There are 17 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2010 Honda Pilotin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
oil burning
The contact owns a 2010 Hondo Pilot. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating. The contact pulled over safely to the side of the road. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed a failure with the piston and spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 114,361.
When I drove back from Atlanta airport on highway I-85 on December 27, 2021, the car started shaking and check engine light was flashing. It was very dangerous on the highway. I immediately drove to nearest Gwinnett place Honda. The dealer found the second cylinder misfired and replaced piston rings 1-3.
BLINKING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VAN-4 AND VSA LIGHT ARE ALL ON. I WENT TO GET A CODE AND IT WAS A MISFIRE. THIS HAPPENED THE PAST SUMMER AND I GOT IT REPLACED. HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER AND THEY FIXED IT. EVERY SINCE THEN IT HAPPENS FROM TIME TO TIME. I LOOKED THIS UP ON THE INTERNET AND IT SAID HONDA WAS FIXING THE ISSUE FREE OF CHARGE 2017 AND EARLIER. I DIDN'T PURCHASE MY VEHICLE UNTIL OCTOBER OF 2017. AND WAS TOLD NONE OF THIS.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION CAUSE ENGINE PISTONS TO BLOW. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. NO CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON OR ANY INDICATION THAT THE CAR WAS LOW ON OIL. RECEIVED OIL CHANGE 2K MILES PRIOR. MECHANIC SAID THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE HE HAS SEEN WITH MY YEAR AND MOTOR. I OWE $12K ON A CAR WORTH NOTHING THAT I CAN NO LONGER DRIVE.
EXCESSIVE OIL BURNING ISSUE. BETWEEN STANDARD OIL CHANGE MILEAGE DISTANCE, THE ENGINE CAN BURN SO MUCH OIL THAT IT NO LONGER REGISTERS ON THE DIPSTICK SETTING A FAULTY POSITIVE FOR A BAD ROCKER ARM OIL PRESSURE SWITCH. OBVIOUSLY IF THE ENGINE GET SO LOW ON OIL IT CAN BE CATASTROPHIC AND IF THAT HAPPENS AT SPEED THEN IT COULD BE DEADLY. I'VE CAUGHT IT EARLY ENOUGH THAT SO FAR IT HASN'T CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE BUT I'M TOLD BY MY DEALERSHIP AND HONDA THAT THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE AND TO JUST LET IT BREAK.
HAVING TROUBLE WITH OIL! THERE'S NO SHOWN LEAKAGE AND NO SMOKE LIKE IT'S BURNING THE OIL! HAS BEEN GOING ON THE LAST 2-3 MONTHS! ALSO BAD GAS MILEAGE, GOING THRU GAS PRETTY QUICKLY! MY MECHANIC HAS CHECKED SEVERAL TIMES, SEES NOTHING NOTICEABLE, HE REMEMBERED HEARING THIS PROBLEM ON OTHER HONDA VEHICLES!
