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 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,778 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 2 of 13)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #230

Jan 142023

Pilot

  • miles

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

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 #229

May 192023

Pilot

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

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #228

Apr 012023

Pilot

  • miles
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 #227

Apr 052023

Pilot

  • miles

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

Unless I remember to disable "Auto engine idle stop" my car will die at a light or any place I'm stopped. A bunch of random lights or warnings flash across the dashboard, brake won't push in, and I am unable to put it in neutral for my vehicle to be moved off the road or interstate. I have had cops park behind my completely dead vehicle stating "I just want to make sure the other cars on the road stay off your back so you don't get hit" all while we figure out why we can't even put it in neutral just to move it. We then have to jump-start it to get it moving again with no promises it will either start or stay on once started. Because this has happened multiple times, my vehicle has now been having issues starting at random, once happening the afternoon of 4/16/2023 after it wasn't driven the day before. My battery and alternator have both been checked and are excellent condition.

- Claremore, OK, USA

problem #226

Mar 242023

Pilot

  • miles
While traveling from northern Illinois to Sarasota, FL, vehicle transmission stopped functioning along I-75 near Tifton, GA. It had been raining the entire trip. No one was injured. We were passing a vehicle in the left lane, and without any warning the transmission just stopped. We couldn-??t accelerate. We coasted to the shoulder. We couldn-??t put the vehicle into park. 2 warning lights/messages came up: emissions system failure and AWD system failure. We turned off the car, waited 10 minutes, then drove to the nearest exit and turned off the car for an additional 45 minutes. The Honda Dealership in Sarasota said it needed a software upgrade. After paying for the upgrade we learned from a previous Honda engineer that it-??s a known problem.

- Buffalo Grove, IL, USA

problem #225

Apr 032023

Pilot

  • miles
My sunroof glass spontaneously exploded. It was not hit by an object nor were temperatures extreme. Had my inside sunroof visor not been closed, the broken glass would-??ve fallen on the vehicle occupants causing injury. I received a minor glass cut will taping the glass so that the vehicle could be driven home. The issue has been reported to insurance but no inspections have yet been made nor were police reports filed. There were no warning signs prior to the glass explosion, just a loud pop as the glass began popping up and cracking. I watched it happen from outside the car. Little pieces popped up onto the roof, then a wave went through the glass, portions fell into the sunroof, and then cracks ran though the entire pane. After researching, I learned this is a known glass defect issue with certain makes and models. I am fortunate that I had just parked; if I had been driving, the glass could-??ve fallen into the car inurying occupants or could-??ve flown off the car and hit other cars or pedestrians.

- Lexington , SC, USA

problem #224

Mar 232023

Pilot

  • miles

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

Auto idle stop randomly fails to restart engine when attempting to accelerate from stop. After coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not restart. While in heavy traffic on interstates the failure to restart creates panic. Car stalls to neutral. Car must be turned off and restarted and then shifted to drive in order to accelerate. Same at traffic lights, or turn lanes, on hills, a sudden shut down requiring a complete restart. There are several steps required to get the vehicle to restart. This takes several seconds (enough time that traffic lights cycle). This results in following vehicles attempting to pass if a lane is available, angry motorists, and panicked driver. Car has been inspected by dealer but there is no fix for the problem. There are no warning lights or indicators that the system will or is about to fail. The problem apparently does not create any kind of -??code-?? in the system. The only solution is to turn the system off each and every time you start the vehicle. The system cannot be legally disabled and by default it is always on when vehicle is started. This problem began approximately 18 months ago when the vehicle had @ 90k miles. Honda recently announced a software update and a warranty extension regarding the problem. The software update has been completed on the vehicle. However the problem continues. Honda-??s apparent solution is to extend the warranty on the parts involved - the starter, or starter relays, or adjust the valves on the engine. But there is no -??fix-?? for the problem. We are told to simply -??continue to monitor-??.

- Potomac , MD, USA

problem #223

Mar 062023

Pilot

  • miles
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 #222

Sep 292021

Pilot

  • miles
Sun visor part number 83230-TG7-A11ZA has failed twice now (6/24/2019 and again 9/29/2021). What happens is that the tension spring internal to the sun visor fails causing the sun visor to flop down impeding the driver's vision directly forward. We had to purchase new replacement sun visors twice. This is likely to happen again, so I'm keeping a close watch for it. This puts the safety of driver, passengers, other vehicles and pedestrians as risk as it happens suddenly. Honda has made no attempt that I am aware of to remedy the problem.

- Vernon, VT, USA

problem #221

Jan 202023

Pilot

  • miles
Front windshield wiper washer jet hood nozzle sprayer fell off and is lost. Called Honda dealer. They checked with Honda corporation and are advised that there are 1,100 of these on back order. Lead time is approximately 4 months! Without this part, windshield cannot be cleaned by the windshield washer should it be urgently needed while traveling down highway. This puts safety at risk.

- Vernon, VT, USA

problem #220

Feb 202023

Pilot

  • miles

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

This problem is the auto stop/start mechanism. This has been going on for at least 3-4 years. The car will automatically stop when we are at a red light or a stop sign, but then will not start when you press the gas. The vehicle is completely dead. It is completely cut off. It has powered down. You are in the Drive gear, so you must have the presence of mind to switch the vehicle to Park, put your foot on the brake and press start. It's very frightening if you are at a big intersection. This happens every time you drive for any distance. It doesn't happen at every intersection; it's an intermittent problem making it worse. We try to remember to disable the auto stop/start when we start but sometimes we forget. There is NO WAY to permanently disable the feature or we would. It's a scary pain.

