2020 Honda Pilot Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who examined the engine and discovered metal shavings inside the oil pan and there was engine rod bearing damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed of NHTSA Action Number: PE25008 (ENGINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the NHTSA Action Number. The failure mileage was 46,500.

NHTSA ID

11751571

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

Mileage

46,500 mi

Engine start/stop function fails to restart after automatically shutting off at a light or in traffic. It falters and fails to start, then the dashboard lights up with errors, and I have to put it into park before restarting. Sometimes it takes a few tries before restarting. The battery has been replaced twice in the last year and the starter motor within the last year too, but the issue persists.

NHTSA ID

11750995

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

When the vehicle is at a stoplight or stop sign, the engine regularly shuts off. The engine does not automatically restart and sometimes it takes several minutes to restart the engine, leaving the car blocking traffic at a light. This happens REPEATEDLY and often.

NHTSA ID

11750637

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

The problem on our Honda Pilot is related to the starter. We have had four instances now where the auto start/stop function has failed to restart the car after sitting at a stop light. This has happened at very busy intersections resulting in difficulty restarting the car and the car temporarily disabling the auto start/stop functions. I just had this happen for the fourth time on 7/9/26 at approximatlely 6:00 PM. I am planning on taking it into the dealership to have it looked at since it has happened multiple times. I also see on the Internet that other owners are having this issue and NHTSA is looking into it. I feel this is a significant safety issues since this happens in traffic and could result in people being rear-ended when their car won't start. This problem started for me about two months ago but I thought it was just a fluke but apparently it is not. The battery and electrical system has been checked and are working properly.

NHTSA ID

11749553

Incident

Jul 9, 2026

Engine Auto off/ on when stopped for signal light. Routinely, when stopped at a light, the engine will fail to turn back on and the car will go off but will not turn itself completely off. This leads to a delay for the engine clicks into neutral and in order to restart, I must turn the vehicle completely off and then restart. This issue occurs when I release the brake to begin my acceleration after the light turns green. And the vehicle stalls so that the traffic behind me which was prepared to move forward is stuck. The amount of time it takes to get the vehicle turned completely off and back on generally takes much of the light change time.

NHTSA ID

11746131

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with failures of 4 of the 6 fuel injectors. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

NHTSA ID

11744159

Incident

May 28, 2026

Mileage

99,000 mi

The issue that I am having is very serious if I forget to hit the off button which disables the energy saving my car will shut off. This happens if I am at a stop sign or stop light. I literally have to restart my car all over again. Cars behind me have almost hit me. At first I thought this is a new vehicle it is normal for this happen but quickly rode cards similar to my vehicle features and their cars would not stop like mine does. I have called the dealer several times to report this incident but the managers never return my phone calls. I do fear my safety and my children's safety.

NHTSA ID

11740614

Incident

Apr 21, 2026

If I leave the auto idle engine stop on,and come to a complete stop, the auto engine stop turns on, but as I release the brake to drive, the vehicle stalls in drive and engine shuts down. I will have to manually turn the car back on and restart the whole system before being allowed to continue. All while at a green light and a ton of traffic waiting behind me to move! Its very disappointing and embarrassing. The failure happened about 5 days after purchase. I just assumed it was a bug, and always turn it off before starting my drive.

NHTSA ID

11739590

Incident

May 6, 2022

Per Honda, the standard maintenance of replacing a timing belt and tensioner has put more tension on the crankshaft, which causes a tapping noise from the connecting rod bearings when the vehicle is accelerating under load. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Honda has said that this does not harm the engine, but a noise of this kind is not normal and any noise of this kind associated with this particular part of the engine has the possibility of degrading the engine's life and causing a potential safety issue while driving down the road. Yes, the problem has been reproduced by the dealer. Dealer service department has been the only one to inspect it. No, there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The issue first appeared right after getting the mandatory timing belt maintenance when driving away from the dealer service department.

