrong with it. They subsequently checked and there was a diagnostic for brake booster failure. The vehicle has 41,000 miles on it. In addition it went to the dealership at 9,981 miles for electronic parking brake sticking and the ike dealership said there was nothing wrong. There are other reports of woners on youtube who have had this failure or similar with one member having to ditch the vehicle. I almost wrecked and hit a vehicle that slowed in front of me. The system thew error codes to include failure in electronic steering, transmission, hill descent, electronic braking, and others. I recorded the errors on the dash. This vehicle has also thrown airbag error with only a few thousand miles. The vehicle has side panels that have fallen off and and seals on the panoramic sunroof that have failed.

As I was driving, I had to press on my break fairly firmly for about two seconds due to a car in front of me making a left-hand turn. I released the break, and the car in front of me was completely out of my lane. There was about a 2 to 3 second span of time ,after I released the break and in which I was coasting, before the automatic breaking system pressed hard on the break for at least one second and then it released. I had not placed my foot near the brake or accelerator at that time.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v391000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pedal assembly had failed and needed to the replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, and a case was opened. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

All I did was simply change my battery. Up until this point the car had run perfect and no issues or warnings. Now after placing the correct agm battery the dash has lit up like christmas. I am getting acc, lkas, auto head light, forward collision and brake system warning lights. I was informed that this is a very costly repair, a camera needs to be replaced and recalibrated, $2000 estimate. This should be a recall based on the other numerous complaints I'm seeing. I reached out to Honda with no response as of yet.

Multiply communication failures with the can communication failures found across ecm/pcm/tcm and sensor issues with adas components. The vehicle had a surge acceleration after a stop sign and when the auto start stop engaged the vehicle surged forward and, in an effort, to control the vehicle side swiped another vehicle before crashing into a home. Engine was still surging after multiple efforts to stop the engine surge. The engine stopped the surge after hitting the park button multiple times. No warning lights or sounds and no air bags deployed. The vehicle has been repaired by a body shop and inspected by the manufacturer.

The contact owns a 2024 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 mph in a drive-through and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was stiff and the vehicle failed to respond on two occasions, and rear-ended the same vehicle twice. The contact stated that both vehicles sustained scratches. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. No police report was filed. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall inspection for NHTSA campaign number: 25v391000(service brakes, hydraulic) was performed, and the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had passed the inspection. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent an engineer, who inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

After starting my vehicle and leaving the office, several different warning messages began flashing on the dash abs, lane departure mitigation, power sterring, towing. I pulled over and turned the vehicle off. When I attempted to restart the vehicle, the brake pedal was hard and felt stuck. The car did not start. When roadside assistance came, they tested the battery, and it was fine. The car was towed to a Honda dealer and the technician informed me the brake pedal position switch failed. He said that it would have caused all the different warning messages to appear. This was the second time this occurred, where the different warning messages lit up, but that time the car restarted. When I took it to the dealer that time, they could not determine the issue, and no repairs were done. I am concerned because I have seen that these vehicles have issues with this and it is very dangerous and unsafe when it comes to issues with the brakes.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The vsa/abs lights came on and I took it to the repair shop. The mechanic told me that the vsa/abs module is bad and needs to be replaced. He said this is a very common problem in my vehicle type. He said the anti-lock brakes won't work which can be dangerous. He said the parts are always backordered and can take months to come in and they are extremely expensive. They range from $1200-$2400 for the part only. I researched the problem online and it seems to be a common problem across many Honda models and years. Many people have taken apart the modules themselves and have repaired them. They mention that the connective wires on the modules are extremely thin and not recommended for circuit boards. The thinness of the connective wires causes the failure.

See all problems of the 2013 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I purchased a brand-new 2025 Honda Pilot elite, and within the first 1,000 miles of driving, I began noticing multiple concerning noises and performance issues: steering noise: at low speeds, particularly while turning, the steering system emits a subtle but persistent creaking noise/noises from the steering wheel area. The creaking is especially noticeable when making slow turns in parking lots or driveways. It appears to worsen in warmer temperatures and is consistent regardless of road condition. I brought the issue to the dealership's attention, and they kept the vehicle for approximately three weeks. They replaced the clock spring and airbag, claiming the noise was resolved. However, the creaking noise returned shortly after I resumed driving the vehicle. Brake popping: there is also a popping/clicking noise coming from the front left brake area, especially when braking or shifting between drive and reverse. The dealership lubricated the brake hardware but did not resolve the issue. Despite Honda service attempts, the noises persist. Numerous other 2023–2025 Honda Pilot owners have reported similar symptoms online, many citing steering rack/pinion defects or unresolved brake component issues. These defects appear widespread and unresolved by standard dealership repairs. Safety concern: while the issues may currently present as mechanical noises, I am deeply concerned that they may signal underlying defects in critical safety systems—such as steering control and braking performance. Unaddressed, these could potentially lead to steering failure, brake failure, or loss of control, especially during low-speed maneuvers where driver response time may be compromised due to mechanical unpredictability. Request for investigation: I respectfully request that the NHTSA investigate these issues, as they appear to be affecting a growing number of new Honda Pilot vehicles across the 2023 to 2025 model years, the dealership do not know what to do.

