What 425 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Pilot

On multiple occasions the idle stop feature will engage and upon re-engage it will stall my vehicle. When I place the vehicle in park, press the brake and press the ignition start, nothing happens. Upon multiple attempts to restart the car it will either do nothing or making a chug without restarting. Continuing my attempts to restart the vehicle it will finally restart. During these times I will be stalled at a stop sign or traffic light with impatient drivers going around me. All the dashboard lights come on. I have taken it to the dealership, they stated they couldn’t duplicate the problem. This is unsafe for motorists or pedestrians. If this happens while I'm in an intersection or other location with moving traffic it could be very unsafe for myself, other motorists and/or pedestrians.

NHTSA ODI 11485240

Was in the middle of an intersection and pressed the button to turn off Engine Idle Mode as I have had instances where it was very slow to go when this mode is on and it delays getting out of the way of other drivers. When I pressed the Idle Off button - the car “shut down” and went into neutral. I could not get it out of neutral. Pressed D, R, P. Multiple times. Didn’t work. Had to press the turn off car button twice to turn off car then it finally restarted. I was stranded in the intersection and almost got hit by several cars. Once it started I pulled into a gas station and the radio stopped working. I turned off the car and restarted. Then the engine wasn’t shifting properly. Shut off the car again and went to the dealer. Dealer ran diagnostics and couldn’t find a problem. Checked the battery and all other items - no issues. Somebody is going to get killed and now I’m scared to drive my car.

NHTSA ODI 11484852

While driving, the transmission would not gear up to any higher gears and could only drive 40mph with 3000+ RPMS. The MIL lights showed "Check Engine," "Emissions System Problem," "Transmission System Problem," and "Blind Spot Info System Problem," all at once. When pressing the "P" button for Park, it did not always want to engage in Park. The engine would sometime stutter on acceleration. The "P" and "D" for Park and Driver on the MIL would constantly blink. This action placed the driver and occupants at risk of injury because of the stutter and slow speeds on the highway. Also, when the "Park" button did not engage, the car was at risk of rolling into person or property. Currently, service has been scheduled for the dealership to diagnose the issue. There were no warning signs prior to all of these warning lights showing up all at once.

NHTSA ODI 11483921

This has happened to me about 10 times in this vehicle: I am at a stoplight or stopsign and my "Idle-Stop" system in the Honda shuts down my engine and then when my foot comes off the brake it does not restart like it is supposed to leaving me stranded in the middle of traffic with a non moving vehicle. I think this is extremely dangerous and I am scared this will cause a terrible accident if not fixed. The only way the engine restarts is after about 30 seconds to a minute it finally is able to power back on. Please have Honda issue a recall for this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11480919

On multiple occasions over the past month or so, my wife has experienced engine issues associated with what we believe is the Auto Start/Stop function on our 2018 Honda Pilot (Touring Edition). Upon coming to a complete stop, the Auto Stop function disables the engine. Upon releasing the brake, the system is supposed to restart the engine. However, on at least five occasions the engine has not restarted, and it has required her to turn the vehicle off and completely restart it as if starting from cold. This has occurred at stop lights, which obviously could cause safety issues/implications. On at least a couple of the occasions, she had to attempt to restart the vehicle multiple times by applying the brakes and pressing the main start/stop button). I frequently drive the vehicle and always turn off the Auto Start/Stop function. I have never run into these issues whatsoever. The vehicle is scheduled for routine maintenance at a Honda dealership in two days; the vehicle is serviced solely at this same dealership. The issue will be brought to their attention as well.

NHTSA ODI 11477903

When vehicle comes to a stop, vehicle start/stop feature engages, then vehicle stalls. Vehicle then indicates that it should be shifter into park before it can be re-started. This has happened numerous times. Vehicle was brought into dealer, they are aware an investigation is underway with Honda but had no known solution besides updating the main computer program. They also recommended replacing the batter which tested ok. The fact that the vehicle stalls when you come to a stop is a very big safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11472876

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving in stop-and-go traffic, the vehicle would engage the engine STOP/START fuel-saving feature while stopped. The contact stated that whenever she depressed the accelerator pedal the message "Place Vehicle in Park" displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact attempted to start the vehicle using the Push to Start button. The vehicle was restarted but failed to respond after shifting into drive. The vehicle was restarted several times before resuming normal operation. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472331

Transmission kind of jerks when accelerate especially when you do it nice and easy(more like fluctuating up and down) I did some research on line a lot of people having same issues on this year model vehicles

NHTSA ODI 11471071

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, however, the brake pedal was not fully depressed; the contact then depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle soon after the failure and resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 52,500.

