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 5 of 13)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #170

Nov 192021

Pilot

  • miles

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

Keyless start system problem: the light come and Honda does no know how to address this concern.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #169

Nov 222018

Pilot

  • miles
Vehicle unexpectedly and unpredictably shuts down when stopped for a red light, at stop sign, or for an extended break period. Vehicle does not immediately restart after shutting off. Vehicle is available for inspection; however, given the safety concerns for our family and unanswered questions from Honda with no resolution in sight, we plan to buy a new vehicle. Vehicle has been disabled when it shuts down in the middle of intersections with cars swerving to avoid. It puts vehicle occupants and other drivers at risk of an accident. Dealer cannot reproduce. After the 1st instance, dealer claimed they found info that was sent to Honda corporate. Vehicle has been inspected by dealership with Honda corporate involvement 3 times. After the 1st time, Honda corporate/dealership replaced battery and state of charge sensor at no cost even though vehicle was not under warranty. After 2nd time, Honda said valves may need adjusting but refused to cover expensive ($1000) work and indicated they were not sure it would even resolve issue. If issue continued, they stated they would not refund money. They now refuse any resolutions without reproducing the car shutting down. There are no warnings, messages, or notifications that vehicle will shut down until it does. A variety of errors display after the vehicle shuts down and vehicle shifts on its own into neutral.

- Belchertown, MA, USA

problem #168

Nov 152021

Pilot

  • miles
Hello, I have 2016 Honda Pilot Touring. The car was stalled many times since last 3 years where the car stalled out at a red light while using the auto stop-start. It would happen frequently now when I took my foot off the brake and nothing would happen when I put my foot on the gas. Instead of the engine starting up again, the car would stall completely and I would have to put the car in park, press the brake pedal and push the start button to get it on again. I took the car into the dealer David McDavid Frisco and they did not do anything saying they do not see any issue and they said they cannot reproduce the issue. Last night it happened again at a red light with the car stalled when i about to start i was about to get hit by the speeding car behind e and the driver was realized my Car was stopped and he just changed the lane to avoid hitting me. This incident really scared me since i was with my whole Family in the car. Please take this as a serious concern related to human life. Also i noticed from the internet many Honda Pilot owners are having same issue and Honda did not take any action on this.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #167

Nov 072021

Pilot

  • miles

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

When stopped at a light, the idle auto engine off feature turned off the engine, then when I remove my foot from the pedal, the engine fails to start again. After several attempts to start the engine it finally will start, but this has left me stalled at intersections on several occasions for up to 2 minutes. Honda has stated that this is a known issue with no known fix which is distressing and unacceptable.

- Corvallis, OR, USA

problem #166

Oct 012021

Pilot

  • miles
Keyless Start System Problem. Only 52000 miles on car

- Rio Grande, NJ, USA

problem #165

Oct 182021

Pilot

  • miles
My 2016 Honda Pilot Touring randomly completely shuts off at traffic lights rather than restart in the automatic shut off. It displays "Shift to Park" on the dash. This has been occurring for the past 2 1/2 years and has been reported to both Honda and the dealerships with no resolution. Despite my numerous reports to both Honda and dealership, only two times have they documented as requested. The past 8 months it has been occurring more frequently and has become increasingly difficult to restart. The past two times, I have been in a location with high speed limits so traffic approaching from the rear was coming at high speeds. The first of these recent incidents, it took 6 attempts to restart the vehicle and the second time I lost count. These situations were terrifying to the point I am no longer wanting to keep this vehicle. I can't help but consider if I have children in the back and am rear ended. The dealer has repeatedly told me there are no codes, so they can't identify the source of the issue. Interestingly, I purchased this vehicle when it was 18 months old and the switch for the auto shutoff was missing. The dealership replaced it, but now I am wondering if the previous owner was experiencing this same problem and had it removed.

- Point Pleasant, NJ, USA

problem #164

Sep 012021

Pilot

  • miles

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

The vehicle has a keyless remote start problem that won-??t go away. The keys have new batteries. Taking it to the dealer but when researching the issue there are several people experiencing this same problem with no way to fix the issue. This should be a recall If Pilots are getting this error message.

- Sahuarita , AZ, USA

problem #163

Oct 242021

Pilot

  • miles
When stopped at a red light the idle-stop initiates and engine shuts down. Upon release of the brake peddle the engine does not start leaving you stranded at a green light or even worse in the middle of the intersection waiting to make a left turn. I have to turn off the car completely and then try to restart it. It never happens when I disable the idle stop. I have read this same problem with many other people on various forums. This must be addressed ASAP before someone gets hurt or killed. This happens at least twice a week.

- Porter Ranch, CA, USA

problem #162

Oct 092021

Pilot

  • miles
I have a 2016 Honda Pilot Elite and have been experiencing some issues with the Auto Engine Idle Shut Off for the past few years. Whenever the car is stopped either at a light or in a traffic on road, highway exit ramps, the auto engine idle feature shuts of the car upon pressing the breaks fully. However once the break is released the car get stalled by automatically switching the car to Neutral with message on the screen asking to put the car in Park mode. A number of warning messages show up on the center console as well. Things like, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation, Brake System warnings start displaying. Once car is put in the park mode, it says press break and start button to start the car but car will NOT start for about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. This stalling creates extremely dangerous situation when you are on busy road with a risk of getting hit from behind. I have taken several videos of this incidence happening and shown it to dealership who has taken a stand as they can't fix the issue as they are unable to replicate. I have taken car multiple times to dealership for this issue and also reported the issue to Honda as well however I have been told that they cannot replicate the issue and thus unable to fix it. Unless the car is used like a daily driver I am afraid they will never be able to reproduce the issue and this creates a big safety hazard for me and my family. Stalling car in middle of road has left us in panic situation multiple times and it also possesses inherent risk to others driving on the road especially during night time. After googling about this issue I have noticed many other people having the same issue. Honda needs to make recall on these cars and MUST get this rectified immediately. Please note my car still has extended warranty and Honda has not been able to identify and fix the issue. I request you to look into this and many others who possibly have reported same issue.

- Darien, CT, USA

problem #161

Oct 162021

Pilot

  • miles
The first issue is when the car is stopped and the auto engine idle is on, when I lift the brake to press the accelerator, the car shuts off the engine completely, puts itself in Neutral or Park, and requires me to put the car in Park (if not there already) and restart (press brake and ignition button). So when I-??m at a red light that turns green, when I attempt to go by lifting the brake my engine quits. It occurs when I take my foot off the brake after having been at a stop with the auto-engine idle on. Engine shuts off, the car puts itself in either Neutral or Park, and I have to restart after 30 seconds to a minute (including a prayer to not be rear-ended in the meantime). Sometimes, I can get the engine to start up again within 30 seconds. Sometimes, it's been more than a minute. A number of warning messages show up on the center console as well. Things like, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation, Brake System warnings start displaying. I-??ve had the dealer look at the car and they can-??t find anything wrong with it. This has been happening for months and the dealer ended up putting a new fuel injector on to see if that would fix it but it hasn-??t. I am very concerned for myself, my kids and my family who ride in this car. I-??ve been in some scary situations at red lights where I couldn-??t go. I pray this doesn-??t happen on railroad tracks!!!

- Warrior, AL, USA

problem #160

Oct 122021

Pilot

  • miles

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

Having issues with the auto idle function. Car is stalling out when car Is stopped for more than two to three seconds. Doesn't matter if the auto idle function is engaged or turned off. This has become very dangerous as I have been almost hit twice. The car losses power, no steering or anything else. Car has to be shut off and on numerous times to restart. I am seeing post that I am not the only one with this issue. Seems to be an ongoing problem with Honda pilot of multiple years and models. No one seems to have a fix for this. I no longer am driving this vehicle as it is not safe.

- Grove City, OH, USA

problem #159

Sep 142021

Pilot

  • miles
When starting the vehicle, the vehicle doesn't immediately start when pressing the start button. When the vehicle starts, a message appears on the dash saying keyless start system problem. No information has been received from Honda about this problem, but a Honda recall service bulletin related to 2016-2017 Honda Pilots was found online. The recall bulletin is dated December 9, 2020. The vehicle has not been inspected at this time. The indicator message first appeared on the dash five days ago and it appeared again today.

- Franklin, TN, USA

problem #158

Aug 052021

Pilot

  • miles
In the past 4 months, each time my Honda Pilot is stopped at a light or in slow traffic, the idle stop will engage and shut off the engine. In order for the engine to turn back on, we have to put our foot on the brake, place car in park, and push the start button to get it to start again. Each time we have taken it to the dealer or a car repair shop, they test the battery and it is fine. While we have not had an accident yet, we have come close due to cars behind us not knowing our vehicle is having an issue. The most recent time occurred in a toll booth line leaving NYC with a line of traffic behind us. Another issue we have experienced is with our fuel injector. Our Pilot was manufactured when there were known failures with fuel injectors. The fuel injector malfunctioned while driving with our three kids down a hill. The car lost power and we had to coast down a hill. Thankfully, an exit was nearby and we were able to come to a stop. Vehicle was serviced at a local dealer. Although there were know issues with fuel injectors, we still had to pay for the replacement and the vehicle's manufacturers warranty was still valid.

- Imperial, PA, USA

problem #157

Jul 222021

Pilot

  • miles
The Keyless Start Power Assistance Error Light keeps displaying after my auto lock feature failed. There is a forum of other 2016 Pilots of many owners experiencing the same thing. Today I found myself unable to start my car with every message failure displaying. When help arrived they found a bad battery (unsure if related or not). After only a few hours the same error message appears again.

- Maumee, OH, USA

problem #156

Jun 132021

Pilot

  • miles
The vehicle is starting itself in accessory mode. It is completely off, no one around, no one touching the key fobs, and it will just try to start itself. Because no one is inside of the car pressing the brake, it just defaults to accessory mode. The vehicle is just turning itself on by itself. When the vehicle is locked, this triggers the alarm.

- Georgetown, TX, USA

problem #155

May 042021

Pilot

  • 41,302 miles
My car was "stall out" at a stop light or stop sign when I was in "auto idle-stop" and pressed on the gas. I first noticed that the auto idle-stop was hesitating when it would start up. I also noticed that the radio would "cut out". after that, the vehicle would just stall out and I would have to push park, put my foot on the brake and then push start. This is very inconvenient when you are at a stop light or getting ready to make a turn and the vehicle just "dies". took it into the dealership and they said it was a software adjustment. The auto idle-stop worked for a couple of days, then started hesitating and now it intermittently stalls when the gas is pressed.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #154

May 142021

Pilot

  • 70,000 miles
Auto restart has turned my vehicle off at a stoplight and then not restarted the engine and put the drivetrain into neutral. This has happened multiple times now. Also the car shifts into gears that either slow my car up when I'm trying to accelerate and speeding my vehicle up when braking.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #153

May 062021

Pilot

  • 78,000 miles
The vehicle is equipped with an auto shut off and restart feature. There are many instances when the vehicle shuts off at a stoplight or in a parking lot and then does not restart automatically as it should. The vehicle must be powered off and on multiple times before the vehicle will restart. There seems to be a faulty sensor or some thing. The Honda dealership has provided no explanation except it's a battery issue which it is not connected as we have replaced the battery. I am concerned that when I am in traffic at a stoplight if I have forgotten to press the button to disengage the auto restart then I'll be stranded while trying to restart the car. It has become more frequent the last 18 months.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #152

Apr 092021

Pilot

  • 18,700 miles
2016 Honda Pilot alarm goes off randomly/sporadically while parked/locked.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #151

Mar 292021

Pilot

  • miles
A notice has started popping up on my Honda Pilot saying keyless start system problem. But my car still starts. The error message went away for a few days then came back.

- Big Rock, TN, USA

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