Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2016 Honda Pilot: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,662 safety complaints about the 2016 Honda Pilot with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,662
Complaints
8
Recalls
4
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 23 crashes, 9 fires, 20 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling leads the complaint list, cited in 789 of 1,662 complaints, followed by Electrical.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 251 of the 1,662 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 6 years after the model year (247 filed in 2022) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 4 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2016 Honda Pilot, engine & cooling issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,662 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
789
Electrical
576
Other / unspecified
287
Power train / transmission
197
Fuel & propulsion
179
Brakes & stability
66
Body & structure
62
Speed control
39

"2016 Honda Pilot EXL. At 100,100 miles, an engine rod bearing went bad. Honda told me my VIN was not covered and it would be $8000 to replace the engine with a used engine. I sold them my car"

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11749243

"Even though the vehicle has been regularly serviced and exceptionally maintained, the rod bearing failed and now the whole engine has to be replaced. Unfortunately my vin is not covered as part of the recall for this exact same issue. I reached out to Honda and they are not willing to cover any of the $14k quoted to replace the engine."

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11748111

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2016 Honda Pilot peaked later than usual, in 2022.

Complaints filed per year — 2016 Honda Pilot
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
9
61
45
71
242
200
138
247
124
197
234
94
151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

Recall history: 8 recalls

8 recalls apply to some or all 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Jul 201515V-424
Seat Belts:Rear/Other

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.

Oct 201515V-668
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure moni…

Jun 201616V-417
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds whi…

Mar 201717V-219
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.

Nov 202121V-932
Structure:Body:Hood

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.

Nov 202323V-751
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Hard Parts Internal/Mechanical

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

Dec 202323V-858
Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, F…

Jun 202626V-365
Structure:Frame And Members

American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minne…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2016 Honda Pilot have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,662 complaints about the 2016 Honda Pilot with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2016 Honda Pilot have?

The 2016 Honda Pilot has 8 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2016 Honda Pilot safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2016 Honda Pilot an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.