NHTSA ID

11736439

Incident

Apr 28, 2026

I am seeing warning lights on my screen and using OBD-II scnner shows code P0302 (misfires). Vehicle bought 2020 August and gas about 90K miles. Is this vehicle under recall for this issue

NHTSA ID

11734479

Incident

Apr 17, 2026

Hi, I have a 2020 Honda Pilot that showed signs of stalling. AutoNation Honda Thornton Road checked (03/07/2026) and reported I need an INJECTOR KIT replaced and SDC GDI -INTAKE THROTTLE BODY FURL INJECTOR SERVICE. All warning lights were on intermittently (on all day then nothing for 2-3 days then on all day the following day.) The vehicle vibrates and feels like it's loosing power. Honda's website stated risk as " If the fuel pump module is inoperative, the engine may not start or can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. " I have two small kids (18 month and 5 year old) that I commute to and from school every day. Honda's website shows the same issue for Honda Pilots 2016-2021 however, my VIN does not qualify me for the recall. Instead I received an estimate for said repairs for $3,345.06. Please! I am asking you to intervein as it is unfair to single out some vehicle owner even though they are having the same issue as others. Thanks in advance.

NHTSA ID

11723826

Incident

Mar 7, 2026

The contact's husband owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the Emissions warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.

NHTSA ID

11723617

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

Mileage

91,000 mi

Currently showing DTC P219B (O2 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Lean – Bank 2 Sensor 1) along with P0430 . For prior years thru 2019, Honda has issued Service Bulletins 19-072 and 20-100 covering DTCs P030x, P219A, and P219B, which may involve PCM software updates, a Cylinder A/F Test, and potential injector replacement. However, they have not issued bulletins for 2020. My car only has 58,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11718170

Incident

Feb 15, 2026

Driving on the highway dash goes completely black. Can’t see speed. Cruise control shuts down. Have to pull off the highway shut the engine down and wait for a couple minutes then restart. I have had all recalls repaired at the dealership where purchased but this happens weekly. At 50,000 miles I noticed rough and abrupt transmission shifting and clunking with a lag in acceleration. This continues despite multiple transmission flushes. The problem continues to worsen and current mileage is at 71000

NHTSA ID

11716679

Incident

Feb 3, 2026

2020 Honda pilot will sporadically turn off at highway speeds and at stop lights and will not turn back on until placed in park with foot on the brake. This is not to be confused with the start/stop feature used to save fuel. Additionally the 2020 pilot will lurch forward (like stuck in drive) while still in park.

NHTSA ID

11708440

Incident

Jul 31, 2025

There was a snap like sound under my hood while driving. Shortly after, the check engine light engaged and the vehicle lost all ability to accelerate. This happened while merging onto a fairly busy road, with rolling hills. If there were vehicles around there would have been potential for an accident. If this happened on the freeway in a middle lane, the vehicle would not have been able to successfully exit without causing extreme danger to the passengers and other vehicles. The vehicle stopped on the side of the road. When the ignition was briefly reengaged, there were rolling error codes, including vehicle stability, all wheel drive failure, etc. The engine was noticeably knocking. The vehicle was towed and inspected by an independent mechanic. The 3rd cylinder in the engine will no longer hold compression. I now need to get the vehicle to an engine specialist for further inspection and repair.

NHTSA ID

11708041

Incident

Dec 24, 2025

Transmission is sluggish and the RPM’s fluctuate between 1200 and 1400 at any speed going back and forth so the car has a back and fourth motion. Engine failure on 12/3/25 car stopped while driving. Makes a loud knocking sound. Most likely faulty bearings due to poorly engineered camshaft. White pear paint peeling since I purchased car. Capital Honda in San Jose unable to address any issue saying nothing is covered under warranty. These issues where taking place even while under warranty.

