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 3 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #470

Jun 032023

Pilot

  • miles

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

Unintended Acceleration While at a standstill, on a hill, holding a foot on the break pedal, I lifted my foot from the break pedal to drift forward down the hill, (without ever getting near the gas pedal ) The car accelerated at a very high RPM. I pressed down on the break pedal to stop the car, but it was at such a high RPM rate that I was unable to stop the vehicle from hitting another vehicle in front of me, caroming off of it and my vehicle landed atop a hugh shrub suspending it several feet in the air. My vehicle was totaled and the vehicle it hit was severely damaged. There were no serious bodily injuries to any passengers in either vehicle. There are two issues here. The unintented acceleration, and the inability of the breaks to stop the vehicle.

- Paxinos, PA, USA

problem #469

Jan 142023

Pilot

  • miles
1. My moonroof/sunroof will not close. when trying to close it, it comes close to closing then opens up again. Tried to close multiple times and the same result. Then I tried to hold down the wind deflector as it closes and hope not to pinch my finger. after trying that multiple times, I was able to close my moonroof/sunroof. 2. with a moonroof unable to close, weather could come in and compromise the safety of everyone in the car. Further, holding down the wind deflector while trying to close could injure someone if the timing is not right. 3. Have not taken it to dealer yet. 4. Has not been inspected yet. 5. No warning lamps or messages prior to failure of closing moonroof.

- Vacaville, CA, USA

problem #468

May 182023

Pilot

  • miles
1. When Engine Idle Stop is engaged vehicle cuts off or stalls when you let up off of brakes. - Honda could not tell me why it was doing it. - no warning -car cut off completely in the middle of traffic at a stop light during rush hour. I was able to get it to cut back on after 2 minutes. - I fear for the safety of my family while in this vehicle. 2. Malfunction of stereo system cause a continuous screeching static sound through speakers. GPS and all other voice function stop working at this time.

- Marion, NC, USA

problem #467

May 192023

Pilot

  • miles

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

keyless control module, alarm Goes off randomly with headlights coming on, draining the battery.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #466

May 152023

Pilot

  • miles
When coming to a stop and the engine idle stop is activated the car will sometimes die. The car will then need to be shifted into park after a complete reset of the system in order to start. Very dangerous.

- Marion, KY, USA

problem #465

May 112023

Pilot 6-cyl

  • miles
When car is locked alarm sporadically goes off on its own also when the headlights are set to auto and the car is turned off the headlights will come on sporadically and drain the battery. Having electrical components come on on their own is obviously a safety concern. The dashboard lights and warning icons will also flicker. There have been numerous complaints of this kind on the Honda Pilot forum Piloteers.Org

- Marlboro, NJ, USA

problem #464

Apr 012023

Pilot

  • miles

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

The keyless start systems problem light has been on for about a month and sometimes I have issues starting the vehicle.

- Potomac , MD, USA

problem #463

Apr 052023

Pilot

  • miles
When car is off and locked, alarm will go off unexpectedly. There is a repeated clicking noise and the lights on the dash will flicker and it sounds and appears like the car is trying to start itself. Very disconcerting to have an electrical issue, particularly where the car seems to want to start itself. Also can-??t lock it overnight as alarm will continuously go off. Problem is all over owner forums for 2016 Pilots. Honda needs to investigate. Dealer tried to fix but doesn-??t seem able to identify issue.

- Glastonbury, CT, USA

problem #462

Mar 252023

Pilot

  • miles
The cars emergency horn will go on for no reason and the dashboard lights will flicker on and off. Honda dealer has my car and the part is back ordered now for 2 weeks and they don-??t know when it is coming in. I have been reading several issues with this. This needs to be recalled with so many having issues and it being about $800 to repair

- Ivoryton , CT, USA

problem #461

Mar 062023

Pilot

  • miles
Auto-Idle Stop Feature malfunctioned at intersection. Engine failed to restart which required towing. None of the systems of the vehicle were able to be reactivated, including hazard lights. This created a major safety hazard, as incident occurred at busy intersection. Honda dealer informed me that this issue was just recalled. I received documentation from Honda that my vehicle was eligible for repairs, but this arrived after the car died and failed to restart. The Honda dealer was able to replace several gaskets, starter relays and assays which Honda claims fixes the issue. There is no way to permanently disable the auto-idle stop feature, it must be manually disabled each time the car is started. I have not, and likely will not, test the functionality of the auto-idle stop feature again given the numerous reports I have read regarding the issue.

- Avon, IN, USA

problem #460

Mar 062023

Pilot

  • miles

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

I see couple of safety concerns with 2016 Honda Pilot touring. 1) There is no option to disable 'tailgate opening & closing by FOB' in 2016 Honda Pilot touring. Even with an unintentional small press of fob key tailgate button, the tailgate can open & hit anybody (may be the car next in school lane) or anything in the back (may be garage door) 2) There is no option to adjust height of tailgate in 2016 Honda Pilot touring. It can hit top of garage of any house & cause safety issue Honda should take action to recall & rectify those part for human & property safety.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #459

Mar 042023

Pilot

  • miles
idle-stop feature. When the idle-stop feature activates as the vehicle is stopped at a traffic signal, the vehicle fails to restart when the brake is released and accelerator pedal pressed. I turn on the emergency flashers. The vehicle usually restarts within 3 minutes. I am afraid I will be rear-ended at high speed as I am stopped at a green traffic signal. This also causes others drivers to swerve around my vehicle causing unnecesary danger. This happens weekly.

