2021 Honda Pilot Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving over a speed bump at an undisclosed speed, he heard a knocking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the subframe was damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 7,000.

When the automatic engine shut-off is engaged during traffic stops, sometimes the power to the vehicle shuts off. It can happen at stop signs with out warning. The vehicle usually powers back up in Park.

When stopped and idling at an intersection (just south of North Avenue on Milwaukee Avenue in the city of Chicago) the vehicle engine turned off and would not restart, as it normally does when the car is idling. A message appeared saying, to “push the brake and push the start button” to restart the car. The battery light came on. I tried twice to start it, with no result. I turned on the hazard lights so traffic could attempt to move around me. I tried twice more. Nothing. I couldn’t get the Pilot to either start or completely turn off. Finally, while I was thinking about what to do next, the Pilot completely shut down on its own. I was able to restart the car normally. Prior to this there were no warning lights, and no signs of failure. The idle-stop usually works fine. No one has inspected the vehicle yet. This incident put me and my family at risk as I was in the middle lane of Milwaukee Avenue in heavy traffic, with no way to start the car or turn it off. I turned off the idle-stop feature to drive the 100+ miles home. I’ll call the dealer Monday morning.

Sideview mirror on driver's side shakes/vibrates, thus causing blurry view. Noticed more during higher speeds.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated both exterior mirrors turned inward independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she positioned both mirrors but continued to experience a failure. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,300.

Auto braking applies randomly cause brakes to lock up happens when driving in any conditions. This problem has already caused a minor accident with my vehicle due to brakes locking up and no throttle

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the Auto Idle feature on the vehicle intermittently failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that an unknown message was displayed on the instrument panel during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions and software updates were performed; however, the failure returned soon after the updates were completed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

New car battery and car died while waiting at a light. The vehicle idle/stop system kicked in but car was not able to restart. While lights were still available on dashboard, the emergency hazards would not show nor could I put the car in neutral. The dealer looked at this problem twice, first time stating this can just happen and this time they said the new battery was perhaps faulty and replaced the battery. Very dangerous situation as the car just died at the light and cars had no way of knowing the car was disabled as the hazards would not work. Had an emergency jumper pack and was able to move the car to get out of road before it died again- no option to push car as I could not put car in neutral. This is the 3rd time this issue with the battery dying has happened and dealer cannot supply an answer except to swap out the battery. Less than 1.5 years old and <26K miles.

Unresponsive dash control screen. Hands free Bluetooth disconnects. Popping sound through speakers. CarPlay option disappears. Am/Fm radio muffles while error message states no audio available. Restarting car fixes these issues for short while. Turning off radio while engine is on does not work. Gear hunting in transmission 2,3,4 fourth gear.

Forward Collision Warning system has many times flashed the large ‘BRAKE’ and loud beeping warning when collision was not imminent. It never actually applied the brakes but worries us that it could slam on the brakes unnecessarily and cause an accident by getting rear ended or causeing the car to lose control and skid cross lanes. Most of the time this happens on an undivided road, sometimes on a curve, when the car may think the oncoming traffic may be coming at us.

On June 4, 2022, our 2021 Pilot was parked on the driveway with no one around it. It has been parked there for 2 days and the last time it was driven was on June 2. I was walking on the driveway towards our mailbox when all of a sudden the rear window exploded outward. Almost all of the glass were on the driveway and there were hardly any glass inside the vehicle. I called Honda Customer Service and I was told that I had to bring it to a dealer to see if it was a manufacturer's defect. However, the dealer would not be able to look at the car in a timely manner. I called my insurance and they covered the replacement glass yesterday. I researched the internet there were several similar incidents involving the rear window of Honda Pilots bursting/exploding. I am reporting this since this could be a potential driving hazard and a safety issue.

The controls froze while driving and I was unable to safely maneuver the vehicle and it crashed in nearby bushes. I don’t see any recall for the VIN, Also we asked the motor repair team run scan though nothing was found. But would like to report this as we still feel it is some mechanical failure

Engine shuts off when you are at a red light and you press the foot brake pedal hard. When you release the brake the engine starts. In my case the engine shut off and when I released the brake the engine did not start had to put transmission in park and then did a restart.

The cars automatic emergency breaking system malfunctions and randomly activates and applies the brakes while driving. This specific incident has occurred three times when entering the highway on ramp the "BRAKE" message is displayed in the car and the brakes have been applied as I've attempted to get up to speed entering the highway. There were no cars in front of the vehicle at the time the emergency breaking system applied the breaks. In addition, the braking system has applied when changing lanes on the highway with no vehicles or objects in front of the car and several times on curvy roads. I've taken it back to the Honda dealer and they have stated that no codes were stored and were not able to recreate the problem. However, the service advisor also informed me that they could not reset or make any changes as "there is pending litigation and investigations with the NTSB" I was charged $109 for a 'diagnosic fee' for a car that is still under the manufacturers waranty and told to watch for a recall at some point because their is nothing they are able to do to fix the problem because of the pending litigation/investigation. The incident happened two more times on my drive home from the dealership. There is no warning lamps that have come on or other symptoms that can be isolated, other than the "BRAKE" message appearing and the automatic breaking being applied. This is incredibly dangerous when the car drastically is slowed down for no reason on roads that have 45 + MPH speed limits.

The car's automatic engine shut-off feature when stopped at a red light failed to reengaged after removing foot from break the car shut down and the transmission button shifted into neutral and displayed a message that you must put your foot on the brake and shift the car to Park. The battery indicator light was flashing and everything turned off in the car. After doing this the car told me I must put my foot on the break and restart the car. It then allowed me to shift back into drive. The dealer was not able to recreate the issue, and no other things showed the issue other than the battery indicator lamp flashing on and off until the car was back in drive. The light I lost all power at was on a road with a 55 MPH speed limit. When the light turned green and the car lost all power there was another vehicle approaching, but I was not able to get the car moving fast enough to get out of the way.

My car has had the automatic emergency braking system kick in randomly at least 6 times since I bought it. No cars in front of me, nothing on the shoulder next to me. Twice when a car was in opposite direction lane but nowhere near the center line.

Automatic braking system is engaging when there is nothing in front of or near the vehicle. When driving on the highway it will engage, flash BRAKE on the front dash, and engage the brakes and slow WAY down while doing 60+ mph.

Automatic braking system is engaging when there is nothing in front of or near the vehicle. When driving on the highway it will engage, flash BRAKE on the front dash, and engage the brakes and slow WAY down while doing 60+ mph.

Vehicle failed to restart after stopping at a stop light while auto stop feature was on (defaults on). Vehicle was only 18 months old since purchase. Battery completely dead, only started after tow truck applied jumper for a long time. Had to be in busy six lane intersection for almost an hour. Car could not be shifted out of park into neutral to tow because push button transmission controls rely on battery power. Car is AWD. Vehicle is used mainly for 4 mile commute, often in stop and go traffic, to work and errands within that radius. I suspect the auto start feature drained the battery. The feature stops the engine anytime you come to a stop. It doesn’t seem to take into account how often it stops or how long the engine has been able to run and charge the battery.

The entire rear windshield compeltely failed on us. Last night (02/06/21) when we we turned on our NEW 2021 Pilot and started exiting the garage, the rear windshield forcefully exploded! The ENTIRE windshield shattered to pieces. It seemed like someone shot at our windshield but no one was outside. The windshield was never cracked before either, it was a new car! There were kids in the back and it was a HUGE SAFTEY HAZARD. The glass pieces were everywhere. This couldve happened on the road as well but thankfully we were in the garage. This is totally unacceptable for a new car and surely there was a defect in the tampered glass developed hy Honda in the first place. We have done a previous service with Honda and Honda told us all is good. Honda must answer for this since this was a very dangerous situation and traumatizing for my kids.

There have been multiple instances where the Automatic Braking system has engaged preventing me as the operator from making adjustments. I have almost been in 2 collisions due to this feature. The automatic braking system prevents me from making a correction and will automatically lock up the brakes and steering. Both times I have almost been rear ended due to this feature. There has been an instance where the braking feature engaged where there was no car in from of me but a car coming from the other lane and my Honda Pilot engaged the automatic braking system. Luckily there was no car behind me. This feature while could be useful is not in my opinion a safety feature but a safety hazard due to these multiple instances. This feature should be permanently disabled upon start up. Multiple times when I start the car I don't realize it is engaged until something happens.

