Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Honda Pilot problems

Owners filed 172 complaints about the 2012 Honda Pilot with NHTSA between Feb 2012 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (35).

Complaints
172
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
17
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
19
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine35
  2. Service brakes25
  3. Electrical system22
  4. Air bags20
  5. Power train20
  6. Vehicle speed control17
  7. Suspension14
  8. Fuel/propulsion system11
  9. Steering11
  10. Engine and engine cooling10
  11. Structure9
  12. Fuel system, gasoline6
  13. Visibility/wiper4
  14. Seat belts3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
201222
201320
201424
201517
201612
201717
201810
20199
20208
20213
20227
20239
20244
20254
20266

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

35 reports1 fire
“On April 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her Honda Pilot at about 5:10PM. At about 7:03PM, my wife and I were sitting outside and heard a loud POP, it sounded like a car backfiring. I went to investigate and saw a little smoke and a small orange glowing piece of something on the ground under the vehicle towards the front of the vehicle. I grab a fire extinguisher from my work truck and went towards the vehicle. The car was locked and I saw flames under the hood standing by the driver door looking down where the windshield wipers are. I used the extinguisher till it was empty and the flames kept getting worse. I just walked away and my wife was already calling 911. No one was hurt no damage to any exposures. My daughter did not indicate that anything was wrong with the vehicle. No lights on, no smells, everything ran fine. It had 154,000 miles on it. I do have RING video footage of the event. I did file a claim with my insurance and sent them the video footage.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 12, 2026Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemFire reportedODI 11730697

Service brakes

25 reports4 crashes
“The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated during the past 3 seasons of winter, the vehicle would fail to come to a stop while depressing the brake pedal. No warning lights illuminated. The failure would occur during winter cold climate temperatures. The vehicle was previously taken to a local independent mechanic where both the front brake pads and rotors were replaced. The vehicle was also taken to the local dealer for a second opinion however the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local independent mechanic where the power fluid and brake system were flush however the failure had reoccurred and could not be replicated. The vehicle was also taken to another local independent mechanic for a second opinion however the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,584”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 16, 2024Service brakesODI 11630973

Electrical system

22 reports3 fires
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact then discovered a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 67,450. The contact stated that at the time of retrieving a Carfax report, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 5, 2026Electrical systemODI 11708810

Air bags

20 reports7 crashes8 related recalls
“One day my pilot 2012 suddenly started turning on and off the passenger airbag then out of the blue the airbag system light when on. Scanned it an it reads the passenger weight sensor is not communicating the part is no longer available to purchase and it is in backorder with date of delivery to be determined. Car is not safe to operate and Honda is not selling the part anymore to get the repair. What should be my options?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 16, 2026Air bagsODI 11724777

Power train

20 reports
“The check transmission light comes and goes. Ive had the transmission flushed with no issues. It pulls codes for the torque converter as its supposedly getting stuck per mechanic or is over heating and throwing the code. It does not drive rough and I believe it is a faulty code that needs to be addressed and updated and cleared. Ive had it cleared out once and it stayed off for a whole month. The light and blinking D doesn't come on all the time or in patterns so that also tells me it isn't a transmission issue or it would be on more frequently and consistently. To where when mine comes on and then I shut my car off for an hour it stays off for quite some time. This really needs to be addressed instead of causing car owners unnecessary costs for diagnostic purposes through a Honda dealer which costs 100.00 or more or even them putting in a complete new transmission.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 18, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11718961

Vehicle speed control

17 reports4 crashes
“The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the vehicle experienced an increased RPM while the brake pedal was depressed. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard and the vehicle then unintendedly accelerated. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,400.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 20, 2022Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, hydraulicODI 11498229
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.