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What 425 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Pilot

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (425)Crash / fire / injury (13)Engine (150)Fuel system (124)Electrical system (83)Transmission & drivetrain (77)Speed control (23)Body & structure (17)Seat belts (12)Visibility & wipers (11)Brakes (9)Driver assistance (8)

77 of 425 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 4 of 4

May 8, 2019Transmission & drivetrainSpeed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD VIOLENTLY AND MADE A LOUD NOISE. ALSO, THE RPMS INCREASED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HEADQUARTER HONDA (17700 FL-50, CLERMONT, FL 34711, (407) 395-7500) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT AN UNKNOWN PART ATTACHED TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,200.

NHTSA ODI 11206293

Feb 9, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TRANSMISSION JERKS, HESITATES AND/OR CLUNKS WHEN CHANGING AND/OR ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE TO NEXT HIGHER GEAR, HESITATES AND/OR REVERTS TO NEXT LOWER GEAR WHEN IT SHOULD SHIFT TO NEXT GEAR. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING ON LEVEL SURFACES AND DOWN HILLS CAUSING PASSENGERS TO JERK FORWARDED SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT EXPECTATION. HONDA DEALER KEPT VEHICLE FOR 2 DAYS AND DID NOT FIND ANY ISSUES. PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW IN APRIL 2018, HAD SAME PROBLEM SINCE WEEK #1. WHEN SHIFTING MANUALLY DOES NOT EXPERIENCE HESITATION OR GEAR HUNTING BUT CLANKING STILL EXISTS. THESE EVENTS HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF ROAD SURFACE TYPE, SPEED OR INCLINE OF ROAD. I NOTICED A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK AT THE TRANSMISSION GASKET DURING 1ST OIL CHANGE AT 7500 MILES, UNDECIDES TO , (I.E., FROM PARK TO / FROM DRIVE; INTO/OUT

NHTSA ODI 11175830

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Working with the data? Download all 425 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Honda Pilot verdict →