2012 Honda Pilot Electrical Problems

On April 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her Honda Pilot at about 5:10PM. At about 7:03PM, my wife and I were sitting outside and heard a loud POP, it sounded like a car backfiring. I went to investigate and saw a little smoke and a small orange glowing piece of something on the ground under the vehicle towards the front of the vehicle. I grab a fire extinguisher from my work truck and went towards the vehicle. The car was locked and I saw flames under the hood standing by the driver door looking down where the windshield wipers are. I used the extinguisher till it was empty and the flames kept getting worse. I just walked away and my wife was already calling 911. No one was hurt no damage to any exposures. My daughter did not indicate that anything was wrong with the vehicle. No lights on, no smells, everything ran fine. It had 154,000 miles on it. I do have RING video footage of the event. I did file a claim with my insurance and sent them the video footage.

NHTSA ID

11730697

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact then discovered a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 67,450. The contact stated that at the time of retrieving a Carfax report, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11708810

Incident

Jan 2, 2026

Mileage

140,000 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. After contacting the seller on Facebook Market Place the contact purchased the vehicle and later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the odometer mileage reading was 94,397. After obtaining a Vehicle Carfax, the mileage listed for the vehicle was 204,943.

NHTSA ID

11701282

Incident

Nov 24, 2025

Mileage

204,943 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact has never owned or purchased these vehicles. The vehicles never purchased in any type of sale. The contact stated that the state of New York has asked for additional paper for the vehicle's registration. The vehicle was not a private sale or dealer sale but illegitimately obtained. The contact has received a letter from state of New Jersey 182,007 sold to fidelity 182,008 actual fidelity transferred with no odometer dis transferred [XXX] with no odometer disclosure. The contact is a [XXX] the tittles and odometer Fidelity Auto grp out of Wisconsin Marie Knight in Ohio they are signing title in her name for her company. The contact stated she has never sold these vehicle milage is rolled back. The contact has tried to contact the city of New York and have been flagged as fraud the city stated they are providing titles. The contact has requested copies and has not received anything through the freedom of information. New Jersey 182,007 sold to fidelity 182,008 actual fidelity transferred with no odometer dis transferred [XXX] with no odometer disclosure. 2012Honda Pilot VIN: [XXX]Recall data refreshed on Apr 16,2025 0 Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN What if my car isn't recalled now? Could it be recalled later? Yes. Whether a manufacturer independently conducts a safety recall or NHTSA orders one, the manufacturer must file a public report describing the safety-related defect or noncompliance. Manufacturers are also required to notify owners by mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision.  Look for this distinct label to distinguish critical safety recall information from other marketing material. Montana 211,026 with 211,510 actual with no odometer disclosure 2014TOYOTA Camry VIN: [XXX] Recall data refreshed on Apr 17,2025 0 Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN What if my car isn't recalled now? Could it be recalled later? Yes. Whether a manufacturer independently conducts a safety recall or NHTSA orders one, the manufacturer must file

NHTSA ID

11655228

Incident

Apr 17, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 112,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 240,000.

NHTSA ID

11654853

Incident

Apr 9, 2025

Mileage

240,000 mi

Check engine light came on followed by shaking of the vehicle. The code was checked indicating a cylinder 1 misfire. This has been an ongoing issue of cylinders misfiring. The spark plugs and coils have been replaced multiple times and the issue is still persisting.

NHTSA ID

11632204

Incident

Dec 22, 2024

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID

11576833

Incident

Dec 4, 2023

While driving the vehicle at around 45 MPH it suffered a complete loss of power for 3-5 seconds. The dashboard lights illuminated and then the vehicle restarted without having to restart via the ignition and all of the dash lights turned off. This has happened intermittently on two prior occasions. No electrical issues were evident, new battery and charging system appears to be functioning normally. The contact stated that the dealer found that the issue was a faulty positive battery terminal connector. It was replaced.

NHTSA ID

11561758

Incident

Dec 24, 2023

Back up camera stop working. Apparently alot of honda pilot owners complain that the camera stops working.

NHTSA ID

11492670

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

The car started smoking, I was able to pullover and get out. The fire department came and removed the hood because it was too hot and appeares to be on fire. They disabled the battery. Car was towed to mechanic and inspected for cause. It was discovered that the alternator melted and the wire harness was burnt and plastic components melted. Car has been totalled.

