Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
2016 Honda Pilot — Known Issues & Recalls
Complaints from Jan 2020 to Dec 2024
The most reported issue is engine problems (396 complaints). 22 complaints involved crashes. 9 involved fires.
Open Safety Recalls (7)
NHTSA Campaign: 17V219000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KE8.
NHTSA Campaign: 16V417000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).
NHTSA Campaign: 15V424000
Component: SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.
Risk: If the third row seatbelt is trapped, the occupants may not be restrained properly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JS7.
NHTSA Campaign: 15V668000
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".
Risk: If a safety system cannot immediately warn the driver when needed, the driver may be at increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV7.
NHTSA Campaign: 21V932000
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.
Risk: A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.
NHTSA Campaign: 23V751000
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
NHTSA Campaign: 23V858000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Owner-Reported Issues (20 of 1613)
Engine →9 issues
Your engine is making a clunking noise, and a Honda dealer diagnosed all main rod bearings as damaged, recommending a complete engine replacement. This failure matches a known Honda recall (23V-751) involving premature bearing wear from a manufacturing defect in the crankshaft, though your specific vehicle wasn't included in the recall population. The repair will require replacing the entire engine, which is a major and costly fix.
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Your engine stalled while driving at 60 MPH and wouldn't restart, with multiple warning lights appearing on your dashboard. A dealer diagnosed the problem as failed rod bearings that need replacement. This is a serious engine issue that requires professional repair to restore your vehicle to safe driving condition.
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Your car was serviced for an oil leak at the oil filter 6 weeks ago, but 3 days ago the check engine light started flashing and your car lost acceleration power. The dealership diagnosed a failed rod bearing that caused engine damage, quoting $10,000 for a new engine. You discovered Honda issued a recall for this exact problem, but your VIN doesn't show any recalls on file.
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Pulled up to intersection and check engine light started flashing. Vehicle was approximately 2miles from home. Drove home and parked in driveway.
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Your engine is making a knocking sound due to a worn tie rod bearing on cylinder 3. With 119,000 miles on your Pilot, this worn bearing is causing the knock you're hearing. Continuing to drive with this issue could cause further engine damage. The repair will likely involve replacing the worn tie rod bearing or potentially rebuilding that cylinder.
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On my 2016 Honda pilot The engine started to fail and make a knocking noise when started, took it to Honda, they said I will need a new engine, I pushed for a goodwill repair, and they told me No. the car has been sitting ever since.
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The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that upon leaving a gas station, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated.
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Loud Engine knock when starting and when running under light load around 2000 RPM
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Engine failure, left rear cylinder knocking
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Fuel/propulsion System →2 issues
While driving on the highway, your car's accelerator stopped responding and the engine lost power, causing you to pull over. Multiple warning lights appeared on the dashboard including check engine, stability control, and emission system lights. After restarting, the car only drove at 30-40 mph while shaking. A diagnostic later revealed a fuel pressure pump fault (code P0087). The repair likely involves replacing or servicing the fuel pressure pump to restore proper fuel delivery to your engine.
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Our fuel pump went out, causing us to be stranded and having to have our Honda Pilot toward 45 minutes away to the Honda dealer to have it replaced. There were no warning lights on until we were going down the highway and all of a sudden the dash warning codes were flashing like crazy. We turned our car off, then when we turned it back everything kept flashing, many warning lights at once.
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Suspension,engine,forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
While driving to work, your engine suddenly displayed multiple warning symbols on the dashboard, your brakes stopped responding properly, and the engine shut off. You were able to stop the car safely without a crash or fire.
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Electrical System,engine →1 issue
Your vehicle caught fire and was completely destroyed. This happened without any warning signs, despite the car being regularly serviced and having recently passed both emissions and safety inspections in Virginia.
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Engine And Engine Cooling →1 issue
Your engine is making a knocking sound while driving at various speeds, but no warning lights are showing up on your dashboard. A mechanic diagnosed this as rod bearing failure, and your Honda dealer found that the timing chain has slipped out of alignment, meaning your engine needs to be replaced. This issue appeared around 148,850 miles. Fixing this will require a complete engine replacement or major internal engine work to realign the timing chain and repair the rod bearings.
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Engine,fuel/propulsion System →1 issue
My vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure of the exhaust and engine systems directly caused by the defective fuel injection system identified in Service Bulletin 20-100. Despite providing evidence that the failure was initiated by these defective injectors, Honda has only provided a partial, unexplained reimbursement and refuses to acknowledge the extensive "downstream" damages.
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Electrical System →1 issue
Your car won't start and the dashboard warning light flashes when you try to use the keyless start button. This is a problem with your keyless entry and ignition system. The issue may be related to the battery, the key fob, or the start button electrical connections, and will likely require diagnosis and repair of the keyless start system components.
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Engine,forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
Your engine is making a noise from underneath that sounds like it could be a connecting rod bearing issue. You've already replaced the timing belt assembly, but the noise may still be present. Additionally, your forward collision warning system is triggering a "Collision Brake Warning" whenever another car approaches on narrow streets, which may indicate a sensor calibration or detection problem. You may need further engine diagnostics and a collision avoidance system recalibration or sensor inspection.
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Electrical System,engine,back Over Prevention →1 issue
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed a blank or blue image while in reverse(R). In addition, there was an abnormal scrambling sound coming from the radio before the radio failed to operate as needed.
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Wheels →1 issue
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
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Unknown Or Other →1 issue
When driving vehicle shuts off for no reason. Then I have to put my four-way on and turn my vehicle back on. It has already happened four times, and no one seems to know what the problem is or what is causing the issue.
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Related Vehicles
Other Honda Pilot years: