2005 Honda Pilot problems & reliability
679 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Honda Pilot, alongside 13 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
34 complaints report injuries (46 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 Honda Pilot vehicles were involved in 67 fatal crashes with 40 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 176 | 26% |
| Air Bags | 120 | 18% |
| Service Brakes | 98 | 14% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 96 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 57 | 8% |
| Engine | 48 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 46 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 43 | 6% |
| Suspension | 38 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 37 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 103,400 miles (middle 50% between 73,500 and 140,000 miles), based on 555 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“A stuck ignition lock cylinder on a 2005 Honda Pilot. Hello I purchased this car from the second owner and they had the ignition lock replaced less than 2 years ago. This device has now failed again. Its a poor design by honda and was never fixed or recalled. This has lead countless people to be stranded. With repairs…”
Steering · filed Jun 15, 2026
“Power steering high pressure line leaking on exhaust and almost caused fire Dangerous. Lines need to be recall or replace”
Steering · filed Jan 3, 2026
“The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that shortly after refueling, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, causing the speed to increase to approximately 45 MPH while approaching stopped traffic. While pressing the brake pedal to avoid a collision, the vehicle continued to…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Oct 24, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
- Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction
Engineering Analysis EA13002 · opened Feb 21, 2013 · closed Mar 29, 2013 · led to recall 13V092000
- Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction
Preliminary Evaluation PE12028 · opened Oct 9, 2012 · closed Mar 15, 2013
- Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction
Defect Petition DP12002 · opened Jun 4, 2012 · closed Oct 11, 2012
- Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating
Engineering Analysis EA11012 · opened Sep 12, 2011 · closed Sep 17, 2012 · led to recall 12V136000
Technical service bulletins
150 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Honda Pilot. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
A18-050 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 3, 2022
Service Bulletin - Corrosion of the frame rail that supports the rear subframe may occur on some vehicles that are commonly driven in harsh environments. The subframe mounts may pull away from the body of the vehicle…
A21-019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 8, 2022
"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"
A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2021
These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB…
DOR-M9J4S-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2020
These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB…
DOR-M3J3F-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2020
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-010 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
This SKU is a Variable Valve Timing (VVT) Solenoid. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for possible incorrect wiring. Incorrect VVT solenoid wiring may cause an inability of the…
DOR-D8K8Q-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 17, 2019
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A18-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2005 Honda Pilot has 13 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2005 Honda Pilot?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 103,400 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.