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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | Our 2020 Honda Pilot has 96,000 miles on it. We were traveling on the interstate and the engine light came on and an immediate grinding and knocking sound was heard. We pulled over on an exit ramp. We called AAA and had the vehicle towed 35 miles to the nearest city. The vehicle was determined to have a connecting rod bearing failure that required the engine to be replaced. I understand there is a potential recall for this issue for Honda vehicles, that includes the 2020 Honda Pilot. I wanted to provide this information to support the NHTSA's findings that there are issues with this engine that should not occur. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that the failure ceased; however, the message "Emissions Problems" was displayed, and the AWD warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 84,300 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2020 Honda Pilot has acceleration issues also. I forgot to list it in my last post. loss of power is evident. shaking, cruise control won't stay engaged. has trouble climbing incline roads. gas mileage is crap now. the 2020 Pilots should absolutely be included in the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1.)Transmission!! Problems such as Transmission fluid overheating, RPM's boggle up & down while on flat roads at steady speeds, cruise control wont stay activated, shaking or vibration while stopped and while driving. 2.) mine and my kids safety is at risk when we have to pull over to let the transmission cool and are on a busy interstate. It also risks us breaking down while we are traveling long distance and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. 3.) I had my vehicle worked on at a Honda dealer in the past 2 months for the shaking, but they did not resolve the shaking or cruise control issue. 4.) March 30th was the first time the Transmission fluid to hot warning has come up. The other symptoms listed above started in December of 24. my vehicle isnt listed as a recall but everey symptom it list i have. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | The ADAS camera had an internal failure, rendering all of the driver assistance features inoperable. The camera was the one that came from the car new. The old camera is available for inspection. The problem was observed by an independent repair shop. There were several warnings about the problem before the camera failure in the months before. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The car's engine randomly stopped working and required jump start twice. Despite replacing the valve adjustment and battery, the problem persisted. The Honda dealer we approached did diagnostic testing twice, stated that it could be a problem with the car's Auto Idle Stop system, but did not offer a definitive solution. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | The auto start/stop on my car will cause my car to not restart when I’m at a stoplight. This has happened multiple times. I have to remember to turn off the auto start/Stop function every time I get in the vehicle. It will shut my whole car down and take several seconds for me to be able to turn the car back on putting me at risk when I’m stopped in traffic. It has happened multiple times since May 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera was not functioning properly. The rear-view image was distorted, compromising the back over prevention system. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V431000 (Back Over Prevention), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The instrument panel blacks out and does not display critical information such as engine oil pressure radio goes out speedometer goes out rear camera goes out. There was a recall T89 but Honda says my VIN does not come up under the recall even though it is the same issue. This is an intermittent problem. Everything will be working and then while driving it blacks out. The black could last hours. Unable to get navigation. Then when it comes back on the panel light up with engine light warning brake warning low gas warning even though tank is full traction control light comes on These warning lights will come on and after a few minutes go out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ENGINE | [XXX]: While driving on [XXX] in Pennsylvania, my check engine light illuminated in a tight construction zone with jersey barriers & speed limit of 55 mph during inclement weather. I chose to remain behind a tractor trailer driving under the speed limit for the remainder of the construction zone approximately 1 mile. Once out of the construction zone, I attempted to pass the truck in front of me; however, when I moved into the passing lane, my vehicle would not accelerate to pass the truck placing myself and my 2 children in danger on [XXX] in inclement weather. Fortunately, I was able to safely return to the travel lane & then exited at the next exit which was about 2 miles away. I proceeded to a pull off right after the exit ramp & called my spouse. When he arrived, we decided to attempt to drive the vehicle home an alternate route; however, while driving about 2-3 miles the check engine light remained on & I was not able to accelerate beyond 35 mph. We decided to pull into our HS parking lot where I shut off my car for about 5 minutes. When the vehicle was restarted, the check engine light was no longer on, so we drove around the parking lot & the vehicle appeared to be operating normally allowing acceleration to occur, so we attempted to return home. While driving about 3 miles, the check engine light once again displayed as well as a series of other warnings. The vehicle began to shake and various noises were produced from the front end of the vehicle including what sounded like metal on metal grinding. ASAP, I proceeded to a parking lot to ensure safety for myself & children to stop the