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 24 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #50

Dec 012018

Pilot

  • 38,000 miles

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

I had two big issues (some small issues as well) for my 2016 Honda Pilot. First is the paint issue, the paint on the door was off and the doors were rusted pretty bad. I spent a lot to time go back and forth with the dealership, both of us were tired of this issue. Another issue just happened to me today, "keyless start system problem" showed up today, the walk away auto-lock feature does not work anymore, after couple of drives, the error message goes away, but the walk away feature still does not work. I have searched online and I believe a lot of owners have this issue. My car just went out of warranty at about 38K miles, and I saw online a lot of owners saw this message around this mileage. I have been a long time Honda owner, but this new Pilot makes me very upset all the time. A lot of issue. A lot...

- Columbus, IN, USA

problem #49

Nov 102018

Pilot

  • 60,000 miles
My vehicle without warning would not start after getting home and parked in the garage. After several attempts the panel states and ignition system error. All of the lights and other functions work well but it will not start while physically in the vehicle or with the remote. It makes a continuous clicking sound all of the lights flash on the vehicle but nothing more.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #48

Oct 272018

Pilot

  • 51,461 miles
Keyless starter system error message and it no longer auto locks.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #47

Oct 012018

Pilot

  • miles

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

Keyless start system problem and automatic lock doesn't work when leavi the car.

- Johnstown, OH, USA

problem #46

Oct 182018

Pilot

  • 35,500 miles
Vehicle turns off completely when auto off feature engages while in a stopped condition. On two occasions, vehicle refused to restart for several minutes. The first time, the vehicle restarted after 2-3 minutes, the second time it happened, car would not restart until 10-15 min after the occurrence. During both occurrences, I was in a stop condition with foot on the brake, vehicle in drive. Dealer says battery tests fine and cannot replicate the issue, but I know there are others experiencing same problem. This is a major safety issue. Only out of shear luck, it happened to me while at a residential gate key pad punching in the code, and then today while in the drive thru of a fast food place. If this would happen on a busy street, at a busy intersection, while sitting in standstill traffic on interstate, etc, it could be extremely dangerous.

- Wesley Chapel, FL, USA

problem #45

Oct 092018

Pilot

  • 45,000 miles
Indicator light: Keyless start problem I was told the start switch needs to be replaced. $300. Less than 50,000 miles.

- Kitty Hawk, NC, USA

problem #44

Sep 292018

Pilot

  • 36,563 miles

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

Power steering, emissions, trailer stability, hill assist warning indication displayed on dash. All of them at the same time one right after the other. I couldn't drive the car because of all of these warnings.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #43

Sep 232018

Pilot

  • 56,000 miles
Auto stop malfunction first year of owning the Pilot elite, the auto stop function worked and would restart after coming to a stop. By the second year, after coming to a stop in city traffic and engine is supposed to come back on, it stalls and shuts off and needs to be shifted to neutral and then restart engine. Have taken the car for services since having this issue and reporting the issue to the dealership and they are unable to fix the issue or replicate the problem. Now into year 3 of ownership the auto stop function has gotten worse because now when it shuts off after auto stopping, it takes a couple of minutes before you are able to restart the car. This is very unsafe at an intersection when the light turns green. Only way around this issue is to disable the auto stop function at the beginning of the drive which defeats the purpose of having such a function and we aren't able to permanently disable the function. I have reported this problem each and every time I have taken it in to the dealership for service and they have run diagnostics and said they weren't able to replicate the issue.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #42

Jul 172018

Pilot 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, the "auto idle disabler" feature engaged on several occasions. The vehicle stalled without warning after the brake pedal was depressed at a stop light. Three weeks later, while driving approximately 15 mph on the freeway, the "auto idle disabler" feature engaged again while in heavy traffic and the vehicle stalled. The contact shifted the gear into park, disabled the power, and restarted the vehicle. In addition, while the vehicle was stationary, all of the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. While driving 55 mph, on another occasion, the vehicle failed to shift gears properly and the rpms rapidly increased to 5,000. Also, the reverse gear shifter became inoperative and the gears would not shift while driving 55 mph. Big star Honda (11200 gulf freeway, houston, Texas 77034) could not diagnose and duplicate the failures. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #41

Sep 012018

Pilot

  • 39,450 miles
My vehicle is displaying the keyless ignition error and it just so happens that its a known issue among many many other 2016 Honda Pilot owners. I feel this is a scam to get us to drop money at the dealership. My car was running, opening up fine until all of a sudden that message popped up. What a coincidence this is happening at tthe same time as everyone else.

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #40

Sep 032018

Pilot

  • 28,000 miles

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

Auto start-stop fails to re-start engine after shutting off at a stop/stationary. Fix has been having to place the vehicle in park, shut off engine & restart engine. Multiple dash malfunction lights also illuminate.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

problem #39

Aug 232018

Pilot

  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start when attempting to drive. Also, while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was not able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road. While in traffic, the vehicle restarted independently after ten minutes and was able to drive normally. The vehicle was taken to Honda cars of katy (21001 katy fwy, katy, tx 77450) where it was diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened case number: 08934725. The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #38

Mar 202018

Pilot

  • 34,542 miles
My 2016 Honda Pilot does not function properly. The "emissions" check engine light has come on three different times, all with less than 40,000 miles on the vehicle. The Honda dealer claims that they fixed the problem each time; but that's not the case. The light continues to come on in during normal driving conditions.