NHTSA ID

11485415

Incident

Sep 18, 2022

YESTERDAY (AUGUST 13TH) I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET ABOUT 45 MPH AND MY 2012 HONDA PILOT'S DASHBOARD WENT COMPLETELY DARK AND THE SPEED WENT FROM APPROX 45 MPH TO ZERO IN A MATTER OF SECONDS . I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AT THE TIME WITH CARS ZIPPING BY ME AT MUCH FASTER SPEEDS AND I HAD TO "COAST " TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BUT IT DID COME TO A STOP. NOTE: THE RADIO STILL PLAYED . I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION SWITCH , TURNED IT IMMEDIATELY BACK ON AND THE CAR STARTED . I DROVE ON US INTERSTATE 85 FOR 20 MORE MINUTES DIRECTLY TO THE HONDA PLACE THAT SERVICES OUR VEHICLE .THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT NO CODES HAVE SHOWED ANYTHING SO FAR AND HAVE KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO SEE IF THEY CAN REPLICATE THE INCIDENT . MY CONCERN OBVIOUSLY IS THAT THEY WILL FIND NOTHING AND I WILL BE BACK ON THE ROAD NERVOUS THAT IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. AFTER READING MANY SITES ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MANY MODEL YEARS OF HONDA PILOT , EVEN BRAND NEW ONES , IT MAKES ME WONDER IF HONDA HAS REALLY LOOKED INTO THIS . OUR FAMILY HAS OWNED MANY HONDAS FOR MANY YEARS WITHOUT EVER ENCOUNTERING ANYTHING LIKE THIS . I DON'T WANT TO GO PICK MY CAR UP TODAY AND HEAR " COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG " . I DRIVE GRANDCHILDREN IN THIS CAR ! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND FROM THE BLOGS ON THE INTERNET IT SEEMS HONDA NEEDS TO SERIOUSLY FIND THE PROBLEM BEFORE PEOPLE DIE . I PLEAD WITH THE POWERS TO BE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE DEATHS OCCUR. NOTE: SO FAR THE TECHNICIANS AT OUR HONDA DEALERSHIP ACT CLUELESS ABOUT THIS AND OTHERS ONLINE HAVE TAKEN THEIR CARS BACK TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH NO REAL SOLOUTION. YOU HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT ...NOW STAND BEHIND IT, PLEASE.

NHTSA ID

11243862

Incident

Aug 13, 2019

Mileage

68,000 mi

THE GASKET ON THE SPOOL VALVE ON OLDER HONDA PILOTS IS KNOWN TO FAIL. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN OIL LEAKING ONTO THE ALTERNATOR WHICH FILL CAUSE THE ALTERNATOR TO EVENTUALLY FAIL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THIS RECENTLY TO MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. OIL LEAKING FROM THE SPOOL VALVE FOULED THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE INCLUDING TO THE POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING. THIS ENGINEERING FAILURE CAUSES A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECENTLY SERVICED BY HONDA FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE ISSUE WAS NOT NOTICED. AT MINIMAL, HONDA SHOULD RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF THE GASKET AS PART OF ROUTINE SERVICE AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME OR CERTAIN MILEAGE. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH IDENTIFIED THIS ISSUE WITH OLDER MODEL HONDA PILOTS.

NHTSA ID

11102563

Incident

Apr 25, 2018

Mileage

105,000 mi

WHEN BACKING UP USING THE BACKUP CAMERA THE CAMERA DISPLAY WILL SOMETIMES GO BLACK ON THE SCREEN. I HAVE ALMOST ON TWO OCCASIONS ALMOST HIT SOMEONE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. THIS IS A INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT COMES AND GOES. I FEEL IT'S A SAFETY ISSUES TO HAVE YOUR VISION SUDDENLY CUT OUT WITH NO WARNING.

NHTSA ID

10910756

Incident

Aug 11, 2016

Mileage

54,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10618587

Incident

Aug 1, 2012

THE KEYS FOR THE 2012 HONDA PILOT ARE VERY CHEAPLY MADE. OUR VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2011. AFTER TWO YEARS OF NORMAL DRIVING, THE PLASTIC KEY FOB PART OF THE KEY STARTED TO CRACK AND EVENTUALLY BROKE IN HALF. THE KEY IS NOW USELESS. REPLACEMENT KEYS ARE $200 AT THE DEALER WHICH REQUIRES AN HOUR APPOINTMENT TO PROGRAM A NEW KEY. KEYS SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, NOT TWO YEARS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10588152

Incident

Jan 1, 2014

Mileage

30,000 mi

POWER WENT DOWN, ALL DOORS NOT OPERATIVE, TRUNK ALSO NON OPERATIVE, COULD TRAP PASSENGER AND DRIVER AND CAUSE DEATH. ALL WINDOWS ARE NOT OPERATIVE, ALL DOORS ARE NON OPERATIVE, TRUNK IS NOT OPERATIVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10565051

Incident

Feb 19, 2014

Mileage

1 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY FOB WOULD NOT FUNCTION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS ANY OF THE DOORS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,200.

