CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012-2013 Honda Pilot have a small complaint trend of owners reporting the engine hesitates sometimes when accelerating.

While it's not a widespread trend with the Pilot, it's a little concerning because of the possibly safety ramifications. While it's certainly something to keep in mind, most Pilot owners are not experiencing this problem.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,431 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Honda Pilot miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2012 Honda Pilot Owner Comments

problem #8

Jun 012023

Pilot

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle's paint is literally peeling away from every horizontal and connected vertical surface. Without paint on metal, rust is happening, weakening the metal structure of the vehicle. have reached out to Honda USA and they informed they had no responsibility for the paint, yet the service writer at my local Honda dealer said that my vehicle's paint, Pearl White, has been peeling off Honda vehicles for years and Honda knows it to be an issue yet only occasionally offers to be of any assistance. I am the original owner of this 2012 Honda Pilot, the vehicle has never been in an accident, yet in the past year paint has come off of the vehicle at an alarming rate (literally in sheets). To be able to make necessary restorations the front window was broken and had to be replaced (at my expense). If Honda knows its Pearl White paint doesn't adhere to the metal body, that is a known product defect and they are potentially contributing to accelerated body deterioration (a safety concern). I have all current documentation for the restoration, and upon attempting to pick up the vehicle it was discovered that the hood was sustaining the same problem as the roof and upper body. There are no impacted "warning" lights as this is not mechanical, and I am unclear how separating paint (according to our local Honda dealer is always Pearl White) poses an immediate safety problem for me or others, but if you are not aware that Honda dealers know the Pearl White paint is defective, what else are they not telling you/us about our vehicle and the vehicles owned by hundreds of thousands of Americans? Please conduct your own investigation and contact me if you'd like copies of our correspondence with Honda USA and the original estimate versus the final bill ($1000 more) for the first round of re-painting. We now are having a second round of painting to address the paint failure on the hood. Thank you.

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #7

Aug 252021

Pilot

  • miles
Paint peeling. I brought it to a body shop and they stated it was a manufacturing defect. I am looking for other ways to follow up with Honda Directly. it is getting increasingly worse.

- Pacifica, CA, USA

problem #6

Sep 102020

Pilot

  • 172,322 miles
As I proceed to accelerate onto a highway or road my vehicle is very hesitant no matter how far you push down on the gas pedal it will not go and then all of the sudden it lurches accelerating the speed very fast as if it's trying to catch up. This has caused me to almost I have three accidents now. I have to be very cautious when entering an intersection or pulling onto a freeway as my vehicle declines to accelerate as it needs to causing people to run into me almost. It is a pretty significant delay for the vehicle to catch up on its own and could be very dangerous for anyone. I have read several columns where customers with Honda Pilot have experienced this same ordeal and yet it's hard to take to a dealership and explain what's going on and then get in the car and it not happen right away but my car does it almost every single time you try to accelerate on to any road. This should be addressed as soon as possible before it causes a life

- Ocilla, GA, USA

problem #5

Jan 052018

Pilot

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My paint is peeling on the roof between the windshield and the sunroof.

- Lees Summit, MO, USA

problem #4

Jan 152019

Pilot

  • miles
I noticed a few months ago that the paint was peeling on my 2012 Honda Pilot. Paint should not peel on a car that is only 7 years old. I contacted Honda and the have refused to fix this.

- Lees Summit, MO, USA

problem #3

Sep 172014

Pilot

  • 55,000 miles
Bluetooth connection drops regularly, causing a distraction to the driver.

- Manchester, MO, USA

problem #2

Jul 082015

Pilot

  • 40,000 miles
I was in my driveway, applying brakes as I began coasting to a stop in front of my house when the car suddenly accelerated smashing into the front of my house. Middle of the day, no rain, not impaired, flat driveway. Air bags did not activate. Paint/scratches on the front bumper and cracks on the house stucco but no major damage. Acceleration started just a couple yards from the house. Honda dealership could not find any evidence of a computer or other problem.

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #1

Apr 162012

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 125 miles
Two days after purchase of the vehicle, the vehicle has rough idle upon start and stalls. This has happened three times in three days. Honda has no fix for the problem at this time. Honda advised they are not aware of the problem, yet I was able to find NHTSA reports that involve the same problem.

- Hampstead, MD, USA

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