Auto engine idle keeps stalling When I press the brake the engine cuts off idle and when I release the brake engine stall

automatic brakes happened a couple time on highway for no reason. happened most in carpool lane and curve freeways

I will be filing a issue with our 21 Honda Ridgeline too as the same problem has occurred in both vehicles with the same engine and transmission. This has happened a total of 3 different times. When I drive the Pilot for a long time (over 4 hours)on the expressway and then pull off on a ramp and turn left the vehicle will go into safe mode. The engine light will start flashing and you can not drive over 30 mph. The engine runs rough and idles hard. I have contacted Honda and the dealership I purchased it from. Honda has acknowledged this is a problem and has occurred multiples with many different vehicles. The dealership I work with has acknowledged the same thing as they have several vehicles that have been brought in with this problem. I have waited several months for Honda to come up with a solution, so far they have not. This is a safety concern because what would happen if this same situation came up when I'm pulling my trailer or on the expressway at higher speeds. This could cause an accident. This first started on my Pilot in December of 2021. It has happened several times since then. Every time there is no code the computer keeps, even though each time the engine light is flashing. What I have been told is the computer thinks the engine has backfired and goes into safe mode, but Honda doesn't know why it does this. If you turn the vehicle off and restart it, the problem goes away. When the dealership has run a diagnosis off the computer, there are no codes the computer throws. Even though the check engine light is flashing when this occurs.

Our Pilot is brand new - we started noticing popping and cracking sounds from the dashboard. It is pretty loud. We thought it was possibly the radio but it continues with the radio off. We thought it was the dashboard contracting/expanding but it happens in all weather. It has become increasing loud and consistent and now any sounds from the stereo, regardless of input, skip and glitch and we turn it off and the popping and cracking sound continues seemingly from the speakers. We took it to the dealership for repair but they said they can't repair it. This is not acceptable for a new car.

There have been several times the automatic braking assist has completely stopped the car. This has caused vehicles behind me to break hard almost causing accidents. I now disengage the automatic breaking assist when I use the car. I saw there were incidents with other Honda vehicles that didn't include the 2021 Honda Pilot which I believe should be included. I have witnesses of the car breaking to a complete stop several times. Please investigate before more accidents happen with injuries. Thank you for your hard work involved.

The Information board goes out frequently and does not stay connected with phone. It started with the appleplay and the bluetooth dropping my phone and saying there was nothing connected. Then it would not connect at all. My infoboard behind the steering wheel then started to go on and off. There was one time that I was driving and the entire system went out and I had no idea where to turn and how fast I was going. The heating on the steering wheel does not work and does not warm up or just warms to the 1 I have called and taken my car in 2 times. They said this last time that it was fixed. It does not recognize my phone again and starting to drop calls. There is also loud static when you do get access to bluetooth or the sound goes muffled.

Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tire size 245/50 R 20 102H has a crack on the sidewall, which caused sudden air loss. I can see there are recalls for Pilot tires. I think this tire should be reviewed as well.

This vehicle has a pushbutton transmission "gear selector". It is IMPOSSIBLE per the owner's manual, and further confirmed by the dealership, to PLACE THIS VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL without the engine running. This is an unacceptable safety hazard. If the vehicle stops running in busy traffic or in an intersection, or otherwise in a zone such that imminent danger of collision is necessarily introduced, it is impossible to push the vehicle out of danger, off to the side of the road. Further it cannot be towed without necessary imparting damage to the drive train. Honda requires the owner to BUY A SPECIAL TOOL, Lock Release 07AAA-TZ3A100 which requires removal of underhood components to place the transmission in neutral, and it (apparently) cannot be maintained there without an extra person available to hold the tool against spring return pressure. This whole affair is simply UNBELIEVABLE. As I write this, there is NO INCIDENT, as the vehicle is relatively new to us. But I'm 61 years old, and have had to place inoperative cars in neutral to get them out of harms way, at least a dozen times in my life. Note that this shortcoming manifests itself as simply as whenever the vehicle runs out of gas. This cannot be allowed to happen. Are there no adults left in the building designing these cars?

Purchased vehicle in August 2021. Discovered that driver side rear tire was completely flat while parked in my driveway. Noticeable gash in sidewall of tire Continental Crosscontact LX A376 D3K9 2321; 245/50R20 102H. Dealership had no explanation for the gash and since no recalls, had to pay nearly $300 for a new tire on a vehicle that was driven 2 months since purchased. My other tires are 2321, 2421, 2421, and the new tire is 4720. I saw there were two recalls for Pilot tires in the recent past and these tires should be reviewed as well.

