2008 Honda Pilot Owner Complaints

Frame completely rusted through, multiple holes found in the frame. This is a death trap!

NHTSA ID

11756874

Incident

Aug 13, 2026

Referring to my 2008 Honda Pilot, as I was pulling into my driveway I heard a very loud bang in the rear area of my vehicle. When I looked underneath the vehicle I could see the rear subframe had rusted through and detached. This is my main vehicle that I use on a daily basis to provide rides to family members. 3 weeks before this happened I had 7 people in this car that I drove approximately 30 miles one way which had us on the highway doing 70 mph. Please note that is the speed limit on that highway. Had the subframe broke off at that time it would have been catastrophic. Honda America requested I have it towed to the nearest Honda dealer to diagnose it. It happened on March 11, 2026 and was towed to the dealer that same day, with an appointment to be looked at on Friday March 13, 2026. The dealer diagnosed the subframe detached due to rust and had notified Honda America of this fact. Honda America just notified me today (Monday, March 30, 2026) that they will not assist me in anyway as this particular model Honda has not been recalled or is the result of any defects. There was no prior warning light to warn me.

NHTSA ID

11728082

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

I could hear a loud grinding noise while driving and the rear of the truck felt like it was driving without any type of suspension. Any bump or slight imperfection in the roadway felt like metal banging and a severe thump could be felt inside the vehicle. The front of the vehicle felt fine but the rear felt extremely strange and unstable.

NHTSA ID

11710110

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

the VSA and danger triangle lights are on

NHTSA ID

11691352

Incident

Oct 2, 2024

Rear Subframe Body Mount Rust

NHTSA ID

11688255

Incident

Sep 10, 2025

Had vehicle in for state inspection and was told the rear crossmember where the rear wheel assembly bolts into was rusting and should be fixed immediately.

NHTSA ID

11683074

Incident

Mar 14, 2025

Failure of Honda Pilot OEM jack. On 11/04/24 I was jacking up the right rear wheel of my 2008 Honda Pilot when the OEM scissor jack I was using suddenly and loudly broke, allowing the wheel to come down violently. Note that I was jacking the vehicle on a firm, level surface, using the reinforced jacking point as instructed in the vehicle manual, and that the vehicle did NOT fall off of the jack; the jack simply broke. I removed the jack from under the vehicle and inspected and tested it. The threaded rod in the jack would no longer turn smoothly and when testing the jack, it would not lift any weight without falling back down. Summary: Failure of 2008 Honda Pilot jack Failure did put me at risk when jacked wheel suddenly fell. Jack has not been inspected or tested by dealer, etc, Jack failed without warning. Incident not reported to police, insurance, etc. Jack IS available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11623768

Incident

Nov 4, 2024

Hello, I have a set of 4 Bridgestone Dueler LX tires that have been cracking for the past 8 months and now appear to be separating in between the treads. I’ve had America’s Tire Company look at them within the past 6 months and they always seem to state that it’s normal, but the cracks seem to be getting bigger and bigger. The wheels vibrate some, even after several re-balancing attempts. The tires were purchased on [XXX] and I don’t feel safe driving on these tires anymore to the point that I really hesitate driving on the freeway now for that they might fail/explode. I will be submitting a call/claim directly with Bridgestone at 800-847-3272 tomorrow as well. The tire size is P235/70R 16. There has been no incident yet, so I will use today's date. Of the photos uploaded, IMG's 3506 and 3507 were recently placed in the rear and IMG 3508 are in the back. Here are the DOT #'s in no particular order: [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11595210

Incident

Jun 18, 2024

Left headlight went out in July 2023 while traveling in Oklahoma. I had it replaced at a NAPA shop in Kansas shortly after. The headlight went out again while home in Charleston, SC in November 2023. I had it replaced again. 2 weeks later around roughly November 15th 2023 the light went out again.

NHTSA ID

11556052

Incident

Jul 13, 2023

When in the service garage for a noise, our independent service mechanic confirmed that the body of the Pilot has rusted from the frame.

NHTSA ID

11526467

Incident

May 1, 2023

Driving 2008 Honda Pilot with Firestone WeatherGrip P235/70R16 at 70mph on the interstate, the rear driver tire failed causing almost instant and complete deflation. The tires have been maintained properly, to include rotation and proper inflation. The tires have less than 10k miles (65k mile warranty) and are one year old. Based on my knowledge, experience and evidence (attached photo), this failure was not caused by common road hazards, misapplication or abuse. Rather, the failure is a result of material failure of the tire.

NHTSA ID

11522291

Incident

May 15, 2023

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11521195

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

Passanger seatbelt will not retract. Took to dealership and was told there would be a $150 inspection fee before they would even look at it. Because it is a safety item no third parties are permitted to sell them. Understand that the part eventually wears out, but the dealership gouging coustomers is excessive. Right to repair should extend to seatbelts.

