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:
23,825 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 1 of 13)

problem #260

Sep 132024

Pilot

  • miles

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

Idle stop feature caused the car to fall dead and go stuck into neutral while at a stop sign and getting ready to pull off into traffic to make a right onto the feeder of a busy freeway. I had to place the car into park then press the ignition button to turn the car back on then shift back to drive before being able to pull off.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #259

Nov 272023

Pilot

  • miles
I began having intermittent issues with my electric start button. I called Honda of mentor where I purchased the car. They told me I'd need to bring it in for diagnostic. Initially since they claimed this wasn't something they had heard of as an issue and since it was only an Intermittent issue I didn't take it in. The issue got worse until 1 day at work my car didn't want to start. I again called Honda of menor and explained the issue and asked if they had heard of anyone else having the same problem and was told no and all I could do was bring it in for diagnostic. So I scheduled the appointment and once off the phone I got on Google and found a service bulletin for my exact issue so I was obviously upset and felt lied to. I took the bulletin to the appointment but was told that since my car was like 2000 miles over they wouldn't cover the issue.. but I had called about it 4-5 months prior and I was never notified the bulletin was issued. They ended up charging me to fix the issue or they were going to charge me a diagnostic fee. I feel robbed and now I am reading about the engine recall and many who are supposedly not a part of the recall but having the exact problem. I certainly hope I don't encounter issues with my engine. Honda is apparently not as trustworthy as they once were and they don't care.

- Rome, OH, USA

problem #258

Oct 272024

Pilot

  • miles
I just purchased this vehicle this year if any components failed I do not know of it.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #257

Jul 052024

Pilot

  • miles

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

I have a 2016 Pilot (Touring), and about a month ago, I started experiencing static in the audio. It begins faintly in the background and gradually increases in volume until it completely overtakes the audio, leaving only static. The issue persists regardless of the audio source selected.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #256

Oct 162024

Pilot

  • miles
When at a stop at an intersection the engine auto idle/stop feature will engage and when you let off the break the engine comepletely dies and you have to put car in park and restart the car. This is extrememly dangerous when at intersections and in turning lanes.

- Wylie, TX, USA

problem #255

Oct 012024

Pilot

  • miles
Keyless entry malfunction. Vehicle not starting at times. Replaced battery. Error lights on dash. A known issue by Honda

- Tyrone, GA, USA

problem #254

Sep 262024

Pilot

  • miles

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

The A/C in my 2016 Honda Pilot is blowing hot air. On my first visit to the dealer, dye was added to detect the leak at a cost of $422. Upon returning to the dealer a second time, the dealer replaced the A/C condenser at a cost of $1,075, which did not solve the problem. Upon returning to the dealer a third time, the A/C condenser was replaced again, and that also did not solve the problem. Upon returning to the dealer a fourth time, the dealer now recommends replacing the A/C evaporator at a cost of $2216. I believe these parts are defective, as Honda has already issued service bulletins extending the warranty to 10 years for the A/C Condenser in certain vehicles. This new warranty extension applies to the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Clarity, Civic Type-R, and Insight. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] According to the service bulletins "This warranty extension covers vehicles that have a defective A/C condenser from the factory. The A/C condenser was not manufactured to specification. As a result, corrosion may develop in the form of tiny holes in the condenser tube walls that allow the refrigerant to leak out." See (Warranty Extension: 2019-?"21 Insight A/C Condenser) I am requesting that the 2016 Honda Pilot be included in the warranty extension, as I am experiencing the same issues for the expensive repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #253

Sep 202024

Pilot

  • miles
For the last few years the idle stop feature has resulted more than one dozen times of me being stuck at a stop light and not being able to get the car started. It will idle off and when I lift my foot off the break it will have trouble starting back up. If I wait a minute or so it can sometimes start back up but at least four times it has required a jump start to get it started again. It-??s extremely stressful and scary to be at a light and stuck there with people honking and having to get out of the vehicle in a busy intersection to try to jump start the vehicle. I try to remember to turn off the feature every time I start the car but I forget sometimes. After the latest time being stuck with a toddler and trying to get someone to stop to jump start my car I am sending in a report.

- Albany, OR, USA

problem #252

Aug 222024

Pilot

  • miles
A few years ago, I reported a problem with my car's auto idle stopping, causing the car to stall, and taking a few minutes to restart. Honda offered to update my software to fix this issue, which I did last March. Today, driving, the car stalled again. The issue has not been fixed with the software update. Again, after stalling, the car needed to be put in park and started again. This took a few minutes. I was in traffic, and numerous cars behind me honked and were frustrated. A few weeks ago, we drove the car on a very slow, crowded freeway. I was extremely concerned the same thing would happen. I have three teen drivers. We were so concerned about this issue that we purchased a new car for them (we would not have otherwise). This cost us a significant amount of money. I am anxious each time I drive our Pilot. I am concerned that some day someone will rear end me, or I will encounter road rage over not being able to move when cars are lined up behind me. Please, please require Honda to deactivate the auto idle feature or recall this vehicle. I do not feel comfortable selling it to someone else, but really don't want to drive it. Thank you.

- Mountain View, CA, USA

problem #251

May 022024

Pilot

  • miles
On several occasions in 2024 1 - 2 months apart I have been stopped at a light in my 2016 Honda Pilot I have around 150,000 miles on it. The car will stall out and I can barely make it to the side of the road. All the dashboard lights come on Vehicle Stability Assist Problem, Power Steering System Problem, Emissions System Problem, Road Departure Mitigation System Problem, Trailer Stability Assist Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem. I had the Catalytic Converters changed about 2 months ago at a cost of $3,000 and this is still happening. Once the battery is disconnected the codes go away and the car drives fine for a while, but not this last time. We had AAA come out and put a new battery, they AAA service drove off, I pulled out 3 feet and the car cut off again and all the lights came back on and the car would not move.

- Pittsboro, NC, USA

problem #250

Jun 172024

Pilot

  • miles

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

Keyless Start System Problem message has recently started appearing on the screen when I start the vehicle. The key fobs do not appear to work to their proper capability either. The locking feature when walking away does not work. Vehicle has continued to drive properly for now but other reports show the vehicle may shut off while driving. Some research shows a recall but local Honda dealership does not see anything regarding this. This needs attention as it appears to be an ongoing issue.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #249

May 012024

Pilot

  • miles
I purchased this vehicle a little less than two months ago-?? this vehicle is babied and I make sure to stay on top of everything possible as it-??s a primary transportation to bring my toddler to his many appointments. While operating on the highway, everything was smooth sailing as expected, until I heard a noise. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see a part flying off of the car and colliding with the vehicle behind me. I couldn-??t locate where the item came from. Today, I went to pick my son up from preschool and noticed the entire piece on the roof was hanging outward, right off and over the side of the vehicle. Had I not noticed, it could-??ve caused further danger to others. I hopped up to look at my roof to realize the rear trim is the piece that flew off, and the following straight part is what was now dangling over the side. On top of everything else, on the same side, the trim along the side my of windshield is upraised and I am absolutely torn. How dangerously this could-??ve ended had I not noticed. I-??ve seen other pilot-owners discuss how their trim pieces have caused trouble and even further dented some trunks. This needs to be brought to attention, I didn-??t spend $$,$$$ on a vehicle that is not safe.

- Naugatuck, CT, USA

problem #248

Apr 302024

Pilot

  • miles
This issue occurred [XXX]. The fuel door would not open when we were at the gas station to fill up. We opened the side panel inside the back of the vehicle and tried to open using the emergency lever but that did not work either. Had to take to our local Honda dealer, Swickard of Thousand Oaks in Thousand Oaks, California. Our vehicle had only 59,088 miles when this stopped working. On the service order from our dealer In the description of the concern it states that after inspecting the fuel door actuator, fuel door cable and the fuel door grommet it was found that the cable was kinked, causing the plastic grommet to break apart. From the description from the dealer it sounds like the cable was installed incorrectly when the vehicle was made causing the failure. We were fortunate that we were not traveling and not been near a dealer or mechanic when this issue occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

problem #247

Apr 222024

Pilot

  • miles
-Defective Keyless Access Unit (dealer kept old unit) -My car completely lost power -Honda dealer confirmed defective keyless access unit -Car not inspected by others, except for AAA who had to replace my battery 2 times due to drainage of power -The problems experienced were that the car start would be hit or miss and then complete drainage of battery happened

- Victorville, CA, USA

problem #246

Dec 012022

Pilot

  • miles
The car just stopped while being driven in the freeway around December 2022. It was towed to the dealership and they said that the engine "seized." We wrote a letter to Honda and they said that it was our fault (car has very little miles- it's a family car). The engine light was never resolved even after engine was replaced. Honda then came out with a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot for engine seizing but they said my VIN did not qualify although this was the exact same issue. I tried reaching out with them to no avail. I am afraid to transport my children in this vehicle and I have already spend over 10k fixing it. It also feels unethical to sell the vehicle knowing it's defective. If possible, please look into the VIN's that are part of the recall since I am afraid there are a lot more cars driving in the freeway from the manufacturer that has the same issue which pose a safety concern to the passengers and the cars around it.

- El Monte, CA, USA

problem #245

Nov 022023

Pilot

  • miles
getting intermittent exhaust fumes inside the cabin. co2 and other exhaust gasses getting inhaled by my family

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #244

Jan 302024

Pilot

  • miles
I was driving my vehicle on the highway at approximately 70 kph when the engine seized and all of the warning lights in the dash went out simultaneously. The car would barely accelerate but I was able to pull over and get it towed to a shop. The shop diagnosed total engine failure as a result of tension rod shavings showing in the oil filter. I researched recalls for my model & year and found November 13, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V751000. Although my specific VIN is not yet included, both the model/ year and symptoms of the issue match exactly with what happened to me. I urge you to include my VIN in this recall.

- Bristol, TN, USA

problem #243

Jan 232024

Pilot

  • miles
Vehicle audio has a kind of its own, on/off/ up/ down all without touching the screen or buttons. Goes all the way to max volume without warning. Definitely a safety risk when you are not expecting noise at all.

- Farmington, MN, USA

problem #242

Mar 012021

Pilot

  • miles
Since 2021 the vehicle has stalled everywhere we go and has a gas/electrical burn fume. The vehicle had stalled in the middle of the highway and didn't allow us to shift it into any gears while flashing all dashboard lights. The vehicle was towed to Legend driven Honda where they couldn't find any issues and said they just reset the transmission code. For our peace of mind, we thought it would be best to have the full work up on the transmission since the dealership seemed incompetent with our vehicle's malfunction. The vehicle continued to stall and even had trouble starting up at times with the continued gas fumes. Well, it wasn't long before the issue returned and we were back to where we started, along with our A/C unit failing on us. We left the vehicle idle in the driveway for a bit as it was a safety concern for our families' wellbeing. We later received a recall notice on the auto-idle stop mechanism which we figured must have been the issue all along. We took it back to the dealership where they did their full inspection and came up with our transmission needing its regular full work-up which we had proclaimed that we already had done in the earlier months. After the alleged recall fix, the problem continued. We took the vehicle back and were told it was our battery and recommended our timing belt be replaced otherwise it would cause major issues down the road(it was concerning to us as these issues were never brought up the multiple times we had brought it in for the initial issues). Surely, we had it all fixed and replaced for the safety of our families well being having had our vehicle stall numerous times on the road which has now caused our children to be frightened of driving anywhere. Well on return home from the dealership, the vehicle did not stall, 2 hours later went to turn it on, it did not want to start and made a loud knocking noise. Currently towed to a different dealership

- Tipton, OK, USA

problem #241

Apr 012023

Pilot

  • miles
I am reporting a problem with the 2016 Honda Pilot audio system. It sounds identical to the reported problems that have lead to a recall for the 2018-2022 models. The system works fine initially, but after 30 minutes of driving, the system becomes filled with static noise. The static noise starts out low, but quickly gets to the point where nothing else can be heard. This is across all input channels: AM/FM radio, Bluetooth, XM Satellite, etc.. The system then eventually shuts down and no sound can be heard.

- Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

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