10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,187 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.

2018 Honda Pilot engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 6 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

May 182022

Pilot

  • miles

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

When stopped in traffic the car will switch to neutral by itself. It will turn off and will have to be restarted. This has happened about 12 times since last July. After the first time it happened I brought the car to the dealership. They were not able to replicate the issue and it has continued since then with greater frequency. (2x last week in 3 days) This has happened when in econ mode, regular mode, right after a tune up, no pattern detected. Sometimes before it happens there would be a spluttering sound of the engine, sometimes a clicking sound, sometimes a collision warning sign flashes right before it happens, sometimes no warning- the car just shuts off and needs to be restarted. When the car is idling there are frequent reminders about pressing the break to shut off the engine. Googling this issue shows other people have the same problem with their 2018 Honda Pilots and other models as well. I believe these incidents are related to ODI Investigation PE 22-005 just opened on 06/03/22.

- Germantown, MD, USA

problem #23

Jun 052022

Pilot

  • miles
The engine automatic idle stop malfunctions on a regular basis. At idle, the engine will stop and is supposed to re-start automatically and on average once per week the engine will not re-start. The car will need to be put into park and then manually restarted. This usually occurs while at a traffic signal and leaves us stuck blocking traffic. It has occurred countless times in the three years we have owned the vehicle. We have taken it back to Honda multiple times to complain but they have never been able to find a problem.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #22

May 232022

Pilot

  • miles
Car shuts off and does not turn back on properly when stopping while driving. It does not happen all of the time, but when stopping at light/stop sign the car will turn off like it is supposed to but fails to start back up. When it fails to start it will not start back up, because the car is not in park, so the push button will not work until you hit the park button.

- Gretna, NE, USA

problem #21

May 122022

Pilot

  • miles

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

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

- Bel Air, MD, USA

problem #20

Jun 122021

Pilot

  • miles
I just read about the auto stop / start difficulties applicable to my vehicle and reportedly corroborated by Honda. I may have twice experienced the same or similar failure. Fortunately, both of my experiences were in my driveway. Safety was a concern in that I could not start the car, and it was blocking my other vehicles. I am unsure of the date, but I think that both were last summer. My recollection is somewhat vague as these were a while ago, and I was able to rectify. In both cases, I pulled into the driveway. I am guessing that the auto stop turned off the engine when I came to a stop. I most likely only pressed the engine start/stop button and put on the emergency brake after coming to a stop. I usually do not press the park button as it unnecessarily restarts the engine. In both cases, tried to restart the car a few minutes later, but it would not start. I don-??t know whether or not the car locked. I use the automatic lock feature but may have had a door or the tailgate opened. I don-??t know whether or not I used my key fob at all in trying to restart, or whether or not I moved the key fob near the start button. I remember the car seeming like the battery was dead. In one of the cases, I definitely used jumper cables from another car. In the other, I may have used a charger. The article did say that a jump was required to restart in some cases. At some point, the car just came alive. In the case of the jumper cables from another car, I moved the car out of the way (rolled up several yards) and shut it off and then restarted. The car restarted strongly, and the car acted like nothing ever happened. It almost seemed like a security lockout had occurred. Until there is a fix, I would like to know is what sequence is needed to restart if I have this problem again" Can you please help me with this"

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #19

Jun 012020

Pilot

  • miles
My car shuts off all the time. I called Honda last year to let them know because I was concerned there had been a recall. I took it to the dealership. They did some transmission work. One time it shut off when I was going 60mph on the Highway. It will also shut off when I-??m actively breaking and not to a complete stop yet. I-??m very concerned for my safety. Again, I reported this to Honda customer service and they told me there was nothing they could do. This has been going on for over two years.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #18

May 062022

Pilot

  • miles

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

The engine failed to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light on three separate occasions with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged.

- Scarsdale, NY, USA

problem #17

May 092022

Pilot

  • miles
My vehicle was stopped at a red light in a busy turning lane. When I pressed on the brakes to stop the vehicle the "idle-stop" automatically came on. As my vehicle was idling, I waited for the light to turn green to go. Once I pressed on the gas to go my vehicle went haywire. I couldn't drive forward or put the vehicle in any park mode. Every light started flickering on the dash, MY HAZARDS WOULDN'T COME ON, the car wouldn't start and every time I tried attempting to turn on the car it continued to do the same. I was stalled at a very busy intersection with no hazard lights with two kids, this was frightening. My husband had to restart the vehicle with a battery pack. After getting the car checked, there were no signs of any battery issues or any other problems, the car seemed perfectly fine. Now we have to completely turn off the "idle-stop" before driving or the car will stall, shut off and go haywire. We have to constantly restart the vehicle with a battery pack in order to continue driving. I asked several people and apparently this is a huge issue and problem for many with no help from Honda dealerships to fix it.

- Cottonwood, AZ, USA

problem #16

Feb 142022

Pilot

  • miles
Engine misfires randomly causing car to go into limp mode. Car was unable to go pass 40 mph on while trying to merge highway. It was very dangerous and scary as cars came very close to my bumper. Honda is aware of an injector issue and has extended the warranty, but this should be a safety recall.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #15

Feb 022022

Pilot

  • miles
The auto engine idle "feature" automatically shuts the engine off when the car comes to a stop. This "feature" is supposed to improve gas mileage, however, I believe it is very dangerous. This "feature" has caused my vehicle to stall numerous times in stop and go traffic, requiring me to completely stop the vehicle, place it in park, and then restart the vehicle. This sequence has created several scary and dangerous situations where I was completely stopped on a busy freeway. This "feature' WILL cause accidents if it has not already caused them. This feature currently cannot be permanently disabled. It must be disabled manually every time I drive the car. I have also contacted Honda directly to notify them of this defect.

- El Segundo, CA, USA

problem #14

Feb 062022

Pilot

  • miles

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

The Auto-Idle feature will unexpectedly over-engage while coming to a stop and the entire vehicle will shut off. I am unable to shift, steer, etc. It will also completely shut the engine down when at a complete stop. To be clear, this is not the normal auto-idle. When the full engine disengage happens, the entire vehicle loses power and the dash flashes. The vehicle states, "put into P". Once in "P" for park, the vehicle still will not restart. It is as if the vehicle has to "reset" itself. It has taken upwards of 4 minutes for the vehicle to restart. This has happened on a highway during construction traffic, approaching a stop sign, slowing at a red light on multiple occasions. I have almost been rear-ended as a result on mutiple occasions. I am not even able to put the vehicle in Neutral to move it to a safe spot. Honda informed me that I "just need to disengage this feature each and every time I start the vehicle". That is not the solution. This feature should be permanently disabled by Honda. Immediately.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #13

Nov 152021

Pilot

  • miles
Hello, below are answers to suggested questions to help describe what happened. -What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Unknown but a constant "chirping" sound is heard from the car engine area when car engine is on or "running similar to descriptions at link https://www.piloteers.org/threads/2018-honda-pilot-chirping-noise-audio-file.160027/ -How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Unknown. -Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Negative -Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" Few weeks or month after purchase in Sept 2018, dealer serviced the car and the sound disappeared but reappeared recently (approximately 3 years later). -Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No symptoms. First appearance mentioned in above answer.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #12

Oct 112021

Pilot

  • miles
I was driving my kids to school when I stopped at the school intersection. I go to press on the accelerator as I normally would and it would not drive, so I pressed on it a little harder as I was turning left since there were cars approaching. My vehicle suddenly jolted, making myself and the kids shift/jump from the force. I then proceeded driving down the road and let go of the accelerator, and my SUV suddenly started to feel like it was slowing itself down instantaneously. It felt like it was trying to make the vehicle's speed go down to 0. I then pressed on the accelerator again to prevent it from happening, but it continued to do so whenever I let go. I had to stop at the school's parking lot and turn off the SUV completely. When I turned it on again and began to drive, it was functioning normally. Since then, it has happened about 3 or 4 times, 1 of which happened on the expressway, which was way scarier. I had to get out of the expressway as it was dangerous. Just yesterday, I had a separate issue with the SUV that may seem related in retrospect. My SUV did not want to turn on. I experienced all of the dashboard lights flickering, and being unable to start it. It was not the battery because at some times, the radio would turn on, the lights, and the windows/locks would function normally. I was unable to get the vehicle to go to neutral, or anything then on. When the lights were not flickering, it presented me with the smart entry system light problem. Soon after, all the lights on my dashboard turned on and stated there were air bag problem, brake problem, abs problem, and etc... My vehicle is currently being looked at.

- Burbank, IL, USA

problem #11

May 012021

Pilot

  • miles
around 30k miles the keyless system degrades. Car won't start, says key is not present. afraid of getting stranded somewhere. forum shows MANY people having this issue, I believe a recall for this is needed. Problem seems to just get worse and worse over time. happens with both key fobs, replaced batteries no difference. https://www.piloteers.org/threads/keyless-start-system-problem-error.142385/

- Hume, CA, USA

problem #10

Jun 032021

Pilot

  • miles
I have been experiencing issues with the auto engine idle stop feature. The electrical system (radio & blue tooth) cut off and on when the auto engine idle stop tries to start again. There have even been several instances of the car cutting off completely and having to be restarted. This is very unsafe. One of the instances of the car cutting off occurred in traffic as we stopped and then started moving again. There were several people in the car at the time. The dealer has not been able to recreate the issue.

- North Augusta, SC, USA

problem #9

Jul 242021

Pilot

  • miles
"Idle Stop System" fails to successfully restart the engine and results in a stall. Safety is put at risk as the car becomes immobilized at a traffic intersection, red lights, middle of the highway. Anywhere that you came to a complete stop and were not able to get the vehicle to reengage. I have not yet taken the vehicle to the dealer, this issue has happened multiple times and has also been very well documented by others on the internet https://https://www.piloteers.org/threads/elite-shuts-off-at-stop-light.157005/ The vehicle has not been inspected at this time No warning lamps or symptoms appear prior. When you lift your foot off the brake pedal the vehicle stalls and you are unable to drive the vehicle

- Woodcliff Lake, NJ, USA

problem #8

Jun 292021

Pilot

  • miles
Push start does not work, says wireless key issue. Car does not start up (crank) and it does not turn completely off (it's stuck in start/ignition on, car is not running). Alarm would randomly discharge and have to relock the car, but would go off again. The ignition would flicker on and off constantly draining the battery. Doors would eventually unlock and stay unlock.

- Bayou La Batre, AL, USA

problem #7

May 262021

Pilot

  • miles
There is a noticeable 'Chirp' Noise when taking curves when i slow for the curve and accelerate out of the curve. Yes, it is available to be inspected. Had this in my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring AWD and we had to replace the entire transmission due to failure with the gears. Unsure if will be a risk other than being stranded somewhere if it fails. No police. No system errors or warnings.

- Blackwell, OK, USA

problem #6

May 242021

Pilot

  • miles
When my vehicle has the auto idle stop feature turned on, there are several times when I have been sitting at a stop light or in a median waiting to pull across or merge into traffic, and this feature engages and when you take your foot off the brake and the engine is supposed to auto restart, the engine stops completely instead and shifts itself into neutral which requires you to have to put vehicle in park and completely restart the whole car. Has been happening several times in the last year. I have taken it in to have the battery checked and it checks fine. The car is not throwing any codes. This can be particularly dangerous when you are in a median trying to pull across a busy Highway as your car just completely dies on you. Also a problem when you are at a red light and it turns green and everyone starts rolling and your car completely dies, this increases your chance of being rear-ended. If I manually turn the auto idle stop feature off when I initially turn the car on, this problem does not happen...... but this is every easy to forget as this is an automatic feature when your car is initially started..

- Columbia, TN, USA

problem #5

May 202021

Pilot

  • miles
The auto engine idle feature engaged at a stop light as usual. When I moved my foot from the brake to the accelerator, the car shut off, shifted into neutral and would not start. This was on a major highway. It took several minutes to start again, while I was stalled in dangerous traffic.

- Belmont, NC, USA

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