NHTSA ID

11519784

Incident

Apr 26, 2023

My car accelerated on its own and when I applied the brakes, they didn’t work. I hit a tree on my property and damaged my property and my car.

NHTSA ID

11503685

Incident

Jan 19, 2023

STATE INSPECTION FAILD, check engine light, bank 1 Catalytic Converter Internal Failure and bank 2 Catalytic converter Internal Failure, passenger side axle to be leaking, power steering pump to be leaking, power steering reservoir tank to be leaking, front and rear brake pad

NHTSA ID

11466153

Incident

May 6, 2022

2008 Honda pilot Rear subframe on both sides rotted out! horrible design! Lots of Honda pilots with this issue!! you could've killed my family due to this!! This is a known issue now take care of your buyers!!!

NHTSA ID

11462419

Incident

Mar 31, 2022

I was starting my car and the steering column started smoking and smelling burnt. It was able to start up but started up rough. Car then turned off and when tried to turn on it would no longer start up again or even when key turned to start position was unable to move the car out of park. This happened on 12/03/2021 but has yet to be inspected due to mechanic has not had time. The safety of myself, son, and grandson was at risk due to the potential of it catching fire if smoking and burnt smell along with unable to move car out of park and could have been in an unsafe location and could have caused an accident. There were no warnings of any kind prior to the failure with the car.

NHTSA ID

11443212

Incident

Dec 3, 2021

WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY IN ANY CONDITION THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY WARNING WILL MAKE A BANG NOISE, SHUDDER AND BRAKE WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VSA LIGHT COMES ON AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY UNTIL AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. THE VSA RECALL WAS not applicable to THE VEHICLE yet it CONTINUES TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. MY Mechanic advised me of a VSA code 25-1. I did a google search and found numerous accounts of this happening to people. My daughter was extremely emotionally impacted by this when it happened to her at freeway speeds. While the fix is replacement of an expensive component, there is no guarantee that it will eliminate the condition. I have been a loyal honda owner for over 40 years and find it unbelievable that the company has not taken ownership of this incredibly dangerous design flaw.

NHTSA ID

11440069

Incident

Oct 29, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE SHIFTED GEARS TO NEUTRAL AND CONTINUED TO DEPRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE FORCEFUL UNTIL THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CALLED BIANCHI HONDA (8430 PEACH ST, ERIE, PA 16509, (814) 868-9678) AND THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 179,942.

NHTSA ID

11408254

Incident

Apr 10, 2021

Mileage

179,942 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND WAS PULLED OFF THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VSA SENSOR AND YAW RATE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE NHTSA FOR ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11404666

Incident

Mar 22, 2021

Mileage

150,000 mi

HEATER AND AC HAS WORKED JUST FINE SINCE I BOUGHT THE SUV. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY FRONT CABIN HAS STOP BLOWING HOT AIR WHEN HEATER IS ON. IT WORKS JUST FINE IN THE BACK CABIN. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING IN TO THIS AND CAME TO FIND OUT THIS HAS BEEN A ISSUE WITH EVERYONE I HAVE INQUIRED THAT HAS OWNED A HONDA PILOT AND REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE I AM HAVING .

NHTSA ID

11372981

Incident

Nov 1, 2020

NEW CAR, PROBLEMS JUST UNCOVERED.

NHTSA ID

11353973

Incident

Jul 29, 2020

WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES ABOVE 30 MPH STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND BRAKES PULSE.DTC 84-1 AND ABS SYSTEM TEST SAYS THAT THE VSC/ABS LOSES COMMUNICATION ABOVE 30 MPH WITH NO NUMBER CODE SHOWN.

NHTSA ID

11352094

Incident

Aug 16, 2020

Mileage

201,000 mi

PURCHASED A HONDA PILOT EQUIPPED WITH KUHMO KR21 TIRES. WHILE ON A ROAD TRIP WITH THE FAMILY, ABOUT 400 MILES INTO THE DRIVE HEARD A THUMP SOUND I WENT TO A LOCAL LANE TO EXIT AND THEN THE TIRE LITERALLY EXPLODES AND SEPARATES ON THE HIGHWAY. WE DID TWO SPINS AND CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL THANKFULLY INSTEAD OF INTO THE DITCH. WE WERE ON I10 HEADING EAST BOUND FEW MILES INTO LOUISANA.

NHTSA ID

11339448

Incident

Jul 11, 2015

Mileage

70,000 mi

MAJOR WATER ENTERING VEHICLE WHEN PARKED,CARPET TOTALLY SOAKED,STARTED TO SEE FLYING INSECTS IN CAR,CARPET IS NOW STARTING TO MOLD,THERE IS A TSB ON THIS PROBLEM AND I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE THIS INVOLVES EARLY 2000-2016. *TR

NHTSA ID

11324026

Incident

Jun 1, 2014