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.

2016 Honda Pilot electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 16 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #210

Feb 142018

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 38,500 miles

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

The car displays keyless start system problem. The problem started over a year ago and I was charged $140 to run diagnostics but nothing came back as an answer. The problem still persists! I bought this car because of it's safety features, and now I do not feel safe every day because I am always wondering if the car will start. I have three kids and many responsibilities. My husband and I have bought a Honda civic, Honda CR-V, Honda element and a 2007 Honda Pilot but have never experienced a nagging problem like this one before. Please advise!

- Makawao, HI, USA

problem #209

Apr 022020

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
Vehicle displays keyless start system error.

- South Boston, MA, USA

problem #208

Jun 042020

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 116,006 miles
When the engine idle stop is engaged the car will occasionally not restart. It takes multiple tries to restart the vehicle. Most of the time it happens in traffic which is a potential safety hazard.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #207

May 182020

Pilot

  • 46,835 miles

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

Issue: Car is unable to start when on a city street and auto-start is enabled (stalling). This has happened on several occasions over the last couple years. My wife is the primary driver she often has the kids in the car which creates a large safety issue for my family. When the problem first presented itself, there was one time where the car unintentionally accelerated on it's own with my family in the car. Unfortunately that was not able to be replicated as well nor have we experienced it again. Potential solution 1: battery has been replaced which temporarily stopped the issue, however within months the issue is back. Potential solution 2: it's worth noting that the transmission was replaced recently, however it was not due to this the stalling issue, there was an actual issue with the transmission. The stalling stopped for a while as well, then came back again. Concerns: We are concerned with our safety in this vehicle which doesn't give ownership of this car a good feeling. While we can chose to sell this car and pass this issue to someone else who in turn could get hurt or killed if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and that should not be the case. We shouldn't wait for people to get hurt/killed by this to do something about it. We're hoping with the continued reports of this issue there will be something done by Honda to resolve this. We're no longer proud of our ownership of this car due to the safety hazard this has presented to our family. Time of incident mileage provided was from 7/2018 - it occurred prior to that and after.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #206

May 132020

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 75,900 miles
The car threw multiple errors including emission system, power steering, vehicle stability, trailer stability, hill assist, and road departure mitigation. Result was key safety features, including autonomous braking, road departure mitigation, power steering, and lane keeping were rendered inoperable. The engine power was reduced while in motion at 50 mph. The errors came on shortly after ignition was engaged.

- Jefferson, GA, USA

problem #205

May 112020

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 5 miles
Push to start button keeps failing. Automatic lock does not engage. When push to start fails, stability control fails with it. Vehicle mentions no stability control.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #204

May 042020

Pilot

  • 57,000 miles

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

The idle start/stop feature causes the car to stall when stopped. When the at a full stop and the idle/stop kicks in the car does not come back on and shuts off with all of the lights in the console lighting up and must be completely shut-off and restarted, "stall out" at a stop light or stop sign when I was in "auto idle-stop" and pressed on the gas. I first noticed that the auto idle-stop was hesitating when it would start up. I also noticed that the radio would "cut out". after that, the vehicle would just stall out and I would have to push park, put my foot on the brake and then push start. Took to the dealer during my last service on January 20, 2020 and they could not duplicate. The issue has progressively gotten worse and is happening more frequently. The car has stalled at lights and poses a danger to my wife and 3 young children. The dealership will not look into it any further because they cannot duplicate the problem. I've researched forums online and other Honda Pilot owners have expressed they are experiencing the same issue.

- San Leandro, CA, USA

problem #203

Apr 182020

Pilot

  • 78,000 miles
We own a 2016 Honda Pilot elite with auto start/stop feature. The vehicle has approximately 78,000 miles and began exhibiting issues with the auto start/stop feature. When stopped at any location, the auto stop engages and turns off the engine and should restart when you lift your foot of the brake; but it is now turning all the power to the vehicle off (radio off, A/C off, dash lights off). In some cases the dash will flicker with and dash lights will eliminate for a second. As a result you cannot move the vehicle and are stuck in a dangerous place (can't put the vehicle in neutral, no power). This has happened to us on numerous occasions; at stop lights where cars behind you get frustrated and honk their horns (takes several minutes to start back up if you are lucky) and most concerning is if you are in the middle of the intersection and about to make a right turn, while waiting to make the turn, the vehicle shuts off ' now we are stuck in the intersection with two kids in the vehicle. Now oncoming traffic is either fast approaching or honking because we are blocking the lane. We have been almost struck on several occasions. The only work around is to turn the auto start/stop feature off (pushing the button) when you first get in the vehicle, but if you forget ' we might get killed. I took it to the Honda dealer and they claim they have never heard of this issue. My battery tested fine. I located numerous Honda Pilot posts online that indicate this is a common problem, dating back to the 2016, but no one is helping the consumer. I don't understand why there is a delay in repairing this issue; it is not just a general inconvenience, it is a safety risk. We are frustrated and scared. If we trade the vehicle for another car, what happens to the next family that purchases this vehicle ' do they suffer the fatal outcome.

- Winter Springs, FL, USA

problem #202

Apr 212020

Pilot

  • 59,800 miles
Keyless start system problem error.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #201

Feb 062020

Pilot

  • 35,000 miles
2016 Pilot along with other makes and models are showing keyless start system error between 30,000 and 65,000 miles. Vehicles have trouble starting ignition due to faulty push button ignition switches and modules. This issue can cause occupants to be locked in the vehicle and potentially unable to turn vehicle off inside covered garages. This is a safety issue for which Honda I has been aware of for some time. Issue has occurred while stationary and in motion. This issue has also occurred while inside my home garage.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #200

Mar 042020

Pilot

  • 62,000 miles

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

I had to press my start button multiple times for the vehicle to start. The vehicle would display a message 'keyless start system problem'. upon replacing the start/stop button, it appears to have fixed the issue. I found multiple instances of this happening to others online with the 2016 Pilot.

- Simsbury, CT, USA

problem #199

Feb 012020

Pilot

  • 75,000 miles
Keyless start system problem randomly sometimes doesn't lock the doors with the remote, or won't honk and lights won't flashwhen locking the doors.

- Carlisle, IA, USA

problem #198

Apr 022020

Pilot

  • 92,500 miles
Car stalls and does not restart. Car has auto idle stop feature. When I come to a complete stop, the car completely dies and cannot be restarted. No emergency light, no lights on dashboard, cannot lock car, cannot put into neutral, must be towed. Car first started stopping at stop lights in city streets in 2017. Would take a few attempts to restart. Brought to dealer to state my concern that it would happen in the freeway and they checked and said everything was fine. On 3/19/20, driving in the freeway, I had to stop for traffic. Car died completely. I couldn't even turn on the emergency light. I had to open my door a little bit, stick my arm out and wave for oncoming traffic behind me. Semi trucks were quickly changing lanes to avoid rear-ending me. It was the most frightening incident that has ever happened to me. Car was towed to dealer and they said it was a transmission sensor error and claimed to have fixed it. 4/2/20 as my daughter and I were exiting the freeway, the problem occurred again. We stopped at the light at the end of the exit when the car just stalled. Again totally dead. It's just a parked car that cannot be restarted. Car was towed to dealer. I don't know what's wrong with it. The dealer's attempts to fix it did not work. The dealer was closed when we dropped it off tonight. This is a very dangerous situation. The car just dies and will not restart. There is not even a way to turn on the emergency blinking lights to alert other motorists of a stalled car. Had this incident happened in the dark, my daughter and I could have been seriously injured or killed.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

problem #197

Apr 022020

Pilot

  • 38,000 miles
Vehicle gets keyless start ignition problem

- North East, MD, USA

problem #196

Mar 312020

Pilot

  • miles
Our Pilot has a "keyless start system problem" warning light. There are hundreds of others on the internet with the same issue. The cost of repair is apx $300. Honda should have a recall

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #195

Mar 232020

Pilot

  • 24,000 miles
Keyless start problem error. Flashing and has problems starting.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #194

Feb 222020

Pilot

  • 0 miles
The remote start feature does not work. Lights do not flash when you lock the vehicle nor does the horn make a noise when you use the key fob to lock the door. Have take. It to the dealership and the replaced a module in the door saying it was not getting good signal. That part did not work

- Tehachapi, CA, USA

problem #193

Mar 022020

Pilot

  • 0 miles
Keyless start system problem. Unable to start the vehicle with the keyless key when key is detected in the vehicle.

- Bartlett, IL, USA

problem #192

Dec 032019

Pilot

  • 50,000 miles
I came to a complete stop at a very busy intersection. The idle start/stop kicked in. When I went to remove my foot from the brake to the gas to go across the busy intersection, my Pilot completely died. This left me stranded at a stop sign at a very busy intersection for over 2 hours waiting for a tow truck. After a couple of days at the dealership, they said it was 'just a software update'. it is a known issue but they are only fixing it when it affects a vehicle. No recall??!!!! I would love to be able to upload my video that I took when this all happened so you could see what my dash looked like when I kept trying to start my car back up. The week prior to this, the photo shows what notice popped up on my dash.

- Moseley, VA, USA

problem #191

Feb 242020

Pilot

  • 35,000 miles
When coming to a complete stop, the auto start/stop will fail randomly. This then leaves the driver stuck for up to 1 minute in traffic with the car unresponsive to the start button. This issue has been brought to Honda service stations in both Georgia and Ohio. After replacements of batteries, as per Honda recommendations, there is still no remedy for the problem. A driver could easily be rear-ended and ultimately harmed when left stranded on a busy street with no ability to start the car back in a timely fashion. When progressing from first to second gear, this model violently jerks. This happens despite timely service exclusively one at Honda service stations. Each time it is reported, my wife is told that it is normal for this vehicle. Ultimately it appears to be a transmission issue to which Honda will not admit fault.

- Decatur, GA, USA

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