Driving down interstate. Sunny day 75 degrees. Moonroof exploded.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted to the left and right. Additionally, the passenger's side front mirror was shaking abnormally. Additionally, and the driver's side front window made abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a wheel alignment. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Twice in the past 4 weeks, while driving, the car switches into Neutral. The car dash still says it is in Drive and the gear buttons still show “D/S” highlighted. However, the car is rev-ing the engine as if it is in neutral and the car is only rolling instead of driving. It lasts for about 10 seconds and then resumes working normally.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 - 30 MPH, a loud bang noise was heard. The contact stated that the sunroof glass had exploded, and glass shards came inside of the vehicle and landed on the contact's hair and clothing. There was no impact on the sunroof that could have caused it to shatter. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that a stone must have hit the sunroof and referred the contact to file a claim with the insurance company. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

Incident occurred 9/28/21 4:20 - 4:30 pm PST while driving in the 3rd lane of southbound 880 Highway about 1 mile before the the exit of 16th Ave & Embarcadero in the city of Oakland. The speed that the vehicle was moving at the time of the incident was between 50 to 55 MPH. The vehicle has more than half a tank of gas and the battery has never been discharged. Also all the required vehicle inspections and services has been performed by the same service center of San Leandro Honda since acquiring the vehicle on 2/10/21 from San Leandro Honda. There are 3 occupants in the vehicle; my wife, our 5 year old child and myself (driver). Our 2021 Honda Pilot EX-L with only 9,209 miles without any accident records started to show different kinds of warning signs lighting up on the dashboard, then followed by steering and engine failure. I immediately turn on the hazard lights and pointed the vehicle towards the right shoulder of the freeway. Thank goodness that at the time of the incident the traffic is heavier and moving slower. Also other motorists are accommodating enough to let us get to the shoulder without any accidents. If it was lighter traffic at the time it could have been devasted for us. Tow truck driver Manuel Escalante that works through FSP in partnership with CHP helped us get out of the shoulder of the 880 freeway onto a safer location in the city street to await further towing assistant from my roadside service with Honda. After getting towed by another tow truck driver to San Leandro Honda on 9/28/21, my vehicle still remain there. The service department haven't provided any detail report to why the engine seized from working while we were driving in the freeway.

I purchased a new 2021 Honda Pilot in April. The incident occurred on 9/25/2021 at approximately 1:52PM CST. I was driving in Illinois (on I-88 near Exit 132). I was driving at approximately 65 MPH. The road had no debris. The vehicle (tires) was operating smoothly. Then, suddenly, the rear passenger tire ruptured/blewout, making the vehicle dangerous to drive (dangerous for passengers and other vehicles and pedestrians/workers). There was no warning light. I pulled over and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority helped in replacing the ruptured/blownout tire (see pictures of tire to assess damage). Tire: 245/50R20 102H - Contenental CrossContact LX Sport - DOT A376 D3K9 0621. There was a recall on 2021 Honda Pilot tires. These tires may need to be recalled as well. I'm submitting my complaint to NHTSA. I have not yet contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. Nor have I I discussed it with my insurance.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to turn on, causing the vehicle to hit another unoccupied parked vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact stated that the failure recurred while reversing on another occasion, and the vehicle hit another unoccupied parked vehicle. The contact stated that both incidents were fender-benders. There was no injury sustained. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V-431000 (Back Over Prevention) that she related to the failure. The dealer was contacted and an appointment was scheduled for recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

On 2 different occasions within the last 2 days, the automatic emergency brake engaged for no reason. The first instance, I was driving down the road with a car in front of me about 3 car lengths ahead and a car in a left hand turning lane. For no reason the brake light engaged and the brakes hit hard but not fully. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough to not hit us as I had my child in the car. On the second instance, again with my family in the car, driving down a different road with no cars anywhere around us, going around a bend, the emergency brake engaged again and the brake hit hard but not fully.

Driver side mirror glass distorted and is available for inspection upon request. The driver side mirror distortion is difficult to see traffic causing a safety issue. Dealer has tried twice to repair with no final resolution. Service manager states Honda has inspected the review mirror issue.

Driving down the road and the sunroof glass spontaneously shattered. Loud band and it just imploded raining glass pieces into the car. Local Honda dealer said they had seen several of these including one the day before. However, Honda would not cover it even though the car is only five months old and purchased brand new, top trim level.

Airbag light came ON at 45,000 miles approximately. Took the vehicle to dealership paid for a diagnosis just to be told that it is out of warranty that if I want it fixed had to pay out of pocket $531.69 for SRS unit, plus $1398.98 for a Seat Frame, plus $980.75 for Labor. I just got very surprised that the airbags (a safety feature) is part of the limited warranty. Since when the airbags apparently get worn out with mileage??? It is a safety concern.

At accelerating speeds between 37mph and 62mph, the steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. At decelerating speeds between 62mph and 37mph steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. Entire vehicle begin to shake. Driving is hazardous. Vehicle has been and is still been inspected by certified repair centers and there is no solution and the issue remains.

