Honda Pilot Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Honda Pilot model year from 2003 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 12,988 federal complaints, 64 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2016, 2019. These years top the Pilot's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2006–2010, 2012–2015, 2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Engine tops the Honda Pilot file with 2,504 complaints, concentrated in the 2016–2017 model years, most often reported around 66,500 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 17 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 320 | 4 | Driver assistance | 16 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 164 | 6 | Driver assistance | 7 |
| 2023 | Typical | 198 | 5 | Electrical | 9 |
| 2022 | Better year | 242 | 5 | Driver assistance | 11 |
| 2021 | Typical | 706 | 10 | Driver assistance | 32 |
| 2020 | Below average | 777 | 11 | Electrical | 35 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 1,409 | 13 | Driver assistance | 60 |
| 2018 | Typical | 644 | 7 | Engine | 29 |
| 2017 | Below average | 1,322 | 4 | Engine | 54 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 2,358 | 8 | Engine | 100 |
| 2015 | Better year | 139 | 4 | Engine | 7 |
| 2014 | Better year | 153 | 3 | Engine | 8 |
| 2013 | Better year | 368 | 6 | Engine | 18 |
| 2012 | Better year | 228 | 9 | Engine | 13 |
| 2011 | Typical | 390 | 11 | Airbags | 24 |
| 2010 | Better year | 142 | 10 | Airbags | 9 |
| 2009 | Better year | 174 | 9 | Engine | 10 |
| 2008 | Better year | 165 | 9 | Airbags | 10 |
| 2007 | Better year | 266 | 9 | Airbags | 15 |
| 2006 | Better year | 330 | 10 | Airbags | 20 |
| 2005 | Below average | 955 | 15 | Transmission & drivetrain | 52 |
| 2004 | Below average | 644 | 13 | Transmission & drivetrain | 36 |
| 2003 | Below average | 877 | 14 | Transmission & drivetrain | 47 |
Questions buyers ask
What Honda Pilot years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2016, 2019 as the Honda Pilot years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Honda Pilot problem?
Engine tops the Honda Pilot file with 2,504 complaints, concentrated in the 2016–2017 model years, most often reported around 66,500 miles.
What are the best Honda Pilot years to buy used?
The quietest Honda Pilot years in federal records are 2006–2010, 2012–2015, 2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Honda Pilot only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.