NHTSA ODI 11470472

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle would hesitate while driving. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact stated that while idle at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle independently shifted to neutral and stalled. The contact shifted into park(P) and restarted the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11469721

We bought the Honda Pilot to tow a NuCamp 2019 Tab 320 Bookdock Trailer, which has a gross dry weight of 1,848 pounds (well below the 3,500-pound Pilot published towing capacity). We tow the trailer dry, which is without water in the black, gray and fresh tanks. We do not load any items of significant weight in the trailer (two lightweight camp chairs, a 3-inch thick foam mattress topper and pillows). We have towed the trailer from Akron, Ohio, to Twentynine Palms, CA, in 2020 and to Glacier National Park, MT, in 2021. We have also towed it to several Ohio state parks. In the fall of 2021, the vehicle’s transmission began to exhibit unusual performance that manifested itself as gear shifting hesitation in the range of 1,500 – 2,000 RPMs. With that issue, we took it to Great Lakes Honda which changed the transmission fluid (Great Lakes did not flush the transmission) at 28,000 miles. On April 3, 2022, the transmission hesitation began again. I took it to Apple Tree Honda in Arden, NC, (we had moved to Waynesville, NC, in late 2021) on April 5, 2022, a technician found no error codes, but performed a transmission flush and fill.. My issue with this is that the transmission fluid should not degrade in 7,000 miles of normal driving, causing transmission malfunction. The vehicle does seem capable of towing a weight near the published owner's manual maximum of 3,500 pounds. With this interval, I am concerned that the Honda stated operational guidelines are false, and the vehicle’s transmission might continue to degrade as many other Honda Pilots’ transmissions have as reported by many owners. The Apple Tree Honda technician who worked on the Pilot, advised me to add an auxiliary automatic transmission cooler, which is necessary if towing more than 3500 lbs. Since the April service, I have not towed the trailer. I am fearful that the transmission will fail when I am towing the trailer.

NHTSA ODI 11469108

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.

NHTSA ODI 11468840

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.

NHTSA ODI 11452191

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and then lunged forward. The contact sustained whiplash from the vehicle lunging forward abruptly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the independent mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ODI 11442090

My transmission is having problems. During acceleration the car will jolt forward, also when using the brakes. The dealer did recognize the problem but said it is not covered by warranty and that transmission needed to be flushed.. which was going to cost $500. He said had it been flushed before they may cover it, yet Honda doesn’t recommend a flush before 45000 per my owners manual. Very dangerous.. could cause an accident with Speed going up and down at a moments notice without you doing it

NHTSA ODI 11435294

While stopped at a stop light/sign the engine stalls, dies, shifts to neutral (push button shift) leaving me disabled in the middle of the road. This issue has also occurred while slowing to take a sharp corner. The engine died at approximately 25 mph while slowing for the corner. I had taken it to the dealership and they claimed they could not reproduce the problem. I took the vehicle home, then later that day I drove it approximately 17 miles to a racetrack that I work at part time. At 12:30 am, I was leaving to head home, and while idling in the parking lot, it had died yet again and took several minutes to restart. Once it did restart, I had no throttle response in park, neutral or in drive. I shut the vehicle off and restarted it with no other issues for the 17 mile trip back home. The dealership suggested that I take picture/video when it happens, which poses another safety concern to do that in the event I am driving when this event occurs. This is a severe safety concern as there is the potential for the engine to die/stall during a hard braking event in which I could lose power brakes. Only the dealership has inspected the vehicle, and the only lights that have been illuminated on the dash was the battery light and the caution light. This issue has been going on for approximately a month and a half. After completing some research, I have noticed there is a large collection of this or very similar complaints.

NHTSA ODI 11424313

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418681

1. WHEN ACCELERATING GRADUALLY ON THE 2018 HONDA PILOT TOURING AWD FROM COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR JERKS HARD AFTER THE CAR STARTS MOVING - PROBABLY FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE CAR IS IN AUTOMATIC DRIVE MODE. 2.THE 2018 HONDA PILOT TOURING AWD TURNS OFF ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY. WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO TRAFFIC, SOMETIMES THE CAR TURNS OFF THE ENGINE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY BAD WHEN ON A UPHILL AND IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, CAUSING PANIC. THE SUDDEN ENGINE STOPS ALSO HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY WHEN STOPPING TO SHIFT TO REVERSE INTO MY GARAGE- THIS CAUSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS CARS ARE COMING AND CAN GET INTO T-BONE COLLISION.

NHTSA ODI 11414726

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM AN IDLE POSITION THERE IS A 2-3 SECOND DELAY. VERY SLOW TO BET MOVING AND VERY DANGEROUS IN HIGH VOLUME TRAFFIC. THE CAR OFTEN TIMES JERKS WHEN I AM ACCELERATING IN TO A HIGHER GEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11412895

THE SUV JOLTS AND DECREASES SPEED . IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO TAKE OFF AGAIN. THE JOLTING CAN BE STRONG AND IT HAS DECREASED ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR A FAMILY VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALER I JUST NEEDED A NEW BATTERY I DID CHANGE IT AND IT STILL DOES IT THEN I WAS TOLD THEY FOUND NOTHING.

NHTSA ODI 11406741

FIRST WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW AFTER ONE MONTH A MESSAGE POPPED UP SAYING 'TRANSMISSION PROBLEM' ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE CAR ONLY HAD 2,000 MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA DEALER. THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AND SAID DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPED AND THEY WERE ABLE TO REMOVE THE MESSAGE WITHOUT DOING ANY REPAIR. NOW THE 2018 HONDA PILOT HAS 24,000 MILES ON IT , THE VEHICLE JERKS AND I FELT THE TRANSMISSION FLARED AND HARD SHIFT IN GEAR 2ND TO 3RD. IT DOES NOT FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. IT KEEPS ON JERKING WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AT 30 MILES OF HOUR.

NHTSA ODI 11308095

ON 11/2/19, WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOWED THE MESSAGE "TRANSMISSION PROBLEM" ON THE DASHBOARD. AFTER THIS MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED, THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY STAY IN FIRST GEAR. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PARK THE VEHICLE IN A PARKING LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS JUST UNDER 16 MONTHS OLD AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN BACK ON, I WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE GEARS ONCE AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED HONDA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST HONDA DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS OURISMAN HONDA IN TYSON'S CORNER VIRGINIA. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM A SERVICE ADVISOR AT OURISMAN HONDA ON 11/4/19. HE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND NO REPAIR WAS MADE. WHEN I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED, THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT IT IS LIKELY THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A "COMPUTER GLITCH" AND THAT SIMPLY RESTARTING THE VEHICLE WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM IF IT HAPPENED IN THE FUTURE. I TOLD HIM THAT IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO HAVE TO RESTART A VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. THE TRANSMISSION OFTEN EXHIBITS A "STICKY CLUTCH", DELAYED GEAR SHIFTING (SOMETIMES AS MUCH AS 2 SECONDS OF DELAY BEFORE THE GEAR IS SHIFTED), AND OFTEN TIMES A "CLUNK" IS HEARD WHEN THE GEAR IS CHANGED. THE PROBLEM USUALLY OCCURS IN EARLY GEARS (3RD, 4TH, AND 5TH GEAR) WHEN I LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AT APPROXIMATELY THE TIME THE TRANSMISSION IS READY TO SHIFT TO THE NEXT HIGHEST GEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11278784

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED, LUNGED, AND LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED TO RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. DCH HONDA OF TEMECULA (26755 YNEZ RD, TEMECULA, CA 92591, (951) 268-9197) WAS CONTACTED AND SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 31,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11266089

