Steering Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

The 3. 5l v6 engine in this vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic internal mechanical failure due to premature connecting rod bearing wear. The engine stalling occurred abruptly while actively driving, which created an immediate safety risk as the vehicle lost propulsion, power steering assistance, and power braking assistance. This forced a dangerous emergency maneuver to navigate through moving traffic to get to the side of the road. Prior to the engine failure, there were no persistent dashboard warning lights or clear messages indicating an imminent mechanical failure. The first distinct symptom was a brief, sudden metallic knocking sound from the engine bay immediately before the vehicle lost all power and stalled. An authorized dealership has since inspected the vehicle and dropped the oil pan, physically confirming a massive accumulation of metal shavings and bearing debris inside the block. The dealership verified that the complete destruction of the engine block is identical in nature, symptom, and cause to the manufacturing defects described in NHTSA recall campaign 23v-751. However, this vehicle's specific VIN was excluded from that original recall parameter. This catastrophic failure directly corresponds to the ongoing office of defects investigation probe pe25008 regarding extensive v6 engine rod bearing failures. The failed engine block remains fully intact at the service center and is available for regulatory inspection upon request.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Slowed down to turn right into a parking lot, power steering suddenly disabled and multiple warning lights appeared on dash. Warning messages stating auto brake system disabled, lane departure assist disabled, hill assist and start disabled, and more warning lights. Steering suddenly became difficult and dangerous with moving traffic behind me. Pulled into a parking lot and restarted car multiple times. After more than 10 minutes and restarting vehicle, power steering came back.

A stuck ignition lock cylinder on a 2005 Honda Pilot. Hello I purchased this car from the second owner and they had the ignition lock replaced less than 2 years ago. This device has now failed again. Its a poor design by Honda and was never fixed or recalled. This has lead countless people to be stranded. With repairs upwords of $500.

See all problems of the 2005 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Vehicle: 2026 Honda Pilot elite awd current mileage: ~3,850 miles persistent component defect and failure within the steering column assembly, specifically involving the steering clock spring (cable reel assembly). The vehicle experiences an audible clicking, rattling, and binding sensation during normal steering wheel rotation. Authorized Honda dealership warranty repairs have failed to remedy the issue due to replacement parts failing immediately upon installation.   chronology of failures: 1- 05/04/2026 (2,078 miles): vehicle brought to hennessy Honda for stiff steering and a loud clicking noise. Technicians noted the steering cable gear was making noise and binding. The column was adjusted.   2- 05/20/2026 (2,509 miles): clicking worsened significantly across full left-to-center rotations. The dealership diagnosed a defective clock spring and replaced the cable reel assembly (part: 77900-t20-e61).   3- 06/08/2026 (3,847 miles): the brand-new replacement part failed immediately. Vehicle returned with identical clicking and a new "whoosh" plastic scraping noise. Dealership replaced misadjusted steering column trim pieces to stop the scraping but confirmed the steering wheel click remains active.   safety risk: the dealership service department explicitly stated that the current production batch of factory replacement clock springs contains an inherent manufacturer defect, meaning new replacements fail out of the box. The clock spring maintains the continuous electrical connection to the driver’s steering wheel airbag, horn, and driver-assist controls. A mechanically binding ribbon cable reel presents an imminent risk of snapping or shorting out. If the cable fails on the road, it will instantly deactivate the driver's front airbag, rendering a critical safety restraint system useless in a crash.   requested action: compel Honda to investigate 2026 Pilot manufacturing lines, fast-track an updated/redesigned cable reel part number, and issue a safety recall.

Intermittent severe shaking in steering wheel while driving at various speeds. No warning. Vehicle has less than 500 miles.

