2025 Honda Pilot problems & reliability
171 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Honda Pilot, alongside 4 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.
7 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 50 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 35 | 20% |
| Steering | 32 | 19% |
| Engine | 26 | 15% |
| Service Brakes | 25 | 15% |
| Power Train | 19 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 18 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 15 | 9% |
| Lane Departure | 13 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 7% |
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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Collision Mitigation Braking System has activated numerous times while traveling on a straight road with no other vehicles around. The brakes activated hard where items shifted in the vehicle and the seatbelts locked. Occupants were thrust forward at the time of braking. Contact was make with the dealership and there…”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 30, 2026
“Not long after we purchased the vehicle, there was a crackling noise that comes up at different speeds. I reported this to the dealership (I can't recall exactly when). A mechanic (I believe) took the car for a test drive. He acknowledged hearing the sound 0n/off but could not determine its origine. Each time I go…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 29, 2026
“My Seat Belt Reminder System Not Operating Properly. In fact, the second-row seat belt behind the passenger seat is malfunctioning. I learned that Honda put out a service bulletin (26-027) (https://dot.report/bulletins/MC-11028510-0001.pdf) in regards to the safety issue. I contact Honda and was told the issue was…”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 29, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Engineering Analysis EA25004 · opened Mar 26, 2025 · open
Technical service bulletins
34 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2025 Honda Pilot. The 10 most recent:
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2025 Pilots with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on with DTC P0420 [Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)]…
ATI&05122026901 · Other · issued May 13, 2026
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2025 Pilots with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on with DTC P0420 [Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)]…
ATI&04272026904 · Other · issued Apr 27, 2026
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2025 Pilots with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on with DTC P0420 [Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)]…
ATI&04132026905 · Other · issued Apr 13, 2026
Over The Air - This update contains various performance enhancements and UI improvements.
A30149 · Over The Air · issued Feb 10, 2026
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2025 Pilots with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on with DTC P0420 [Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)]…
ATI&01302026904 · Other · issued Jan 31, 2026
Service Bulletin - The seat belt reminder incorrectly indicates that the second-row right passenger seat belt is unfastened even after the passenger has fastened it.
A26-027 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2026
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2025 Pilots with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on with DTC P0420 [Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)]…
ATI&01142026905 · Other · issued Jan 14, 2026
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may…
ATI&10232025903 · Other · issued Oct 23, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may…
ATI&10172025903 · Other · issued Oct 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may…
ATI&10032025903 · Other · issued Oct 4, 2025
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 2025 Honda Pilot has 4 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 2025 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.