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:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,036 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.
I am the second owner of this vehicle. I purchased it certified used from goudy Honda 626.576.1114 on 11/13/2019. The battery was replaced at time of vehicle's purchase. I have driven the car less than 2000 miles since I purchased it. I have experienced the stalling issue multiple times each being progressively more acute than the previous. I first reported this to long beach Honda at my service apt on 10/15/2020. At that time the issue was a hesitation when the auto idle would engage at a red light, it would start after a second or two of delay. To cope, we have gotten into the habit of using the auto-off button below the gear selector. However, the last two time I have filled up fuel and got in to drive off I have forgotten to 'push the button.' Today I forgot to push the button and almost got hit by another car, when my car stalled and refused to start back up. I noticed in the emergency flashers were activated and the car gear selector went to neutral. The danger was I was on a down hill slop and rolled into traffic as I missed my window to pull out had my car started up properly. The dash displayed the push brake and push start message. That did nothing. I had to put the car in park using the park button and then open my drivers side door. After I closed the door the car behaved normal and started without issue. I consider myself lucky, that the driver heading at my door was aware enough to mitigate a much worse turn of events. I will again report this to long beach Honda when they open on Monday. Searching the web I found a number of other model owners have experienced similar. I would like to see a resolution provided by the manufacture of this vehicle. I will be installing a dash cam to try and capture this when it happens again. Once that is complete, I will have a complete documentation of the case to forward to counsel. Lemon law.
Vehicle does not re-start and appears to have an electrical outage (all lights come on and the radio shuts off) after "idle off" feature is activated (meaning my foot on the brake) at red light or stop sign. I have to put the vehicle in park and takes 2-3 tries to re-start by pushing the start button. So very dangerous when I'm at a busy intersection, and especially with kids in the car and I can not move. This issue happens almost all of the time. I had to turn off this feature for safety reasons or risk being in an accident. Two years ago I had a Honda dealership look at it and they said they didn't find an issue. I chose the most recent date of occurrence (yesterday) for this form but it has been happening for 4 years. I currently have 45,000 miles on my vehicle.
A notice has started popping up on my Honda Pilot saying keyless start system problem. But my car still starts. The error message went away for a few days then came back.
Car would not start after going into auto idle stop.car went into neutral by itself.had to put in park and it took several attempts before car would start.
When I stop with the idle stop in on the Honda Pilot, when release the brakes the Pilot discharge battery and never turn on. The battery was discharged when is inspected. Never wake up. I need to charge battery and then the battery is function with no problem with the idle stop disable. This past only with the idle stop is in on only. For five consecutive times pass me in traffic area and is a problem because not turn on brakes lights and signals lights. Is a very problem and attempt to security. Hopefully helps. Thanks always past when release the brakes pads after idle stop. Never turn on again.
Keyless start system problem. This error appears on display panel multiple times. I did change new car battery and key fob batteries, but this error still on display. I finally brought it in dealership for repair. Warranty for this got extended for 9 years as per Honda.
In December 8 2020 started alarm started going off randomly took it in to rusty wallace Honda dallas tx, they kept 3 days said couldn't find cause but it did go off 2 times. They said did reset and sent it home.on march24 this year got error for keyless entry, Honda said on recall changed start button, on marci 29 car alarm started going off again, so brought it back to Honda now they say it's keyless access/tim's control unit and program unit and keys & memorize tim's sensors 832.dollars.need to mention car only has 45K.the vehicle was parked each time
Honda 2016 touring shut off when stopping at traffic light or intersection, it does not auto restart from idling-stop mode. It took couple of tries to press the break and push the start button for the car to start. I also noticed the radio turned off and the car put itself to park. It started couple months back, and getting more frequent.
The push start button does not work, it is giving me an error 'keyless start system problem'. I changed the key fob's battery to a brand new battery and it is not the key fob with issues, it is the button itself. I have to keep pressing the break and the start button to get the car to start working. This has been happening for 3 months and it keeps getting worse, I have to press the start button like a toy.
It happened to myself w/ my child in my car & then my spouse driving my car alone. However the same problem is known to Honda but until someone is killed, they are refusing to acknowledge, the camshaft shutting off all controls while driving on a highway is completely dangerous. As an experienced driver, I was able to avoid a collusion on a major highway surrounded by tractor trailers going 65mph. Although the Honda dealer has replaced the camshaft twice on my 2016 Honda Pilot with less than 46,000, I am fearful this will happen again. We are left with a balance to pay off, the safety of our family while driving this unsafe vehicle and just cut out losses. However, this will not solve the problem for those who cannot afford to purchase another vehicle. I had a 2006 Honda Pilot with very little problems for 10 years, 95K miles on it. It was why I purchased another Honda Pilot. However, I spent a lot more money. This 2016 Pilot was $30K with the $10K trade in. We maintain all our vehicles as well as garage keep them to protect them from the harsh pa winter elements. As a driver for over 32 years and zero accidents, I do not want to be the cause of a serious accident because Honda is neglecting to acknowledge this new german made engine as well as the transmission is a significant problem. There have been other problems like this one that began one yr after purchase I brought to immediate attention of the dealer. I am sure they report these findings to the manufacture as well. The remote key stopped working, several interior outlets for charging has stopped working, a dome light doesn't work, the garage door opener can't be programmed anymore and other features are no longer working. It is a dangerous car to drive with the risk of starting on fire as well as stopping abruptly like it did for me in 2018 and 2021 for my husband. Vinart lv Honda emmaus,
Two main problems: 1) vehicle won't start and displays "keyless start system error". Honda issued a recall related to this issue and local dealership replaced engine start/stop switch assembly. Problem and error message returned again 3 days later. On return trip to the dealership, they tried to blame it on a weak (5 month old) battery. (I tested battery at 3 different auto parts stores after trip to dealership; battery tests as good as new). Countless complaints regarding this issue on internet message boards, owners' message boards and Honda service bulletin (20-117) has been issued. Changing the start/stop switch doesn't appear to solve the problem in all vehicles. 2) problem with engine not auto re-starting after going into an auto idle stop. Has happened multiple times with my vehicle, including twice while attempting to navigate through an intersection during start and stop traffic. Highly unsafe situation. I'm not aware of any recalls on this issue, but numerous Honda technical research & support group 'dealership only' messages have been issued regarding this problem. Testing at the local dealership couldn't locate any problems. I turn off the auto idle stop feature immediately when using the vehicle to keep from getting stuck in traffic again.
