2016 Honda Pilot complaints

The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged, It have happened many times. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer for assessment and they keep telling me that it is due to all the electronics going on at the same time

When engine turns off it won't turn back on

Almost every time I forget to disable the auto stop function on my pilot and I come to a stop it will more likely kill the engine. Not all the time, but more times than not. It’s annoying because it literally takes me a good 10-20 seconds to start it back up and get moving with cars behind me honking their horns . Issues with this started about a year in to owning this vehicle and have progressively gotten worse. Have taken my 2016 Honda Pilot into Honda multiple times with no help. They always say they could replicate the issue which is complete bull. This needs to be fixed

Honda Pilot 2016 auto idle feature stalls engine completely when recovering from idle to Run (e.g. complete stop at a signal or busy traffic, engine goes to auto idle and upon releasing the brake the engine stalls). Issue started during warranty period and multiple repair attempts were made by Honda dealership, replaced battery and starter motor (50% paid out of pocket though the car was in warranty, 50% was courtesy credit from Honda). Even after multiple attempts the issue remains unresolved. Honda/Dealership recommended to turn off the feature and use the car. This is a safety issue as engine keeps stalling and only starts after full power cycle (about 1-2 mins).

In 3 occasions my Pilot was stopped waiting for the light to change and all of the sudden the engine died and refuse to turn itself ON as usual. The first time it happens in Miami, Fl. The second time in our hometown of Teaneck, NJ and the third time it happens in New York City (Manhattan) The first time the car re-started after 5 minutes trying (more than 5 times). The second time the car died and 5 took about 5 times to restart again. The third time, we had to use our battery jump starter because the battery died. After the car turned on, all the systems were fine, including the battery.

My vehicle came equipped with a feature that shuts the car off at stops/stoplights. It is supposed to restart immediately once the gas pedal is pushed. My vehicle, however, doesn't always start right away and often dies altogether. To restart, I have to put the car in park and restart and even this sometimes doesn't work. This has happened at several red lights and I have almost been rear ended by cars who have to swerve around me while I'm trying to get the vehicle started. I have taken it to Honda and their answer is to always push the button to override this feature, but if I forget to push the button, I'm in danger. This feature is suppose to save fuel but it's a complete hazard and needs to be remedied.

Vehicle died when auto start/stop was activated at a stop sign. The vehicle had to be jumped to restart. My wife and 8 month old baby were in the vehicle alone in heavy traffic and nearly caused an accident.

On multiple occasions the car will stale and not restart when the auto engine off engages. It is left me stranding in the middle of traffic several times. The vehicle has been taken to Honda for service on many occasions and told there is nothing wrong.

Auto Start/Stop function fails constantly. When coming to a stop light, the engine will stop as designed, but will not then re-start when pressing on the accelerator. Sometimes after this happens, it will take 30 seconds or more for the engine to actually start back up. At busy intersections, this creates a dangerous backup with a lane being blocked by a stall which is created by this issue. Took vehicle to repair shop and they replaced battery, but a new battery was installed less than 7 months ago from same dealership.

For the last 6 months (or maybe a bit more) my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring does not successfully re-start after it's auto-idle-stop feature kicks in at stoplight or in stop/go highway traffic. This maybe happens 20% of the time, but more likely on a hot day or when AC/radio all running high or uphill start. When this happen car stalls and needs to be completely restarted which takes 30 secs and a requires a "reboot" by pressing the start button 2-3 times. To add to the annoyance you cannot permanently disable the auto-idle-stop feature. Instead every time the car restarts it is on by default and the user has to manually turn it over ever time. This is happening with the original 2016 battery from new dealer purchase. The dealership claims it's an old/weak battery issue, but the car has no problem starting on a fresh cold start. This is a safety issue if the car stalls and the driver needs to quickly restart to escape danger, collision, etc.

The auto idle feature doesn't always result in the engine restarting at a stop. Sometimes the whole car system needs to reboot before the car will restart which can leave you in a vulnerable road position that can cause an accident. This problem occurs several times a week for me. I was told a new battery would solve the problem, but after spending $300 the problem still persists.

Engine fails to restart when automatic engine start/stop is engaged. Once the car took over 15 mins to start back up again and I was at the end of an off ramp of a major highway. When the automatic engine start/stop is not disabled the cars engine turns off at a stop light or intersection and then will not start back up again. The worst example (taking over 15 mins to restart) occurred on Jan 31, 2019 however it has occurred since this incident multiples times and before this date as well.

If I forget to turn off the auto idle button. It is a 50/50 shot whether my vehicle will restart. If the vehicle does shut down it takes quite the process to try to get the vehicle to start again. Numerous times I’ve had angry drivers behind me beeping their horns and throwing their hands up as I’m frantically trying to get the vehicle to restart. When I finally do get the vehicle running again it’s several minutes later. I have addressed this issue with Honda of Fort Myers multiple times. They have replaced the start/stop ignition button twice, but this has not fixed anything. They have also forced me to purchase a new battery as they ensured this was the issue. This again did not fix the problem. This continues to be an ongoing safety issue that Honda is aware of, but neglects to do anything about it.

Was driving the car in a parking lot (thankfully) when the dashboard lights started randomly flickering and clicking like crazy. Then the battery completely drained. The car wouldn't start at all. When I tried to restart the engine the lights would go crazy, flashing every single emergency warning light on the dashboard and clicking sounds for a few seconds then dead again. Had to get a tow truck and finally was able to jump it and drive to the dealer. I've seen so many reports of this same issue occurring with this same model. The dealer told me that its due to a faulty keyless control module that only the dealer can replace for $800 plus labor. The bill is over a $1000 with tax included. The part is on national back order so they said my car will be in the shop for probably 3 months at least. And I spoke to multiple mechanics who said that they can't fix it because the dealer won't sell them the part. I've been without my car for a month already and dealer says no word on the part and it's not covered which sounds crazy because I'm reading of others having this same issue.

Alarm going off intermittently, dash board glitching when car is off and parked.

My 2016 Honda Pilot is experiencing the same exact issue that is reported for Honda Service Bulletin 19-057 first issued 2019 and again in 2020. I reported to Honda Corp. and the dealer we purchased the car from. They both came back after numerous inquires that my car did not qualify for this bulletin as my VIN was not part of this. Not sure how this is possible, if you look at my car the pictures noted on the Service Bulletin could literally be mine. Would it be possible to inquire and have Honda investigate further as to how our car does not qualify for an issue that is occurring for the 2016 Honda Pilot in White Pearl already but not other VIN numbers? Just doesn't seem fair. Thank you for your time

There is pulsating vibrations when applying brakes. This vehicle is rarely driven and has only logged 25,642 miles since I first bought it in 2016. I believe the rotors are warped. Must be a defect as this vehicle is rarely used.

Dash Lights flash, alarm sounds and Battery drains randomly.

Every single time I get in my car to drive. I experience julting when I am speeding up but it mostly happens in between 30mph and 50mph. Sometimes in between 70mph and 80mph as well. It has been going on for a year and a half and no one can figure out what it is. There needs to be a recall because it is dangerous for myself and other drivers. To the point where I am going to sell this car and get a different make

This error keeps popping up. Honda won’t fix it. Keyless start system problem error. This is an known error with the specific 2016 Honda Pilot model. I see 100s of people online with the same error. But Honda won’t fix it for free.

Random triggered alarming caused during flickering and clicking of dashboard lights leading to battery drainage. Many reports of this same instance occurring with this particular model. It appears to be a faulty keyless control module that now many Americans have had no choice but to pay $800 to replace in the absence of what obviously should be a recall at this point.

