2021 Honda Pilot problems
Owners have filed 762 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Pilot. Forward collision avoidance is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. After that come electrical system (18%) and engine (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 762 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Forward collision avoidance 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 27 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 32,000 miles 61 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 | 21 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 8 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 61 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 32,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 27 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 82% 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 2021 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Honda Pilot with enough data (762 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 10 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.
The contact owned a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while her friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. As a result, the vehicle left the roadway, hitting a stop sign before coming to a complete stop after colliding with a concrete wall. The driver and passenger side air bags did deploy. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported.
Airbag Failure Report – 2021 Honda Pilot (Incident Date: April 10, 2026) I am reporting a critical failure of the supplemental restraint system (SRS) in my 2021 Honda Pilot. On April 10, 2026, while traveling at approximately 40–45 mph, our vehicle was struck on the driver’s side by a white commercial van. The severe impact caused over $9,000 in structural damage—including the driver-side door, fender, wheel, mirror, and radiator support brackets—yet the side/curtain airbags failed to deploy.
2021 Honda Pilot is subject to "rapid acceleration". We had no notification of this issue until the vehicle drove itself into our home on its own causing damage to the car and our home. Only after we did some research did we know Honda had this issue.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving over a speed bump at an undisclosed speed, he heard a knocking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the subframe was damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 7,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted to the left and right. Additionally, the passenger's side front mirror was shaking abnormally. Additionally, and the driver's side front window made abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a wheel alignment. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.