CarComplaints.com Notes: It's worrying when the top category for 2016 Honda Pilot problems are transmission problems. Owners report jerking when accelerating. Also as the first model year of the redesigned 3rd generation Pilot, it's not a good sign.

Honda released a TSB on October 29 2016 that's possibly related. The TSB deals with a "a judder from the torque converter lock-up clutch ... while driving between 20 and 60 mph" due to deteriorated transmission fluid resulting from "specific driving conditions". In the TSB, Honda states they are developing a software fix to try to keep the transmission fluid temperature within spec.

We are keeping a close eye on this defect trend because if certain driving conditions can affect transmission shifting in the first year of ownership, we'd hate to think what 10+ years will do.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,624 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.

2016 Honda Pilot drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 3 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #120

May 012018

Pilot

  • 26,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated the gears reverse, neutral, and drive lights were changing independently however, the vehicle continued to move forward. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that 2 days later, he experienced the failure again. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle for the third time to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing to change the transmission oil. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure after 6-8 months. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an unknown sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

- Mount Kisco, NY, USA

problem #119

Dec 062021

Pilot

  • miles
Two incidents occurred: 1) On 12-6-21, while travelling in the high speed lane, my wife's car shut down causing her to become stranded on the side of the highway. The first system report from the incident can be found attached as indicated permanent transmission codes of P0716 and P0700. Our body shop consulted with a Honda dealership, neither could pinpoint the issue, but they were able to get the car running. 2) On 1-21-21, at a stop light, the car shut down and ran through all the error codes on the dash. My wife was able to turn car on, but could only put it into neutral. The second system report indicated permanent transmission codes of P0730, P07A6, P190B, P286D and temporary transmission codes of P0730, P07A2, P07A6. My wife discovered a thread of comments about others who experienced the issue and they said a new battery fixed the issue. A new battery was put in the car but it only drove in reverse. Our body shop consulted with the same Honda Dealership discovered Honda Service bulletin 19-004, which mentioned a transmission software issue, much like my wife experienced the first time, not the second time. Our body shop indicated the only fix would be a new transmission, which was confirmed by a Honda Dealership.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #118

Dec 272021

Pilot

  • miles
Throughout last trip I noticed the transmission would make jerking shifts. While on the interstate during a pass travelling at 73 Mph the transmission down shifted and made a loud banging sound, engine lost power but was revving high, I could not accelerate to get away from surrounding traffic. A transmission error come up as I maneuvered the vehicle out of the road to avoid being hit by other vehicles. The AWD error came one and later an emissions error. Once the car was out of the road safely I was able to engage the e-brake then put it into neutral then park. AWD and emissions error remained on. After a minute turn car off then on, emissions error remained on and the car could operate. This scared the family as we could have been rare ended in traffic. Honda dealership in my town could not diagnose the issue. This is the second time this has happened.

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #117

Dec 292021

Pilot

  • miles

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

There is no way for the driver of the car to put the transmission into neutral if needed with an electrical/battery failure. According to Honda, there is a special mechanical device that tow truck drivers would have that physically attaches to the engine to shift the car into neutral. In addition, the honda mechanic that I talked to today said even if the average driver had one of these devices, they would not recommend they use it due to likelihood of causing damage to the engine or transmission. This is fine if the car is already in park, since it would most likely be located in a parking lot, residence, etc. The two times that would be a safety issue and could very easily cause an accident would be if the car was in drive, stopped at a traffic light with the engine off due to the Auto Start/Stop feature, and suffered a battery failure, preventing the engine from starting. Now the car would not be able to start, but more importantly couldn't even be pushed off to the side of the road and clear the intersection, since there is no way to move it into neutral. Another example could be with an alternator failure while driving, where the battery then surges and drains itself, with the engine and car now shut down. If you are unable to move the car to the side of the road as this is happening, maybe stuck in traffic or stopped at a traffic light, the car is now unmovable until a tow truck driver arrives and installs this mechanical neutral unlock device. There should be a way with an electrical problem to be able to place the car into neutral and move it. Otherwise, this turns a routine auto problem (that has had an acceptable solution) into a true safety issue, both for occupants and other vehicles and their operators.

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

problem #116

Dec 172019

Pilot

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 15-60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, and the vehicle started jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Washougal, WA, USA

problem #115

Dec 012021

Pilot

  • miles
For the last couple of months, the transmission has had gears slipping out of gear and takes a few seconds to find the gear to accelerate up to speed. I've taken it to the dealer twice to address the issue but it's still causing an issue.