Twice in the last week my Honda Pilot has shut off when auto-idling at a stop light. The car should remain in drive but when I looked down it had shifted to neutral. The first message on the dash briefly flashed 'crash mitigation problem' and then instructed me to put the car in park and push the engine start button. After this incident, I turned off the crash mitigation system. A couple days later (today), the same thing happened. No crash mitigation system flash but instructions to put the car in park and press then engine start button. Both times the engine was on and in drive. Auto idling was enabled. I have only owned this car for two months.
Over the past few years, I have had issues with my car shutting off when at a stop after the auto off feature engages and does not turn back on. I have to put the car in park and manually restart the engine to continue. This was happening at least a couple times a month. I took it to the Honda dealer and no problem was found according to the dealer. I began to get in the habit of disabling the auto off feature every time I started the car and this seemed to avoid this problem I was having. Two days ago, however, when I was driving, it began to shut off every time I was idling at a red light (8 times in one day) even with the auto-off disabled. And when I got on the freeway, driving at about 55mph, the engine shut off and I had to emergently coast over past the fast lane into a narrow inside shoulder. I had my young children and elderly parents in the car and it was a very scary and dangerous experience for us. We were thankful able to restart the car and get off the freeway with the car shutting off two more times in the middle of the street while driving at slow speeds (10-20 mph) before arriving at a gas station parking lot. The display cycled through many error messages ie emission systems problem, power steering system problem, transmission system problem, emissions system problem, hill start assist problem, etc. I am very concerned that we have got continued to have problems with this vehicle shutting off which is very dangerous.
The auto shut turns the car off at a stop light and then the car will not restart. It usually needs a jump. The problem has been happening for three years in the winter. The battery has been replaced four times. I have traced to the issue to an overload of the electrical system. The alternator is not capable of pouring all of the devices in the car and thus the battery drains. If I run the heated seats and steering wheel, the battery will discharge within 30 minutes even if the car is driven at highway speeds. I have been stalled in the middle of intersections several times. The autostart feature needs to have the option to stay dis-engaged when the car is shut off. It is unsafe to have the car fails to start at stoplights or when trying to pull into traffic. The electrical system is designed improperly. Do the math. The load from the electrical accessories, two heated front seats, two rear heated seats, heated steering wheel, heated mirrors, heated rear windshield will easily overload the power of a standard alternator. The vehicle needs a larger alternator and a larger battery (maybe dual) with isolation so it can start at stoplights.
At 38000 miles vehicle displayed an error code relating to the keyless start. A week later the vehicle would not start. Unhooked the battery to reset the system and the error came back. Dealer replaced the start button but issue returned a few days later.
We have an ongoing issue with our auto-idle feature malfunctioning that began at about 20,000 miles. I have written a complaint here before, as have many other 2016 Pilot owners, however nothing appears to have been done to date. This is a significant safety feature when the auto-idle is engaged, foot is taken off the brake and the car completely shuts off, often times not starting back up without a jump start. The car completely shuts off, warning lights flash all over the dash and no matter what you try the car will not start back up.this has happened to my wife with our 2 daughters numerous times. Fortunately, there hasn't been an accident, but my greatest fear is one time there will be. Naturally this always seems to happen at busy intersections. We have taken the vehicle into Honda dealership where we purchased the vehicle too many times to count. They have replaced the battery, replaced the start/stop switch, cleaned out multiple error codes. Nothing has provided a permanent fix. We just had to have our transmission replaced at 70,000 miles! the problem reared it's head again today. This time my wife had to press the brake, the gas pedal (both with all her might) and press the start/stop button at the same time. Something isn't right. I'm convinced we have a lemon, however the dealer seems to think we don't have a case for that. Honda has to step in and take accountability. There are far too many 2016 Pilot owners having this same issue for Honda not to realize the valid safety concern we all have. Take a look at piloteers.org and you will find a ridiculously long list of frustrated 2016 Pilot owners all struggling with the same problem. I am urging you to take action to correct this problem. We purchased this vehicle for the safety features, however "safe" isn't something I feel knowing my wife and daughters are in this vehicle multiple times per day.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Long Beach, CA, USA