2016 Honda Pilot Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,358 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Honda Pilot, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 71,750 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2016 Honda Pilot sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2006–2010, 2012–2015, 2022.
Avoid
Where 2016 sits among all Pilot years
What owners report
“When the auto idle stop engages to shut off the engine at a stoplight, it does not reengage and the car stalls in the middle of traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
“The vehicle does not start upon first press of the ENGINE START/STOP button. Also, MID displays the error message KEYLESS START SYSTEM ERROR.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
“The key fob has trouble starting car. Display has message' keyless start system problem error'. Car has less than 35k miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
“Vehicle has been to standard maintenance at dealer. Rod problem at 100,000 miles resulting engine replacement. Transmission is not suitable and slips after 100,000 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
“Seeing an issue with fuel injectors associated with this and i think there should be a recall issued for it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
“Roof molding front end cap loses causing to fly off while driving Hood is loose and lifting while driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Pilot
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 993 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 50,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 32,000 and 75,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine,…
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying…
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…
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall…
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…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024.…
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.
Fix: Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KE8.
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…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's…
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…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
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.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
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 2016 Honda Pilot reliable?
The 2016 Honda Pilot drew 2,358 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2016).
What are the most common 2016 Honda Pilot problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Honda Pilot are engine (801 complaints), electrical (594), and other (329).
At what mileage do 2016 Honda Pilot problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Honda Pilot problems around 50,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 32,000 and 75,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Honda Pilot have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 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.