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

2019 Honda Pilot: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 894 safety complaints about the 2019 Honda Pilot with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

894
Complaints
13
Recalls
4
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 13 crashes, 5 fires, 15 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Electrical leads the complaint list, cited in 260 of 894 complaints, followed by Engine & cooling.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 99 of the 894 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 5 years after the model year (200 filed in 2024) — 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 2019 Honda Pilot, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 894 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Electrical
260
Engine & cooling
238
Fuel & propulsion
190
Driver assistance
171
Other / unspecified
168
Power train / transmission
92
Brakes & stability
56
Visibility & lighting
33

"My 2019 Honda Pilot had warnings( see pics). I took into Honda for inspection. We were told it was a radar (sensor). After doing some research online, this is a common issue with Honda vehicles. The cost is $2000 to fix. Why is this not a recall issue???"

Owner complaint filed June 2026 · Electrical System,Forward Collision Avoidance,Lane Departure · NHTSA ODI 11746015

"Many times the rear tailgate fails to open completely or close completely when the button is pressed. This has caused me to bump my head on the partially opened tailgate. The dealer has replaced the tailgate motor but it has not fixed the problem."

Owner complaint filed May 2026 · Electrical System · NHTSA ODI 11737469

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2019 Honda Pilot inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 5 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2019 Honda Pilot
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
1
62
48
37
157
111
200
158
120
181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 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.

How the 2019 compares with other model years

Across the Honda Pilot model years we track, the 2016 has the most complaints on file (1,691); the 2019 ranks 3 of 5.

Total complaints by model year — Honda Pilot
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
1,691
915
437
2019
894
483
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 13 recalls

13 recalls apply to some or all 2019 Honda Pilot vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Nov 201818V-848
Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Honda Ridgeline and Pilot vehicles. The mounting holes for the clip that secures the right center pillar trim panel may be larger than intended. In the event of a crash necessitating right side curtain air bag deployment, the clip may not ho…

Apr 201919V-298
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.

Oct 201919V-784
Structure:Body

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Pilot and 2019 Passport vehicles. The front frame left and right side upper members may not have been welded completely to the unibody. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Sta…

Jul 202020V-439
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019-2020 Passport, and 2019-2021 Pilot vehicles. Incorrect instrument panel control module software can cause the instrument panel to not display critical information, such as engine oil pressure, speedometer, and gear selecto…

Jul 202020V-440
Electrical System:Software

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Pilot, 2019-2020 Odyssey and 2019-2020 Passport vehicles. Incorrect central network software programming may cause several errors to occur that can delay or prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail…

Mar 202121V-165
Tires

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Passport and Pilot vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.

Mar 202121V-215
Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgelin…

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.

Jun 202323V-431
Back Over Prevention:Display Function

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. As such, these vehicles f…

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…

May 202626V-332
Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification:Front Passenger

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 …

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 2019 Honda Pilot have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 894 complaints about the 2019 Honda Pilot with NHTSA. The most-reported system is electrical.

How many recalls does the 2019 Honda Pilot have?

The 2019 Honda Pilot has 13 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2019 Honda Pilot safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2019 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 September 7, 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.