WE WERE TOLD BY SEVERAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS AT THE WOLFCHASE HONDA IN BARTLETT, TN THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON ALL 2010 HONDA PILOTS, (OURS IS A TOURING FWD), DUE TO A MISS-FIRING ISSUE. WE PURCHASED OUR PILOT 9/2015 AND REPEATEDLY REPORTED THAT THE CAR WAS MISS-FIRING, WHICH CAUSED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO APPEAR. WHEN WE TOOK IT IN FOR OIL CHANGES, THE TECHS WOULD TELL US TO DO A GAS TREATMENT, SUCH AS LUCAS (THEY DID IT ONCE THEMSELVES), OR TO CHANGE THE AIR AND CABIN FILTERS. WE DID THAT, AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. UPON EACH OIL CHANGE, THE DEALERSHIP WOULD JUST RESET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TELL US NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG. WE HAVE SINCE CHECKED FOR COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB, AND SAW THAT NUMEROUS CONSUMERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE & A LAW SUIT SETTLEMENT . WE HAVE CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA, AND NOW THAT THE RECALL IS OUT OF THEIR TIMEFRAME FOR REPAIRS, (ENDED 10/2017) THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PROBLEM EVEN BEFORE THE RECALL PERIOD ENDED, BUT ALL THEY DID WAS A "QUICK FIX" OF CHANGING THE SPARK PLUGS TO "APPEAR" TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. THERE HAVE BEEN UNEXPECTED "SURGES" OF THE ENGINE WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT THAT COULD'VE INJURED OR KILLED OUR FAMILY, WHICH INCLUDES 2 ELEMENTARY AGED CHILDREN. THEY NEVER DID THE SECOND STEP OF REPLACING THE PISTON RINGS IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, BECAUSE OF THE RECALL DATE. THIS WAS BY DESIGN SO THE BUYER WOULD HAVE TO EAT THE COST ($2448 + TAX). AMERICAN HONDA AND WOLFCHASE HONDA (DEALERSHIP), KNEW ABOUT THE RECALL ON THIS MODEL OF PILOT, EVEN AT PURCHASE TIME, BUT DID NOT TELL US, NOR DID AMERICAN HONDA EVER SEND A RECALL NOTICE FOR IT. ALTHOUGH THEY DID SEND ONE FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAGS THAT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS. SINCE APPARENTLY, THE MEDIA HASN'T HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM, HONDA DECIDED TO JUST IGNORE IT AND DENY ANY CLAIMS HONDA CONSUMERS HAVE.
ENGINE BURNS EXCESSIVE OIL AND ENGINE HESITATES FROM TIME TO TIME
ENGINE CONSUMING OIL. ENGINE WENT FROM FULL TO EMPTY IN OIL CAPACITY BETWEEN OIL CHANGES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE AS IF A TIRE WERE DEFLATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT THERE WERE SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING BELT DETACHED, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO PREMATURE OIL CONSUMPTION, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE CAMSHAFT TO FAIL. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE FAILED AGAIN DUE TO PREMATURE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT CONSUMER STATED ENGINE STOPPED WORKING TWICE. UPDATED 11/28/18*JB
OIL CONSUMPTION
THE ENGING MISS FIRES FOULING SPARKS PLUGS BURNS OIL ABOUT 2 QUART EVERY OIL CHANGE HONDA SHOP SAID IT'S THIS PART AND THAT PART ENGING ONLY HAS 1'2000 MILES ON THE HIWAY CITY STREETS RUNS BAD.
CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR STARTED PUTTING AND DECELERATING (LOSS OF POWER). PRESSING ON THE GAS PADDLE COULD HARDLY SUSTAIN SPEED. DROVE TO DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FAULTY SPARK PLUG. THE SAME HAS HAPPENED BEFORE WITH ANOTHER SPARK PLUG (THAT TIME UNDER WARRANTY) . ACCORDING TO HONDA DEALER SPARK PLUGS ARE REPLACED AT 100,000 MILES AND THIS VEHICLE HAS 40,000 MILES. SINCE IT HAPPENED TWICE ALREADY MOST LIKELY IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND IT IS A DEFECTIVE SERIES OF SPARK PLUGS. HONDA US DECLINED TO ASSIST STATING THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY (EVEN THOUGH THE DEALERSHIP DID INCLUDE IT UNDER WARRANTY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS UN-ACCEPTABLE). THIS SEEMS TO BE A PREVALENT PROBLEM IN HONDA PILOT (SEE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET). CAN YOU HELP? I WOULD LIKE HONDA TO REPLACE ALL SPARK PLUGS. *TR
CAR HAS BEEN BURRING OIL FOR YEARS. I HAVE TALKED TO AND TAKEN IT TO HONDA SEVERAL TIME. I ALWAYS GET THE SAME ANSWER. IT'S NORMAL TO BURN A QUART EVERY 1000 MILES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE BOLT ON THE ENGINE WELD TANKER CAME APART, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SHOULDER AND THEN TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE ENGINE WELD TANKER BOLT CAME APART AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS OR WARRANTIES ADDRESSING THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026