- Frederick, Md, MD, USA

problem #458

Feb 212023

Pilot

  • miles
The instrument panel is flashing all alerts when the car is off. I am able to drive the car. It is unknown which component has malfunctioned. Several Honda owners on Google say to check the fuel injectors. I am hoping you all can assist me with that. My safety was put at risk as the alarm goes off randomly when the car is off. It is bothersome at my workplace. I am afraid to drive the vehicle. One of the alerts that flashes is the Antilock Brake System. I am afraid the brakes will go out during driving. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. I hope to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. All warning lamps and messages were blinking after the car was turned off. There were no signs of issues prior to turning the car off. Since the first initial flashing of alerts, the alerts now stay on during driving however not all lights are flashing. Could it simply need a software update? I do feel this needs investigating and a recall issued.

- Gaffney, SC, USA

problem #457

Dec 182022

Pilot

  • miles
My car has suddenly started showing "Keyless Start System Problem" when i start the car. While the car starts okay when i press the ignition, i am scared that the car may not suddenly start as usual and i can get stuck if it does not. - Also when the "Keyless Start System Problem" is shown on the dashboard in orange, it prevents us from seeing any other information on the dashboard (including speed etc) - I thought looking at some videos that it may be a battery issue with my remote. However even after I changed the battery (an original replacement for the battery of the remote start / Driver 2 Key), the issue shown on my dash board does not go away. - After researching it online, it seems it is a pretty common problem with 2016 to 2018 Honda Pilots (esp Honda Pilot 2016 for which there are umpteen number of cases shown on Youtube). However I do not see Honda doing any recall on such an important part of the car. This is a big safety issue not only because of the car start issue but also because the error while being shown on the screen, does not allow me to see any other information on dash board.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #456

Jan 162023

Pilot

  • miles
The auto-stop idle feature activated at a red light. When the light turned green, the automobile would not restart but became entirely dead with not even being able to turn on the headlights or hazards (this was during the night as well). As a result, my family had to hang out the window to try and flag cars approaching the intersection to keep from being hit. The vehicle was taken to a Honda dealership the next day at which time the incident could not be replicated as either a code was not thrown or the code was not saved. The dealership did state that there was a recall that required a software update which they performed but when researching this only addresses the tolerances for which when the auto-idle stop will be initiated and not to mitigate the "black-out" that can occur. Escalated to Honda and found it curious that various Honda/Acura models have been impacted and that our particular vehicle's warranty for this functionality was extended to ten years past the vehicle's purchase date. When asked if they would replace with a new module, was told no due to the dealership not being able to replicate. FYI - no warning lamps or any other indication was displayed ahead of said event. So now the family is left with a vehicle that could potentially have this occur again.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #455

Oct 292022

Pilot

  • miles
After 30 - 40 minutes of driving the audio is overcome by extreme static and popping and affects all componets ( radio, DVD, XM, CD, etc) would seem something is getting hot after 30 minutes so a possible fire or melting situation. Honda dealer does not seem to know an answer and this issue is being discussed on Honda Pilot owners blog and it quite widespread

- Lebanon, KY, USA

problem #454

Jan 172023

Pilot

  • miles
Keyless entry problem error continues to pop up. Car will not always shut off. At times when I-??m stopped at traffic light it tells me to put car in park

- Minoa, NY, USA

problem #453

Jan 162023

Pilot

  • miles
The car consistently stalls out when we stop and the auto idle begins. When we remove foot from break the car doesn-??t restart and takes a few minutes of turning it on/off before vehicle resumes functioning. Honda says nothing is wrong but it has been an issue since purchase. It is more likely to occur when ac is running. I have to manually turn off auto idle every time I turn on vehicle to prevent stalling.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #452

Jan 132023

Pilot

  • miles
My car (2016 Honda Pilot Touring) SHUTS DOWN due to the auto shut off feature at least once a month and I am very nervous to hand it over to my daughter in a next year when she is old enough to drive. I have been stalled out at intersections...it is irresponsible of Honda to not issue a recall. People are going to get into accidents if they can't start their car in the middle of intersections! Why is this not being recalled. I understand it will cost Honda a substantial amount of money to correct, but it has to happen. What if you have an older battery that is losing its charge. Does this mean that WE are to blame for getting into an accident because the battery is not brand new and can't handle this auto shut off feature? It's totally unacceptable! I realize we can turn the feature off...but what happens if my daughter (new driver) forgets to push that button EVERY time she gets in the car. I'm sorry...I know some will say it's the driver's fault for forgetting but the potential of that mistake is real and the possibilities could be devastating.

- Hamburg, NY, USA

problem #451

Jun 142022

Pilot

  • miles
2016 Pilot Touring electrical issue, issue with keyless control unit, panel / relays flicker, alarm goes off unexpectedly.

- Camas, WA, USA

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