2021 Honda Pilot

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

1. I believe the Auto Idle Stop - the vehicle stopped at a red light not warning it stalled and would not start again. 2. Safety was impacted as my children and I were in the car in the middle of traffic and we had to exit the car across 4 lanes of traffic. Called non emergency # for police to park behind the car so that it did cause an accident with traffic. Called AAA and they towed the vehicle home. 3. AAA tested battery it is good, alternator is good, took it to Midas for an overall diagnostics check and they did not find anything wrong or any errors recorded. 4. No warning lamps, messages or symbols till after it stalled and it showed the battery light.

NHTSA ID

11776831

Incident

Nov 7, 2026

I had the front passenger side airbag recall completed on my vehicle on July 1, 2026. In August, approximately August 14 error messages started occurring whenever I cranked my vehicle. The error messages were collision mitigation system problem, road department mitigation system problem, auto high beam problem, adaptive cruise control problem, lane keeping assist problem. I was able to have the vehicle inspected at Stokes Honda in Beaufort and was told that it was the front facing camera failure. I have owned this vehicle for 2 years with no issues.

NHTSA ID

11776574

Incident

Aug 14, 2026

2021 Honda Pilot EX-L, 3.5L V6. The engine cranks slowly and is sluggish to start when restarted after a short stop of roughly 10-30 minutes (for example, running errands). After the vehicle sits an hour or more, it starts normally. The condition appears tied to engine heat-soak. The battery has been tested and ruled out as the cause. This is a repeat of a prior problem. The vehicle previously received Honda's repair for the idle stop no-restart condition under Service Bulletins A23-010/23-009, including starter assembly and starter relay replacement and a valve adjustment. The slow hot-restart symptom has returned since that repair. This matches the condition under NHTSA investigation EA25004, where owners report the problem returning after the campaign repairs. Safety risk: Slow or failed restarts when the engine is warm could leave the vehicle and occupants stranded, including in traffic or unsafe locations. With Auto Idle Stop, a weak restart could also cause the engine to fail to restart at an intersection. Dealer: Scott Clark Honda performed the work the first time. I have an appointment with Hendrick Honda for Tuesday 11/10 Warning lamps or messages: None The vehicle is available for inspection on request. Video of the slow crank can be made at any point as it’s every time I drive.

NHTSA ID

11776520

Incident

Nov 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted by phone.

NHTSA ID

11775965

Incident

Nov 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the Auto Idle Stop system repeatedly failed to restart the engine after stopping. During the failure, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on multiple occasions, where the battery and starter were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no assistance, referring the contact to the dealer for additional diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11775636

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

A cascade of warning errors suddenly appeared in my 2021 Honda Pilot. Lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, collission mitigation system, auto high bean, and road departure mitigation problem. The brake system light is also lit up. My mechanic said it is a "millimeter wave error" caused by one of the front cameras. After researching this, it seems that this is a common problem, and there is an active lawsuit.

NHTSA ID

11775001

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

I am filing this complaint as a proactive safety measure regarding my 2021 Honda Pilot EX-L, equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 engine. I am deeply concerned about the severe manufacturing defect involving connecting rod bearing failures that cause sudden, catastrophic engine stalling and total loss of motive power while driving. This exact defect was the subject of NHTSA Recall Campaign 23V-751. However, Honda arbitrarily restricted that recall to select 2016, 2018, and 2019 model years. As a current owner of a 2021 model year vehicle utilizing the exact same J-Series V6 engine architecture, my vehicle is suffering from the exact same underlying vulnerability but is entirely excluded from safety protections and repair remedies. A sudden engine failure at highway speeds poses an extreme and immediate safety risk to myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. I am submitting this to formally urge the NHTSA to expand its current investigation into Honda’s V6 engine failures and force American Honda Motor Co. to expand Recall 23V-751 to include the 2021 Honda Pilot fleet before a catastrophic failure occurs.

NHTSA ID

11774608

Incident

Oct 30, 2026

My wife operates a 2020 Honda Pilot Touring, purchased new and currently with approximately 60,000 miles. The vehicle's automatic idle stop/start system intermittently shuts the engine off while stopped in traffic but fails to restart when the driver releases the brake and attempts to proceed. The driver must shift the vehicle into Park and manually restart the engine, leaving the vehicle unexpectedly immobilized in active traffic. The vehicle was previously brought to Atamian Honda in [XXX], in spring 2026 for this same defect. Honda performed a corrective repair, but the identical failure has returned approximately six months later. The driver now feels compelled to manually disable the automatic idle stop feature every time she starts the vehicle to avoid another failure. We believe this represents a serious, unresolved safety defect and are particularly concerned that the condition has recurred after a previous manufacturer-directed repair. We request that NHTSA document this repeated post-repair failure and consider it in its ongoing evaluation of Honda idle-stop restart safety issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11774364

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the auto idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. In other circumstances, vehicles may experience a slow crank or fail to start under hot ambient temperature conditions.

Dealer Message - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not automatically restart. In other circumstances, vehicles may experience a slow crank or fail to start under hot ambient temperature conditions. The customer should be able to restart the vehicle by selecting Park and pushing the ENGINE START/STOP button.

Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger due to software specifications that can cause some phones to have issues charging.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative. Vehicles may also have the A6 10A or C27 7.5A fuse blown. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative. Vehicles may also have the A6 10A or C27 7.5A fuse blown. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Service Bulletin - One or more accessory running board lights are flickering or not working due to a faulty running board light assembly.