Honda · Pilot · 2021
8
Recalls
378
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2021 Honda Pilot has 8 recalls and 378 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: unknown or other (37 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
17.5% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
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 selector position until the next ignition cycle. Additionally, it can prevent the rearview camera image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy Status
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument panel control module software, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is T89.
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain 2021 Pilot vehicles equipped with Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/50R20 102 H tires with DOT serial number A376 D3K9 2920 and mold numbers S-421920 and S-421921. The tires may have been cured for a time beyond the specification limits.
Remedy Status
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four tires and replace the tires that have the affected DOT serial number and mold number, free of charge. The recall began January 11, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is U8Y.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
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 fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the MOST cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EEL, ZEM, and SFC.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
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 to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy Status
Honda will notify owners that updated software is available. Owners have the option to either follow the mailed instructions to download and update the software for free, or visit a dealer to have the software update performed, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is Y7Y.
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, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Engine started knocking and within a couple days my wife was left stranded. The vehicle went into limp mode with check engine light flashing, and would not accelerate. The vehicle stopped completely in the middle of the road and lost all power, which could’ve caused a major accident. Scheduled maintenance and oil changes has been kept up by me. I had the vehicle towed to a trusted shop and was informing that there were metal shavings in the oil filter. They inspected the top end of the engine and everything was normal. The only indication is that the problem is internal to the engine. There is a recall for Honda Pilots up to model year 2020 but I believe this issue is affecting vehicles up to 2022.
Braking system and cameras defective. Vehicle will flash BRAKE when nothing is in roadway. This will also cause vehicle to hard brake. When on interstate, cruise control no longer functions properly due to camera sensors reading a vehicle is in front of my vehicle when there is no other vehicle near. This causes braking system to activate and/or slow the cruise control down. This is a major safety risk for everyone involved, especially my children in the vehicle. This is a known Honda issue. This needs remedied before someone gets hurt and a lawsuit ensues. Fix the braking system and cameras!
My wife was driving at about 40mph and hit a curb while driving straight. The car’s swerved and hit the front right and right rear tire with the curb. The right side curtain airbag deployed. This vehicle was taken to the Honda dealership a few months ago to address the exact same problem that was addressed through a safety recall with a sensor that was supposedly replaced but the Honda dealership in Waco Texas. I am requesting assistance to hopefully get the vehicle inspected and repaired at no cost by the dealership. This should not be happening.
I am reporting a safety defect involving Continental CrossContact LX Sport tires, size 245/50 R20 used on my 2021 Honda Pilot. These tires are not currently included in the existing Continental recalls, but they are showing the same types of failures described in NHTSA recall 21T‑001 and related Continental bulletins. Specifically, my tires developed cracking/localized tread wear/vibration and visible separation in the tread/sidewall area. This matches the recall descriptions of carcass breaks and belt‑edge separations that can cause sudden air loss or partial/full tread and belt loss, leading to loss of vehicle control and increased risk of a crash. I believe these tires were manufactured with a similar defect and should be investigated and included in the recall.
When driving.car I hear crackling noice. I did research it has to do with electrical wiring under the dash. It effects all information on the display screen can not access maps direction phone calls won't work,effect radio from working,causes panel lights not to work heater & AC display information won't work caused ac & heater not working. Defrost won't work caused windshield to fogged up could not see through windshield lucky I did not crash or harm any cars It doesn't happen everyday but it has been happening more It could catch on fire.Problem been occurring since 2023.Happens all the time at least 3-5 times a week.
Auto idle stop activated at a stop light for the 2nd or 3rd time over a few years. Lifted foot off the break and stalled, the car went into Park and I could not put it into neutral or drive. The odometer screen looked like it does when the engine is on. The battery light was on. I tried to turn down the radio and the volume didn't work. I tried pressing the ignition button to turn off the car entirely but it didn't work the first couple of tries. Once I was able to completely turn it off, it struggled to turn over when I tried to start the engine, which I've never had happen, but did turn over. Dealership wanted to charge 325 for a few hours of diagnostics which we declined.
There is an electrical malfunction which causes all of the electrical components to flash on/off, glitch. This has occured while driving but primarily when the vehicle is parked and unattended. I’m afraid it can short and cause a fire. The vehicle will turn istelf on and off repeatedly and rapidly while unattended. This has been going on for 2 years with our vehicle and not under warranty.
Auto start-stop feauture turned on at complete stop at traffic light. When light turned green and pressed the gas pedal to accelerate, engine did not turn back on. It had put vehicle into neutral and would not allow vehicle to shift into any other gear. Had to shut off engine and turn on vehicle an additional 3 times to get the engine to start again and into drive. This has happened twice before within the last year with the auto start stop feauture when it turns on at a complete stop. I usually press button to turrn off auto start stop feature to prevent this known issue from happening but forgot to turn feature off. Honda wants to charge 300 to diagnosis problem with auto start stop feature due to problem being known but no recall issued.
auto idle stop stalled at a red light causing my car to not move and having to shut off my car in the middle of traffic. Once i tried to turn back on it wouldnt start at first. i had to do this twice in order for the car to come back on.
The car engine autorestart causes all sorts of problems. We have repeatedly had the warning come on and the engine stop while at a light or paused in moving traffic. We have replaced the battery and other parts. The safety issue is that the car totally stops while in traffic and we have almost been hit multiple times as we try to restart the car. You have to put the car in park and restart the engine due to "compression issues" or something else. That has nothing to do with being a branded title and everything to do with a safety issue. The car just stops and won't autorestart. This has happened several times in the last week and then yesterday other warning lights came on resulting in the car then not accelerating beyond 25 mph initially and then 45 mph. Imagine this happening on a highway. This is really scary as it has happened on an interstate when traffic stopped and at a traffic light. I called Honda and they acknowledged it was safety issue but written up as a warranty extension so they refused to cover the repair of the vehicle. I am therefore escalating what I believe you are already investigating according to articles I have seen.
The auto idle start-stop feature has been failing for many years without being resolved. Honda has done updates and updated the fuel injection software without improvement. I have also replaced the battery as recommended. I continue to get stuck at stop lights and intersections which is a safety hazard. This most recently occurred on 3/7/26.
Front camera needs to be replaced. According to several Honda forums, this is a very common problem requiring the front camera to be replaced. All safety features requiring the camera no longer work.
While driving vehicle downshifted with no warning and went into neutral. Was driving on a busy street. Was not able to shift back into drive. When car stops was not able to put it into park. No previous warning of anything wrong. No engine light, battery etc. illuminated on the dash. Earlier that day did hear from time to time a tick or tap like noise that had not been heard before. Car had to be towed to auto shop. Upon inspection was told all components are in working order but the engine is not working and needs to be repaired. Given the engine only has 109,000 miles this was odd to them based on condition of the vehicle. There is a known issue with Honda engines similar to this vehicle and asked we check with Honda as to what could be done to diagnose further. This is very concerning as there was no warning. Driving on a busy street with unexpected downshift was almost rear ended.
I am submitting this letter as an official complaint regarding a potential safety defect involving the airbag system in my 2021 Honda Pilot. I was involved in a motor vehicle accident on February 3, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. The collision was a direct frontal impact with another vehicle at approximately 35 mph. The vehicle sustained damage with repair estimates over $8,000. Despite the nature of the crash, the airbags did not deploy. However, post-accident diagnostic information reported by the auto body repair shop indicates that the vehicle’s computer system recorded the airbags as having deployed. This discrepancy raises serious safety concerns, as the system appears to have registered a deployment event that did not physically occur. This could indicate a malfunction in the airbag control module, sensors, wiring, or software. A failure of this kind prevented the proper airbag deployment in a crash where it was needed, posing a significant risk to my safety. To my knowledge, the airbag system had no prior warnings or indicators of malfunction before the accident. Directly following the accident an error appeared on the screen behind the steering wheel stating "Airbag System (SRS) Problem." The vehicle is currently at the body shop and available for inspection.
The Honda Pilot completely lost power on my husband's way home from work in a snow storm. It would not start but it did yesterday. It sounds like clinking/clunking when started but stalls out if you try to put it in drive or reverse. It has a brand new battery. But otherwise it had to be towed and is now sitting. It didnt give any warning signs or lights on the dash until after it completely broke down. It has the engine light on when started. It has not be confirmed by a dealership as times are really rough right now with a new baby and not having the extra funds to have it looked at. And not to mention the closet dealership to look at it is almost an hour away. It seems that the rods/engine area are at fault.
After driving the vehicle for a few hours during a very cold day, as we got off an exit ramp. We then turned onto the next road in our travels and the check engine light went off and blinked. The vehicle went into limp mode. Pulled the vehicle over, turn the car off and then back on and everything worked just fine. Had an oil change already scheduled for 2 days later. Brought the vehicle in for it oil change and we told the Honda Mechanic (dealership) what just happened. His response was: That is a common honda problem. "You did what we would have told you to do. Turn the car off and then back on. When the engine compartment gets really warm when driving for long periods of time with the cold weather, something tells it to misfire and throws a check engine code. We tell people to do what you did and turn the car off and then back on". Meanwhile we had to go out of town again the following weekend. As soon as we got near our destination the same thing happened again. This time in an intersection! Thankfully nobody was coming at the time of the limp mode to avoid a potential serious accident. I have put a lot of research into this and there are a lot of forums online that state this issue with no solution by Honda. I do not see how that is safe to have your car randomly throw a code and be forced to pull over immediately.
I believe I have a fuel pump issue. My car has stalled on multiple occasions while trying to pull out of my driveway. There is at least a quarter tank of gas. I have had to get gas in a gas can and add it to the tank and then it would start. I now make sure I always have at least a half a tank of gas. On three separate occasions when the auto idle stop turns the car off at a light, the car does not restart when the brake is released and it slips the car into neutral (very dangerous at an intersection) There was a recall on Pilots Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Fuel pump Recall date 2023-12-17 Recall no. 23V858000 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, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Hide details Recall consequence Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. As you can see it covers Pilots from 2015-2020, however I am having this problem with my 2021 Pilot. Please consider extending the recall to 2021 Pilots
Vehicle Information: 2021 Honda Pilot Elite Component: Forward Collision Avoidance: Camera System Lane Departure: Lane Keeping Assist Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Failure Description: The windshield-mounted forward-facing camera (Lane Keeping Assist System / Honda Sensing camera) failed without warning on my 2021 Honda Pilot Elite. This camera is mounted behind the windshield and controls multiple advanced safety systems, including Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, and Collision Mitigation Braking. There were no warning lamps, dashboard messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The malfunction appeared randomly approximately one month ago. The issue was diagnosed and confirmed by an authorized Honda dealer service department. I was informed that the windshield-mounted camera system requires replacement and was quoted approximately $1,800 for the repair. Because this repair is extremely expensive and currently unaffordable, I have lost multiple critical safety features. The vehicle no longer has functioning Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, or related Honda Sensing technologies. The sudden and complete loss of these safety systems significantly reduces vehicle safety and increases the risk of unintended lane departure or reduced collision avoidance capability for myself, my passengers, and others on the road. I believe a critical safety system should not fail without warning and should not be this costly to repair, especially when its failure disables multiple core safety features. This is a known issue across multiple threads and owners and Honda should take ownership and recall this issue. The vehicle and failed component are available for inspection upon request.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the engine was idling and with the gear shifter in the park position, the contact reached into the vehicle from the front driver's door, and suddenly the vehicle began to slowly roll backwards. The contact was pushed to the ground, causing the front driver's side wheel to roll over the contact's right leg. The vehicle continued to roll backwards before making a U-turn and then rolling forward down the inclined street and increasing speed. To avoid having the vehicle roll down hill into a crowded street with pedestrians, the front passenger inside the vehicle turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of another parked vehicle. During the incident, the contact suffered an injured right leg and was transported to the hospital. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away. The both air bags had deployed, and the vehicle was destroyed. The contact indicated that during the incident, the emergency brake was not activated. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 20,000.
While my husband was taking our daughter to school on 01/05/2026 around 6:00am, a warning message flashed on the radio screen: "EMISSIONS SYSTEM PROBLEM: The engine is not operating properly. Avoid high speeds and visit your dealer as soon as possible. If the indicator is blinking, stop in a safe place where there are no flammable objects. Turn off the engine for 10 minutes or more to let it cool. Restart the engine. If the indicator continues to blink, immediately have your vehicle checked by the dealer. " This was a safety at risk for my husband, my child, and the public - anyone driving near the vehicle. My husband pulled over and called me to let me know what was happening. He called AAA to have the car towed to the dealer. And called the dealer to let them know we were having the vehicle towed to them. They diagnosed it with "a unit in need of engine replacement." The car was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle in 12/2021. It is a 2021 Honda Pilot and had a few hundred miles over 8000 at the time of purchase. The dealer is not taking responsibility as the miles 62,007 are just over the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. And over the 5 years by weeks - 11/2020 to 01/05/2026. I was advised to contact American Honda. They basically told me I was not eligible for a goodwill assist as because: 1.) I was not the original owner 2.)I did not have my service done at Honda. However, I did have documents of all of the service that had been done and sent those receipts to the Honda dealer. The engine failed. The dealer confirmed engine failure. The vehicle did stall out - at a stop light and took several minutes to start back up around October or November 2025. There were also some engine noises, including loud noises while accelerating, especially in Sport mode.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2021 Honda Pilot has 8 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 378 owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Honda Pilot.
The 2021 Honda Pilot received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2021 Honda Pilot are unknown or other (37 reports), electrical system (35 reports), engine (28 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 8 recalls on record for the 2021 Honda Pilot. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.