6/13 5:10 PM ON I-95 N 30 MINUTES SOUTH OF FREDERICKSBURG, VA WAS GOING 78 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN 'BLIND SPOT SENSOR ERROR' APPEARED ON DASH AND WITHIN 10 SECONDS TRANSMISSION ERROR - SEE OWNERS MANUAL - GET SOMEWHERE SAFE APPEARED ON THE DASH. THE 2018 HONDA PILOT ELITE IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED INTO NEUTRAL AND WENT FROM 78 MPH TO 60 MPH IN 10 SECONDS. IT WAS A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT TOOK THEM A WEEK TO PUT IN THE REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION AND SINCE THAT TIME, THE FOLLOWING HAS HAPPENED: 7/1 NIGHT TIME ABOUT 8 PM WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN WHEN I WENT TO GO IT STARTED THEN STUTTERED - IT SEEM LIKE IT TRYING TO FIND THE GEAR' THEN FINALLY SEEM LIKE IT WENT INTO THIRD GEAR' IT DID THE SAME THING ON THE WAY HOME IN A DIFFERENT AREA. 7/2 ON THE WAY TO DEALER WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN -SLOW DOWN TO MAKE THE TURN, AND WHILE MAKING THE TURN I HIT THE GAS AND IT STUTTERED AGAIN 7/2 IN VIRGINIA AFTER FREDERICKSBURG AND BEFORE MANASSAS ON 95 N. I TURNED OFF AN EXIT AND STARTED TO DO A U-TURN... I CAME TO A STOP TO WAIT ON TRAFFIC AND WHEN I STARTED UP AGAIN, IT STARTED AND THEN STUTTERED AND THEN WENT 7/3 AT ABOUT 1030 PM ........13106 WAS GOING ABOUT 10-15 MPH PUSH THE ACCELERATOR DOWN AND THE ENGINE JUST REVVED AND DIDN'T GO SO I HIT THE BRAKES SO THAT I WOULD STOP AT THE LIGHT AS IT WAS YELLOW AT THE TIME 7/4 IT STUTTERED SEVERAL TIMES. SEVERAL TIMES WHEN COASTING THEN HITTING THE GAS IT WOULD STUTTER, SOMETIMES JERK AND SOMETIMES MAKE A NOISE IT HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER 3 TIMES SINCE THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION AND THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. ONE DAY I SAT AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR OVER 4 HOURS AND WAITED ON THE DISTRICT REP - HE DID SHOW UP BUT WOULD NOT SPEAK TO ME AND WOULD NOT LET ME DRIVE THE CAR WHEN HE RODE IN IT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON.

NHTSA ODI 11233393

SINCE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT 12,181 MILES IN JUNE 2019 ON A 2018 HONDA PILOT ELITE, OTHER ISSUES HAVE POPPED UP. THE FORWARD COLLISION SYSTEM HAS GONE OFF TWICE ON A 2 LANE STATE HIGHWAY. IN BOTH CASES, I WAS ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 50 MILES AN HOUR WITH NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME FOR AT LEAST A MILE OR TWO, NO VEHICLES COMING THE OTHER WAY, ON A STRAIGHT PART OF THE ROAD, NOTHING IN THE ROAD AND NOTHING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALER SAID THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO THEM WHEN DRIVING THE CAR, SO THERE'S NOTHING TO FIX & HONDA CORPORATION SAID THE DEALER COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING TO FIX. ONE NIGHT WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IT IT STOPPED RAINING BUT WAS VERY MUGGY AND THERE WAS MOISTURE ON THE WINDSHIELD THE AUTOMATIC WIPERS DID NOT COME ON AND THE DEFROST DID NOT WORK - THIS WAS OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL HOURS OF DRIVING TRYING DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES ON DEFROST AND NOTHING HELPED. EVEN WITH THE WIPERS ON MANUALLY, VISIBILITY WAS POOR. ALSO, ONE DAY AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING ALL DAY I DROVE IT 20 MILES AND THE CAR DID NOT COOL DOWN - I HAD TO RUN THE AIR CONDITIONER ON FULL BLAST THE WHOLE TIME. THE CAR IS NOT COOLING LIKE IT SHOULD! OF COURSE, WHEN THEY TRIED IT OUT IT HAD ACTUALLY ALREADY BEEN DRIVEN 20 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE AIR IN EARLY MORNING AND THEN THE HONDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT TESTED IT OUT, THERE WAS COOL AIR AND SAID IT'S BLOWING JUST FINE NOW.

NHTSA ODI 11233482