Complaint volume
403 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
2021 Honda Pilot Complaints
403 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Honda Pilot, grouped by component category.
403 Total complaints
12 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
7 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, unknown or other, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 12 crash reports, 1 fire report, 7 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 42 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 36,320 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, unknown or other, engine?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Honda Pilot
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Honda Pilot complaints?
12 Crash
1 Fire
7 Injury
0 Fatality
12 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Honda Pilot complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 62
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 49
ENGINE 47
AIR BAGS 24
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 20
VISIBILITY/WIPER 17
TIRES 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 12
SERVICE BRAKES 12
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11
403 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | ENGINE | After driving the vehicle for a few hours during a very cold day, as we got off an exit ramp. We then turned onto the next road in our travels and the check engine light went off and blinked. The vehicle went into limp mode. Pulled the vehicle over, turn the car off and then back on and everything worked just fine. Had an oil change already scheduled for 2 days later. Brought the vehicle in for it oil change and we told the Honda Mechanic (dealership) what just happened. His response was: That is a common honda problem. "You did what we would have told you to do. Turn the car off and then back on. When the engine compartment gets really warm when driving for long periods of time with the cold weather, something tells it to misfire and throws a check engine code. We tell people to do what you did and turn the car off and then back on". Meanwhile we had to go out of town again the following weekend. As soon as we got near our destination the same thing happened again. This time in an intersection! Thankfully nobody was coming at the time of the limp mode to avoid a potential serious accident. I have put a lot of research into this and there are a lot of forums online that state this issue with no solution by Honda. I do not see how that is safe to have your car randomly throw a code and be forced to pull over immediately. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the engine was idling and with the gear shifter in the park position, the contact reached into the vehicle from the front driver's door, and suddenly the vehicle began to slowly roll backwards. The contact was pushed to the ground, causing the front driver's side wheel to roll over the contact's right leg. The vehicle continued to roll backwards before making a U-turn and then rolling forward down the inclined street and increasing speed. To avoid having the vehicle roll down hill into a crowded street with pedestrians, the front passenger inside the vehicle turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of another parked vehicle. During the incident, the contact suffered an injured right leg and was transported to the hospital. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away. The both air bags had deployed, and the vehicle was destroyed. The contact indicated that during the incident, the emergency brake was not activated. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 20,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 20,000 |
| Jan 2026 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS | I am submitting this complaint to formally report a serious and widespread safety defect involving the front-facing camera system on my 2021 Honda Pilot. This defect has resulted in multiple safety system failures and has placed myself, my passengers, and other motorists at unacceptable risk. The front camera on my vehicle does not function as designed, which has caused the complete loss or repeated failure of critical safety features, including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane departure mitigation, collision mitigation braking, and other forward-facing driver assistance and alert systems. These systems are not optional or convenience features. They are advertised and sold as essential safety technology intended to reduce accidents, mitigate driver error, and protect human life. Their failure substantially impairs the vehicle’s safety performance and creates a foreseeable risk of serious accidents, injuries, or fatalities, particularly during highway driving or emergency situations. When I sought assistance from the dealership, I was informed that Honda would not cover the repair because the vehicle exceeded a mileage threshold. This rationale is unreasonable and misleading. A front-facing camera is not a wear-and-tear component and has no logical connection to mileage accumulation. It is an electronic safety system whose premature failure suggests a defect in design, materials, or manufacturing. I then contacted Honda directly, and the manufacturer again refused to provide assistance, citing mileage alone while failing to address the safety implications or defect characteristics. This refusal appears to be an attempt to avoid responsibility for a known safety-related failure rather than a legitimate warranty determination. Further research reveals that this issue is not isolated. Numerous Honda owners have experienced identical front camera failures resulting in the same loss of safety systems. The consistency, frequency, and similarity of th | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ENGINE | While my husband was taking our daughter to school on 01/05/2026 around 6:00am, a warning message flashed on the radio screen: "EMISSIONS SYSTEM PROBLEM: The engine is not operating properly. Avoid high speeds and visit your dealer as soon as possible. If the indicator is blinking, stop in a safe place where there are no flammable objects. Turn off the engine for 10 minutes or more to let it cool. Restart the engine. If the indicator continues to blink, immediately have your vehicle checked by the dealer. " This was a safety at risk for my husband, my child, and the public - anyone driving near the vehicle. My husband pulled over and called me to let me know what was happening. He called AAA to have the car towed to the dealer. And called the dealer to let them know we were having the vehicle towed to them. They diagnosed it with "a unit in need of engine replacement." The car was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle in 12/2021. It is a 2021 Honda Pilot and had a few hundred miles over 8000 at the time of purchase. The dealer is not taking responsibility as the miles 62,007 are just over the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. And over the 5 years by weeks - 11/2020 to 01/05/2026. I was advised to contact American Honda. They basically told me I was not eligible for a goodwill assist as because: 1.) I was not the original owner 2.)I did not have my service done at Honda. However, I did have documents of all of the service that had been done and sent those receipts to the Honda dealer. The engine failed. The dealer confirmed engine failure. The vehicle did stall out - at a stop light and took several minutes to start back up around October or November 2025. There were also some engine noises, including loud noises while accelerating, especially in Sport mode. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | The auto-idle feature on this vehicle stalls out the engine on a regular basis, causing risk of accident from surrounding traffic. When breaks applied for red light, stop sign, traffic, etc., the auto-idle feature first engages and powers down the engine, however upon releasing the breaks, the engine stalls out, shifts into neutral, and the battery light comes on. I then have to get it into park and try to restart the vehicle. Sometimes it starts right away, other times it can take a few tries. Meanwhile, cars behind me are honking because I can't get my vehicle to move forward with traffic. Several times I have almost been rear-ended because the car behind me is expecting me to move forward when they see my brake lights turn off. I've talked to my dealer who informed me they completed a auto-idle recall software update in 2023 (recall #23-008) but the problem continues to happen. They have scheduled me to bring in the vehicle to look at the starter for potential replacement, I am hopeful it will not cost me a lot of money. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO FIX THIS ISSUE! This is known issue on many Honda vehicles (there is a class-action lawsuit). It is also ridiculous that ther is no way to permanently disable the auto-idle feature. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ENGINE | Check Engine Light came on during normal highway driving with Cylinder 2 Misfire as the readout. The vehicle was brought to local Honda dealer for troubleshooting and maintenance. Dealer maintained vehicle on schedule with 96,000 miles on it. Initially, informed us that this was due to the air filter housing being improperly placed and low power from the battery. Resolved both and then informed us it was an issue with the connecting rod/crankshaft and the engine would need to be replaced. During most recent fluids service about 2 months prior, had raised concerns about an intermittent shifting/low RPM jump and was told it was just debris but no real issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ENGINE | While driving the check engine light started flashing and lost a lot of power. Pulled over and turned the car off. Turned the car back on and the light was gone and power seemed to be back. Trying to get home about 15 minutes later every light came on. Lane assist, check engine, blind spot, traction control, literally all warning lights. When these came on the car lost all power within a minute. Wouldn't turn over or even power on to use lights or the radio. Got the car towed to two separate garages both stating engine failure. Honda dealer provided documentation of a bearing failure which damaged cylinder 5. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | We were driving our 2019 Honda Pilot and at a traffic light the car failed to restart after the auto stop-start system shut off the engine. This happened when I started to step on the gas so we could have been rear-ended by the car behind us. The brakes also appeared stuck when I tried to depress them so I could restart the car. There was no warning until the car refused to start, but the computer system did appear to do some sort of a reboot sequence. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | After I drove for 30 minutes and made a stop in a red light, the car automatically went to neutral position and I wasn't able to turn it back to driving or parking ( the brake locks) and I had to turn the car off for 10 seconds in the middle of the road and put my emergency lights on. After I turn it back on It worked normally. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING | Problems started showing on car a week ago. Tested battery and it was not holding a charge. Replaced battery and problem still persisted. Car is now at dealership and they are quoting close to $2000 due to failure for internal windshield camera. Car has right over 78k miles. This is a safety issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Car does not want to start even though the batter and alternator are good (tested by tow truck company). Restarts fine once batter is disconnected and then reconnected again. This has now happened twice. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | While stopped at an intersection, the car died, the transmission shifted to neutral automatically and the radio would not turn on. The AGM battery was replaced approximately one year ago when a similar situation took place. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | I have had two major problems with this car. At approximately 84,000 miles, the engine started making a very loud noise, regardless of speed. It was first diagnosed by an independent service center as a control arm bearing failure. I contacted Honda Corporate and was told that it had to be diagnosed by a Honda dealer/service center. It was then diagnosed as a failure of the control arm bearing by a Honda dealer/service center. I was told the engine had to be replaced. Honda Corporate offered a 50-50 split, leaving me with a bill of $8480. This is completely unfair and unjust for me to have to pay this for a manufacturer's defect. In the second incident shortly thereafter, I was on the highway in traffic when the automatic stop-start function failed, and the car stopped and did not re-start. I had cars backed up behind me, and it was a very unsafe situation. After turning the car off completely, I managed to restart it, and got off the highway. The problem continued afterwards, and I had to turn off the function manually in order to drive the car at all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | The front camera has malfunctioned after locking down the brakes on my vehicle. Without the camera, the automatic braking system, forward collision, lane departure, adaptive cruise control, and high beam are no longer functioning. While the high beams are not as big of a deal, the safety features such as the braking system and forward collision are of more significance. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V174000 (Visibility), but the failure occurred. The contact stated that the first time the driver's side mirror was replaced, the image in the mirror was distorted, severely compromising driver visibility. The contact stated that the mirror looked like it was made of plastic and not glass. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The driver's side mirror was replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the driver's side mirror was replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that before the recall the driver's side mirror never experienced the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100,000 |