Vehicle: 2026 Honda Pilot elite awd current mileage: ~3,850 VIN: [xxx] ——— defect summary: persistent component defect and failure within the steering column assembly, specifically involving the steering clock spring (cable reel assembly). The vehicle experiences an audible clicking, rattling, and binding sensation during normal steering wheel rotation. Authorized Honda dealership warranty repairs have failed to remedy the issue due to replacement parts failing immediately upon installation.   chronology of failures: 1. [xxx] (2,078 miles): vehicle brought to hennessy Honda for stiff steering and a loud clicking noise. Technicians noted the steering cable gear was making noise and binding. The column was adjusted.   2. 05/20/2026 (2,509 miles): clicking worsened significantly across full left-to-center rotations. The dealership diagnosed a defective clock spring and replaced the cable reel assembly (part: 77900-t20-e61).   3. [xxx] (3,847 miles): the brand-new replacement part failed immediately. Vehicle returned with identical clicking and a new "whoosh" plastic scraping noise. Dealership replaced misadjusted steering column trim pieces to stop the scraping but confirmed the steering wheel click remains active.   safety risk: the dealership service department explicitly stated that the current production batch of factory replacement clock springs contains an inherent manufacturer defect, meaning new replacements fail out of the box. The clock spring maintains the continuous electrical connection to the driver’s steering wheel airbag, horn, and driver-assist controls. A mechanically binding ribbon cable reel presents an imminent risk of snapping or shorting out. If the cable fails on the road, it will instantly deactivate the driver's front airbag, rendering a critical safety restraint system useless in a crash.   requested action: compel Honda to investigate 2026 Pilot manufacturing lines, fast-track an updated/redesigned cable information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The driver was able to forcefully steer the vehicle over to the shoulder. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated normally. The driver was able to continue driving without any additional failures. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, and a service appointment was scheduled. The failure mileage was 8,000. The VIN was not available.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph on the interstate, the vehicle started shuddering. The vehicle was pulled over safely to the side of the road. The awd, hill descent assist, power steering, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact checked the manual and continued to drive. While driving days later, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The contact continued driving approximately 20 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The failure was associated with the fuel pressure pump. The lower fuel pressure pump was previously replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the high-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,320.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly decelerated, and the steering wheel started jerking. The messages eps failure, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control failure were displayed. The contact safely pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,200.

The power steering system software problem undriveable. The awd failed said undriveable. Only 30k miles on it and it just locked and couldnt steering right to left in the middle of traffic. Could have caused a bad accident lycjuly my kids weren't in the car. The computer software took over completely made my car uncontrollable. Have a video of all warnings that came on.

My steering is making loud clicking noises when turning the vehicle left or right at low speeds. It sounds like loud pops. It is especially prevalent once car has warmed up and driven. It is very prominent when reversing and turning the wheel or moving forward and turning the wheel and also when parked and turned the wheel left or right. I brought this to my dealership’s attention and they confirmed the issue and said it is a faulty clock spring so they replaced it. After they replaced it, the noise is still there. The clock spring was not the cause of the noise. I’m afraid this will become a major safety issue with preventing the ability of the steering wheel to operate safely.

The vehicle previously experienced a steering wheel locking issue and was taken to the dealer for repair. The dealer stated the issue was repaired on December 11, 2024. On February 24, 2026, while driving on a public street, the vehicle hesitated or jerked slightly during acceleration and then appeared to operate normally. After a few minutes, multiple warning messages suddenly appeared on the dashboard, and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn and effectively locked while I was driving. I immediately activated my hazard lights. I was unable to safely pull over because the steering wheel would not respond properly, which placed me and other drivers at risk. I had to continue driving slowly until I found a side road where I could safely stop. I turned the vehicle off. When restarting, the warning messages reappeared. After several minutes, the warning lights cleared, and the steering wheel was no longer locked but felt loose and unstable ("wobbly"). I cautiously resumed driving. After several minutes, the steering began to feel normal again. The following warnings were displayed: hill start assist problem, trailer stability assist problem, hill descent control problem, adaptive cruise control problem, lane keeping assist problem, collision mitigation braking system problem, road departure mitigation problem, low speed braking control problem, auto high-beam problem, electric power steering system problem – steering assist not available, and "stop. Steering assist reduced. Stop driving when safe. " the failed component appears to be the electric power steering system and related driver-assistance systems. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem was previously addressed by a dealer but has reoccurred. No prior warning lights were present before this incident. The failure occurred suddenly while driving.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Pilot 🔎.

On 1/18 I was dropping my daughter off at chicopee high school when I took left to front street I heard a snap and the car took me to the right direction causing my rim to be damaged. The tired rob broke. I called roadside they tow the car to curry Honda in chicopee mass. Today when I called cury Honda one of the managers insisted that I hit a poth hole without me explaining and saying this never happened when online there’s been customers complaining with the same situation 2023 -2025 with Honda Pilots experience the same issue. It’s a safety matter where it could been worse me in the car with 4 of my children,.