Break pedal goes to the floor.

See all problems of the 2011 Honda Pilot 🔎.

After receiving a cmbs error message I tried to drive home and the vehicle automatically engaged brakes while merging with no other vehicle near by and I was almost rear ended.

Case 11655023 hello, I need your help. I spoke with Honda and was told they would buy back my truck and someone would contact me. Mrs. Briana called and said I had to keep taking the truck to the mechanic as many times as needed. I explained I had already taken it 8–9 times, but she said it didn’t matter and that I should take it to another dealer. I had already gone to the mission valley dealership, showed the mechanic photos and videos, and he agreed something was wrong. I left the truck for 3–4 days, but they only changed the start button. I asked about the brakes, which were making noise, and was told it was “normal. ” I insisted on getting them fixed, but they said if parts weren’t broken, Honda wouldn’t replace them. I spoke to the manager, who drove the truck with me and said they would adjust the brakes and fix the faulty fuel sensor. I brought it back on Wednesday, received a service receipt, but when I tried to leave, the truck wouldn’t start. I showed the manager a video of the issue, and he said they would fix it. I returned on Wednesday, left the truck again, and on Thursday a worker called saying the truck had no issues. I reminded them the manager had promised repairs, and they said he would call me. On Friday, I was told the truck had “bad luck,” nothing was wrong, and I should pick it up — or go to another Honda if I wasn’t satisfied.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, there was an abnormal beeping sound coming the instrument panel three times and the steering wheel unexpectedly became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering started shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the results were unknown. The vehicle was then taken to a mr. Tire to be diagnosed and it was determined that the brake pads needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the front and rear brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

Recently , I stated seeing cmbc failure in my 2021 Honda Pilot 2wd. My car has 41500 miles in it. I took car to dealer ship and dealer ship says they are no recalls I need to change my camera. I am not understanding it's like brand new car and not driven many miles. I research on google and there are so many Pilot owners having same problems. Can this be recall?.

* the brakes failed on the car resulting in an at fault accident. The recalled was issued 3 weeks after the accident. * safety is put at risk as this resulted in a car accident because the car would not stop. It endangered the occupants of the Honda and the vehicle that was hit. As the recall was issued a little late, insurance had already handled the claim. * no Honda refuses to go to the car to inspect, the car is not able to be moved to the dealership warning messages *.

I believe that there is a safety issue with the design of the adaptive cruise control on the 2024 Honda Pilot. The vehicle applies the brakes at about 1 mph over the selected speed. It is especially aggressive when topping a hill. The gas lets up, but due to the vehicle inertia, the car slightly accelerates, then braking. I believe that this action is unsafe for several reasons. It slows the vehicle several mph below the set speed causing cars behind me to swerve or come close to me. No human driver would apply the brakes in that situation. It also appears to irritate those same drivers. I’m glad that none of them has a weapon so far. It also applies the brakes going downhill on the interstate highway. This occurs at any speed below 55 mph. This also makes it look like the driver is continually tapping the brakes, when no one normally would. I suspect that there may be extra brake wear. My family asks what is going on with the car because of the aggressive braking. I previously owned a 2018 Honda Pilot with adaptive cruise control. It used transmission downshifting to slow the vehicle. I admit that there were some over speeds, but nothing serious. The 2024 owner’s manual states that downshifting is also used, but I’ve only seen the brakes used for over speed control. There are no user selectable adjustments to the system. I am getting used to this (feature, not a bug) by clicking off the cruise control whenever the conditions are close for a brake activation. This causes me to pay more attention to monitoring for those conditions, rather than the actual driving and traffic scan. I suggest that the system use downshifting followed by brakes after a 3 or 4 mph excursion from the set speed.

The brakes and system isn't stablest shakes ,wobble left to right going over bumps. I fixed things over and over.