At about 8600 miles between speeds of 38 -60 miles per hour, I began to notice and experience a tremendous wind noise coming from both driver and passenger windows. The vehicle has been to (2) two separate Honda dealerships on (4) four different times to address this issue, but the problem remains and or has not been fixed in spite of all the repairs made by the dealerships. I was advised by the dealerships that this is how Honda manufactured the vehicle and that there was nothing else the dealerships could do to fix the problem. Driving the vehicle is now problematic because of the wind noise, as it appears my windows are down, even though they are not. There is a safety concern because I do not know whether a panel, garnish or windshield might come apart, tear away and potentially create a hazardous condition for myself, passengers or even the other motorists.

Tire size 245/50R20102H Cross Contact LX Sport on Honda Pilot 2021. Vehicle was purchased in late June 2021, tire side wall exploded on 8/5/21. There was no pot hole, etc. Just exploded with about a 5 inch gash in the sidewall. There are recalls all around the date my tires were manufactured, however, somehow there is no warranty on mine?? I have a receipt where I paid a Honda Dealership $341.82 for the repair. I did not repair the rim, but it is also slightly damaged. When the explosion happened, I almost hit another car in the lane beside me. I had to really hold onto the wheel to keep it in my lane. I am VERY concerned for my safety and my kid's safety as I now have to ride on the same tires with similar dates of the recalls. I saw where there was a recall of these tires in Nov 2020, and then again in Feb 2021 where thousands more were affected....except nothing about mine. Strange. Attempts at dealing with the dealership or Continental have not worked at all. There were no reports filed, no attempts to even look at the situation. If my tire did the same thing as the recall, then there should be a recall on that tire as well. But how do you start a recall?? You would think if another tire was affected, they would want to know and care. My DOT dates are 0721, 0721, 0621, and 3420 is my new tire for some strange reason. South Carolina does not keep track of DOT dates, so how do I know that my tire before was not affected? I do not even know the date of the repaired one. They told me at the dealership after the fact, that they do no keep records on DOT numbers. Then, how do they keep track of the recall using my VIN number if they don't keep track of it. I am VERY concerned that this is being overlooked by Honda and Continental. I saw they even did a news piece on it. How much does it take? I have all receipts etc, however it will not upload as I have an iPhone and it does not accept HEIC pics .

Brake grinding noise when rotors get hot

I have no idea

Driver side vehicle outside rear view mirror has separated from its' underlying mounting plate, while still being attached by a heating wire connected to the back surface of the mirror. Therefore it has been vibrating such that rearward visibility has been severely compromised and places both us and others at risk. It has now separated to the point that it is pulling out the wire and without tape will hang off it's housing. We have brought this issue to the attention of Hertrich Honda of Easton Md. as well as Honda. We are told by the dealer that this is a common issue on the Pilot and other models and that Honda has not provided a fix for the problem. In fact we are told by the dealer that there are no replacement components or mirrors available to fix the problem. Honda indicates that they are not aware of the problem. We have been addressing this problem with the dealer for over five months with no resolution. At this time the passenger side mirror is also vibrating severely but to our knowledge has not separated completely from the housing. We believe that this situation is very dangerous and seem not to be making progress in finding an acceptable resolution.

Loud popping and crackling noise emitting from speakers. Cannot turn them off, and causes major interruptions in navigation, radio, entertainment. Dealer said Falkra wiring is faulty, but is back-ordered, and could not even give us an estimate of when it would arrive. Essentially told us to suck it up, but it is more than distracting (my daughter actually said it gives her a headache) and I'm worried about larger (safety) issues if the wiring is indeed faulty. What if my other electrical systems malfunction as well?

I have a major safety complaint with Honda’s computer system. I understand that Honda works hard to make their vehicles as safe as possible. With that said, on 7/29/21 around 9:40am I was driving on a country style road. Out of no where with nothing around me but trees the auto break safety feature came one. When this occurred I was jerked forward and got whiplashed. The car went from 40mph to 0mph immediately with no reason. As someone who has had concussions in the past this immediately gave me a headache. Thank goodness no one was behind me that would have rear-ended me. This issue with the auto break system occurs a couple times a week. Sometimes the breaks don’t enact but the break warning light comes on and shakes the stirring wheel in which is extremely distracting. With this being said we have brought it up to a Honda Service Member and the response back we got was: “Oh, yeah that happens sometimes. There’s nothing we can do about it”. The car is my leased by my spouse.

Driver side mirror (side) shakes at highway speed. This makes it hard to see incoming traffic on driver’s side. Passenger side mirror okay.