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:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
26,439 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2016 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #51

Jul 032020

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 66,000 miles

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

The fuel emissions system light keeps coming on.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

problem #50

Jun 302020

Pilot

  • 80,000 miles
Vehicle shutdown after start when moving from park to reverse. Keyless start system problem appeared. Emissions system warning reappeared after having it cleared at Honda dealership 2 days earlier.

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #49

Aug 122019

Pilot

  • 46,473 miles
Started car in the morning and multiple warning lights appeared - car worked just fine the night before when it was parked. Took it to dealer to diagnose and it came back with code P0304 and a recommendation to replace all fuel injectors and rails (pipes) for a total cost of $1,311.19. Car only had 46,473 miles. I bought it brand new and have had on time service always and only serviced by dealer. Can provide repair invoice if needed

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #48

May 222019

Pilot

  • 53,000 miles

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

Emission systems problem

- Hays, KS, USA

problem #47

Feb 212020

Pilot

  • 54,000 miles
On Friday, 2/21, the 'emissions system problem' came on my dash (again). Dropped it off at the dealer on Monday, 2/24. We were told the fuel injectors all needed to be replaced. Then we got a call back that after they got in there, all the seals needed to be replaced too. I have only had this brand new car for 4 years & 4 months. Very disappointed in Honda.

- Moseley, VA, USA

problem #46

Nov 012019

Pilot

  • 78,196 miles
We have been having issues with our Pilot since November. I went to start it one day and a lot of lights on the dash turned on. It has been determined by Honda that the issue is fuel injectors, it sounds like this is a well known issue with this year Pilot, we have been in contact with many others who have told us this. The lights come on when the vehicle is first started and stay on through all driving. We have checked the codes that pop up and it switches the misfire code from one cylinder to another, and also shows multiple misfires.

- Lester Prairie, MN, USA

problem #45

Feb 102020

Pilot

  • 39,737 miles

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

With less than 40K miles, the vehicle received a message about an engine problem. Took to dealer and was advised that it would require new fuel injectors, at a cost of approximately $1300. I have had other Honda vehicles that have gone 100K miles and more without such problem. This is unacceptable. It should be covered on such a low mileage vehicle reqardless of vehicle age.

- Hampstead, NC, USA

problem #44

Jan 302019

Pilot

  • 70,000 miles
At just over 70K miles, I get the dreaded "emissions system problem" when I start my car the other morning. I immediately take it to a Honda dealership for diagnosis and I am told I will need all 6 fuel injectors replaced. Interestingly enough, Honda's tsb 018-25 indicates the probable cause of this fuel injector issue as an issue that occurred during the manufacturing process, yet they have not been fully transparent about the issue, nor have they issued a recall. My vehicle is also returning the exact error code as indicated in the bulletin (P0301). The bulletin I am referring to (version 2) was released in April 2018. Had Honda been transparent and notified customers of this issue during this time frame, it seems as though many customers would have had the opportunity to have the injectors replaced, for free, during their 3 year/36K warranty. Well, now many of the Pilot owners are beyond this point and figuring the issue out the hard way and potentially having to foot a $1500-$2000 bill. Deceptive and deceitful behavior like this should not be tolerated. I have owned five Honda automobile/motorcycle products in my lifetime and this is the first issue I have ever encountered. The 2016 Pilot has severe quality issues. This is also a safety issue and should be a warranty repair without a doubt.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #43

Jan 252020

Pilot

  • miles
Emission issue started showing as a warning sign. And, it comes and goes to even properly report the issue. However, after 3 years mark (42, ooo miles) it showed all the possible signs on the screen. Honda service center says that fuel injectors went bad. It takes $1350 to fix it. I have picture proofs saying that the emission issue popped up well before 32 months after purchase (in warranty).

- Morgantown, WV, USA

problem #42

Jan 262020

Pilot

  • 80,000 miles
Emissions system error displayed on the dashboard while driving. Next day I took to the dealer and he said that there is an issue with the fuel injectors and the whole fuel injector unit should be replaced. Since my vehicle is out of 3 yr/36000 miles warranty, the dealer quoted $1700 to replace the fuel injectors. I'm very suppressed see this issue on relatively new vehicle.

- Daleville, VA, USA

problem #41

Nov 222019

Pilot

  • 87,000 miles

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

While driving my 2016 exl Honda Pilot AWD, it began displaying multiple codes such as hill start assist, road departure, emissions system, power steering, and, tsa. I took it right away to a nearby auto zone and the code they gave me was P0304 cylinder misfire. When I took it to hendrick Honda the codes were no longer flashing. But they ran the diagnostic and performed regular maintenance on the car and I informed that their was a $1,500 repair charge for fuel injectors. After researching this problem I found out that their was service bulletin 18-025. This service states that the probable cause is debris from the high pressure pump or the fuel inceptor machining process can cause interval wear or clogging inside the injector which requires replacement of the fuel injectors. This is a big safety concern for me and my family. A failing fuel injector could leave us stranded or stall out on a highway. In addition, it lowers gas mileage, increases emissions, and can lead to a host of other dangerous failures in your vehicle. It is my hope that Honda will be required to issue a recall for their faulty fuel injectors.

