2009 Honda Pilot problems
Owners have filed 174 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Honda Pilot. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 22% of complaints. After that come air bags (17%) and suspension (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 174 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 13 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 18 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 114 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 16 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 22 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 23 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 11 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 114 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 72,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 90,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 13 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 18 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 21st most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Honda Pilot with enough data (80 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 9 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owned a 2009 honda pilot. While driving approximately 45 MPH in a snow storm, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle due to black ice. The contact's vehicle slid into a guardrail and the air bags deployed. Metal fragments entered the vehicle due to the deployment. The driver sustained facial scars, and pains to the neck, shoulder, and back. The front passenger sustained pains to the neck, shoulder, and knee.
Honda 2009 pilot mva 4/10/2010 reported passenger airbag deployed and injury occurred to sternum and ribs. Noted recall of honda for airbag in newpaper and internet. VIN [xxx] report [xxx] to honda on 4/11/13 honda pilot was totaled when hit by suburban going wrong way on a one way street about 40 MPH. Honda pilot was going through green light with right of way. No underdash airbag LED to large and shin hematomas. Seat belted passenger. Made report to honda corp.
I was driving and a car went around me on the road. It had just started freezing rain, and when she went around me she lost control of her car and hit the concrete wall on the right side of roadway, and I was on left lane, going about 40 MPH and once she hit the wall it slung her right in front of me and I t-boned her. She was sent to hospital in ambulance, and my daughter and I went to hospital with my husband. Her car was totaled and mine had about $6k in damage mostly to front.
The compliance bushings on my pilot needs to be replaced. It is my understanding that honda is aware of this issue. The old part was replaced to replace the defective bushings. It should be noted that honda is aware of this pro kemp and made changes. However, the consumer bares the burden of replacing the bushings. This defect can lead to a safety if defective and not repaired.
Complete loss of power steering while stopped or at low speeds (trying to pull into a parking space) and front end/steering column shaking while breaking at 60 MPH. I was told by the service rep at the honda dealership that I lost my power steering because there was a leak from eroded seal, causing power steering fluid to leak into the boots on the underside of the vehicle. For this reason, there was never any leakage onto the ground to ever indicate that there was a leak.