CSR

Honda · NHTSA safety record

2025 Honda Pilot

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 202 safety complaints about the 2025 Honda Pilot with the US government. Of those, 11 describe a crash, 11 people were injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance, named in 55 complaints, 27% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 8,218 miles, the median across the 24 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

202 complaints on file

202

Complaints

11

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

11

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 55 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 43 · 21%
STEERING 38 · 19%
ENGINE 30 · 15%
SERVICE BRAKES 30 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 26 · 13%
POWER TRAIN 21 · 10%
LANE DEPARTURE 15 · 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 · 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 12 · 6%
SEAT BELTS 12 · 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 11 · 5%
0 23 46

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 202.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 97.

104 78 52 26
24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2024 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2025 Honda PILOT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 14.3% 15.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

25V391000 · June 12, 2025

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
The risk
A brake pedal that shifts out of position can prevent the driver from applying the brakes as intended, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 259,033 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

25V056000 · February 5, 2025

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The third-row passenger seat belt assembly may not function, due to incorrect routing that traps the seat belt behind the passenger side panel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
A non-functioning seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair the seat belt routing as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is ZL4.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 1,494 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

25V031000 · January 23, 2025

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
The risk
An engine stall or loss of power can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 294,612 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP

24V900000 · November 27, 2024

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Passport and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles. The fuel filler neck tube and fuel filler pipe may separate, allowing fuel to leak.
The risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair the fuel filler neck tube and pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is OKM.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 205,760 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

EA25004

Still open engineering analysis · opened March 26, 2025

the engine and its cooling

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.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 16,000 miles

The contact owned a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on a neighborhood street, a vehicle crashed into the front driver’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was driving approximately 60 MPH at the time of the crash and came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed a local law enforcement parking lot. No warning lights were illuminated. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact and mother were injured. The contact was seated in the driver’s seat and suffered injuries to the left arm, back, and ribs, and the contact’s mother was seated in the rear driver’s side seat and suffered injuries to the left

NHTSA complaint 11759716, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured

The moonroof of my car exploded on my panoramic sunroof. It was a hot summer day and I had the AC on. I opened the panoramic sunshade and as soon as it was fully open the moonroof glass upfront exploded. My family and I were very shaken, showered in glass and I almost swerved into a car that was passing me to the left. My wife had a minor cut on her arm that initially looked worse than it was. My younger son got glass in his mouth and said he swallowed some by mistake. The poor kid was crying for days thinking he was going to die. This was not a busy highway. There was no sign of debris hitting the car / moon roof. Pictures were taken after I cleaned up the broken glass around the rim of

NHTSA complaint 11761528, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

I just drove into a parking lot at First United Methodist Church parking lot. [XXX] ng a parking space very near. Driving into the space, applying brakes like I’ve done for the last 12/13 years….the car would not stop. I applied the brakes fully down to the floor( which I’ve never had to ever do at any time) the car kept going..rolling on. My husband the passenger told me” STOP”. I did stop. I was applying the brakes as soon as approaching the parking space. The car kept on going as I said. No warning like” brake hold” which has worked another other time when getting according to this cars brain..it would show some kind of warning. It did not. No sound, no nothing to brake the car. It

NHTSA complaint 11729020, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

On April 2nd, 2026. I was driving this car into a parking space. I had to be going 5 mph. Or slower. Probably even slower. Pulling in.. I applied the brakes of course. The car wouldn’t stop. My husband/passenger told me to STOP. I did stop. This car kept rolling and crashed/smashed/ hit the brick red building in front of us. No brake hold was displayed.. no nothing. No brake stop. Nooooo nothing. The car wouldn’t stop. I never in my life have ever experienced this.

NHTSA complaint 11729504. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

52,646 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle recently received routine maintenance by the dealer; however, approximately one month later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power and came to a complete stop. The messages “Transmission Temperature -Avoid Heavy Acceleration and High Speeds”, “Transmission System Problem”, “Apply Parking Brake When Parked”, “Emissions System Problem”, and “Power May Be Reduced - See Your Dealer” messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the

NHTSA complaint 11766946, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The air conditioning system on my 2025 Honda Pilot stopped producing cold air at approximately 21,374 miles. The A/C failure also affects the vehicle’s ability to adequately clear fog and condensation from the windshield during humid or rainy conditions, reducing visibility while driving. On XXX, [XXX] Honda diagnosed the problem and documented on the repair order that the A/C clutch and coil need to be replaced. The repair order states that the parts are “currently on backorder with no ETA.” The vehicle was returned to us without the repair completed and without functioning A/C. We were advised to continue driving the vehicle while waiting for the backordered parts. INFORMATION REDACTED

NHTSA complaint 11765999, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The spring coil in the steering wheel started clicking and making more noise as I make every turn. I took it in to Honda dealership and the replaced the part. The next day it has started making the same noise but worse. It is louder and makes me now feel uncomfortable driving my vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11765610. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
All of the safety feature lights turned on. The dealer's solution was for me to pay attention when I drive and wipe the senor because everything works fine. I was also told to bring it in and they can get the lights to turn off by turning off all of the safety features.

NHTSA complaint 11765719. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Ac compressor, my 2025 Honda pilot elite, with 23k miles, AC stop working, went to Honda to get it fixed, but items are back ordered so car is not able to be repaired. Apparently multiple owners who have 2023-2026 pilot are having same issues of premature failing due to parts. And vehicle can’t be driven in SoCal heat.

NHTSA complaint 11765495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS
The seat does not signal that a child is seated in the seat or to put on a seat belt. Shows as if no one is in the passenger right hand seat. Then when my child has the seat belt connected it signals to reconnect multiple times on the dash blinking red and green with sound. Please see picture below. My child is in the right passenger seat with the dealt belt on and shows no one is seated on the dash. When we are turning it blinks red and green.

NHTSA complaint 11763901. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Pilot

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 22 1 —
2024 114 6 —
2023 144 5 —
2022 160 5 —
2021 436 10 —
2020 489 11 —
2019 907 13 —
2018 440 7 —
2017 929 4 —
2016 1,709 8 —
2015 109 4 —
2014 116 3 —
2013 271 6 —
2012 171 9 —
2011 293 11 —
2010 111 10 —

Other 2025 Honda models

Every Honda on this site — 192 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst