Complaint volume
469 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Honda Pilot Complaints
469 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Honda Pilot, grouped by component category.
469 Total complaints
10 Crash reports
5 Fire reports
10 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are electrical system, engine, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 10 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 144 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 15,993 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, engine, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Honda Pilot?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Honda Pilot
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Honda Pilot complaints?
10 Crash
5 Fire
10 Injury
0 Fatality
11 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Honda Pilot complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 88
ENGINE 41
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 37
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 25
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 21
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 21
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 16
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 16
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 15
POWER TRAIN 15
469 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | On multiple occassions, my Engine Auto Idle Start/Stop has malfunctioned. In particular, when the car goes into idle while stopped at a traffic light, there are times when the car completely shuts off. This is dangerous at any time because it has been unpredictable. The problem gets more frequent until finally the car won't start. Upon taking the car to Keating Honda in Conroe TX twice for the inability to start the car, I have had my battery replaced twice within the last year. They have not been able to identify any parasitic drains to the battery. At 39,000 miles, my 2020 Honda Pilot Elite required it's 3rd battery. The problem has been labeled battery failure, but frankly the problem has been the Engine Auto Idle Start/Stop feature and I am certain this feature is directly related to the battery failing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The radio began making crackling noises. After a week or so, the entire system (navigation, clock, charging ports, dvd, radio/ sound system) stopped working completely. Shortly there after, the battery became completely drained. The dealership refused to honor the 100 month battery warranty, so I was forced to purchase a new battery. The radio & electrical system began to work again, but only for a week. Then the crackling sound began again, followed shortly thereafter with the entire system not working again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My Pilot has approximately 25,000 miles. I was stopped at a red light, my vehicle has the ignition shut off feature, which engaged while I was stopped. When the light changed and I went to accelerate, instead of the engine restarting, the entire car stalled and would not restart. There were a variety of flashing lights and the car appeared to have power but the engine would not turn over. I immediately turned my hazard lights on, but each time I tried to restart the car, the hazards would turn off which was particularly concerning. The police responded and we looked for options to get the car into neutral so we could move it out of the intersection but there appears to be no option for a layman to manually override the transmission and place the car in neutral. As a result I was stranded in my vehicle for nearly 3 hours in an intersection while I waited for a tow truck. There had been no prior indication of any issues with the vehicle. It was purchased used and I have only put approximately 2,000 miles on it since purchasing. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and is awaiting inspection. While my experience was terrible, I am terrified to think of how much worse this could have been if I had stalled in traffic on a highway or with my children in the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This has happened since I bought this vehicle brand new. whenever I am on a 2 lane road, the brake warning light and brake warning chime activate fairly often but intermittent when traffic coming from the opposite direction. if I am on a 4 lane road and in the lane that is closest to the oncoming traffic , it will send a false brake warning and brake warning chime. I have video taped this and sent to waltrip Honda in Franklin, TN. their technician verified the problem and replaced the radar unit on the vehicle, but it is still doing this even after the new part has been replaced. feel free to call me [XXX] or email [XXX]. thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. Upon purchase of the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal, screeching noise emit from the front driver-side tire. The contact's husband took the vehicle to a dealer where they found no defect with her rotors or tires. The contact stated that while in stop and go traffic, the brake warning light appeared on the instrument panel as the vehicle independently came to a sudden stop; the contact was able to resume normal operation after the failure. On a separate occasion while traveling downhill at approximately 20 MPH, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard without warning. The contact panicked and pumped the brake pedal but to no avail. The contact steered the vehicle into the grass to avoid oncoming traffic. The contact hit a neighbor's mailbox and then a tree, which stopped the vehicle. The airbags did not deploy upon impact. The contact nor her daughter were physically injured by the accident but both have suffered traumatic mental anguish due to the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent tow yard and was later towed to an independent body shop for repair by insurance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed | 28,000 |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Incident happened 3 times in 1 week (June 8th, 11th, & 15). When stopped at a light or in traffic the car shuts down. The engine does not restart when it's supposed to, leaving us with a dead vehicle. The car had to be jump-started to get the vehicle moving again. In worst cases, the battery doesn’t even hold a charge. Other issue would be when pressing the gas the car would stall sometimes before accelerating. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | Start/Stop function engaged at a red light, stopping the engine. Engine would not restart. Car and driver were stranded in the middle of a busy intersection for almost 2 hours until car could be jump started. Car would not restart on its own, leading to a very dangerous situation for driver and other motorists. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | When engine auto-shutoff was on (as it is automatically every time the car is started) I came to a complete stop and the vehicle turned off completely. I was in the middle of the road on every occasion this occurred. The vehicle would not restart for at least 30 seconds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | Auto start/stop feature; engine failed to restart from a complete stop at a red light, happened on multiple occasions. I would have to press on the brake and accelerator and press the start button to start the car and be able to drive. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing hard starts. Additionally, the contact stated that the Auto START/STOP function failed to engage automatically while attempting to drive from a complete stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred and the vehicle turned off while at a complete stop. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving through an intersection, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Auto Engine Idle engaged and the vehicle died and would not restart. The vehicle has died a couple of times in the past in similar circumstances but always restarted until the most recent incident. This left us stranded in the middle of the road at an intersection with no way to put the vehicle in neutral and push it to the side of the road which is another unrelated safety complaint. The car cannot be taken out of park when not running. The component has not been inspected as of the time of this complaint but is being scheduled for review by the service shop. There were no warnings or messages prior to the incidents occurring. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Automatic Emergency Braking engaged while I was driving on the highway with no cars and no warning brake light on dash. There were no cars in front me ( this is the second time). Periodically the Braking light flashes on the dash if I’m driving on a two way road in the curve part of the road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The infotainment screen in the vehicle which includes the backup camera display, navigation, radio, Bluetooth and other important vehicle functions and settings, shuts down and reboots in a continuous loop and sometimes turns off (blank screen) completely. This results in a backup camera function that is no longer useable as the screen does not/cannot display the camera image behind the vehicle. This is an SUV with a large rear blind spot that cannot be viewed simply by turning your head especially if there are short/small objects below the view of the rear glass. The other functions that rely on the screen also do not work and this constant rebooting/flashing is very distracting to the driver. There are also strange noises emanating from the sound system regardless of whether the system is on or off. This appears to be a widespread problem with this vehicle that still does not have a permanent solution. Several repair attempts by the OEM have not fixed this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When the 2020 Honda Pilot sits for over 3-6 days, the battery goes dead. I have brought it to the Honda Dealership and they have checked out the battery and alternator and say it's working properly. I have jumped the Honda Pilot 6 times because of a dead battery and had the battery replaced once. Never had a vehicle ever do this before. Very dangerous for anyone parking and flying from an airport. Unbelievable!!!!!! This has been going on since we purchased NEW! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I passed a walker on my side of the road by slowly moving over the center line to the other lane to give the pedestrian a wide birth. The lane departure migration system was turned on. I did not use a turn signal. There was not a car behind me or approaching me in the opposite lane. The car started to warn me I was going out of my lane by shaking the wheel and flashing a brake/lane departure warning at me. I ignored it since I didn’t want to hit the pedestrian and continued to move into the other lane. Then the car took over the wheel, braked and brought me almost to a complete stop suddenly. If a car had been following behind me, I would have been rear ended. I no longer trust the lane departure warning system. If I forgot to use a turn signal on the highway or suddenly had to leave my lane on the highway to avoid a car or object, this system could cause a serious accident. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Over the last few years, after a long highway drive of approx. 20 miles when I stop and sit and idle, a strong gasoline smell is entering the vehicle via the HVAC Heating system. Also, after the same longer drives, when I return home, turn off and park the suv in my garage, shortly after my garage smells of gasoline as well from the Front Passenger side of the suv nearest the hood cowl. It does not happen 100% of the time but this winter it has occurred more frequently (a few times a week) during our Mon-Fri commutes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The automatic collision avoidance system continually gives false warnings, shaking the steering wheel and beeping, while flashing a brake warning. This occurs even if there is no other traffic on the road, which could cause an accident by startling the driver when it unexpectedly activates. The automatic brakes are also overly aggressive, which could cause a rear end collision. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The automatic emergency braking system will sometimes just start flashing as if there is an object in front of me. There are no objects in front of me and it would flash. There has been 2 occasions where the vehicle would slam on the brakes and then release even though no objects are on the road. This has happened at least 10 times where the warning would flash. Also, the adaptive cruise control would slam on the brakes even though we are following at a safe distance. Of all the times I have used the ACC, the car would slam on the brakes 80% of the time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The infotainment system makes a popping/crackling sound. The dash display and infotainment display flickers on and off at times. This condition makes impedes the use of the the user controls and feedback systems. The vehicle went in for service on October 15, 2021 to have a technical service bulletin update implemented. The vehicle started exhibiting the issue again on February 9, 2022 in a much more extreme and severe way. It went back for service on February 15, 2022 to have the original work "inspected". The dealer said everything was fine and did nothing. Honda as implemented a couple of Technical Service Bulletins, but no permanent fix has been implemented. The dealer mentioned that they apply this TSB to approximately 2 Pilots per day. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My Honda often displays the brakes warning and on rear occasion apply brake in response to oncoming traffic on two-lane roads. I already went with onboard camera recalibration at one of the safe glass location but this problem persist on narrow two-lane roads. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I was driving and a LOUD cracking popping noise started coming from the dash. The stereo went dead and the instrument panel went dead. I was startled at the noise and almost lost control of the car. I can’t see my speed or other functions of the car. Honda has no permanent fix for this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Since new, the audio/navigation system has repeatedly turned off and on, had crackling noises emitted from the speakers and issues system warnings. I retuned my first Pilot for the same issues and now this Pilot is demonstrating the same issues. I have had the vehicle at the dealer several times and they just say that it’s common with this vehicle model and the Passport with navigation systems. HONDA national service does not return calls and this issue is noted on many HONDA forums. This condition is unacceptable and dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Stopped and put the car in park and the entire vehicle shut completely down. No electrical power. Wouldn't start up again. Took about 3-5 minutes before I could restart it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Head unit has supposedly been "fixed" already, still losing all electronics, black out screen, loud and startling popping noises. Been asking Honda to fix for months, assigned a case, they just do not seem to care and now vehicle is undrivable due to loud, startling sound that may cause an accident, as well as not knowing if any of the safety electronics are working or not. It almost sounds like shorting out and that means possibility of electrical fire. Honda is dragging their feet doing ANYTHING on this obviously as this has been going on for months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My vehicle was recalled twice before 2,500 miles for wiring harness connector issues (snapping, popping, crackling). I was told I could lose visibility with all dash functions, navigation, radio, etc. After the first and second recall service fix I continued to experience the same symptoms. I opened a case with Honda in June, 2021, and notified my local dealer. The Honda case number is 12314702. I have heard nothing from either Honda and my local dealer, and I am concerned nothing is being done on this issue and I will lose visibility of my dash at some point, putting myself and family in danger. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |