2016 Honda Pilot Problems

I am writing to formally express my concern regarding a serious issue with my 2016 Honda Pilot. In July 2025, I began noticing a knocking sound when starting the engine, along with difficulty accelerating. I promptly scheduled an appointment with the service department at Findlay Honda of Spokane, where I purchased the vehicle and where it has exclusively been serviced since purchase. I have always taken very good care of my car and followed recommended maintenance. On Thursday, July 17th, the dealership inspected my Pilot and informed me that the engine had failed and would cost approximately $10,000–$12,000 to repair. I was told the vehicle was unsafe to drive and strongly advised against taking it home. This left me with no choice but topurchase another vehicle immediately, as I am a single parent of two children and rely solely on my car for transportation. Unfortunately, I was not in the market for a new car and the unexpected expense has placed a significant financial burden on my family. To make matters worse, my Pilot was given a very poor trade-in value due to the engine failure. Since this occurred, I have learned that engine problems are not uncommon in the 2016 Honda Pilot. I am frustrated that I was not offered any assistance in having the vehicle repaired, especially given my loyalty to Honda and consistent maintenance history. I believe I am owed compensation, either for the denied repair or for the financial hardship of being forced into an unplanned vehicle purchase with little value received for my trade-in. I am asking that Honda review my case and provide assistance to address this situation. I trusted Honda to provide a reliable vehicle for my family, and I feel deeply disappointed by this experience.

Dear NHTSA, My 2016 Honda Pilot has been diagnosed with engine failure by Hoehn Honda, despite consistent and careful maintenance. The failure occurred suddenly, without warning or prior symptoms, and well before the expected lifespan of the vehicle, yet outside the warranty window. After reviewing owner forums, various automotive publications, and the NHTSA website, I found numerous similar complaints involving the same year and model. A recall has already been issued under NHTSA Campaign Number 23V751000, which corresponds to Honda Manufacturer Recall XG1 and Honda Recall GG0. Although my vehicle is not currently included in this recall, the nature of the failure is consistent with those that are. I also found there is an ongoing NHTSA investigation to expand this to an additional 1.4 million vehicles in which my 2016 Honda Pilot is listed. I have contacted Honda North America and was given a case number 15927935. This initial contact informed since my VIN is not part of the recall than I am on my own. I have requested this matter to be escalated. Given the circumstances, I believe my vehicle should be considered under NHTSA Campaign Number 23V751000 and included in Honda Recalls XG1 and GG0. Furthermore, I respectfully request that my case be reviewed as part of NHTSA Action Number RQ24013, which is investigating why the scope of Campaign 23V751000 was limited to 249,000 vehicles despite widespread reports of identical failures in vehicles outside the recall. I can provide the dealer documents confirming this finding along with photos they provided as well as the cost for replacement. I have since had the motor replaced at the cost of $7156.09 and have the invoice. I'm hoping there will be grounds for Honda to reimburse me for this cost. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Vehicle flashing warning signs for multiple system functions including battery and mechanical, forcing driver to pull over, unable to put vehicle in neutral to tow. Took vehicle to Honda dealership in Phoenix, AZ dealership unable to recreate issue. Stated it was cleared as a certified used Honda. Continued to have reoccurring issues, less than 2 months later vehicle engine completely seized. Honda refused to take responsibility for engine failure despite documented recurring issues with this make and model.

The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Pilot. The vehicle was a dealer sale on July 7, 2026. At the time of the sale, the odometer reading was 89,991. The contact later purchased an Auto Track and Carfax report, which indicated that in April 2026, the odometer reading was 198,387.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the vehicle had been driven for two to three hours. In addition, the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The transmission fluids were flushed. The contact stated that the transmission fluids had been flushed and refilled four times within the year. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair for the rear-view camera; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle was abnormally jolting and sputtering. The contact stated that the engine warning light was activating and deactivating. The contact stated that failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted, and a transmission flush was performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

I am filing a safety and defect complaint regarding my 2016 Honda Pilot (3.5L V6 Engine). In Dec 2025, the "EMISSION SYSTEM PROBLEM" warning light ocationally illuminated on the dashboard. On 5/26/26.while driving, the vehicle suddenly began to shake violently and experienced a severe loss of acceleration—when I stepped on the gas pedal, the vehicle hesitated and would not speed up (loss of motive power). In June I let a certified Honda dealership scanned the vehicle and pulled diagnostic trouble codes P0430, P219A, and P219B, confirming that the fuel injectors have failed. This is a well-documented manufacturing defect explicitly detailed in Honda’s Technical Service Bulletin TSB 20-100. The defect causes uneven fuel delivery and cylinder misfires, which poses a severe driving hazard, including sudden engine stalling, loss of motive power while driving, and acceleration hesitation in traffic. Although American Honda previously extended the warranty for this specific injector defect to 10 years or 150,000 miles, my vehicle was DENIED coverage by American Honda corporate customer relations solely because it has just passed the 10-year mark (the vehicle was purchased on November 30, 2015), despite having only 140,000 miles (well under the mileage limit).This is a critical safety and environmental hazard inherent to Honda's manufacturing design. An expiration of time does not make a known manufacturing flaw any less dangerous on public roads. I request NHTSA to investigate this persistent issue and upgrade the current warranty extension to a mandatory safety recall so that affected consumers are not left driving hazardous vehicles or forced to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for an acknowledged factory defect.

My 2016 Honda Pilot Touring repeatedly stalls and shuts off while driving, including at lower speeds in traffic. When it happens, the engine and all electrical power shut off; the vehicle then has to be jump-started, and it will sometimes only restart after sitting for an hour or more. This is a serious safety hazard because the vehicle can lose power unexpectedly while in motion, creating a risk of a crash and of being stranded in a travel lane. The failed component is the fuel delivery system (fuel pump / fuel system pressure). The condition has been diagnosed repeatedly with trouble code P0087 (Fuel Rail/System Pressure — Too Low). It was first documented on July 18, 2025 at 144,303 miles by an independent service center, which diagnosed a failing fuel pump. On March 13, 2026 a Honda dealer again retrieved code P0087 and diagnosed a failing fuel pump. In April 2026, a second Honda dealer could not reproduce the code, replaced the fuel injectors instead, and the stalling returned within about 670 miles. In May 2026 that same dealer documented the problem as a "reoccurring issue" and now recommends replacing the in-tank fuel pump. The warning symptom prior to failure was the check-engine/malfunction-indicator lamp, which set code P0087; the stalling followed. The problem has been confirmed and reproduced by both an independent service center and a Honda dealer, and the vehicle is still owned and available for inspection upon request. No crash, fire, or injury has occurred. This stalling/loss-of-power failure mode is the same one described in NHTSA recall 23V-858, in which the in-tank fuel pump can fail and cause the engine to stall while driving. This vehicle is exhibiting exactly that failure mode but is not currently included in that recall population. I am reporting it so the agency is aware, and I request that this vehicle be considered for inclusion in recall 23V-858.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the vehicle had been driven for two to three hours. In addition, the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The transmission fluids were flushed. The contact stated that the transmission fluids had been flushed and refilled four times within the year. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair for the rear-view camera; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Monocular Windshield Camera premature part failure. 36160-TG8-A72-M1. Premature failure of the part causes all included safety systems to be disabled, and also negatively impacts standard cruise control. The part was sent for repair and the lens was thermally degraded as well as processor board non functional. There was no thermal paste installed on the processor. When the camera fails, an improper transmission failure warning light also appears on the dashboard, which prevents smog testing from being completed despite the camera system not impacting emissions at all.

Taligate is rusting through near the handle as well as around the right taillight. Another recall for this exact issue is in place for the same year/make/model, yet my vehicle is not included in the recall. Faulty seals allow water to get into the tailgate and rust from the inside-out. Honda has told me they won't help even though it is a known issue (recall).

no incident : recall that was done on hood. gas cap/lid doesn't close tightly Hood looks like it going to open , left side front end lifts when driving on freeway, Honda of the Desert replaced latch but it did not solve the problem

The component that failed in both incidents was the vehicle’s wiring system, specifically wiring insulation that appears to be vulnerable to rodent damage. In the first incident, squirrels chewed through wiring connected to the fuel injector system, which triggered a check engine light and was repaired. In the second incident, squirrels again accessed the engine compartment and chewed through wiring affecting the braking system. This resulted in a sudden and unexpected loss of braking function. Yes, the damaged components should be available for inspection through the repair shop or service records, although I would need to confirm the exact location of the retained parts. Safety was significantly put at risk. During the second incident, the vehicle was occupied by multiple passengers, including minors. While approaching a red light, the driver attempted to brake and found that the brakes were not functioning properly. The driver had to shift the vehicle into park and use the emergency brake to stop, narrowly avoiding a serious collision. This created a high-risk, potentially life-threatening situation. The first incident was addressed by a mechanic after the check engine light appeared, confirming damage to the fuel injector-related wiring. The second incident was formally confirmed by a mechanic that the brake line was leaking from damage from, what they highly suspected and have seen in the past, a rodent . In the first incident, a check engine light appeared, prompting immediate attention. In the second incident, there were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the brake failure occurred.

