2020 Honda Pilot problems & reliability
475 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Honda Pilot, alongside 11 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.
10 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2020 Honda Pilot vehicles were involved in 30 fatal crashes with 8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 207 | 44% |
| Engine → | 99 | 21% |
| Unknown OR Other | 94 | 20% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 79 | 17% |
| Lane Departure → | 39 | 8% |
| Power Train → | 34 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 30 | 6% |
| Service Brakes → | 24 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 23 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 16 | 3% |
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 5,000 miles (middle 50% between 1,780 and 21,000 miles), based on 129 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message that the radio was shutting off was displayed. Additionally, the speakers made a crackling sound before the radio shut off, and the main screen became inoperable. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 4, 2026
“I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding the automatic transmission on my 2020 Honda Pilot AWD (VIN: [XXX]). The vehicle experiences a violent and constant transmission vibration/judder under light throttle acceleration. On XXX, at 127,073 miles, an authorized Honda dealership officially diagnosed the vehicle…”
Power Train · filed Aug 1, 2026
“Summary of safety defect and failed recall repair: Vehicle: 2020 Honda Pilot EX (Clean California Title) Core Issue: Persistent, catastrophic failure of the MOST Bus fiber-optic communication network, resulting in complete blackout of the federally mandated rear backup camera (FMVSS No. 111 violation), total…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 30, 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
149 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Honda Pilot. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger due to software specifications that can cause some phones to…
A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 7, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative…
ATI&08212025903 · Other · issued Aug 22, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative…
ATI&08072025902 · Other · issued Aug 7, 2025
Service Bulletin - One or more accessory running board lights are flickering or not working due to a faulty running board light assembly.
A20-022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative…
ATI&07242025904 · Other · issued Jul 25, 2025
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
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots with a customer complaint of the taillight and/or brake light being inoperative…
ATI&07072025902 · Other · issued Jul 7, 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 - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.
A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 8, 2024
Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.
A24-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 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 2020 Honda Pilot has 11 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 2020 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 5,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.