CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Honda · NHTSA safety record

2026 Honda Pilot

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

Owners have filed 22 safety complaints about the 2026 Honda Pilot with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the suspension.

The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 11 complaints, 50% of the total.

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

What is on file

22 complaints on file

22

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

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.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STEERING 11 · 50%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 27%
SEAT BELTS 4 · 18%
AIR BAGS 3 · 14%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 14%
SUSPENSION 2 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 5%
SEATS 1 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 5%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 22.

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 2026 Honda PILOT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV N/A AWD SUV N/A 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

1 on file

SUSPENSION:REAR

26V424000 · July 1, 2026

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2026 Pilot and Passport vehicles. The rear subframe bolts may have been tightened improperly.
The risk
Loose rear subframe bolts can lead to a loss of vehicle stability or rear subframe detachment, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rear subframe bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is OOY. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 10, 2026.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 3,933 vehicles across all model years covered

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.

STEERING
Steering wheel makes a clicking noise. the internal steering rack or the cable reel (clock spring) behind the wheel.

NHTSA complaint 11766276. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel started making a clicking noise after a couple hundred miles. Dealer replaced clock spring and wrapped in felt tape. I could hear the felt tape a few days later when turning the wheel, and the clicking returned within a few hundred miles, returned to dealer again and they replaced clock spring again and wrapped in felt tape. The issue was only fixed for 1 day before I started hearing the felt tape when turning the wheel.

NHTSA complaint 11766069. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
When turning steering there is a clicking noise almost like a spring clicking on a gear. It is sound like it is coming from under the middle part where the airbag sits. Not sure if it is the airbag mechanism that it is the attached to the steering or a faulty clock spring.

NHTSA complaint 11764493. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
We believe there is a serious safety issue with our 2026 Honda Pilot with its delayed acceleration. There is a distinct delay between pushing the gas pedal and the engine engaging/moving the car forward (approximately 2 seconds). This has nothing to do with the Auto Idle Stop function. I've attached a vLinker MC+ device to our car's OBD port and used the Car Scanner mobile app ([XXX]) to measure the delay. I'm attaching visual proof of the delay between the gas pedal and the engine RPMs. The reason we believe this is a safety issue is that when trying to merge into traffic (think of crossing 2 lanes to turn left) the delay means you have no confidence you'll make it safely across without

NHTSA complaint 11764256, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering wheel makes a clicking/spring noise when turning, especially at low speeds

NHTSA complaint 11761677. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
When turning the steering wheel a clicking sound happen full lock both ways.

NHTSA complaint 11761451. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Pilot

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 202 4 —
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 2026 Honda models

CR-V 143 Passport 63 Odyssey 38 CBR600RR 7

Complaints on file, same model year.

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