Problems · NHTSA complaints

2020 Honda Pilot problems

Owners filed 493 complaints about the 2020 Honda Pilot with NHTSA between Nov 2019 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (214).

Complaints
493
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
13
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system214
  2. Engine101
  3. Forward collision avoidance90
  4. Lane departure44
  5. Power train35
  6. Fuel/propulsion system31
  7. Service brakes24
  8. Fuel system, gasoline23
  9. Vehicle speed control16
  10. Back over prevention12
  11. Electronic stability control (esc)10
  12. Equipment9
  13. Structure7
  14. Steering7

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
20193
202098
202144
202261
202364
202474
202579
202670

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

Electrical system

214 reports2 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“Front facing camera fail. Causing brake system adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist , collision mitigation, road departure mitigation. Auto high beams to not work”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 18, 2026Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11765352

Engine

101 reports4 fires
“After previously reporting that a connecting rod bearing noise developed after the timing belt maintenance package was performed near 100,000 miles, the connecting rod bearings failed around 3,000 miles later while going down the interstate with children in the car. Thankfully the Pilot, which was shaking and making noise, was able to be pulled over to side of the interstate and later towed to the dealer service. No symptoms other than the noise at low speeds usually from take off, which regional Honda said wouldn’t damage anything, but apparently it did.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 10, 2026EngineODI 11763509

Forward collision avoidance

90 reports1 crash
“The front facing camera failed. Cruise control doesn’t work. Emergency braking doesn’t work. Lane departure warnings and lane keeping assistance doesn’t work. Forward collision warning doesn’t work. The forward facing camera failure was confirmed by an independent mechanic. Warning lights in the driver’s display show that the safety features are not working.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2026Forward collision avoidanceODI 11774329

Lane departure

44 reports
“While driving on my way home from work (24 mile drive) I received on my dashboard faults that flashed briefly for my steering, lane keeping assistance, lane departure, forward collision, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and parking collision (warning lamps). My radio also had cut out at the same time. While that occurred my steering wheel jerked suddenly while going straight at speeds around 60mph. I brushed it off as a communication issue since it is known to occur on these vehicles, but the steering wheel jerking was new to me. Made it home turned the vehicle off (vehicle was off for 15 minutes). I started up the vehicle no warning lamps came on. But as soon as I got up to 40mph and a mile from my home the same issue occurred but more frequent, but less of the steering wheel jerking. I got where I needed to go and got back onto the road and reached 30 mph the warning lamps came on more a lot more frequently on my way home. As soon as reached my alleyway turning left, the steering wheel had a moment of locking up (about 5-10mph). This came as a shock for me. I backed up into my garage and had to turn the steering wheel left again and the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 29, 2026Steering, Electrical system, Lane departureODI 11760548

Power train

35 reports
“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and was shaking violently. The contact associated the failure with the transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a goodwill repair; however, the contact had not agreed to the terms. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that prior to the transmission failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the hesitation issue, and the dealer associated the failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired for personal reasons.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 1, 2026Power trainODI 11761242

Fuel/propulsion system

31 reports
“Tachometer is starting to surging idle. Getting a wave of errors lights and messages. It’s also a known problem on the 2019 of the same model and it has a recall. I received the same code from an auto repair shop. Service Bulletin 21-010”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 18, 2026Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11757579
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.