The Pilot defaults to the automatic engine shutoff when the brake is pressed. Several times, my car would shut off at the stop, but not restart when I took my foot off the pedal. When I'd go to restart the car, pressing the Start Engine button would just turn on accessories - it would never engage the gas/ignition. I'd have to give it a few minutes. I took it to my dealership who replaced the push button ignition. I had googled the issue and saw others had the same issue and warning message about the brake mitigation system, I saw that it was likely related to the brake booster/vacuum hose. I brought it back to the dealer the following month as the shut off had happened again and explained again about finding the brake booster as the issue. They replaced the part and the stall out hasn't happened again. It was never a consistent issue. I don't know what caused it to shut off, as it happened in cold or warm weather. Having to press the brake really hard is not a natural step in driving, so I'm thinking there's something wonky with the system. Even when I remote start my car, I have to press the brake pedal extremely firmly to have it remain started when I go to drive. Otherwise, the car will just switch to the accessory mode. This is a risk because the car defaults to the auto engine shut off when in traffic. If a car is unable to restart when the brake pedal is released, accidents can happen

Air conditioning compressor went on my 2016 Pilot. Upon researching, I see that Honda has issued technical service bulletin #19-091 for 2016 - 2018 Civics for condensers that caused the AC to fail. I'm not sure if this is related, but I want to put the information out there anyways as Honda has already addressed an AC issue in similarly aged vehicles. My car has low mileage and is just 6 years old. Compressors should last well past that, and my service person at the authorized dealership said I may be the second he's seen come in that soon with the issue

Keyless start/stop button does not work. Honda dealership says it is not active recall but switched was replaced at 88000 miles.

Car went into auto idle at stop light and then didn’t start back up. After about 5 minutes and multiple attempts and restarting it finally started. Very dangerous situation

Last Fall I was driving, exiting freeway, I slowed down before I got to traffic light, then my vehicle stalled. I looked down and push the drive button (i had the auto idle-stop on), then pressed on gas, but car would not move. I pushed the start button twice and nothing happened. After a few minutes I pushed the start button gain and the vehicle started. I was in the middle lane and thankfully no one was behind me when this happened. Similar issue happened to my husband last week after car was picked up from Honda dealer for Transmission fluid exchange ( I in passenger seat). We were exiting the freeway going into another freeway, we slowed down because there was bumper to bumper traffic when the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was on auto idle-stop on. My husband pushed the park button, then the drive button but noting happened. Then pushed the start button twice and the car started again, he pressed on the gas and the car moved.

Vehicle stalls and shuts off at a stop when engine idle stop is enabled. All lights on dashboard are illuminated and vehicle automatically sets to N gear. Upon attempting to restart engine, It takes several attempts to put vehicle back into P gear and start engine by pressing the push start button as well has having foot on the brake pedal. After doing so, the vehicle will start up right away and can be driven off normally with no warning lights illuminated on dash. This issue has happened numerous times. When engine idle stop is disabled, it does not happen. Battery has been replaced as well as push start button switch per service bulletin 20-117. Software update for TCM/PGM has also been performed as per set DTC P2638 (torque management feedback signal A range/performance) U1211 lost communication with shifter, U0404 invalid data received from shifter. Dealership has not been able to duplicate the problem.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would stall upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with either the Collision Mitigation Failure or Shift to Park and Restart Vehicle messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer several times for the same failure; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that upon disabling the auto idle-stop feature, the failure did not occur; however, the feature had to be manually disabled each time upon the start of the vehicle. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not available.

Driving the vehicle started to quickly lose power for about 15 seconds and it stalled while at speed on an interstate. Luckily I was in the right lane and was able to pull out of traffic onto the shoulder. The car had all the lights flash on the dashboard. The check engine, the hill assist, the oil, power steering, etc...i mean all the lights. I turned the car off through its power button and waiting about a meeting and attempted to restart the vehicle. It would not restart. I repeated this action. After two more failed attempts i went and opened the hood to check to see if there was a visible problems or potential a lose sensor connection. The engine looked ok. The main sensors were connected. I again tried to restart the car. The car started and drove about half a mile before losing power again. I repeated all of the above. Again. After about 45 mins the vehicle started even though nothing had actually changed. I didn't do anything. I took the car with the check engine light still on to autozone where they plugged the computer in to tell me my fuel pump wasn't working. Code P0087 registered. The next day the computer cleared itself and has been running. My mechanic said Honda had released a TSB pertaining to the fuel pump with new lines. Unfortunately there is a nation wide shortage of those parts so my car cannot be fixed. I feel unsafe. I dont know if the car will work or not. Its terrifying

