2016 Honda Pilot Problems

Severe Issues

Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2016 Honda Pilot. Part of Generation 3 — 2016–2022.

20152017
Complaints
2,280
per 10K Sold
188.8
US Sales
120,772
Crashes
39
Fires
15
Injuries
43
Fatalities
Recalls
7

Worst 2016 Honda Pilot Problems

Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.

#1716 complaints

Engine Problems

Avg mileage:65,647 mi
Crash-related:4
Fires:7
#2566 complaints

Electrical Faults

Avg mileage:51,818 mi
Crash-related:3
Fires:5
#3194 complaints

Transmission / Drivetrain

Avg mileage:47,135 mi
Crash-related:5
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All Problems by Category

Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2016 Honda Pilot.

Engine Problems
716
complaints
Crashes
4
Fires
7
Avg Miles
65,647
Electrical Faults
566
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
5
Avg Miles
51,818
Transmission / Drivetrain
194
complaints
Crashes
5
Fires
Avg Miles
47,135
Fuel System
157
complaints
Crashes
2
Fires
1
Avg Miles
51,695
Body Structure
46
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
24,308
Engine & Cooling
38
complaints
Crashes
Fires
1
Avg Miles
122,224
Electronic Stability Control
37
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
41,782
Unintended Acceleration
37
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
30,378
Brakes
29
complaints
Crashes
8
Fires
Avg Miles
25,155
Steering Defects
16
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
27,086
Airbags
14
complaints
Crashes
6
Fires
Avg Miles
60,979
Headlight/Taillight Failures
14
complaints
Crashes
Fires
1
Avg Miles
19,838
Gasoline Fuel System
11
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
92,686
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
10
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
36,000
Wheel Issues
10
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
26,802
Wipers & Visibility
9
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
44,325
Seat-Related Issues
8
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
33,045
Suspension Failures
8
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
12,167
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control
7
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking
7
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Lane Departure: Warning
6
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
61,000
Seat Belt Issues
6
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
20,502
Structural Problems
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
76,652
Electrical System:Starter Assembly
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Latches / Locks
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Back Over Prevention: Warnings
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Electrical System:Software
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Crank/Camshaft Position Sensor
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles

Search Owner Complaints

Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Pilot. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.

Recalls for 2016 Honda Pilot

7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~3,501,224 vehicles.

23V858000Fuel Pump
~2,490,460 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

23V751000Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical
~248,999 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

21V932000Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch · Structure:body:hood
~724,826 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.

17V219000Fuel System, Gasoline:storage
~136 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.

16V417000Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
~39 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.

15V668000Instrument Cluster
~35,406 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".

15V424000Seat Belts:rear/other
~1,358 affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.

Other Honda Pilot Years

2016 Honda Pilot — FAQ

Answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this specific model year.

Is the 2016 Honda Pilot reliable?
Verdict: Severe Issues. The 2016 Honda Pilot has 2,280 NHTSA complaints, 39 crash-related, and 7 recall campaigns. The most common issue is Engine Problems with 716 complaints. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.
What are common problems with the 2016 Honda Pilot?
Top reported problems: Engine Problems (716 complaints, avg 65,647 mi); Electrical Faults (566 complaints, avg 51,818 mi); Transmission / Drivetrain (194 complaints, avg 47,135 mi). Every complaint is filed by an owner with NHTSA — this is raw reported data, not editorial opinion.
At what mileage do problems start on the 2016 Honda Pilot?
The weighted average mileage at time of complaint is about 55,550 miles. Some components fail earlier, some later — check the "All Problems by Category" table above for per-issue averages.
How safe is the 2016 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Honda Pilot include 39 crash-related reports, 15 fire reports, 43 injuries, and 0 fatalities. These are owner-reported incidents, not official crash-test ratings — a complaint being filed doesn't confirm a defect, but clusters around specific components are worth investigating.
Does the 2016 Honda Pilot have any recalls?
Yes — 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,501,224 vehicles. Recalls are free to fix at the dealer. Always verify by VIN whether the specific car you're looking at has had its recalls addressed.
Should I buy a 2016 Honda Pilot?
Proceed with extreme caution. The 2016 Honda Pilot shows significantly more complaints than average for its class. If you're buying one, a pre-purchase inspection and a VIN history check are essential — skip them and you're gambling.

Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinItel.

Wider context: See the full Honda Pilot reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.

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