- Ponte Vedra, FL, USA

problem #114

Nov 272021

Pilot

  • miles

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

The car on prior occasions would not start and it would show emission alert as well as other alerts, have the car for servicing and they started checking and replacing everything. Same problem happened 2 weeks ago but resolved on its own. Today while driving, all the emergency lights came on including emissions malfunction, as well as other malfunction and then accelerator was not working, D was flashing and started making clicking sounds in transmission. Luckily we were close to a fire station house and stopped there, where the car was not going into park, was not changing any gears to reverse or neutral and when turned on, all emergency lights were flashing and could not even get it into neutral to push it away as it seemed to be transmission wheel jammed. Also a burning smell came from the engine when we attempted to restart and put in gear and the transmission clutch made horrible sounds and the car was revving up on its own. If we were on a major Highway this situation could have been a disaster with the family in the car, as the car was stalling on the road and could have resulted in a crash, loss of Life or injury to others. The novel is an elite 2016 pilot and has given my wife recurrent similar issues but we-??re lucky it happened in a parking lot. The dealership always states the problem is assessed and fixed but at year 5 and only 75000 miles this is a disappointing situation. We bring this to the notice of NHTSA as this could be a life threatening issues for family owner drivers

- Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA

problem #113

Oct 012021

Pilot

  • miles
Auto engine Idle shut/off malfunctioning. At red light...when turned green, took foot off brake to accelerate...car completely shut off. Dashboard lights came on and instructed to shift vehicle to park and restart. Vehicle in rear view coming up fast and thought I was going to be rear-ended and quickly found hazard lights and luckily driver was paying attention and shifted to other lane. Never happened when brand new now happening few times a week. Of course am making an appt with Honda but if they can't replicate the problem in the shop they can't/won't fix. This is a safety issue and people are going to get rear ended! Honda needs to rectify this situation as I have seen many threads with others stating the same problem.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #112

Mar 012021

Pilot

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH, the vehicle would shudder. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Amherst, NY, USA

problem #111

May 012020

Pilot

  • miles
1| The problem is with the transmission. When we are driving, the Pilot makes jerky movements and the odometer bounces up and down during this time. This happens most of the time... it is rare when the transmission feels smooth. Also, sometimes when in reverse the Pilot jerks and makes it hard to control when backing up into a parking spot. This happens from time to time, but not every time. There is a known issue about the Honda Pilot 2016 having major transmission issues where it makes the vehicle jerky when accelerating. Yes, we can provide the vehicle for inspection. We only had the Pilot for a year and it just reached 90K. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-2016-honda-pilot-had-an-alarming-number-of-transmission-problems/ 2| With the jerky movements, I find it unsafe when merging onto the interstate with moving traffic. It is a struggle to get up to speed when it feels like the Pilot is losing power. Also, once I backing up into the parking spot, the Pilot was making jerking movements and I could have damaged the cars that were parked behind me if I didn't throw the Pilot into neutral. Overall, it is a safety concern for my family of six. 3| The Honda dealerships seem to be aware of the issue but will not do anything about it. They recommend a transmission flush and computer repair/upgrade but are not willing to guarantee it will fix the issue. Others online have reported that the flush and computer repair did not fix the problem. We called Honda of America directly about the problem and were not willing to help us out. They offered no solutions. 4| No, we reached out to Honda of America and they are not willing to help us. We are not sure who to reach out to about the issue. Hopefully, NHTSA can finally help us. 5| Not sure if this issue was related to the transmission problem but the emissions light came on a month after purchasing the Pilot. Honda is known for having oil dilution problems and it could have lead to the issue.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #110

Apr 012021

Pilot

  • 50,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission failed to shift up to a higher gear. The contact mentioned that the RPMs were shifting faster than the speed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #109

May 222021

Pilot

  • miles
My vehicle shut down while driving with error messages on screen: emissions transmission, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, trailer stability, assist, power steering, road departure, collision mitigation, blind spot, transmission, battery light, oil light. Coasted into safe place and had towed. Could not turn car back on other than seeing the above warnings.

- Marion, IA, USA

problem #108

Mar 212021

Pilot

  • 64,000 miles
While changing lanes (car in motion 65 mph) in the city, warning lights in the instrument claster started to appear. Engine lost power ( could not accelerate) had to change lanes in traffic almost got hit by semi trucks. Managed to drift to side of the road, car went into neutral and could not get into park. Used parking break to keep car from rolling. The instrument cluster finally made up its mind and settled on emissions error. Before that in was showing all sorts of errors. Turned off the car waited a few minutes and was able to drive home. Very scary with kids in car.

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #107

Oct 282020

Pilot

  • 35,383 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that on several occasions while at an intersection or stopped, the vehicle failed to switch to auto-start mode and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate for several seconds. While the vehicle was in reverse, the taillights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to Honda of downtown los angeles (780 w martin luther king jr blvd, los angeles, ca 90037, (213) 266-7366) where it was diagnosed that the PCM needed to be reprogrammed and the battery was draining power. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 15V668000 (electrical system) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 35,383.

- Las Anglaes, CA, USA

problem #106

Aug 172020

Pilot

  • 77,000 miles
Check engine light (cel) appears, randomly when parked or in motion, indicating a problem with emissions system. Cel began to appear at approximately 77,000 miles. Car now has over 85,000 miles. I purchased the vehicle used, when it had 68,000 miles. I have never driven outside of the U.S.. cel appears at various speeds between 0 and 60 mph. When in motion and cel is displayed, engine hesitation occurs causing me to increase vehicle speed and engine RPM to ensure I have sufficient power to: Complete a turn, pass another vehicle, or make it up a hill. I am never sure I will have enough power. Additionally, the mileage economy display changes from shades of green to solid white. Cel remains visible on dashboard until it randomly disappears. Cel will remain lit ranging from 30 minutes to several days and disappear at various speeds. When it disappears, engine hesitation stops and economy display returns to shades of green depending on whether accelerating or decelerating. I first believed it to be a problem with the fuel tank cap. However, the cap is a hinged flap that returns to the closed position after I have finished refueling. I predominantly use E87 octane with ethanol. But E89 fuel makes no difference because the cel and hesitation randomly still occur. I have not taken to a repair shop because I have not had the opportunity to when the cel is displayed. The repair shop stated they can only diagnose when the cel is displayed. Similar descriptions from other Honda Pilot owners can be found at https://www.piloteers.org/threads/emissions-system-problem-check-engine-light.157705/.

- Swansea, IL, USA

problem #105

Nov 242020

Pilot

  • 61,000 miles
All of my warning lights turned on back in Oct 2020.. we did some driving the day before, . but nothing crazy... every light went off.. so took it to dealership and they said it was fuel injectors.. so they replaced it all.. and said it should fix the problem... then I drove it to southern ca during thanksgiving and then all of sudden coming down from (grapevine) the car stalled, I press the gas and nothing.. I was able to coast it to side of the road..attached is a pic of what was coming up.. then I put car in park and and the RPM started to go up 4-5 RPM without me pressing gas, so I would turn off car.. 10 min later I started the car and was able to drive it off the freeway.. but couldnt drive more than 50 mph.. so the transmission would change.. so after getting towed and took few days.. took to Honda dealership in ventura ca.. worst service ever.. pretty much didnt want to look at vehichle.. so then took to another dealership more helpful.. all the error light was gone.. they told me only error was some oil pressure down.. and suggested that oil filter wasnt N authentic oil filter and thats what could have caused problem.. yes idont typically send to dealership but I do go to a authentic oil change company... so pretty much this error has caused twice in 3 months.. vehicle only at 61K when the 2nd one happen.. and not real solution.. I had my 2 kids and my wife when this all happen.. not safe at all.. please find a solution.. my local dealership offered to take my vehcile and drive it home with a technician to see if anything come up.. but now im seeing a lot of people having the same problem.. either transmission.. oil change.. reason I took Honda is due to the safety and relaiability.. but now im havign doubts.. please help!!.. luckily all under extended warrenty.. but for how long?

- Oakley, CA, USA

problem #104

Nov 162020

Pilot

  • 95,300 miles
Total transmission failure. Stationary until towed to the nearest dealer.

- Perry Hall, MD, USA

problem #103

Nov 052020

Pilot

  • 35,000 miles
We have a 2016 Honda Pilot touring. Since early 2018 we have been having issues with the idle stop system. The problem is when we are driving and we come to stop in traffic at a light, the idle stop system engages and shuts the engine down, like it is suppose to do. Once the light turns green for traffic to move, I release the brake and the idle stop system tries to engage and turn the engine on again, but fails and shuts the whole vehicle down, inoperable. The lights flash and I cannot turn the car on again for at least 1 to 2 minutes. Vehicles are honking and traffic is blaring across us, but I cannot turn the vehicle back on. After 2 minutes, I can restart the vehicle by pushing the button and brake and then the vehicle moves. This is a safety issue, since you never know when it wil lol happen, but it has always happened while in heavy trafffic or a busy intersection. In 2019, I took vehicle in for service, they said it was a bad battery. I replaced the battery in March 2019. The same identical problem still continued to occur multiple times. November 10 took the same dealer, howdy Honda, austin, tx. They again told me the battery was reading bad, but I had the battery tested at another shop and at the place of purchase, and the battery was more then fine and tested great in and out of the vehicle. The dealer of course said they could not recreate the issue and did not see anything when they tested the system. They just pawned it off on the battery, even though the battery is less than 2 years old and testing just fine. There is no way to permanently disable the system and if I forget to push the idle stop disengage button every time I start the vehicle, I could end up on the road in the middle of traffic and some driver decides not to pay attention and run into me and my disabled vehicle. This is unacceptable and such a hazard and Honda does not seem to care.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #102

Oct 012020

Pilot

  • 73,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle started to jerk forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated he continued to drive to his destination. The contact called local dealer norm reeves Honda superstore cerritos located at 18500 studebaker rd, cerritos, ca 90703, (562) 345-9100 and made the dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

- Norwalk, CA, USA

problem #101

Aug 152019

Pilot

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle jerked while accelerating, without warning. Pohanka Honda of fredericksburg (60 S gateway dr, fredericksburg, va 22406) was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

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