Received warning message 'electric steering assist failure' Saturday January 10th 2026 12:00-noon driving approximately 5mph, released the accelerator to begin pulling into a parking spot and the power steering failed. The vehicle was very difficult to turn but I was able to avoid hitting anything. Drove around for ~2 hours making multiple stops at multiple stores with no issues until. . . Same day, Saturday January 10th 2026 1:55 driving approximately 5mph, released the accelerator to begin pulling into a parking spot and the power steering failed. This was a safety risk to my family and to the pedestrians in the parking lot. Saturday January 10th 2026 1:55 I immediately called wilde Honda waukesha wisconsin, which is the dealership that I bought it from (6/25/25 delivery date) they asked me to bring the vehicle in on Monday Monday January 12 2026 1:46pm justin green - service advisor called and stated that they can see that its an electrical issue but cannot diagnose fully. He stated that they needed to bring in a more advanced technician so I would need to bring it back the next day. Tuesday January 13 2026 1:51pm justin green - service advisor called to inform that they were unable to replicate the issue and that my keys are at the front desk. 2:45 spoke with service manager who advised me to continue driving the vehicle and bring it back if it happens again. He suspected that because it was snowing the day of the incidents, that the issue may have been caused by moisture.

The car is making a knocking sound while driving at low speeds (ex. Pulling into the garage, reversing into a parking spot) while turning the wheel. The 2023 Pilot is currently at the dealership being inspected. I have come across many other posts, with video, confirming this exact sound with the same assessment - all pointing to the steering rack (although some fixes only being temporary so the part itself might be defective). This is a newer lease and I am not convinced it is safe to drive in with this issue.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Power steering high pressure line leaking on exhaust and almost caused fire dangerous. Lines need to be recall or replace.

All of the lights on the dash came on and the power steering stopped working while driving on the highway. I was in the number one lane and had to merge across four lanes to pull over with no power steering. I shut the car off and waited a few minutes. The lights were still on the dash but the power steering was working. This is the second time this has happened in the last two weeks.

I began driving the vehicle and the steering locked up. An error message presented stating that there was an issue with the steering and to see the dealer. This is a severe safety issue. Kids were in the car and this could have lead to a severe accident. It has been inspected and confirmed by fox Honda grand rapids. There were no indicators/warnings prior to the incident.

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.

Tonight, 11/8/2025 at 7pm mt, while traveling straight at 25-30 mph, power steering suddenly failed and vehicle reported that awd failed with only front wheels powered. Many other failure warnings simultaneously appeared on dash (collision detection, lkas, parking assist, etc). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My family's safety was put at risk. Sudden loss of power steering is very surprising to the driver, combined with the dash reporting a multitude of failure warnings all at once. If we had been driving on the freeway at speed or in the middle of a turn this would have been a very serious safety issue, easily leading to a collision given the sudden change in steering input needed. If traveling in snow or ice, losing awd suddenly would also have been a serious safety issue. No one has inspected the vehicle since the incident, this just happened tonight. The vehicle has only 5,700 miles on it, was serviced by the dealer within the last couple hundred miles to repair all outstanding recalls, and I have had no other issues with the vehicle. There was no warning about and issues with the vehicle prior to this incident. The only thing out of the ordinary immediately prior to the incident is that my phone wasn't able to pair to the infotainment system (which never happens).

Steering locked up with all warning lights lite up. No control over vehicle. Yes this put all people in the vehicle at risk of death or injury. This happened at an intersection while making a turn-no other vehicles were at the intersection- if there had been or had this happened entering an interstate highway or turning onto a high speed road could have been hit from several directions. Not repeated. Must have been confirmed by dealer as they hooked up the computer with Honda headquarters and said the starter was at fault. No prior symptoms. It is available for inspection. Killing the engine and restarting cleared the dash lights and was able to turn afterwards.

Engine failure while on highway traffic in construction zone caused engine shut off, losing power steering and odd braking. I was driving on a split 4 lane highway (2 lanes each direction), with a large ditch median between the directional lanes. My direction had construction cones for several miles limiting traffic to 1 lane, still at a 65 mph speed limit with heavy semi traffic. The right lane was closed for construction, so all traffic was lined in left lane, though maintaining the speed limit. A few hundred yards into the construction my check engine light came on, and then after a minute or so it started blinking but there was no place to pull over safely. I reduced speed and semi traffic was lining up behind me. Then the engine and rest of car shut off, losing power steering. I ended up weaving into the construction part and was finally able to stop but not without danger to myself and others. Motor would restart but sounded terrible and I did not feel safe driving further and did not have faith it would make it far, especially since I'd have to re-enter the highway construction traffic. I had it towed to local mechanic, who diagnosed the problem as a piston rod bearing spin/stuck, or in other words a spun/slipped rod/crank bearing.