See all problems of the 2010 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My 2025 Honda Pilot’s collision mitigation braking system and backup sensors have failed three times at low speed, resulting in collisions with objects directly behind or in front of the vehicle. These include a front collision with a tree, running over a small tricycle, and backing into a tree — all under 5 mph with sensors fully enabled. The system failed to detect or respond in any instance. This is a critical safety failure.

Steering is shaking when braking at high speed. Replaced pads and rotors multiple times but problem keeps coming back. Lots of complaints also about this issue so please help.

See all problems of the 2015 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Several system failures relates to a faulty multipurpose camera used by the Honda sensing system from collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control and land keeping assist. Multipurpose camera premature failure leads to loss of several safety features.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The camera in the windshield used for collision mitigation, cruise control, lane keep assist, auto high beams, etc. Has been found to have gone bad and need replaced by the Honda service center near me. The dashboard indicates all of these issues and disables the use of these safety features. The cost to repair is $1900 which includes camera, installation, and calibration.

The vehicle was sold to us with pre-existing major damage to the control arms, bearings and a brake rotor. We heard a metal on metal scraping noise when turning left and immediately took it to a certified Honda dealer who then provided us details of the extent of the damage. The damage to the brake rotor could have caused brake failure and damage to the control arm could have caused on accident. I can't imagine the guilt I'd feel if my [xxx] wife and my [xxx] son got into an accident. This vehicle is their daily driver. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The automatic emergency braking system in my vehicle has repeatedly activated without any visible reason. The brakes engage suddenly even when there are no cars, curves, reflective surfaces, or obstacles nearby. This has occurred on straight, empty roads and in clear conditions. We have previously taken the car to the dealership for issues related to sensors and wiring, and were even told at one point to turn off certain safety features. Most recently, we went through the dealership and escalated the issue to Honda corporate, but they closed our case and claimed there is nothing wrong with the car. I am very concerned that this unresolved issue could lead to the brakes locking up in a dangerous situation, potentially causing an accident.

When I was paring my phone to bluetooth I noticed my car started to pop up alerts in accessory mode (low power state engine off) that my Honda was hiding critical safety alerts with the brake system and charging system problem and a anti-lock brake system problem when fully powering the car most of theses alerts are fully hidden from driver view the only thing I was able to see consistently was the u3006 control module input power fault with my scan tool this is very concerning that a driver would have to do all of this work to find essential hidden driver major safety alerts.

2020 Honda Pilot touring was purchased in CT at Honda of stamford, may of 2023. I started having issues in July pertaining to extreme dust coming into the cabin causing my children and myself asthma conditions to worsen. I took the car to the dealer and they blew out something connected with the system. I than started having issues with the radio system and large popping sounds coming from it. The dealer didn't check this for me. The car also brakes on it's own while driving without warning and nothing is in front of me. The dealer didn't check this. On [xxx] the dashboard lite up with a lot of error messages and the car brake light was on. The car would only go 20mph on the highway. The car was stuck in greenwich, CT at my son school for 2 days until I got it towed to the dealer. On feb24th the car was towed to the dealer. I was told the brake switch went out and needed replacement. I was charged 200. 00. I picked the car up on feb25th @1pm and the dealer claimed the repair was done. On [xxx]. I was traveling on the highway in norwalk, CT and the dashboard lite up with the same errors and he brakes did the same thing and the car was hard to steering. I took it back to the dealer and was told 3 other things was wrong with the car. Code-c0040-62 brake lamp switch failure stuck. U3000-49 multi purpose camerawave radar internal electronic failure. B2a60-97. Tech reset camera and the system still gave failure codes. The dealer confirmed the issues, but refused to give me a replacement. I had a dmv investigation and the out was to refund me for the conveyance fee the dealer lied about on the contract. I was also refunded for VIN etching the dealer lied about on the contract and refunded for Honda care. I was in the car with my children when the brake issue happened both times and it was scary. The car was never inspected before it was sold to me. I also never received several documents from the dealership required by CT state law. I left the car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia),.

Automatic braking system (abs) automatically applied brakes when I was 2 car lengths behind a vehicle that was turning and the sensor detected the vehicles brake lights. There was enough space between my vehicle and the one in front of me that was turning for me to stop if needed.

The car was placed in park, and somehow it rolled backwards into a gas station post causing serious damage. The very badly designed 9 speed transmission is designed to shift into park when the door is opened this is a safety feature that failed! my child could have been in there! it could have rolled back into the file pump! dangerous! I have heard of others complaining this happened to them too. I have video evidence but I need to obtain it from the gas station it happened at.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

While driving and starting to brake the whole dashboard lights up stating there is brake failure. And low brake fluid.