NHTSA ID

11703275

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

Auto start/stop problems with car. When at a stop, car shifts into neutral and cannot get back into Drive. Sometimes I cant turn off car. And when I do it's the only way to get car back into drive. Absolutely dangerous especially with kids in the car. Has happened on several occasions dating back so when car had only 50,000mi. Has had transmission replaced at 60,000mi. Still have engine idle issues till now.

NHTSA ID

11696923

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

The auto shut off has been not working properly and the vehicle wont restart after it shuts off. My wife was at a traffic light, and the vehicle shut off. When the light turned green, it did not restart. As a result of this she about got taken out by a semi that was coming in behind her. This could have been a deadly accident as it is raining and wet. She was stuck at the light on a busy highway for 3 minutes before the vehicle would restart.

NHTSA ID

11695873

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

When I am driving my car and stop at a stop light sometimes the car will fail to start up. It goes into neutral and then will take at least a minute to restart which is very dangerous. Its something with the start/stop feature and I had this problem two years ago and after many times dropping off my car at the Honda dealership and them telling me nothing is wrong with the car I finally said there had been a service bulletin on the start/stop system and they finally fixed it. Now two years later the same thing is happening. It is very dangerous as it happened when I was at a stop light getting off the highway and a car was coming from the highway and it took a couple minutes to restart and I almost got hit. Honda refuses address the issue and says there is nothing wrong. In fact they told me I needed to replace the mechanism with the park, neutral drive which I did for $1100 and then picked it up and the same thing happened again then they said it was the battery which was less than a year old so I replaced that and again same problem. This happens at least twice a week. This is dangerous!

NHTSA ID

11695730

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

The auto stop/start idle function does not re-engage after stopping the engine. This has happened at least 4 times in the last 3weeks with my vehicle. When stopped in traffic or at a light and stop sign the engine idle engages and stops running the engine, when releasing the brake pedal the engine does not turn on as it should and the car stalls. This requires the operator to engage hazard lights, shift into park and repeatedly try the push start button to turn on the vehicle to proceed. The passenger safety of myself and children are of concern. While having to wait on a car function, that is the core operation of the vehicle, it is dangerous to shut off a vehicle while in operation. Having other vehicles honking and trying to pass or even stopping at a highway entrance ramp then trying to engage the car to meet highway speeds is a dangerous time for an engine to stall and not re-engage. Yes, the issue has been reproduced and a dealer has already addressed the issue with a software update. This update has not resolved the issue. There are no current recalls on my vehicle. There are no warning signs or messages or the ability to turn off the function permanently. In addition, there a times during the operation of the vehicle where the engine stop/start function works after many stops but then randomly does not start. It is an inconsistent feature.

NHTSA ID

11691145

Incident

Sep 30, 2025

Engine auto off at an intersection. Would not restart. Burned up starter. Towed to Honda dealership. Rod bearing spun causing catastrophic damage to engine. Honda Care Extended warranty is covering at least part of the cost to replace either the shortblock, or possibly replace entire engine. No decision on which just yet.

NHTSA ID

11686007

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

While stopped at red light the auto off feature engaged and the car stalled out when restarting. This has happened multiple times since buying the vehicle

NHTSA ID

11685006

Incident

Sep 4, 2025

I have a 2020 Honda Pilot (VIN [XXX] ) and have experienced RPM fluctuations when trying to maintain speed. I'm concerned these issues may be related to ODI investigation PE25008 and further use of my vehicle without having it inspected may result in a crash, fire and/or complete engine failure. The engine has not operated smoothly for months, and my mechanic has not been able to figure out why. It feels like the engine is struggling to maintain a steady RPM, leading to bouncing or surging in power. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11683674

Incident

Aug 20, 2025

Rough Shifting at lower speeds when accelerating and deceleration. Very hard jerk while driving with family in the car. Hard jerk happened occasionally and produces no codes. Dealer and mechanic say they can't do anything without codes.

NHTSA ID

11683598

Incident

May 15, 2025