2016 Honda Pilot problems
Owners have filed 2,412 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Pilot. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 34% of complaints. After that come electrical system (24%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,412 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 40 and 16
- Injuries and deaths
- 43 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 49,000 miles 1,038 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 | 175 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 227 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 236 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 177 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 99 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 46 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 42 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,038 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 49,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 72,000 miles (236 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 40 complaints mention a crash; 16 complaints mention a fire; 43 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 90% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Honda Pilot with enough data (1,194 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 8 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.
I had pulled out of a parking place and was waiting in the traffic lane to exit the area. There were two cars in front of us. The cars were stopped. I was approximately 20-25 feet behind the car in front of me. I took my foot off the brake in my car to let it idle forward. As I approached the yukon I reapplied the brake. The car accelerated to what sounded like full rpm's and I applied the brakes as hard as I could and nothing happened.
While driving car, the panel will show "key fob not detected". When a door is opened, it will beep and display "key fob not detected"
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 honda pilot. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked, shook, and failed to accelerate. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer updated the software and flushed the transmission fluid; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 09868694. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 97,000. The VIN was invalid.