car and have it towed to a local mechanic, then to a Honda Dealership. After initial diagnostics, we were informed our engine failed & needed replaced due to what they suspected was a connecting rod bearing issue. Our engine is currently being replaced, but we informed them we wanted the defective engine held to be available for inspection for this investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2020 Honda Pilot Touring was purchased in CT at Honda of Stamford, May of 2023. I started having issues in July pertaining to extreme dust coming into the cabin causing my children and myself asthma conditions to worsen. I took the car to the dealer and they blew out something connected with the system. I than started having issues with the radio system and large popping sounds coming from it. The dealer didn't check this for me. The car also brakes on it's own while driving without warning and nothing is in front of me. The dealer didn't check this. On [XXX] the dashboard lite up with a lot of error messages and the car brake light was on. The car would only go 20mph on the highway. The car was stuck in Greenwich, CT at my son school for 2 days until I got it towed to the dealer. On Feb24th the car was towed to the dealer. I was told the brake switch went out and needed replacement. I was charged 200.00. I picked the car up on Feb25th @1pm and the dealer claimed the repair was done. On [XXX]. I was traveling on the highway in Norwalk, CT and the dashboard lite up with the same errors and he brakes did the same thing and the car was hard to steering. I took it back to the dealer and was told 3 other things was wrong with the car. Code-C0040-62 Brake lamp switch failure stuck. U3000-49 Multi purpose camerawave radar internal electronic failure. B2A60-97. Tech reset camera and the system still gave failure codes. The dealer confirmed the issues, but refused to give me a replacement. I had a DMV investigation and the out was to refund me for the conveyance fee the dealer lied about on the contract. I was also refunded for vin etching the dealer lied about on the contract and refunded for Honda Care. I was in the car with my children when the brake issue happened both times and it was scary. The car was never inspected before it was sold to me. I also never received several documents from the dealership required by CT state law. I left the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that upon arriving at the destination and attempting to reverse into a parking space, the transmission failed to shift into reverse even though the gear shifter was in reverse. The vehicle failed to shift back into drive, prompting the contact to turn off and restart the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality and the contact continued driving the vehicle. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 20 MPH. The contact was able to reach her destination and turned the vehicle off, after which the vehicle was unable to restart. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the brake switch and possibly other faults with the electrical system. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 52,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 52,000 |
| Feb 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I pulled into a parking space at PAM Rehab hospital. Pressed the brake to stop vehicle and it accelerated forward with passenger side wheel jumping over concrete bar and into bushes and driver side concrete bar stopped it from going into the retaining wall. All airbags deployed trapping me in vehicle. Vehicle remained running and I was able to put in park and turn off engine so nurse from rehab could get me out. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STEERING,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with fuel injector failure. The fuel injector was replaced. The contact stated that the emissions light illuminated after the repair. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone who diagnosed that the catalytic convertor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the catalytic convertor failure was confirmed. The catalytic converter was replaced. The emissions light was then blinking consistently with the TPMS, power steering, and other unknown warning lights intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally while idling. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Jan 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The engine stalled when I did not disable idle-stop. When I slowed down and stopped my Pilot 2020 due to traffic or traffic lights, the idle-stop activated. The engine was then stalled occasionally and the system requested me to step the brake and push start button to restart my Pilot. However, when I tried to restart it, the battery warning sign lit up and it made restart unsuccessful. I will then have to wait for a minute or two and tried again. I found this problem a few months after I bought my Pilot 2020 and I had reported the problem to my Paul Miller Honda service at West Caldwell, NJ. Honda service identified the problem but they do not know what is the exact cause of the symptom and suspect faulty battery. Honda service helped me to change batteries several times already and last time was Dec 10, 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | Upon startup I frequently get the following warnings: -Collision Mitigation System Problem -Road Departure Mitigation System Problem -Adaptive Cruise Control Problem -Lane Keeping Assist Problem -Braking System Error All mechanical systems work fine but cruise control and all of the “smart” safety features don’t work. A simple google search will show hundreds of owners experiencing the same problem with this generation as well as Odysseys that likely use the same system. Dealers want $1700-$2000 to replace the forward facing camera. However, this is clearly a defective part from Honda and they need to recall and fix