Driving down a 4 lane highway in alabama, warning lamp came on stating “ stop steering assist reduced. Stop driving when safe”. Multiple other warnings lights came on—-brake system, steering system, cruise control, lane departure, stability assist system, hill assist, trailer stability assist system(see multiple photos attached). When it was safe to do so, I pulled over…the steering was very difficult to manage. If I had to make a turn in traffic or had to make a sudden turn to avoid an accident, I would not have been able to do so as there was no power steering. I turned the car off, let it sit for several minutes and the steering assist warning was off and I appeared to have power steering but several others lights were still on. Took the car the the closet dealer and only code found was a low voltage code but nothing repaired as all warnings lights were off by then.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 25-35 mph, the vehicle slowed down unexpectedly, and the brake pedal was hard and slow to respond when depressed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was pulling to the left, and it was difficult to correct the steering wheel. The vehicle was difficult to control. The vsa light was illuminated. There was a triangle with an exclamation mark symbol displayed on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the vsa module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 173,273.

I am reporting a serious safety issue with my vehicle related to the steering system. The steering cable reel is binding up, causing difficulty or resistance when turning the steering wheel. This issue affects steering at any speed, making driving unpredictable and unsafe. I am very concerned for my safety, as this could lead to a sudden loss of steering control, putting myself and others at risk. I have brought the vehicle to the dealership, and they have confirmed the problem. They will be replacing the steering cable reel. However, I know there has been many issues with the 2025 Honda Pilot's, and I believe this issue could be another potential defect and may affect other vehicles as well. It needs to be investigated to prevent possible accidents.

Our 2024 Honda Pilot started with a grinding noise in the steering. Our Pilot only has 011,208 miles on it. We took to the dealer and they said the steering rack needs replacing but its ok to continuing driving. The dealer will order the part. Its beend 3 weeks still no part. What happens on all these Pilots if the steering rack freezes up?.

Unknown.

See all problems of the 2006 Honda Pilot 🔎.

While driving straight, my 2019 Honda Pilot activates collision “brake” warnings and applies steering wheel torque when there are no vehicles or obstacles present. The system intervenes unexpectedly and repeatedly. The attached documents show that I reported this issue to a Honda dealership and Honda customer relations (case #16094868). No diagnosis has been completed yet. This is a safety concern.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

When trying to drive my vehicle I noticed the steering wheel became hard to turn. I was able to get a tow truck to drop my vehicle off at the dealership to get it looked at. The dealership is telling me that it is due to a steering problem needing a rack and pinion part. This vehicle is a 2023 Honda Pilot which was just purchased by me in April. There hasnt been any issue until now.

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

Needed a steering rack. Needed a new transmission due to a torque converter failure. Now awd is intermittently faulty needing fuel injectors. All within 1 year.

A few days after I got my new 2025 Honda Pilot touring, I was turning a corner and the car jerked a bit and several warning messages came up on the dash. I was able to pull the car into a parking spot and I recorded some of the warning messages (a few photos attached). The car worked fine after restarting and when I called the dealer they said that it may have been a sensor and not to worry. Then two days later, I was reversing out of a parking spot and the power steering stopped working. I was able to brake the car and drive it forward to get to a safe place, but the steering wouldn't work after trying to turn the car off and on a few times. There were also other warning messages that were flashing up on the dash. I had to get the car towed to the Honda dealership and am awaiting a report from them. The car is brand new with only 130 miles on it.

My whole steering wheel detached while driving.

See all problems of the 2015 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My vehicle begun to make a clicking noise every time when turning the steering wheel. It has gotten worse over time, almost constantly. I took the vehicle for my first service and mentioned this to the service guy. He mentioned that this is a known problem on some of their Hondas, not just my vehicle and that they tried fixing it on another Honda vehicle but that the problem on that vehicle was worse after they tried to fix it. The guy basically said there is a sensor inside the steering wheel that tells the vehicle how much the wheel has turned (I forgot the name of the sensor). He basically admitted this was a known design flaw and recommended I leave the issue alone or it would get worst if they try to fix it.

Electrical issues began around 15,000 miles. Since then, the vehicle has been in the shop many times for electrical-related concerns and has required towing twice. Most concerning, these failures have left us stranded in dangerous conditions on multiple occasions. These incidents represent serious safety risks to our family and others on the road. We have been diligent about regular maintenance as well. A Honda vehicle of this age and mileage should not experience repeated electrical system breakdowns that compromise vehicle control and driver safety. When the car errors come on the car has lost awd (while in the mountains in a snow storm) acceleration, the ability to change driving modes, and this most recent event we lost complete access to the driver panel and steering while driving. This electrical issue has been documented over 5 times and we have been told specifically by the dealers weve been towed or brought to "you may have drove it too hard" or "we reset the codes and the car is now driving fine" or "we can't find a problem". Most recently the alternator failed and they will not back to repair because it's past 36,000. We want to see Honda fix these issues before someone is seriously injured. We have photos and video of all of the warnings each time they happened. We also have documentation of each electrical failure, the date, the mileage and what we were told by the dealership in response.