- North Charleston, SC, USA

problem #40

Jan 102020

Pilot

  • 41,460 miles
Multiple warning lights on the dash, check engine light is on including road departure mitigation warning, trailer stability assist warning, hill start assist warning, vehicle stability assist warning, emissions system control warning, all wheel drive system warning, power steering warning and acc warning where all came up at the same time with a sudden jerk and car cannot go beyond 20 mi/hr while I was driving in the highway that almost got me into an accident with an individual on the rear almost bumped me. Now I'm afraid to drive it. I actually got the attention of my dealer (norris Honda) when the jerking started at the mileage of 34,100 miles and happened several times but with no warning light coming on. They did a test drive and it so happened that it didn't happen when they tested it and no check engine light on. They told me that they have had several incidence of the same problem with other customers with Honda Pilot 2016 and 2017 and is a common issue and ended up having to change the fuel injectors and have solved their problem. The problem though is, my car is only 3yrs old and having all these problems now and they charge $1800 to change the injectors, which I think is way too much for a fairly new car with dealer being aware of the first jerking problems before the warranty ended. I have been having all Honda cars since I started having a car because of its reliability and performance and now this happened. It has been a very common problem but no recall has been made. I hope that there will be no accidents with one losing life before a recall is made. I hope you can help me out with this, thank you

- Perry Hall, MD, USA

problem #39

Jan 062020

Pilot

  • 35,000 miles
The fuel injectors have to be replaced every 30 to 40K miles in this vehicle. Honda is aware of the issue and has no fix other than to reinstall the same bad injectors so the problem has happened 2 times on my vehicle

- Rapid City, SD, USA

problem #38

Dec 232019

Pilot

  • miles
I've had multiple issues including faulty fuel injectors, faulty collision mitigation system, faulty homelink transmitter, audio bluetooth that resets on its own and now the latest one is a keyless start system problem. In addition, I continue to have this issue that when I am driving the car sense something in front (where there is nothing) and it breaks, also driving in highway or above 50 and try to press breaks, the steering wheel shakes. My car has a little over 36K miles and all these things have happened since 34K miles.

- Coppell, TX, USA

problem #37

Dec 052019

Pilot

  • 47,000 miles
Fragments from the manufacturing process of fuel injectors are clogging the fuel system and cause failure for a properly running engine. Accelerating especially is worrisome as the engine is misfiring. American Honda motor company is aware and has a tsb for this. We are not driving is at this time because Honda dealership says it is not safe to drive.

- Kewaskum, WI, USA

problem #36

Dec 112019

Pilot

  • 49,000 miles
After fueling, no topping off, drips or leaks, very strong gas odor in interior. So strong couldn't drive. Had to leave it sit with open windows. Strong fuel smell continued throughout day, continued milder smell, but very noticeable next day. Went to dealer, they found no problems. Keeping it overnight. After research Honda knows about problem but has no current fix or offers of buyback.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #35

Nov 162019

Pilot

  • 93,000 miles
The 2016 Honda Pilot featured redesigned fuel injectors that are under intense psi. After approx. 3 years, they all need to be replaced. Most fuel injectors are designed to last the life of a car. Moreover, it's is statistically extrememly improbable that every fuel injector would go bad at the same time. Apparently, the fuel injectors are putting off tiny pieces of metal that are building up inside and rendering them useless. If untreated, this could cause the car to break down and become a hazard if driving at that time. Honda even recognizes the defect in that they have put out an internal service memo directing their service departments to replace all the injectors when they see this issue come in. That said, they have not issued a voluntary recall or extended warranty instead opting to let customers feel the burden of replacing all of their injectors at a cost of $1500 every three years. There have been approx. 407,666 Honda Pilot sold since 2016 and all of them are subject to this problem. A quick glance online shows hundreds if not thousands of complaints regarding this.

- Wesley Chapel, FL, USA

problem #34

Nov 042019

Pilot

  • 41,632 miles
Our 2016 Honda Pilot had a check engine light for fault code P0420. Dealer diagnosis was faulty fuel injectors in cylinders 2 and 3. dealer replaced all 6 fuel injectors free of charge. It seems preposterous that any of the 6 fuel injectors had failed with only 41,632 miles on the odometer. Honda is clearly aware of the issue as they released service bulletin 18-025. In my opinion, this should be a national recall instead of a service bulletin. And Honda should foot the bill for any of the affected vehicles, regardless of years in service or miles

- Burlington, WA, USA

problem #33

Nov 132019

Pilot

  • 62,000 miles
Check engine light appeared. Dealer inspected and determined fuel injector damage. Honda service bulletin states "debris from the high pressure pump or the fuel injector machining process can cause internal wear or clogging inside the injector". Honda does not consider this to be manufacturer defect despite fuel injectors not designed to wear out at 62K miles.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #32

Oct 282019

Pilot

  • 43,400 miles
Warning light on dash. Emissions systems problem. Honda service says I need to replace fuel injectors for $1500. This seems to be an issue with this model. It should be a recall I think.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

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