2006 Honda Pilot Problems, Recalls & Reliability
330 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Honda Pilot, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 20/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 95,822 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2006 Honda Pilot has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2006 sits among all Pilot years
What owners report
“Takata recall america honda is unable to remedy the defect within a reasonable period of time within 60 days i first contacted the dealer for a repair appointment”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
“The vsa, abs and vtm-4 lights on the vehicle come on and off and the car will stop or drive erratically. It also makes a grinding noise. I've taken it in and no one can tell me why this is happening. This has been going on since october of 2015. I'm afraid it will cause an accident.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
“The vsa light started to come on randomly while i was driving the car. Whenever that happened there would also be a noise and smell as metal grinding against metal. This accompanied with a fraction of a second the brakes and steering wheel would lock up.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
“Engine continues to misfire no matter what repairs have been done like plugs. Runs rough and unless you restart the engine it will not run properly. Especially when the engine is cold.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
“Both vehicle low beams simultaneously stopped working while i was driving. I needed to use high-beams to get home. This is very dangerous!! I checked bulbs and fuses and all are in working order.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
“The left rear frame of the vehicle is rusted out where the rear drive line bolts to the body or frame. Causing the rear drive line to have the ability of failing to stay attached to the vehicle. The rear suspension also connects at the same area. Just a huge rotted out hole at the moment.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Pilot
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 211 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 100,311 miles. Half of those reports fall between 71,000 and 155,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2004-2008 Acura TL and TSX, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2007-2011 Honda…
Fix: Dorman will notify owners, and qualified service facilities will replace the affected accelerator pedal assemblies, free of charge. The recall began December 9, 2019. Owners may contact Dorman…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic,…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2011 Honda Element vehicles, 2005-2012 Acura RL vehicles, 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2005-2008 Honda Pilot…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall bagan March 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
HONDA IS RECALLING 2,032 HITCH STYLE BIKE RACKS SOLD AS AFTERMARKET FOR USE ON MY 2003-2007 AND SOME MY 2008 HONDA PILOT, RIDGELINE, AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. A PINCH BOLT EXISTS BETWEEN THE BIKE ARM BRACKET AND THE UPRIGHT ASSEMBLY OF THE "HITCH" STYLE…
Fix: OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT THULE AT 800-THULE91 (800-848-5391) TO OBTAIN A FREE REPAIR KIT ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS OR OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238 FOR…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES, THE OWNER'S MANUALS CONTAIN INCORRECT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S (NHTSA) VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE.
Fix: HONDA WILL SEND A POSTCARD TO DEALERS AND OWNERS WITH THE CORRECT NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE INFORMATION AND WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO INSERT THE CARD INTO THE "REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS" SECTION OF THE…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V668.
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Honda Pilot reliable?
The 2006 Honda Pilot drew 330 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 20/100, scored against the model's worst year (2016).
What are the most common 2006 Honda Pilot problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Honda Pilot are airbags (61 complaints), other (44), and brakes & stability (35).
At what mileage do 2006 Honda Pilot problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Honda Pilot problems around 100,311 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 71,000 and 155,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Honda Pilot have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Honda Pilot. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.