NHTSA ID

10552922

Incident

Jun 12, 2013

Mileage

5,200 mi

FROM A DEAD STOP OR SLOW ROLL, THE ENGINE FAILS TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THERE IS A SLIGHT DELAY FROM THE PRESSING OF THE ACCELERATOR TO THE ENGINE RESPONDING, CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN TRYING TO CLEAR INTERSECTIONS, TURNING ON TO A HIGHWAY, TURNING FROM A BLIND CURVE AND MANY OTHER SITUATIONS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL NEAR CRASHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A COMPUTER UPDATE BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED, LEAVING THE VEHICLE IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION.

NHTSA ID

10542939

Incident

Jan 7, 2013

Mileage

18,000 mi

I PURCHASED A HONDA PILOT 2012 EX-L 4WD IN NOV 2011. SINCE DAY ONE I NOTICED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE'S A/C SYSTEM. SPECIFICALLY, I HEAR A LOUD HUMMING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN THE A/C COMPRESSOR TURNS ON. THE NOISE IS VERY ANNOYING AND WAS DISMISSED BY THE DEALER AS "NORMAL" WITHOUT DIAGNOSTIC WORKS. HAVING OWNED MANY OTHER VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS, MY EXPERIENCE TELLS ME THAT THE NOISE DEFINITELY CANNOT BE CHARACTERIZED AS "NORMAL". AFTER ONLINE RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT HONDA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAD PROMISED A SOLUTION SINCE LAST YEAR. TO DATE, OTHER PILOT OWNERS AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION FROM CORPORATE HONDA REGARDING THE FIX ON THE ISSUE. I'M HOPING THAT MORE POTENTIAL BUYERS ARE AT LEAST AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WHEN THEY COMPARE VEHICLES AND THAT HONDA HEARS OUR COLLECTIVE CONCERNS AND TAKE RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10489504

Incident

Dec 21, 2012

MY WIFE PULLED THE VEHICLE INTO OUR DRIVEWAY AND EXITED THE CAR JUST A SHE NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SHE CALLED ME OUT OF THE HOUSE TO LOOK AND I SAW THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I TRIED TO PUT IT OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT IT SPREAD TOO FAST. THE END RESULT IS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS BURNT WITH NOT MUCH LEFT. I AM ASSUMING IT WAS SOMETHING ELECTRICAL DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE INITIAL SMOKE AND THE LOCATION OF THE FIRE ORIGINS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10482886

Incident

Oct 31, 2012

Mileage

5,500 mi

THIS IS FIRST SUMMER FOR MY BRAND NEW HONDA PILOT 2012 LX CAR AND I NOTICE WHEN AC IN ON AND CAR IS NOT MOVING THERE IS SOME KIND OF MOANING VERY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER FROM WHERE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE. I WAS INFORMED THAT HONDA MOTORS IS AWARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN 2012 PILOT. I AM VERY SURPRISE AND UPSET THAT DESPITE HONDA MOTOR IS AWARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE, TILL THE DATE HONDA MOTORS DID NOT SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THE NOISE COMING IS VERY LOUD WHEN AC IS ON AND WHEN CAR IS NOT MOVING. THIS NOISE IS VERY ANNOYING. I AM HAVING MIGRAINE ALMOST EVERY DAY BECAUSE OF THIS VERY LOAD MOANING NOISE COMING FROM THE CAR. I ALREADY CONTACTED HONDA BUT THEY DID NOT SOLVE THIS PROBLEM AS OF YET OR THERE IS NO RECALL. IT IS ALMOST BEEN ONE YEAR HONDA PILOT 2012 MODEL CAME OUT. PLEASE HELP URGENTLY. THANKS *TR

NHTSA ID

10469567

Incident

Jun 1, 2012

Mileage

6,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE GRINDING NOISE WAS DUE TO THE STARTER ENGAGING. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO REPAIR FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600. UPDATED 05/11/12 *BF UPDATED 05/21/12

NHTSA ID

10454505

Incident

Jan 12, 2012

Mileage

600 mi