No accident. Keyless warning light on. nothing wrong with vehicle. you tube full of same complaints. some cars are covered and some not. have replaced batteries etc etc

The vehicle is equipped with idle stop if I don’t disengage it when the vehicle is started. At a stop when the vehicle shuts down if completely shuts down and then you have to shift into park. To restart the vehicle. My radio/ gps unit also goes black and shuts off while I am driving and reboots.

AUTO IDLE SYSTEM FAILS. AUTO IDEL TURNS OFF ENGINE AT STOPS AND FAILS TO RESTART ENGINE WHEN FOOT IS REMOVED FROM BRAKE. MUST RESTART CAR. ERRORS ON DASH WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ISSUE: CHARGING SYSTEM ERROR AUTO ENGINE IDLE STOP SYSTEM PROBLEM KEY FOB ERROR

On the highway I can see the hood is vibrating and air is getting under it. I had a recall for the hood latch and believe I completed that service but am concerned that it’s still not safe.

I received a letter in the mail from Honda North America in early 2022 stating that my vehicle/vin was covered under an extended warranty on emissions systems problems. HONDA TSB 20-100. I took my car in to the local dealer, dealer performed a software update, 2 days after software update, all warning lights turn on in dash and do not go away. Check engine light, Power steering problem , hill start assist, vehicle stability control, trailer assist, traction control. Took vehicle back to the dealership. The service advisor takes the car back and when I return a few hours later he states that his technician informed him the injectors must also be replaced when the software update is done. Then I am informed that due to previous salvage history (from 2017) the vehicle emissions warranty extension will not be covered by Honda and I will be required to pay roughly $1,500 for this repair. The TSB states that all 2016 Honda pilots are covered. The faulty injectors were an issue from the factory on every single last 2016 pilot that was produced. The dealership caused these lights to come on and now wants me to pay to fix the additional issues they caused.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle hesitated and started jerking. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally stalled and the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that the check engine, emissions, and stabilitrak warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The catalytic converter and fuel injectors were replaced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

2016 Pilot stalled at a stop sign after releasing break and pressing the gas. The engine had been off due to the auto stop/start function and did not restart upon release of break.

My 2016 Honda Pilot is experiencing the same exact issue that is reported for Honda Service Bulletin 19-057 first issued 2019 and again in 2020. I reported to Honda Corp. and the dealer we purchased the car from. They both came back after numerous inquires that our car did not qualify for this bulletin as our VIN was not part of this. Not sure how this is possible, if you look at our car the pictures noted on the Service Bulletin could literally be our car. Would it be possible to inquire and have Honda investigate further as to how our car does not qualify for an issue that is occurring for the 2016 Honda Pilot in White Pearl already but not other VIN numbers thank you for your time regards [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Warning light message for keyless start system. Doors won’t lock. Car won’t start at times. I’m afraid I will get stranded.

Engine doesn't start after idle stop. not able to reproduce the issue when we want. engines stop on highways could be a safety issue. Not inspected by the mechanic. check engine light was on briefly and went away when I completely turn off the car and restart again.

Like most modern cars, the 2016 Honda Pilot has an engine “auto idle off” feature where the engine shuts off when the car comes to a stop. This car has been giving us problems for several years where when you lift your foot from the brake to re-start the engine, the engine struggles to restart or fails to restart at all. When this happens, the driver has to act quickly to out the car in park, and restart the car by pressing the start button. This process does not always go smoothly and you could find yourself in a be panic trying to restart the car while drivers behind you are growing impatient. We had the battery replaced by Honda and they also replaced the engine start button (due to a recall). The issue still persists and is a serious safety issue. When we ask Honda to address this, they simple give up and say there are no error codes and there’s nothing they can do. This problem represents a huge risk for being rear-ended at a stop light/stop sign.

Fuel lid keep looked or can't be closed.

Automatic Brake light comes on at random times while driving at higher speeds. Afraid that one of these times it will stop the car at high speeds.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80-85 MPH uphill, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the warning message "Transmission Overheating" was illuminated. The contact stated that he continued to drive at a slower speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not replicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Moss Bros. Honda (27990 Eucalyptus Ave, Moreno Valley, CA 92555) who did not diagnose the vehicle but informed the contact that the transmission fluid needed to be flushed and replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the transmission fluid was replaced. The contact also stated that the steering wheel was shaking whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front rotors needed to be replaced. The contact stated that he was unable to replace the front rotors himself as there were abnormally small compared to the replacement parts. The contact also stated that the front rotors were abnormally smaller than the rear rotors of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

There have been multiple times where the automatic emergency braking system engaged almost causing an accident with no car ahead of me. The latest incident caused a whiplash related injury to my daughter's neck. The tractor trailer behind me also locked up the brakes and luckily did so in time to avoid colliding with my car.

Unpredictably when my auto idle is engaged my vehicle will stall, resulting in me being unable to move my vehicle without forcing a prompted restart.This occurs at very random times to include when I am stopped at a stop light, waiting in a drive-thru line, in traffic, or any additional times when the auto idle engages. This is very dangerous because it results in my vehicle being an unexpected stalled obstacle for all participants on the road. The vehicle has been inspected and the engine start/stop button has been replaced twice. Unknown if there were any warning laps messages or other symptoms.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated the gears reverse, neutral, and drive lights were changing independently however, the vehicle continued to move forward. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that 2 days later, he experienced the failure again. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle for the third time to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing to change the transmission oil. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure after 6-8 months. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an unknown sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

It’s happened a few times now, but at a stop sign or light the auto shut off will kick on, and the. The engine will shut off and not turn back on. I was just stuck blocking traffic when my car refusing to restart after the idle shut off. It’s very dangerous. It took serval tries to get my car to restart and I was very panicked someone would hit me.

I exited the freeway and was stop at the light at the off ramp. When the light turned green, I accelerated but the car died. The steering wheel was completely locked up. There was no power and I couldn’t even activate the hazard button. I couldn’t restart the car until several minutes later. This is an ongoing issue. This happens once every several months. I’ve reached out to Honda on several occasions but they couldn’t resolved it. They ran diagnostics but no error code would pop up and since they couldn’t duplicate the problem, they couldn’t fix it.

It shows keyless start system problem. Car has 61500 miles.

Our 2016 Honda Pilot recently had dash panel flickering, relays clicking and alarm going off after car was locked up. Reading more about this issue, it seems that a lot of people with the same year 2016 Honda Pilot were having the same issue. Reference this website link -- https://www.piloteers.org/threads/2016-pilot-electrical-issue-possible-keyless-control-unit-panel-relays-flicker-alarm-goes-off-unexpectedly.169315/page-2. Unfortunately, the manufacturing has failed to communicate this to the public, and we had to let our autobody Honda dealership about this widespread issue. A resolution that was explained by some on this website was replacing the keyless control unit, which by the way is on a nationwide backorder. Which is peculiar? This is apparently an issue with this specific model year, and Honda not addressing the issue is a problem. The customer shouldn't bear the responsibility of paying for this electrical or component issue with their vehicle. It seems like this could be a potential safety issue too, if for some reason this affects the computer system of the vehicle. It definitely is not safe, as the alarm is triggered for no reason when the doors are locked! That is an insurance issue, if you can't lock your vehicle because of threat of it being stolen.