10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,075 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.

2017 Honda Pilot drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #51

Jun 072022

Pilot

  • miles

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

This car has an automatic start/stop feature/function that shuts the engine off when the brake is fully pressed. The purpose is to save fuel when stopped at a red light or in heavy traffic. As soon as you release the brake, the engine is supposed to restart automatically. Unfortunately whats been happening is either the engine does not restart or it begins to restart and then stalls. In either case, the car needs to then be put into park, fully turned off, and then restarted. In most cases, it more an annoyance for everyone involved. However, what has happened a number of times is that we-??ve moved into an intersection to make a left, stopped for oncoming traffic to pass, and then started our turn. The car has stalled then. Luckily there has been no accidents, but that is by luck. As the lights change, we have to quickly restart and get out if the intersection. I-??ve searched online for a solution. Many people have post about the same issue in various forums. Many have also taken their car to Honda dealership for service, but there has been no consistent response as to the cause or a solution. In more recent models, Honda has changed how this feature works, but they have not provided any solution for models preceding the change. Thank for any resolution you can bring to us the many others impacted by this point problem. FYI this is not an issue on a single date; it is inconsistent but recurring.

- Warren, NJ, USA

problem #50

Jun 112022

Pilot

  • miles
When the engine stops when the brake is applied, there are times when the engine shuts down completely, restarting electrical systems and not starting up again. This incredibly scary and dangerous. I have brought it to the dealer who has no idea how to fix it. I read an article that this is something the NHTSA is investigating and am very relieved that there is finally some attention being paid to this problem. I wanted to log my vehicle as being effected also.

- Clarence Center, NY, USA

problem #49

Dec 302017

Pilot

  • miles
Engine does not restart after start stop feature {auto stop} when stopped at a stoplight or stop sign. Sometimes engine turns off with just a soft application of brakes. So far no serious accident except holding up traffic at an intersection. Could become dangerous. So I immediately turn off the feature whenever I remember when I get in the car. Thanks.

- Marianna , FL, USA

problem #48

May 202022

Pilot

  • miles

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

We were at a Sheetz gas station last month and the auto-start/stop cut the engine off and it would not restart. We had to place the car in park and manually restart it. We have had this issue happen on another occasion and we purchased the car in April.

- Sandston, VA, USA

problem #47

May 022022

Pilot

  • miles
At start up, both with remote start an manual start, the vehicle will lurch forward. It seems to be happening with more frequency for a total of about 10 times. My worry is that at start up the vehicle will strike nearby pedestrians or property. The transmission has had start / stop issues and -??hard-?? shifts but the dealer has not found any issues. There are no warning lights associated with this issue.

- Lakewood , OH, USA

problem #46

Mar 312022

Pilot

  • miles
For the past few months, I have been having issues with my vehicle stalling. This issue occurs while stopped at red lights, stop signs, and while sitting in stop and go traffic. My vehicle is equipped with the Auto Start/Stop feature, and while stopped at a stop sign for instance, the vehicle will auto stop but fail to auto start when taking my foot off the brake and hitting the gas. This has happened on numerous occasions, putting those in the vehicle and those in other vehicles around my vehicle at risk. I brought my vehicle to my local dealership, at which point they checked it and found nothing wrong with the vehicle. They also stated that they, and the vehicle manufacturer were aware of the issue, but have no solution for it. The first time I brought the vehicle in, the dealer told me that a possible fix was an update to the system, however I would have to pay for the update. After the service adviser spoke with the service manager a few times, the dealership paid for the $220 update. The vehicle has since continued to stall, the only thing that seems to assist is to turn off the Auto Start/Stop feature every time the vehicle is turned on. Last Thursday, the vehicle stalled again on my wife with our son in the vehicle at a t-intersection. The vehicle failed to start for approximately 10-15 minutes. I contacted my dealer again and was advised to bring my vehicle in. I brought it in and was told that I could have a rental car, but that I would need to approve paying a $160 diagnostic fee. They were unsure of a permanent solution for the problem.

- Howell, NJ, USA

problem #45

Dec 172021

Pilot

  • miles

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

Traveling about 70 mph on the interstate using cruise control. I don-??t think there was a change in steepness/grade, but if there was it was mild. Suddenly, the rpm-??s were erratic and the engine and gears seemed out of sync. Pressing the gas pedal didn-??t seem to effectively accelerate the vehicle. I don-??t believe the brakes were affected. The -??D-?? for drive indicator kept blinking on and off. Multiple warning lights on the dash display: transmission system problem, all wheel drive problem, and interestingly, blind spot monitor problem. The last indicator to show was emissions system problem, and this indicator remained on the screen. I exited the interstate. Shifted to reverse, then parked the car and turned engine off. After a few moments, I restarted the engine and the only anomaly I observed was the warning indicator light on the dash read: emissions system problem. There was roughly 1/4 to 1/2 tank of gasoline remaining at the time of incidence. I continued to drive approximately 350 miles more to my destination, without using cruise control and without further or other issues. I made a couple stops to add gas and both times the engine was turned off then back on again without issue. The following day, after restarting the engine, the -??emissions system problem-?? warning indicator light was no longer showing on the display. I have yet to encounter the problem thus far, but I haven-??t used the cruise control since nor have I driven at interstate speeds for any considerable length of time. I haven-??t yet taken the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. But will do so.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #44

Dec 032021

Pilot

  • miles
When slowing down to stop at a light, or pull into a parking space, the vehicle rather than braking and stopping, accelerates violently on its own, and there is no way to stop it other than putting the vehicle in park immediately, or slamming on the emergency brake. This is an intermittent problem. It happens once every few months, however last night it occurred and I did not put it in park quickly enough, and I was close to another vehicle while parking, that I slammed into the other vehicle doing extensive damage. Obviously, this is a very dangerous situation that could kill or maim myself or an occupant of another vehicle; the police officer who happened to own the other vehicle said I should not drive my vehicle until the problem is solved, which, of course, makes sense as my vehicle at present is unpredictable and dangerous. I have now taken the vehicle into the dealer, but I've found in the past these intermittent problems are difficult to diagnose. Should it not be diagnosed and fixed--I noticed that others have had this same vexing and dangerous situation, and it was not fixed or resoved to their satisfaction--I will no longer drive the vehicle as it is too dangerous. There seems to be a glitch with the drive trains/engines of the 2017 Honda Pilot and this needs to be fixed and the vehicles recalled before serious injury occurs, if it has not already. Owners of these vehicles should be compensated, or receive a comparable vehicle that is road worthy.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #43

Nov 242021

Pilot

  • miles
In the past week, my Pilot has stalled for no known reason. Both times the vehicle was stopped and the feature that idles the car down to conserve energy was activated. When I let off the brake instead of the car restarting or gearing up and accelerating, the car just died. Warning lights went off on the dash, but the car wouldn't restart for at least a minute both times. No warning lights were on the dash before the incident and after the car restarted, no warning lights remained lit on the dash. I took my car to an automotive store and had them check the battery, the alternator and the starter - all of these came back as being in perfect condition. I was extremely scared when both of these incidents occurred. One time I was at the bottom of an exit ramp of a busy interstate and the other occurred on an interstate in stop and go traffic. In addition to these two incidents, for the past 2 years, the car has been having issues after it idles down and then should restart and accelerate. About 2-3 times per month, when the car is stopped and has idled down, when I let off the brake and accelerate, the electrical system will flash on and off. The entire dash goes dark, the audio goes off and comes back on, etc. The entire electrical system reboots. When this happens, it does not impact the ability of the car to accelerate because it is more like a flash - the car doesn't die and have to be restarted. I am taking my car into the Honda dealer on Monday to attempt to diagnose the problem, but from the research I've done, may other Pilot owners are having the same problem and their dealers aren't able to find an error code caused by these issues. I have been attempting to get a video of this when it happens, but so far, I've been unable to reproduce the issue.

- Andover, KS, USA

problem #42

Aug 012020

Pilot

  • 16,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle revved up and independently accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal with excessive force and the vehicle moved forward a little before coming to a stop. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by the dealer however, the contact was unable to speak with a representative. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.

- Morris Plains, NJ, USA

problem #41

Oct 062021

Pilot

  • miles

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

My vehicle is a 6 speed automatic transmission, which is experiencing symptoms known to affect 9 speed transmissions as documented in TSB 20-029, Hard Upshift with Steady Acceleration. The transmission has intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration. The vehicle will 'clank' and jump slightly forward, while accelerating between 20-45mph. Does not happen always - have not determined a pattern.

- Reading, MA, USA

problem #40

Jul 052021

Pilot

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive to her destination. The dealer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while shifting into first gear. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Suffolk, VA, USA

problem #39

Aug 262021

Pilot

  • miles
Keyless start system malfunction.

- Carolina, PR, USA

problem #38

Jul 162021

Pilot

  • miles
Auto dashboard warning lights started and remained flashing. Transmission would not up shift - slipped into neutral - surged and jerked when up shifting This experience was repeated after pulling off the highway and attempting to reenter traffic. This was a dangerous experience as it occurred on a high speed Interstate. I took the auto to the dealer BUT they were not able to reproduce the problem and their diagnostics check could not find a problem.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #37

Jul 072021

Pilot

  • miles
Car goes into neutral or no gear at all when still in drive on its own. Has done this multiple times, will end up getting us killed at some point because when you go to get on the accelerator to get out of someone-??s way the engine just revs up.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #36

Apr 112021

Pilot

  • 81,000 miles
Vehicle will not restart after engine auto idle engages. When lifting foot off the brake to begin driving car will not restart and says you must go into park and press brake. Radio and lights are still on. Even after shifting into park and pressing brake it will not start. After removing foot from brake and pressing stop car will completely turn off. We can then press start and car will usually start within three or four tries. This has happened about 10 times, with the last being in the center lane of a major freeway. Traffic came to a stop and when we started going again I was completely stuck in the middle lane with cars going all around me. Has also happened multiple times at stoplights and in drive throughs. I try and always disable this feature but forget sometimes.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #35

Dec 012017

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 0 miles
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WORKED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO D-PATRICK HONDA (4300 E DIVISION ST, EVANSVILLE, IN 47715, (812) 477-6201) BUT, WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. Consumer stated failure occurred multiple times since the report. When the consumer accelerates, let off, and re-accelerate, sometimes it's not in any gear and just revs up.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #34

Feb 132021

Pilot

  • 60,000 miles
Tiene un bote de aceite Y SE me encendi la seal de problema en la transmisin mientras iba rodando por la autopista

- Doral, FL, USA

problem #33

Dec 242020

Pilot

  • 5 miles
The car would not go into reverse and when it finally did and we pulled out we received a transmission problem warning

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #32

Nov 192020

Pilot

  • 112,355 miles
After coming to a stop or slowing down to a very low speed, when I reaccelerate to build speed, the transmission stalls and then jerks into gear while in eco-mode. At times this is almost causing a collision. I reported this to the dealership almost a month after my purchase and 4 more times after the first report and each time they had no resolution except the last time to do a transmission flush which I had to pay for. In some of suggestions and questions, it appears that the dealership knows that there's an issue.

- Enfield, NC, USA

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