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

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.

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.

Car hit pole head on, airbags did not deploy. Dash indicated SRS airbag failure

I was hit in the front of the vehicle in the driver side by a large deer while traveling at 55 mph and you could smell airbag smoke but there was no airbag deployment whatsoever.

Defective Keyless Access Unit Car will completely lose power Honda dealer confirmed defective keyless access unit Various problems experienced : a) Car is completely disabled b) Main Battery drained c) Flashing External Lights d) Flashing Dashboard cluster lights and indicators e) Anti Theft security Alarm Horn will sound f) Defective Hood Latch g) Windshield Wipers operational compromised

My 2016 Honda Pilot was recently repaired as the Cam-Shaft had move within the care engine. My car has 109,000 miles on the vehicle, and should not have this issue given the cars age and the way that the car is driven. I am a suburban mom, who drives the car to work and with both of my children within my car. This put my entire family as risk driving within the care and could have hurt other drivers if the malfunction happened in the middle of the free-way or otherwise. The vehicle was inspected by the Honda Dealership for the issue. The vehicle has all of the dash lights flashing and the car was driving erratically, so much so that mid driving the car, it we were in a near miss accident due to the mechanical malfunction. The 2nd issue that has presented itself, it the start and stop button within the vehicle. It is a known defect to the vehicle.

Defective Keyless Access Unit Car will completely lose power Honda dealer confirmed defective keyless access unit Various problems experienced : a) Car is completely disabled b) Main Battery drained c) Flashing External Lights d) Flashing Dashboard cluster lights and indicators e) Anti Theft security Alarm Horn will sound f) Defective Hood Latch g) Windshield Wipers operational compromised

Rear glass window exploded outward. It was parked in the parking lot and was not forcefully shut or anything. Luckily, I was not driving when this happened and no one was hurt but it was very odd. No extreme temperatures. No extreme pressure from inside the vehicle. It is very unusual what happened.

Lug studs keep breaking i have had honda and other dealers change the studs over 8 times new studs new lugs and 60-90 days one-two are broken again

The audio system in my car blares When car is cold and after 5 minutes it turned off, and once it turned off a loud static noise that makes my vehicle unsafe to drive. The only way to get the noise to turn off is to pull over and completely turn off the car, and sometimes that does not even work. This is a driving hazard and could also be damaging long-term to my hearing. I have contacted Honda who says they have no recalls associated with this issue, but there are NUMEROUS complaints from customers online.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at slow and moderate speeds, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle lurched and jerked. The failure was more evident while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and exceeding 40 MPH, the hood was flapping. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V932000 (Structure, Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact’s daughter owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood was vibrating excessively. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the hood latch was inoperable and failed to properly secure the hood. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,819.

Hondal recall S/B 26-031 subframe This vehicle is 10 years old and was purchased / driven entirely in the northeast / NY - where the vehicle is most susceptible to underlying rust and corrosion issues and potential failure of suspension components. Vehicle was delivered to authorized Honda dealer / service center for scheduled inspection and required repairs on July 17. However, Honda service could not complete and remedy this safety recall on my vehicle due to unavailability of parts. Specifically, the subrame requires repair/reinforcement, but the bolts are seized and removing them will cause damage to the control arm bushing. Dealer advised they are unable to obtain control arm parts from Honda due to back order. I was advised my vehicle is not the only one they have where unavailbility of repair parts is resulting in inability to complete the safety recall.

Drive to work suddenly engine show emergency issues many symbols appearing in front of screen and break is not controlled and car is stop running.

The seat belt on the driver's side is too short. I can barely get it to fasten and when I do I have no ability to move. I can't lean forward to look for traffic, light changes, etc. This seems to be a problem as I went on a Honda forum and others experience the same issue.

Hood - flutters and wobbles significantly at highway speeds. Per recall check, this vehicle is not included. Seat belt - more of a personal thing, but the driver's seat belt cuts into the driver's neck, even when high of shoulder strap is adjusted. When using a device to help control where the shoulder strap lays, it was found that the driver's seat belt is MUCH shorter than all other in the vehicle. Therefore not allowing the driver to use something to adjust the shoulder portion and still safely check blind spots.

Pirelli scorpion verde plus 2 honda pilot 2016 awd while driving at safety speed about 40mph the rear tire suddenly explode right on the sidewall,no report or inspection by the store or any other. No damage to the vehicle,nobody injured.,weather temp at that time 67 F.

ALL TIRES ARE NOT SAFE. TREAD IS CHIPPING AWAY. FIRST NOTICED AT 24000 MILES.