- Kitty Hawk, NC, USA

problem #219

Dec 042022

Pilot

  • miles
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" The liftgate malfunctioned. it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I opened the liftgate for my wife and it closed while she was trying to take something from the back. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? It has not been confirmed by a dealer or anyone else. it happens sporatically. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" The car makes a loud beeping noise when closing. It first happened on December 4, 2022. and it has happened a few times since then including yesterday.

- Vacaville, CA, USA

problem #218

Jan 032018

Pilot

  • miles
The stop/start system will fail to restart the engine and stall the vehicle. This is the system that is designed to shut the engine off when at stop lights in order to save fuel. There are times when the engine will stall when it attempts to start the engine again. This does not happen all the time but has happened frequently enough that my wife and I have both stalled at the same intersection. You can turn off the stop/start feature each time you get in the car but we do not always remember. When it does stall all the lights on the dash flash and it's normally a frantic moment of trying to restart the car while cars behind you are honking. So far we have been able to restart it each time but I'm concerned this won't always be the case. We've taken this in to Honda and they don't have a solution or even really seem to acknowledge it. This is also a safety issue since my wife is working at various hospitals and some are in higher crime areas. I do not want her to stall there. I also don't want someone to hit us if they try to go when the light is green and we are stuck in front of them. There should at least be a permanent override of the system so we don't have to remember to turn it off each time we are in the car. That could completely solve the issue.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #217

Jan 062023

Pilot

  • miles
When driving my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring and forgetting to turn off the auto idle my car will completely shut off and not turn on. This has happened a total of 3 times since owning my car. All three have occurred at a red light intersection. I-??m grateful nobody has rear ended me in these occurrences. It seems when the car tries to start the engine, all the dashboard lights light up and we get the messages lane departure mitigation or brake problem and the car stalls. The first occurrence happened in October of 2020 and we had to jumpstart the battery. This happened on a short 15 mile trip. We replaced the battery at that time. The 2nd and 3rd time was this past week of January 2, 2023 when driving a long distance trip 500-1000 miles. Luckily the car started back up since we were on a trip and did not have family or friends in the area.

- Amarillo , TX, USA

problem #216

Oct 302022

Pilot

  • miles
The automatic start/stop function works intermittently when I come to a complete stop or turn off the car for a short amount of time. Most of the time, when I make a complete stop, the Honda Pilot won't automatically restart. I have to put the Honda Pilot in park and restart the engine, which still doesn't work. I have to wait a significant amount of time before reattempting the ignition. If I disable the automatic shut-off feature when I turn on the Honda Pilot, the SUV drives like normal. However, there is no permanent vehicle setting to disable the automatic shut-off. Lastly, the SUV usually won't restart even if I make a short duration stop, such as pump gas or running inside a store. At first this was a rare occurrence. Over tha past year, the Honda Pilot has gotten worse. Now, it's an everyday occurrence.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #215

Jan 042023

Pilot

  • miles
The auto start on vehicle is defective. When sitting at red light the vehicle shuts off and the when you go to excelerate the car stalls. I have taken to 2 Honda dealers and have been told that your agency is investigating problem. This has happened repeatedly and the dealer doesn-??t have fix. Does it take someone getting hurt for Honda to address issue.

- Niceville , FL, USA

problem #214

Nov 302022

Pilot 6-cyl

  • miles
When car stops due to Auto Idle it then stalls and gos into neutral shutting of engine completely With collision warning coming up. Then have to shut car off, put into park before it struggles to restart. I have documented on 2 other occasions with NHTSA and to be honest if I was to document this every time you would have 100-??s of reports from me. This vehicle is dangerous due to Auto Idle. I try to over ride it if I remember but that-??s not always the case. I have taken it to Hoehn Honda in Carlsbad CA multiple times but to no avail can they fix it. As a consumer I-??m trying my best to take safety seriously as this car will kill someone. When will Honda or the goverment take this seriously. The defect in this car the auto idle needs to be looked at or recalled.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #213

Dec 082022

Pilot

  • miles
The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged. Vehicle must be placed in park and attempt to restart. Sometimes restart does not happen for several tries. Has happened 10-15 times over the last 3 years, since around 30,000 miles, and dealership has tried investigating and have failed to remedy after 3 separate visits. Date indicated in this report is the latest occurrence.

- Shalimar, FL, USA

problem #212

Aug 012022

Pilot

  • miles
i driving home from a local costco and slowed to a stop at an intersection not far from my home. The car stalled and would not restart. After several attempts the car completely shut off and I was unable to even turn on any of the accessories. Ultimately I had to have the vehicle towed to a local shop because I was obstructing traffic and was at a dangerous intersection. I late continued to have similar issues after several battery replacements and jump starts. I had my vehicle serviced at a local dealer and they advised that it was the central power module that was bad. I was advised that this also controls the Intermittent Idle control function that is designed to save gas when the car is idle and not running. The car was was not under warranty so I had to pay for the new part and installation. The car is now experiencing similar issues. The car will randomly loose power and most recently will be completely non operational and jump starts are necessary to restart the car. A Keyless start System error has now been appearing randomly. Their is a TSB out for this particular part but have been advised that code has to be present in order the the local dealership to initiate a repair. I am going to attempt to have the vehicle brought to a local dealer for inspection.

- Mableton, GA, USA

problem #211

Nov 122022

Pilot

  • miles
All warning lights turned on during a normal drive. The dealer said it is a harness issue and needs to replace the harness to fix the issue. Surprised that a part that does not move had to be replaced. It has happened a couple of times before.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

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