| Dec 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Multiple safety features are failing on this 2021 Honda Pilot. At startup, I get the following errors: Collision Mitigation System Problem, Road Departure Mitigation System Problem, Adaptive Cruise Control Problem, Lane Keeping Assist Problem. Dealership says it is an infotainment system problem and it will cost about $1,200. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | When driving and wanting to accelerate at 65mph car just because limp, won’t go when accelerating for a few seconds, speed drops, then you press back on the accelerator and after a few times the car goes back to normal. So, you loose control of the accelerator for a few seconds and you cant go faster, it just freezes and speed drops. This has been happen g for awhile. I even called Honda Corporate to advise them. It’s been happening for over 2 years. It comes and goes. We are starting to hear a clunk noise now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The infotainment system screen would simply not illuminate when the car is started. Also the auto engine shut off, chooses not to restart the engine when your foot is removed from the break peddle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); 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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V174000 (VISIBILITY), 24V064000 (AIR BAGS), and under TSB: 0101T0. The contact stated that the dealer did not repair all the recalls. The contact stated that in the driver’s side mirror, the image appeared wavy and resembled a funhouse mirror. The TSB regarding the coaxial cable terminal (FAKRA) was not repaired properly. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started there was an abnormal popping and crackling sound coming from the speakers. The contact returned the vehicle to the Service Department to have the vehicle re-examined; however, the dealer refused. In addition, the contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The dealer stated that the camera was on fish-eye mode. The dealer switched the lens and cleaned the camera. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,436. | Crash: No Fire: No | 84,436 |
| Nov 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | On multiple occasions the hazard mitigation system has picked up on hazards that aren't there causing rapid braking AND steering over correction. Currently the button on my vehicle that has an image representing the ability to turn the system off doesn't appear to be connected or working. I have always left the system on as it felt "safer" when I bought the vehicle new. I haven't even tried to turn it off until recently when the system seemed to start malfunctioning. Today (11/19/2025) while traveling the interstate for a routine doctor appointment the adaptive cruise control randomly shut off as I was driving multiple times. If I changed lanes and a vehicle was in front of me the adaptive cruise control would just shut off with no warning or alert rather than adjust the speed as the system is designed to do. Once I exited from the interstate at a traffic light (green, turning left) the lane assist overcorrected, the steering wheel got stiff and it was jerked into the other lane almost causing a collision. This is very concerning as I was very fortunate not to have been involved in a collision today thankfully the other driver was paying attention and evaded. Each incident there has been ZERO warning. There have been a couple times recently where the system randomly fails and says there is a problem, but within minutes come right back on and operates properly until it randomly malfunctions again. This has occurred very sporadically over the past 6 months with incidents rapidly increasing over the past 3 days to the point I am very nervous to carry my children in this vehicle any longer. This vehicle was purchased as the primary vehicle for our family and our purchase was strongly influenced by Honda's "safety", but now that's very much in question as I understand many other Honda owners are experiencing the same Honda system issues. We are in the process now of having it scheduled with Honda, but this should not be acceptable from any manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicle is setting multiple faults for ADAS system. LKAS, ACC, collision mitigation system, auto high beam lights inoperable. Forward facing camera in the top of the windshield has failed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | ENGINE | While driving on the freeway at a slow speed due to two freeways merging, my Honda Pilot suddenly stopped/stalled. When I tried to restart the car by pressing the Auto Idle Stop button to vehicle did not start. It took three times of pressing the Auto Idle Stop button for the engine to restart. I am lucky that the traffic was going at a slow speed due to the merging of freeways so I was able to right away press my emergency signal lights on. I panicked and was scared for my safety and what could have happened to myself and others if the vehicle was running at a higher speed. This could have caused a major accident. Because this happened yesterday, I will be calling Honda to report the issue as well and have my vehicle inspected. My vehicle has had issues many times in the past with the Auto Idle Stop button not starting, however, it has never happened while driving. The concerning part as well is that the vehicle did not give any kind of warning light or message. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | Upon startup, LKAS, ACC, FCW and brake lights are illuminated and the corresponding systems are non-functional. This failed with less than 50k miles and the car was ~3 years old. This is making the car less safe to drive because some of the safety systems are non functional. The basic cruise control also does not work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Honda’s Auto Idle Stop system shuts vehicle off when at a full stop and fails to restart after removing foot from the brake. Instead, when you remove your foot off the brake, the vehicle switches to neutral or park and does not restart despite following on screen instructions to restart (Example: switch to park, put foot on the brake, and press start button). We have to put the hazard lights on and try the steps over and over again until it restarts. This is a major safety issue, especially when at a traffic light or in heavy traffic, where every second counts and you have to worry about someone not noticing that you are stopped or have hazard lights on and plows into you. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |