2021 HONDA PILOT
What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.
This is complaint data, not a random sample.
It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.
Component ranking
- #1
engine stall or no start
11 stranded, 87 unsafe
98incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the idle STOP/START system suddenly activated while idling at a stop sign, stop light, and driving at slower speeds of approximately 5 MPH. The vehicle stalled while the failure occurred, causing the…"~62,000 mi, complaint #2102963
- #2
adas collision warning
57 unsafe
57incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the Forward Collision Mitigation system inadvertently activated. The contact stated that the brakes were independently activated. The brake and several other unknown wa…"~10,486 mi, complaint #1848500
- #3
infotainment head unit
13 unsafe, 11 annoyance
24incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)
- "WHILE DRIVING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR ON THE FREEWAY THE SOUND TO MY BLUETOOTH AUDIO QUIT. THEN THE APPLE CARPLAY WOULD NOT CONNECT. WHEN I GOT TO THE GROCERY STORE TRYIN TO MANEAVER INTO A PARKING SPOT THE BACKUP CAMERA DID NOT WORK WHEN I PUT IN REVERSE. AT FIRST…"~1,500 mi, complaint #1706552
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the infotainment screen and the rearview camera screen intermittently failed to activate while the vehicle was shifted into reverse. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was inf…"~32,000 mi, complaint #2175485
- #4
mirror
19 unsafe
19incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=8)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that he had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V174000 (Visibility), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. Following the repair, the contact became aware that the side-view mi…"~34,000 mi, complaint #1915006
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V174000 (VISIBILITY), 24V064000 (AIR BAGS), and under TSB: 0101T0. The contact stated that the dealer did not repair all the recalls. The cont…"~84,436 mi, complaint #2150638
- #5
adas lane keeping
15 unsafe, 1 annoyance
16incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "This is New Honda Pilot 2021 Trim EX-L purchase in Dec,2020. Miles 3300. It seems Honda is having software issues. Without ON of Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) feature is activating automatically and taking over driving or steering of the vehicle and atte…"complaint #1753565
- "On 3/18/24 I started my car on a routine after school pickup trip but my notification system started blinking with different sensor problems. I took pictures of the display and tried to drive my car and saw at the time it did not affect drivability. I made an…"complaint #1978205
- "ACC, LKAS, collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation system, and auto high beam problem warnings all appear on instrument panel. None of these systems work. Have replaced battery and problem not fixed. Warnings continue to appear each time…"complaint #2007429
- "The truck lights came on, with no reason, ACC and LKAS dealer wants to charge 200 just to diagnose, I keep hearing many have thir problem, honda needs to fix this problem that they know they have."complaint #2028220
- "Normal driving of vehicle when suddenly several warning lights began to appear and show up every time when driving (LKAS, ACC, Mitigation, etc) despite these features working. Honda dealership claims it is due to a faulty front camera. Safety at risk because i…"complaint #2030199
- #6
backup camera
15 unsafe, 1 annoyance
16incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to turn on, causing the vehicle to hit another unoccupied parked vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the fail…"~25,000 mi, complaint #1935134
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired…"~55,000 mi, complaint #2140076
- #7
engine internal
2 stranded, 14 unsafe
16incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the main engine bearings and conn…"~143,000 mi, complaint #2100384
- #8
tire failure
14 unsafe
14incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)
- "WHILE IN MOTION, GOING STRAIGHT ON A HIGHWAY, MY CAR, 2021 HONDA PILOT TOURING, WITH APPROXIMATELY 1600 MILES ONLY, HAD THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WALL SEPARATED WITHOUT ANY PHYSICAL AGITATION FROM THE DRIVER. THERE WAS SUDDEN LOSS OF PRESSURE, AND VEHICLE L…"~1,600 mi, complaint #1725505
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Crosscontact LX Sport, Tire Size: 245/50R/20, DOT: A376D3K92321. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and the contact was able to pull over and noti…"~29,000 mi, complaint #1860360
- #9
other
4 unsafe, 9 annoyance
13incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "I have been harassed and yelled at when driving my Black edition car. People are finding it offensive name and if I would have known this I would not have purchased. I have even got threats of harm due to the name in Atlanta. I can not even drive my car whe…"complaint #1776860
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V431000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were no…"complaint #1933628
- "Failure to repair recall in a timely manner. "complaint #1936112
- "I have 4 car washed for this car so far Ive only had it for a few weeks. Every time I wash it the dome light/rear mirror leaks water and wets the entire cup holder and center console."complaint #1993301
- "Upon turning on my vehicle all of the emergency warnings came on. I did a diagnostic and was shown that nothing was wrong with the vehicle but the warnings will not reset. "complaint #2012024
- #10
airbag system
11 unsafe
11incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the SRS air bag system failure message was displayed.…"~41,000 mi, complaint #2085970
- #11
transmission automatic
11 unsafe
11incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "I JUST BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW 2021 HONDA PILOT I HAD IT FOR 1 WEEK SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO LAS VEGAS ON THE WAY THERE IT WAS FINE BUT ON THE WAY HOME I'M COMING DOWN I STARTED TO FEEL A JERK IN THE TRANSMISSION I DIDN'T THINK NOTHING OF IT SO I KEPT DRIVING. B…"~900 mi, complaint #1739994
- #12
wiring harness
7 unsafe, 3 annoyance
10incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that at all times during the use of the vehicle, the infotainment display system goes blank. The contact also noticed a popping and crackling noise coming from the audio speakers. The contact referenced N…"~75,000 mi, complaint #2226478
- #13
battery and charging
3 stranded, 6 unsafe
9incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving in stop and go traffic, the Auto START/STOP feature malfunctioned causing the vehicle to lose electrical power and shut off. During the failure, the display and instrument panel became…"~29,000 mi, complaint #1881797
- #14
control module
7 unsafe, 2 annoyance
9incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "2021 Honda Pilot Black Edition with 37,007 miles. Navigation screen will display "Network Communication Lost" and "MOST Net Off" before completely shutting down for 5-10 minutes at a time, only to do the same thing after resetting. This is a known issue for Ho…"complaint #1873249
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the information center was not connecting. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V439000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical…"complaint #1924129
- "None of the safety sensors were working."complaint #2053438
- "The BCM body control module is not working. My wife is scared to drive thinking it can turn on lights wipers and other components. For being a Farley new car it’s crazy to think it’s defected. I had no warning prior to the incident. Honda dealer says they don’…"complaint #2095253
- "I purchased my vehicle approximately 8 months ago, and recently all of the warning lights on my dashboard began coming on randomly while driving. I immediately brought the vehicle back to the dealership where I purchased it. At that visit, I was told the cause…"complaint #2121804
- #15
glass and windshield
8 unsafe, 1 broken
9incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 - 30 MPH, a loud bang noise was heard. The contact stated that the sunroof glass had exploded, and glass shards came inside of the vehicle and landed on the contact's h…"~8,000 mi, complaint #1771807
- #16
brake hydraulics
6 unsafe
6incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)
- "The contact owned a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while her friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. As a result, the vehicle left the roadway,…"~5,500 mi, complaint #1939617
- #17
fuel pump
2 stranded, 3 unsafe
5incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "my vehicle had died on the road, i had it towed to the local independent shop that does most of my repairs needed on our vehicles, it was diagnosed with a fuel pump issue, the shop checked for recalls on our 2021 Honda pilot and showed no recalls, i had them…"~53,591 mi, complaint #2059395
- #18
starter
1 stranded, 3 unsafe, 1 broken
5incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "This vehicle has some major concerns. I have issues with the starter on this thing not wanting to restart the engine after a traffic stop. Battery is fine and there are no obvious issues with the car other than the fact that the starter appears to barely spi…"complaint #1939055
- "Autostart failed several times then starter ultimately failed. Taken to dealer and repaired at my cost."complaint #2054686
- "Car does not want to start even though the batter and alternator are good (tested by tow truck company). Restarts fine once batter is disconnected and then reconnected again. This has now happened twice."complaint #2159234
- "Since 2023, this car’s auto start/stop feature has malfunctioned. Honda keeps replacing the battery and saying nothing else is wrong. It has had 4 battery replacements since 2023. Now they are saying I need to replace the starter. I no longer use the start/sto…"complaint #2229709
- "My 2021 Honda Pilot has repeatedly failed to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shuts the engine off while the vehicle is stopped. When the system activates, the engine can fail to restart when I need to move, leaving the vehicle stalled in active traffic…"complaint #2240300
- #19
sunroof
5 unsafe
5incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "DRIVING ON 495 IN VIRGINIA NORTH TOWARD 66 NEAR ANNANDALE AT AROUND 55 TO 60 MILES PER HOUR ON THE BELTWAY, NON-TOLL PORTION, WE WERE SHOCKED TO HEAR THE SOUND OF EXPLODING GLASS FOLLOWED BY RUSHING AIR, LIKE AN OPEN WINDOW. WE LOOKED ALL AROUND THE WINDOWS TO…"~7,850 mi, complaint #1733790
- #20
software or update
4 unsafe
4incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=8)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, he noticed that several warning lights illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact continued driving to his residence. The following day the warning lights disappeared. Several…"~1,000 mi, complaint #1771268
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the Auto Idle feature on the vehicle intermittently failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated…"~30,000 mi, complaint #1946414
- #21
brake pads and rotors
2 unsafe, 1 annoyance
3incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle's rear brakes rub significantly to the point of prematurely wearing out the brake pads. Additionally, the instrument panel is failing and displaying…"~75,670 mi, complaint #2206479
- #22
unintended acceleration
3 unsafe
3incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated without the driver depressing the accelerator pedal. The security alarm randomly activated while the vehicle was parked and turne…"~98,000 mi, complaint #2218822
- #23
acceleration loss or hesitation
2 unsafe
2incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "When shifting from reverse into drive, there is a 5-10 second hesitation. I push the gas and the car does not go. It will eventually accelerate at a very high speed. Does not happen every time, but often enough to be very dangerous. "complaint #2035610
- "When driving and wanting to accelerate at 65mph car just because limp, won’t go when accelerating for a few seconds, speed drops, then you press back on the accelerator and after a few times the car goes back to normal. So, you loose control of the accelerator…"complaint #2155403
- #24
seat mechanism
2 broken
2incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "Third row seat headrest on passenger side will not stay up, so actually does make the seat unusable. Numberous complaints have been posted on line as a manufacturing defect, and a service bulletin was issued. I do not think it has ever worked I purchased the…"complaint #2061248
- "I would like to present an issue with the third row seat headrest in my 2021 Honda Pilot. After stowing the third row seat to utilize the rear storage area the third row driver side head rest on the seat would not return to the upright position. After a few…"complaint #2064733
- #25
stability and traction control
2 unsafe
2incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The stated that the vehicle was pulling to the left or right while driving. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal the vehicle started pulling to the right. Additionally, while driving over rough road surfaces…"~9,800 mi, complaint #1841718
- #26
suspension arms and bushings
2 unsafe
2incidentsMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving over a speed bump at an undisclosed speed, he heard a knocking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the subframe…"~7,000 mi, complaint #1848075
- #27
ac compressor and refrigerant
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "The vehicle experienced failure of the air conditioning system caused by an A/C compressor shaft seal leak on my 2021 Honda Pilot. The issue was diagnosed and confirmed by both an independent mechanic and an authorized Honda dealership. The dealership confirme…"complaint #2205966
- #28
adas adaptive cruise
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "My Honda has recently began displaying ADAS Failure where none of the features work including cruise control. I took to a mechanic and they displayed code U3000. This seems to be a common issue that Honda is not addressing. The fee to repair is over $1500 and…"complaint #2231641
- #29
alignment and pull
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "At accelerating speeds between 37mph and 62mph, the steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. At decelerating speeds between 62mph and 37mph steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. Entire vehicle begin to shake. Driving is…"complaint #1771050
- #30
brake booster
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the engine was idling and with the gear shifter in the park position, the contact reached into the vehicle from the front driver's door, and suddenly the vehicle began to slowly roll backwards.…"~20,000 mi, complaint #2170704
- #31
door latch and hinge
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "This has now happened twice, resulting in my infant getting locked in the car. I unlocked the car open the driver side second door where my car seat is. I buckle in my infant put in my bag and then go to get in the driver side door and the car has locked itsel…"complaint #1987852
- #32
emissions aftertreatment
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "The reason we took our Honda in to the Honda retailer to begin with is because the car kept alerting a message of an “emissions systems failure.” We took it in and found out that we had 3 recalls on our Honda Pilot. They fixed one recall but stated that they “…"complaint #1959735
- #33
engine cooling
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal, loud rattling sound. The contact stated that her husband had noticed that the rattling sound persisted while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated…"~86,000 mi, complaint #2088329
- #34
engine oil consumption
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "We just got the car from the dealer and it is still less than 200 miles and it’s leaking oil. There’s oil leaks in my garage which I thought was water coming from AC. When I check the oil dip stick. It was empty."complaint #1748983
- #35
heater core and blower
1 annoyance
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "The heat stopped working last year when parked. To the point where it's blowing out cold air. I brought it to the dealership and they told me nothing is wrong. It appears to be the thermostat which I now have to replace on my own. Also the transmission slips r…"complaint #2040118
- #36
hv system fault reduced power
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "I will be filing a issue with our 21 Honda Ridgeline too as the same problem has occurred in both vehicles with the same engine and transmission. This has happened a total of [REDACTED ADDRESS] the Pilot for a long time (over 4 hours)on the expressway and then…"complaint #1817697
- #37
instrument cluster
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "While driving the screen with the Speedometer and essential information goes blank for a few seconds. "complaint #2078492
- #38
key fob and immobilizer
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "Last week the the security alarm went off for no reason. The following day, I arrived to work and parked my car. 45 minutes later, I am notified my headlights were on. I ALWAYS keep my headlights on AUTO so they never should have been on. After I started my ca…"complaint #1894782
- #39
lighting exterior
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "LED Headlight burned out and is not possible to change or remove, dealer indicated it is not something that normally goes out, and wants to charge $2,000 "complaint #2089755
- #40
noise or vibration unspecified
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "At about 8600 miles between speeds of 38 -60 miles per hour, I began to notice and experience a tremendous wind noise coming from both driver and passenger windows. The vehicle has been to (2) two separate Honda dealerships on (4) four different times to addre…"complaint #1774428
- #41
paint and clearcoat
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "Headlights were replaced under the 3yr/36k mile warranty just prior to the 3 yr mark due to the clear coat peeling and headlights showing excessive wear and scratching. 6 months after replacement, the replaced headlights are showing the same signs of clear co…"complaint #2074631
- #42
phone connectivity
1 annoyance
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "WHEN USING THE HANDSFREE BLUETOOTH FUNCTION, THE RECIPIENT CANNOT HEAR WHAT WAS SPOKEN AS IT MAKES BOISTEROUS/ STATIC NOISE. THIS IS EVEN SEVERE WHEN THE HEATER FAN IS ON. BOTH IOS AND ANDROID PHONES OBSERVE THE SAME RESULTS. MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER SAYS IT IS T…"~600 mi, complaint #1735982
- #43
power windows and locks
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "The driver side door doesn’t open when unlocked. You have to hit the lock button multiple times before the door can detach from the driver side panel. And the door doesn’t shut when you close it. Something wrong with the lock. "complaint #1897099
- #44
steering rack mechanical
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "Steering rack and pinion worn with approx 38,000 miles. Dealerships (2) advised the” clunking” was “normal” on the model. Another dealership advised it was more likely the CV-axles worn. Took to two independent garages who advised steering rack was bad. I adv…"complaint #2207787
- #45
throttle and pedal
1 unsafe
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)
- "The accelerator on my vehicle malfunctioned and got stuck. While making turn with no acceleration, the acceleration of the vehicle got stuck and the brakes did not respond causing the vehicle to hit a sidewalk and breaking the passenger side suspension and con…"complaint #2005742
- #46
wiper and washer
1 annoyance
1incidentMileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)
- "TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS, THE WIND SHIELD WIPER FLUID SPRAY NOZZLE REMAINED OBSTRUCTED WITH ICE AND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD COULD NOT BE CLEANED. AFTER CLEARING ICE FROM THE NOZZLE, THE F…"~4,800 mi, complaint #1723393
NHTSA investigations
- EA25004 - No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL) - open
Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for HONDA PILOT directly.