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U.S. public vehicle records

2021 Honda PILOT problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

426 owner complaints analyzed

10 distinct recall campaigns

30,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2021 model year. Data snapshot: . 43 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 124 of 426 complaints (29.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Braking behavior10825.4%
Electrical and battery issues7317.1%
Engine operation378.7%
Transmission and shifting337.7%
Steering behavior225.2%
Fuel system concerns40.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System
124
Engine
103
Unknown Or Other
81
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking
60
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
51
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control
43
Air Bags
30
Lane Departure: Assist
26
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System124
Engine103
Unknown Or Other81
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking60
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings51
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control43
Air Bags30
Lane Departure: Assist26

Electrical System: 124; Engine: 103; Unknown Or Other: 81; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 60; Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings: 51; Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control: 43; Air Bags: 30; Lane Departure: Assist: 26

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
17
25,000 to 49,999
13
50,000 to 74,999
6
75,000 to 99,999
5
100,000 to 149,999
2
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,00017
25,000 to 49,99913
50,000 to 74,9996
75,000 to 99,9995
100,000 to 149,9992
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 17; 25,000 to 49,999: 13; 50,000 to 74,999: 6; 75,000 to 99,999: 5; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (17). 383 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2020
1
2021
41
2022
38
2023
61
2024
77
2025
128
2026
80
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20201
202141
202238
202361
202477
2025128
202680

2020: 1; 2021: 41; 2022: 38; 2023: 61; 2024: 77; 2025: 128; 2026: 80

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 108 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 73 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 37 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11432266 · 2021-09-09 (September 9, 2021)

The front end collision camera will register on coming traffic and warn me to brake. On one occasion the vehicle actually braked for me. Luckily I was only driving 25 MPH and there were no vehicles behind me. We took the vehicle to the dealer to have them look into the issue but they informed me that Honda did not currently have a fix for the issue and that I would have to turn the camera off every time I started the vehicle to prevent it from potentially braking for me and bringing me to a complete stop while driving. Our main concern is that …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11432266 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11433467 · 2021-09-18 (September 18, 2021)

On 2 different occasions within the last 2 days, the automatic emergency brake engaged for no reason. The first instance, I was driving down the road with a car in front of me about 3 car lengths ahead and a car in a left hand turning lane. For no reason the brake light engaged and the brakes hit hard but not fully. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough to not hit us as I had my child in the car. On the second instance, again with my family in the car, driving down a different road with no cars anywhere around us, going around a bend, t…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11433467 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11429168 · 2021-08-15 (August 15, 2021)

There is an issue with the electrical system in this car. The radio has intermittent static on any station and hands free calls drop after a short period. I have Googled this and it is a very common complaint on this type/year vehicle. I am concerned there are other electrical issues that may be more safety related. The dealer did a hard reboot of the computer, but nothing changed.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11429168 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11432031 · 2021-09-07 (September 7, 2021)

Loud popping and crackling noise emitting from speakers. Cannot turn them off, and causes major interruptions in navigation, radio, entertainment. Dealer said Falkra wiring is faulty, but is back-ordered, and could not even give us an estimate of when it would arrive. Essentially told us to suck it up, but it is more than distracting (my daughter actually said it gives her a headache) and I'm worried about larger (safety) issues if the wiring is indeed faulty. What if my other electrical systems malfunction as well?

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11432031 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11482438 · 2022-09-01 (September 1, 2022)

With the auto idle feature engaged (disengaging requires manually turning off the system with each vehicle start) while at a stop light the auto idle feature shut the engine off. Typically, when you release the brake the car start back up and you can begin to accelerate. Over the past few months the issue has stalled the engine, but restarted and give the warning "Collision Mitigation Braking System Malfunction." On the past 2 occurrences the engine has shut off completely and I have had to restart the car. This occurs when at an intersecti…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11482438 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11485033 · 2022-09-18 (September 18, 2022)

Auto restart stalls the car when reengaging the engine after coming to a full stop

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11485033 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11407317 · 2021-04-09 (April 9, 2021)

I JUST BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW 2021 HONDA PILOT I HAD IT FOR 1 WEEK SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO LAS VEGAS ON THE WAY THERE IT WAS FINE BUT ON THE WAY HOME I'M COMING DOWN I STARTED TO FEEL A JERK IN THE TRANSMISSION I DIDN'T THINK NOTHING OF IT SO I KEPT DRIVING. BUT FOR A NEW CAR IT SHOULD NOT BE DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL SO I TOOK IT TO HONDA DEALER AND THEY DID A MULTI INSPECTION CHECK AND SAID THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT AND EVERYTHING SHIFT FINE BUT WHEN I TOOK IT HOME A WEEK LATER IT'S HAPPENING MORE AND MORE ESPECIALLY WHEN …

Owner-reported narrative. 900 miles reported. Look up ODI 11407317 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11438405 · 2021-10-27 (October 27, 2021)

This vehicle has a pushbutton transmission "gear selector". It is IMPOSSIBLE per the owner's manual, and further confirmed by the dealership, to PLACE THIS VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL without the engine running. This is an unacceptable safety hazard. If the vehicle stops running in busy traffic or in an intersection, or otherwise in a zone such that imminent danger of collision is necessarily introduced, it is impossible to push the vehicle out of danger, off to the side of the road. Further it cannot be towed without necessary imparting damage to t…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11438405 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11421911 · 2021-06-22 (June 22, 2021)

This is New Honda Pilot 2021 Trim EX-L purchase in Dec,2020. Miles 3300. It seems Honda is having software issues. Without ON of Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) feature is activating automatically and taking over driving or steering of the vehicle and attempt to steer the vehicle back into the center of the lane. Basically it's giving false indicator without ON of LKAS feature and due to this issue driver is becoming panic situation this will be safety issue and this will cause problems for others safety as well(Putting other at risk while …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11421911 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11434981 · 2021-09-30 (September 30, 2021)

At accelerating speeds between 37mph and 62mph, the steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. At decelerating speeds between 62mph and 37mph steering wheel trembles and vibrates and shakes profusely. Entire vehicle begin to shake. Driving is hazardous. Vehicle has been and is still been inspected by certified repair centers and there is no solution and the issue remains.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11434981 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11638401 · 2025-01-24 (January 24, 2025)

my vehicle had died on the road, i had it towed to the local independent shop that does most of my repairs needed on our vehicles, it was diagnosed with a fuel pump issue, the shop checked for recalls on our 2021 Honda pilot and showed no recalls, i had them replace the fuel pump and repaired the issue, i kept possession of the old fuel pump and when i got the car home and started looking into the issues we were having, i found that there was a fuel pump recall on certain 2021 Honda pilots but our vin # was not listed in that recall, i searc…

Owner-reported narrative. 53,591 miles reported. Look up ODI 11638401 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11654051 · 2025-04-11 (April 11, 2025)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, FUEL PUMP FAILURE CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11654051 at NHTSA ↗