2016 Honda Pilot: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
1,681 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
1,681 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 168.1
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Alternator had been replaced a few days prior. Heard a rattling the same day we picked the car up. Called the dealership to arrange a drop off for inspection. An hour after that call, the car was at a stopped and the engine shut off. The car is currently at the local dealership. We were at risk because the engine cut off with no warning. No lights to indicate an issue. The vehicle has been inspected by a Honda certif…
My vehicle got the "knock" trouble code for a faulty crankshaft. This is a widely spread, well documented engine default in the 2016 honda pilot. There are many other pilots that have a recall but mine does not. This doesnt make sense to me. I have not been able to drive this vehicle for two years because of this problem. There is nothing else wrong with this vehicle. It honestly looks brand new.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop at an intersection, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was blocking traffic and was pushed to safety. While in a safe location, the battery was diagnosed and was found to be in good …
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 26V365000 | Structure:Frame And Members | American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acur… |
| 15V424000 | Seat Belts:Rear/Other | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to… |
| 16V417000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assem | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-… |
| 23V751000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Hard Pa | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridg… |
| 15V668000 | Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Pa | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 201… |
| 23V858000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V,… |
| 21V932000 | Structure:Body:Hood | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch stri… |
| 17V219000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (757 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 5/100, computed from 1,681 NHTSA complaints and 8 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Honda Pilot, 5 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/06/2026. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.