- Bridgeport, WV, USA

problem #37

Aug 102018

Pilot

  • 38,000 miles
Around 38,000 miles on the 2016 Honda Pilot, it started to show an error on the screen in the dash saying "keyless start system problem" that cause the car not to work on the autolock feature when you walk away or the automatic timer lock which is set at 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the car doesn't lock at all. Leaving the vehicle being unlocked and possibly being stolen. Took it to the dealer and the dealer is asking $307 dollars to replace the start button. This should be covered by Honda since it is an electrical system problem that was not caused by the owner. Many other people are complaining about the same issue on forums.

- Placentia, CA, USA

problem #36

Apr 252018

Pilot

  • 17,500 miles
About 4 months ago I was at a stoplight, my engine shut down, as it was supposed to with the 'auto idle stop' function. It is supposed to start back up when you take your foot off the brake, but this time the car stalled. It stalled many times after this and it was always unexpected and scary. I took it into my dealer on June 6, 2018 and they said they could see that they could see in the computer that it stalled a few times, but could not reproduce the problem while test driving it. They did a reset on the electronics. That did nothing. I stalled a while after I left the shop. I stalled many more times after that. It does have an override to this 'auto idle stop' system, but you have to always remember to push the button and if I forgot and the car was in 'auto idle stop' mode and I pushed the button, many times the car would stall. I now also have a problem starting the car. When I push the start button, many times the engine won't start. I have to push it 3-4 times to get it to start. This makes my stalling even more dangerous, as if it was not dangerous enough, because it will take me much longer to start the car from a stall. I can imagine being in situations where I would have to be able to get out a situation quickly and if I stall I would not be able to. If I am on a freeway and stall in heavy traffic, or stalling on train tracks if I am in heavy traffic and I happen to be the car left on the tracks and can't start. Or if a car or object is heading towards me and will crash into me and I can avoid it be speeding away. If I stall I can't. here is a thread from a Honda Pilot forum with many owners with the same problem. Https://www.piloteers.org/forums/114-2016-third-generation-Pilot/157005-elite-shuts-off-stop-light.html not one of them has had it fixed by there repair shop. My car has been in the shop for the 2nd time since August 8, 2018.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #35

Aug 122018

Pilot

  • 30,000 miles
The car continually stalls at red lights and other full stops after the "auto-shutoff" engages. The car fails to restart and results in dangerous situations in high traffic areas in the city. The car can not be moved easily because it becomes completely unresponsive, even disabling the flashers. It has happened repeatedly.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #34

Jun 102018

Pilot

  • 39,000 miles
While driving all warning lights activated cycling through each of them. The vehicle lost almost all power causing a very unsafe and potentially fatal condition. Several transmission and other codes were noted following the incident. Honda tech line admitted that this condition was known to them very well but refuses to correct the problem unless it occurs repeatedly. Online research shows this is a common problem but does not appear to have already been addressed by the ntsb.

- Palmetto Bay, FL, USA

problem #33

Apr 052018

Pilot

  • 70,000 miles
My vehicle has been cutting off, all power including all computer screens/dashboard/steering, which last 2-5 seconds, then cuts back on. The RPM will rev up to the 4-6 thousand range and at times the vehicle will no go over 45mph. This has happened at 35 mph to 70mph. While in park, absolutely no gear engaged, the vehicle will lurch forward and backward as though it was in gear. My foot will not even be on the brake pedal and it will move. Last week the car was turned on, put in drive, I pushed the accelerator, the RPM's went to 4000 and the vehicle did not move. I looked down to make sure it was in drive, which is was, as I looked up the car lurched forward 2-3 feet. The emissions system, lane assist light come on randomly. It will tell me "steering required" even when I am driving and do not have the lane assist on. The dealer has replaced multiple parts, including "computer updates", the radar sensing system, but they cannot replicate the issue and have told me they cannot do anything about it. I have take the vehicle in at least 6-7 times in the last 2 months. The car is unsafe, still under warranty and the dealer told me "you are stuck with it". this car is a hazard to myself, my family and anyone else on the road. I have tried to deal with Honda corporate and they will not respond. I believe, from my research, this is an issue with this model that Honda refuses to acknowledge.

- Monroe, LA, USA

problem #32

Jul 042018

Pilot

  • 45,500 miles
The car stalls intermittently when auto idle stop is engaged and car is stationary. Instead of the engine starting up again after take foot off the brake and press the gas pedal, the car stalls completely and have to put the car in park, press the brake pedal and push the start button to get it on again. Sometimes have to try several times before car restarts. Dealer has been unable to find anything or replicate problem. First reported to dealer Oct. 2017, did software update, but happened again June and July.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #31

May 022018

Pilot

  • 41,000 miles
The message "keyless start system problem" showed up in the information screen about a few weeks ago, it would come up intermittently, whenever I start the engine, and the message stays on the entire time the engine is runnning. When the engine is shut off, there will be a ding, and the message will stay on for a few minutes before going away. I took it to the local dealership, they had not encountered a message like that before, and could not figure out what was wrong. I already have over 42,000 miles on my vehicle, so the factory warranty has run out. Today I took it back to the dealership, since that message is still showing up, and I finally have the time to leave it for a few hours. The service advisor said now there is a code for that issue, but I would have to pay for whatever repairs needed to fix the issue. I feel that this should be a manufacturing recall issue, perhaps with the electrical system, or with the keyless start system, and that I should not have to pay for this repair. I'm afraid of what would happen when the issue gets worse, especially when I go on vacation, and the engine will not start because of an error with the keyless start system affecting the push button start. Again, the message does not come up everytime I drive. But today, on 6/28/2018, I have started the engine a total of 3 times while running errands around town, within 90 minutes, and this message has shown up every time I started the engine.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

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