2018 Honda Pilot problems & reliability
439 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Pilot, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 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 components.
8 complaints report injuries (11 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Honda Pilot vehicles were involved in 37 fatal crashes with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 156 | 36% |
| Electrical System → | 85 | 19% |
| Power Train → | 78 | 18% |
| Unknown / Other | 74 | 17% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 63 | 14% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 62 | 14% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 23 | 5% |
| Structure → | 17 | 4% |
| Seat Belts → | 12 | 3% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 10 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 24 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 100 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 51,000 miles (middle 50% between 19,688 and 87,111 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Auto restart issues. I have reported this before. When coming to a stop and the engine shuts off it does not automatically restart. It has left me sitting at a light having to sit and wait before I am able to turn my car back on. This can be a huge safety issue when in traffic or when a line of cars is behind me or at…”
Unknown / Other · filed Sep 12, 2026
“All safety features turned off. I had a professional mechanic shop inspect. Since this happens randomly, they cannot provide exact diagnosis. This is a major safety risk! After I picked it up from the mechanic, I drove approximately 200 miles before the next occurance, while on a major interstate. All safety features…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 11, 2026
“High Pressure Fuel Pump fails after implementing recall listed below. See recall information: December 18, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V858000 Fuel Pump May Fail Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. NHTSA ID Number: 23V858000 Manufacturer Honda (American Honda…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Aug 29, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE25008 · opened Aug 20, 2025 · open
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engineering Analysis EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025 · open
- Engine failure
Recall Query RQ24013 · opened Nov 8, 2024 · closed Aug 20, 2025
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 · opened Jun 3, 2022 · closed Mar 26, 2025
Technical service bulletins
140 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Pilot. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop, the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. Typically, the…
A23-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 7, 2025
Service Bulletin - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through…
A23-078 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2025
Service Bulletin - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through…
A23-078 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2025
Service Bulletin - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a crack in the…
A23-078 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 18, 2025
Dealer Message - Torque converters may not have been manufactured to proper specifications. As a result, the torque converter lock-up clutch cannot provide adequate holding force due to pressure bleeding down through a…
AEBM04182025901 · Other · issued Apr 18, 2025
Service Bulletin - The AWD warning light is on potentially due to water intrusion into the rear differential pump motor connector area that corrodes the terminals.
A24-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2024
Service Bulletin - MIL flashes and vehicle will not accelerate, low power. After cycling the ignition, the symptom does not return with no stored DTCs. This issue is more common in regions with cold weather…
A24-085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 20, 2024
Service Bulletin - The MIL flashes and vehicle will not accelerate, low power. After cycling the ignition, the symptom does not return with no stored DTCs. This issue is more common in regions with cold weather…
A24-085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 19, 2024
Service Bulletin - The A/C does not blow cold air, and the lower corner of the condenser around the receiver/dryer cap is stained due to a poor O-ring compression against the receiver/dryer barrel wall.
A18-080 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 19, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2019-2023 Passports, 2016-2022 Pilots, & 2017-2023 Ridgelines with a customer complaint of the front passengerâ s power window inop from…
ATI&04082024905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 2024
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 2018 Honda Pilot has 7 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 2018 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 51,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.