2012 Honda Pilot engine problems

35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2012 Honda Pilot — 20% of all complaints for this model year.

Engine complaints

20%

share of all complaints

37,000 mi

median reported incident mileage

0 / 1

crash / fire reports

What owners report

“On April 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her Honda Pilot at about 5:10PM. At about 7:03PM, my wife and I were sitting outside and heard a loud POP, it sounded like a car backfiring. I went to investigate and saw a little smoke and a small orange glowing piece of something on the…”
filed Apr 12, 2026
“The check transmission light comes and goes. Ive had the transmission flushed with no issues. It pulls codes for the torque converter as its supposedly getting stuck per mechanic or is over heating and throwing the code. It does not drive rough and I believe it is a faulty code that needs to be…”
filed Feb 18, 2026

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

"Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al.v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. 3:12-cv-1377-SI (N.D…
A13-082 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 19, 2022
Service Bulletin - The front rocker arm oil control valve is leaking.
A20-023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2020
"Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al.v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. 3:12-cv-1377-SI (N.D…
A13-082 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 20, 2018