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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,071 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Honda Pilot Owner Comments

problem #14

Jun 132024

Pilot

  • 134,000 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 that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's wife pulled over at a gas station and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the engine failed due to connecting rod bearing wear. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

- Craigville, IN, USA

problem #13

May 172024

Pilot

  • 168,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife veered to the side of the road, where she inspected the vehicle, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact's wife was able to drive to the residence. The contact who is an independent mechanic, had replaced the water pump and the timing belt; however, the failure persisted. The contact diagnosed that the rod bearings were significantly worn and fractured. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.

- Plains, MT, USA

problem #12

May 182024

Pilot

  • 142,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The low-oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 142,000.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #11

Oct 052023

Pilot

  • 93,000 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 45-50 MPH, the engine made an abnormally loud banging sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer sent a claim to the manufacturer; however, the claim was denied. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The contact followed up with the manufacturer and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- New Lenox, IL, USA

problem #10

Nov 132023

Pilot

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the crankcase bearing had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a Honda dealer who confirmed the diagnostic result; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) because neither the VIN nor the model year was included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #9

Mar 162024

Pilot

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered metal shavings in the engine oil and determined that the engine rod bearings had failed causing severe damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic informed us of a manufacturer's recall related to the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: [XXX] (Engine, Engine Cooling). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 95,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Sparta, NJ, USA

problem #8

Feb 142024

Pilot

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #7

Jan 012023

Pilot

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the engine made abnormal clicking sounds and was shaking while accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic recommended that the contact wait to see if the vehicle was included in an upcoming recall. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and it was recommended that the rocket oil pressure switch and an oil change be performed. The vehicle was previously repaired however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the independent mechanic recommending that the contact wait for a recall. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) as a possible solution however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that assist might be provided under a Good Will Program. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Stevensville, MD, USA

problem #6

Feb 052024

Pilot

  • 51,000 miles
The contact owned a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-40 MPH and approaching the red traffic light, she depressed the brake pedal to come to a complete stop. The contact noticed smoke coming out of the cowl of the vehicle. The contact then turned on the AC and smoke came through the A/C vents. The contact opened the windows. The contact stated that the smoke became thicker and brownish while pulling into the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact then noticed that there was a hole in the middle of the hood, and there was a flame coming through the hole. The contact stated that the hood and the windshield became engulfed in fire within 3 minutes even though it was raining. The fire department extinguished the fire, and police officers arrived at the scene, but the contact did not know whether a fire department report and a police report were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, awaiting to be totaled. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

- Winchester, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 222023

Pilot

  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that the engine was damaged due to excessive wear of the connecting rod bearing. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic and the failure was verified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #4

Aug 222022

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 101,000 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 that while his wife was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's wife continued to drive; however, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact believed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

- Prior Lake, MN, USA

problem #3

Nov 122023

Pilot

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and attempting to accelerate, she heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the rod and crank in cylinder #3 were damaged, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Lake Zurich, IL, USA

problem #2

Sep 142023

Pilot

  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, she heard an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle stalled and the contact coasted to a stop. The contact stated there was warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the connecting rod to the crankshaft had failed, and the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

- Hockessin, DE, USA

problem #1

May 292022

Pilot

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the Auto START/STOP feature was engaged, the engine failed to restart after a stop. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE22005 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Loves Park, IL, USA

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