it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The sun roof shattered without provocation while driving in the interstate. Glass showered in the cabin to the driver, front passenger and floor in the back seat. Temp outside was between 55-57F. Inside cabin heat in system was at 69F. Seat warmer were on. It was raining at the time of incident between 2:30-3:15pm. I (driver) was very shaken by incident but did not lost control of steering. Initially could not correlate explosion like sound to location. Thought it was in rear of car but upon feeling rain and recognition of glass in the cabin realized it was the sunroof. Vehicle was at around 60-65mph in 70mph. This is memorable as GPS send notification of speed checks on zone prior to incident. Car in front was very far ( more than 10 car lengths) in two lane road. Car in rear was also at about 2 car lengths. Not reported to insurance as deductible is higher than cost of repair. Did not reported to police as no other vehicle involved and no loss of vehicle control. Definitely a safety risk. Both passengers were wearing glasses, and long sleeves due to weather and glass was all over driver and Passeger. Explosion sound was terrifying and unsettling. No warning lights or sounds noted prior to the incident. Car had been driven the day before. Car is always stored in garage. This was first drive of day for car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am a retired car dealer and have driven hundreds of different cars but have never had this happen before and Honda tells me it is normal which I know is not the case! when I am driving on any kind of road flat or hilly when opposing traffic is on coming, the yellow light flashes and beeps and occasionally the steering wheel also vibrates. this false warning light indicating an impending head on collision is unsafe and not how the car is designed to work. my belief as a a retired honda dealer ( 1982- 2020) is that Honda does not know how to fix it and says that it is normal so they do not have to fix. please make them fix this serious flaw so that we can drive our 2020 Honda's with out this false warning light. Honda knows they have a problem! sincerely [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | This vehicle has shown juddering and difficulty with shifting gears, especially on an incline, although it RPMs will speed up and slow down even while traveling on a flat road at a consistent speed. The Honda dealership stated that the course of action is to drain and fill the transmission 3 times to the tune of $550+ and Honda Corporate claims this is "Routine Maintenance", which it is not. I have an extended warranty which would cover the torque converter but will not cover this fluid. As many other posts have indicated, this is not an issue limited to the 2016-2019 Pilots, but that it extends to 2020s as well. Continuing to escalate this with Honda Corporate, and will pull in my state's Attorney General for these unfair practices of lack of warranty coverage for a known issue that is due to manufacturing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STEERING | My 2020 Honda Pilot steering wheel locks or sticks while driving, which terrifies me. After researching the problem online, I found that 2020 Honda vehicles have been recalled due to a manufacturing defect in the steering gearbox assembly. My vehicle is NOT on the list. Please advise. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | We were driving down [XXX] in Columbus, Ohio and the cars started to lose power and felt a explosion or slip, right after all the dash board warning lights came on and oil light stating no oil, as I pulled over you could see tire width of oil 1/2 mile down the interstate and showing where I pulled and engine has seized up, I turned engine off , all lights stayed on and dash board, and engine was smoking bad, I got out until help arrived. husband opened hood and oil was everywhere, and car would not start. It was towed to Honda Dublin, Ohio and they inspected. Stated the engine had a hole in it and rod bearing had overheated and shot out of the block destroying the engine. WHY ARE THERE NO RECALLS. THIS CAR IS A 2020 UNDER $100K NOTHING WAS WITH IT AND STILL OWE $18K YET CAN'T BE DRIVEN. HAS THERE BEEN ANY SOLUTIONS? [XXX] if anyone else has experienced this please email me on what the end result was please. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the message "Pull Over When Safe" was then displayed and the contact's wife pulled over, restarted the vehicle, and drove to the residence. The following day, the vehicle was taken to a dealer who discovered a misalignment between the 4th and 5th gear, causing the transmission failure. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 130,000 |
| Jan 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My issue is with existing recalls of the following: 23V-431 & 23V-858 in that replacement parts are NOT readily available according to multiple phone calls to a local dealership. The dealership responded by placing one on a waiting call list. I’ve owned this Honda Pilot over a year and have FIVE such notifications from Honda America. It is like they prefer I sell it or wreck it to get from under all these notices. Does NHTSA have legal authority to fine or demand Honda America conform to build replacement parts in straight forward i.e., as soon as possible. The vehicle surges up and back when climbing hills or attempting to pass. It is very disconcerting at the least or dangerous at worst. I will appreciate any help NHTSA can provide to get more fuel pumps with proper impellers out quickly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled; the vehicle returned to normal operation several minutes after the failure had occurred. No warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission fluid needed to be flushed and refilled. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 35,987. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,987 |