2018 HONDA PILOT Engine Problems

As of 11/21/23, our honda pilot has approx 75,000 miles, we purchased it new so we are the only owners. A few weeks ago, the vehicle while driving about 45 mph, completely shut off, all lights on the dash cam on and the transmission became disengaged. We were able to shut it off for a few minutes, and drive it about 1/2 mile to the local Acura dealership. The car did not operate normally though, it would only go about 20-30 mph, before the transmission disengaged for a few seconds, then re-engage and continue driving. Acura said it was a producing a bad cam-shaft sensor code, they reset it, but said if it happened again, they would need to open up the engine to inspect the cam-shaft. Two days later, the exact same thing happened, we returned it to the same Acura dealership, where they said the cam shaft, and...

I was on I-44 west of St Louis and between two trailer trucks and the 2018 Pilot started to shake violently and lose power going down that big hill before Lewis road after that it quit and after a 1/2 mile it did it again and shook so bad you thought front wheels were coming off.I took it directly to Napleton Honda in St Peters Mo and naturally they drove the car 6 miles and found nothing wrong. This was on April 22,2022. It did it again on October 31,2023 and at after dark it vibrated again and lost power and we coasted off the highway. I finally got it started and we went home frightened again. We figured no use to take to dealership because they charged 200 dollars to test drive and send us on our way.Please help us we have an unsafe car to drive and they...

While driving at highway speed, the engine stopped. The car coasted to a stop on the side of the freeway. I attempted to restart the car, but the engine would not turnover. The vehicle was towed to a Honda dealership, there the dealer attempted to rotate the engine at the pulley and the engine would not budge. The mechanic did verify that the engine had adequate oil.

The engine failed to restart after the auto idle function engaged at a stop light at a busy intersection. The car shut down, including turning off the tv screens and the a/c etc. and the dash instructed us to put the car in park (it had switched itself into neutral at that point). Once we put it in park it said to push the breaks and start the car. It started back up and we were finally able to move. We were at a busy intersection and it was very scary for us because we did not know what was happening. I’ve seen small signs of this before and it’s prompted me to turn off the function, but I don’t Always remember to do that. It’s a know issue and needs to be addressed. Most people do not know how to report it.

Vehicle stalls when trying to go after stop when auto start is engaged. Auto start must be manually disengaged and sometimes I forget to press the button. When the engine stalls, people behind me get angry and start making aggressive maneuvers to get around me. Normally I can restart the engine after 15 to 30 seconds but it feels longer than that when I have a long line of cars behind me.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped, the Auto START/STOP activated, the vehicle shutoff but failed to promptly restart while depressing the accelerator pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

P0741 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance or stuck off. This is one of hundreds of Honda's between the years 2016-2019 that have this same issue, which renders the car undriveable as the torque converter cannot transfer fluid to the transmission from the engine. Honda is aware of this issue, though because torque converters are on "back order" they have not made any attempts to rectify this. Rather, they are waiting for individuals cars to break down and then providing with repairs. Not only is this dangerous, it's unethical.

When I came to a stop sign the car died and would not start for several minutes, causing traffic to back up and a dangerous situation at a busy 4 way stop. This has happened on multiple occasions when the auto stop feature is not disabled.

I have taken my 2018 Honda Pilot several times to the Honda Dealer, and they have failed to fix what appears to be a transmission problem with the vehicle. The transmission is burning transmission fluid. The vehicle makes a grinding sound when you shift gears. The gears feel like they are catching when you change them, The transmission gears shift appears to be delayed, slipping/jerking and pulling. This situation is very dangerous to me, my children, and the public. The Honda dealer appears to be stalling, so the vehicle runs out of the warranty. They do little to fix the problem; they keep charging me money and repeatedly replacing the burnt transmission fluid. This vehicle has a lemon transmission that they need to replace. Please help investigate this common problem that so many people are complaining about, and Honda keeps ignoring or excusing the complaints. They are selling unsafe vehicles....

I previously reported issue 11360107 which Honda attributed to a bad battery cell and replaced the battery on this vehicle. I followed up with them that I consider auto-idle-stop functionality that doesn't restart despite the battery being capable of restarting to be a safety issue. I re-iterated to them that I "rebooted" the car by holding the car start button down until the Honda logo appeared in the driver display. The car then proceeded to start and I didn't have any issues with the battery being able to start the car before or after that. As stated in that issue, this happened on the access road of a major Texas Freeway while stopped at a stop light. Cars were flying by at 50 mph with my family in the car sitting at a green light. Honda has apparently issued a "fix" for this, but today I experienced a similar issue...

While driving with auto-idle on, anytime I come to a complete stop and the ide engine engages it fails to restart when I let off of the break.AI message stating accessory mode comes on the screen and the car completely shuts down, requiring me to power off the car completely and push the start button on the car again. It takes a few tries for the car to start. I feel like it is very dangerous for me, my passengers, and all the cars in the vicinity. By my car not moving cars have to merge into other lanes to go around the hazard, which is now my stalled vehicle, or will fail to stop before contact with my stalled vehicle at a green light. This well known and documented issue will cause accidents.

While stopped at an intersection, the vehicle's Auto Start/Stop technology engaged. When driver attempted to drive, the Auto Start/Stop wouldn't disengage, as a result the car would not start. The vehicle prompted the driver to put the car in park and push the ignition button to start the car, however nothing happened, meaning the car would not start. After about 2 minutes, the car was able to start and the driver was able to continue driving. An immobilized vehicle at an intersection put its passengers at risk, including 2 children under the age of 3. Dealer will be notified of this occurrence.

Emissions system problem

Good afternoon, I would like to bring an issue to your attention and file a complaint on Honda Motor Company. Last week, I scheduled an appointment in the Service Department at Russell and Smith Honda to diagnose my 2018 Honda Pilot. My vehicle jerks when driving at a low speed. Russell and Smith diagnosis was a transmission oil flush and a system update with "recommendations to replace the battery and spark plugs" ; total charges to fix the problem was roughly $365 additional to the $110 that I paid for the diagnosis. That same day, I picked up my vehicle from Russell and Smith Honda and refused to pay because its a 2018 truck that I shouldn't be dealing with a transmission problem. As I was driving the truck back home, it started to turn off automatically and an engine light alert would turn on. The truck would start working...

Emissions light comes on due to a faulty Fuel Injector and Catalytic Converter. This continues to show up in multiple forums when it comes to this problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, followed by an emissions message. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the fuel injector kit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again and the front catalytic converter was replaced, but the failure reoccurred. The fuel sensors were also replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 169,187.

On several occasions so far, when stopped with the idle stop system engaged, the brake depressed and at a full stop, the engine shut down, as expected, but failed to restart once the brake pedal was released.

Extreme vibration from the high pressure fuel line due to premature failure of the high pressure fuel pump. Was told that I need to replace everything going to the high pressure fuel pump when I replace the pump because of the risk of fire. Honda is aware of this issue as they have issued a 16-013 service bulletin and has passed the cost of a design flaw down to the consumer knowing the line could rupture and catch the vehicle on fire. Honda says oops well it's over 60k miles and your past the warranty. The vibration from acceleration is so loud and the fuel line shakes freely back and forth within 3 inch span of movement. It won't let me upload a video. There are 1000s of cars with the issue in the forums and it should be a recall due to the possibility of fuel line rupture.

The car has an automatic engine shut off when the car comes to a complete stop (brake pushed fully). Over the course of a month, the car will stop and start correctly many times, however 5-7 times a month the engine will not come back on...the lights and radio will all be on and the engine will not come on. This requires me to put the car in park, turn the car completely off, restart the car all while the light is green and cars are behind ready to go. The battery is fine. There is an issue with the automatic system. Unfortunately Honda Dealership has not been helpful and is more interested in charging extra money. I have read this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

When driving and slowing down or stopping at stop to which the auto/off engages, the vehicle turns all the way off. I cannot move the car and have to try several times to power the vehicle down and disengage the auto off function. It has happened several times and I just took it to Gillman Honda where they said it is probably just the battery but my battery has been fine.

Engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged.

Vehicle engine shutdown while at full stop and does not turn on or has difficulties turning back on. This happens sporadically and only happens at stops such as red lights, stop signs, and or stop and go traffic.

he auto start/stop is not working for my 2018 Honda Pilot Elite. The vehicle does not start in the middle of the traffic when it stops. I've stuck stuck multiple times and now for last 1 year I have to force switch off that feature every time I drive the car.

The problem began in May this year and has gotten worse over time. The idle engine stop does not always work properly. After driving for 10-15 minutes in stop and go traffic, when the brake is released, a popping noise or click is heard and the electronics (radio, AC, etc.) go off momentarily. When the idle engine stop is working properly, there is no noise and the radio, etc. are not interrupted. After several additional miles of driving, the noise or click becomes louder and the engine will not restart. I have to put the car in park and restart the engine. This is a safety issue in that my vehicle blocks traffic and given the number of aggressive drivers today, I am concerned someone could react in an inappropriate manner. Now, whenever I begin to hear the noise, I am forced to manually turn off the idle-stop feature. Honda...

When the idle stop feature is active the vehicle can stop, ceasing all functions, including steering and engine. The entire electrical system does not function, and the vehicle cannot be restarted. In order to restart the vehicle you are required to jumpstart the vehicle. This issue was not common during early ownership of vehicle, but has become more frequent with age. This is a safety issue as the vehicle can become inoperable in busy intersections.

When stopping at a traffic light the engine auto stop/start engages, but then the engine will not power back on when I release the brake. I have to completely restart the engine, causing a safety concern with other vehicles behind me. This has been ongoing for the last 6 months or so, and it seems to be getting worse. Sometimes the car will turn off mid intersection and we will be stuck there for 10-30 seconds while I try to get the car back on and going again. It is a very dangerous hazard and Honda denies there being an issue. After reading online it seems that many people are having a similar problem.

When stopping at a traffic light the engine auto stop/start engages, but then the engine will not power back on when I release the brake. I have to completely restart the engine, causing a safety concern with other vehicles behind me. This just started in December 2022 and seems to occur daily.

Today my 2018 Pilot EX-L suddenly started displaying these warnings: - Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) Problem - Hill Start Assist Problem - Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem - Power Steering System (EPS) Problem Looking at Honda Pilot Forums, it seems like it is a very common problem and has to do with Fuel Injectors as described by: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10187289-0001.pdf Many people have complained of this issue, here is one such blog of many many more: https://www.piloteers.org/threads/multiple-warning-lights.127665/ This should be a recall and not just an extension of warranty which shifts the burden of proof to the consumer. Please help Honda honor this warranty for my 4 year old pilot with only 47,463 miles on it.

On 8/15/22 I was driving my honda pilot. I came to a stop and when I proceeded to accelerate the car got stuck in low gear and would not pick up speed. It made a strange sound and I could feel a hard bang and it kept getting stuck in low gear. I took the car to the dealer immediately and was told the 5th gear pressure switch had failed. The transmission has a 60000 mile warranty but I was told this part was not under warranty since even though it controls the transmission it is not part of it. This is a very dangerous situation because if I was trying to accelerate to go on a freeway the car would not have been able to pick up speed and I could have been in an accident. Honda has not helped me at all even though I filed a complaint...

Problem with start-stop system. Engine shuts off when vehicle is stopped but engine does not restart at times. Dealership could not find a problem and said they’ve never heard of it happening to anyone else, BUT a simple online search shows that it is a problem and NHTSA has an open investigation. VERY DANGEROUS when the vehicle doesn’t restart at a stop light or in stop and go traffic. Honda needs to step up and rectify immediately!

On at least three occasions after being stopped at a light the engine suddenly died (not simply auto idle stop). After putting in park and shutting off ignition (button start) and waiting some time the vehicle could be restarted. Battery is good. Fuel is good. Injectors already replaced. Dangerous as vehicle may be unexpectedly on powered while in traffic

Car does not turn on after stopping at a red light with auto start/off on. Turns on after being jump started. Also windows automatically come down without pressing any buttons after opening or turning off car. Dealer reports no issues. Battery has been changed with no solution. Car is inoperable with concern for pedestrian safety and personal safety.

I was stopped at a red light, the engine cycled down because of the environmentally friendly option. My foot was on the break. The transmission shifted to neutral and turned orange. I could not get it to shift back to Drive. I had to turn the car off and restart it. At that point I was able to put it in drive and move the car. This was very dangerous because I was on a busy highway and could have been rear ended by a driver not noticing the car was stopped and off.

Car won’t start after auto stop engages at red lights. I was on a busy road at a red light when my car wouldn’t restart. I had to sit a few embarrassing minutes (felt longer) turning the car off and on until it finally restarted. I noticed the issue occurred a few months ago as well, but because it only happened once I wasn’t concerned. This time was on a very busy road with cars coming 45mph towards me. Since the first incident, I did notice when it auto starts 9/10 times it turns my radio off and my cabin lights cut on then off (as if I’m starting the whole car again). Sometimes it will flash lights on the dash as well but I cannot recall which ones (I know battery is one). I try to remember to turn the feature off every time I get in my car,...

I was driving on a city street, during traffic I came to a complete stop and the car turned off the engine automatically by the idle-stop feature. When traffic was moving, I lifted my foot off the brake pedal expecting the engine turn back on and move forward but the engine never started and I tried to start the engine manually stepping on the brake and press the Engine Start button but in didn't work either, all the while I could have easily gotten rear-ended by driver behind me. Luckily other drivers were paying attention but nonetheless I was pressure to move my car. After struggling for 5 minutes, I finally manage to restart the engine again. I am the original owner and service my car at the dealer and the car only have 39160 miles on it. This problem happened before but is happening more often now, which is...

At 50,000 miles the car started to make a clanking noise. The car was checked no issued were found. at 60,000 oil change was preformed vehicle was checked no issued were found. At 63,000 the following lights came on at once: check engine, TSA, Hill start problem. Took the car again to get checked and now they have stated the car needs a new engine no lights had previously came on.

The auto off/on is dangerous. Multiple time the car does not turn back on and everything turns off. A few times the car started to roll backwards, when on a hill and I took my foot of the break. The car didn't start, I had to reapply the break and push the start button again.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for another issue and the contact inquired about the failure. The contact was informed that the idle Start/Stop system sensor might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was a Technical Service Bulletin for the failure however, the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The vehicle routinely shuts off at intersections and is unable to restart. This often causes traffic to back up behind the vehicle and vehicles around us having to make sudden stops. This occurs during normal driving conditions about 3 times/month. It seems to be attributed to the automatic shut-off feature but does not restart as it should when operating properly.

On September 27, 2022 the vehicle start/stop failed at Georgetown Texas highway 195/I35 overpass stop light. When the light changed the vehicle started to move forward then stalled in the left lane. I engaged the emergency flashers, stopped the vehicle, put it in park and proceeded to restart the vehicle. During this event, there were several near misses including a gravel truck. I believe a review of service orders will conclude the vehicle’s engine start/stop feature has been problematic for a few years.

The engine stop feature did not allow the car to restart at multiple stops. I was not able to immediately restart the car. It did restart after some time. This was concerning, since I was stuck on the middle of an intersection. There are no problems if we immediately disable this feature when starting the car.

Was in the middle of an intersection and pressed the button to turn off Engine Idle Mode as I have had instances where it was very slow to go when this mode is on and it delays getting out of the way of other drivers. When I pressed the Idle Off button - the car “shut down” and went into neutral. I could not get it out of neutral. Pressed D, R, P. Multiple times. Didn’t work. Had to press the turn off car button twice to turn off car then it finally restarted. I was stranded in the intersection and almost got hit by several cars. Once it started I pulled into a gas station and the radio stopped working. I turned off the car and restarted. Then the engine wasn’t shifting properly. Shut off the car again and went to the dealer. Dealer ran diagnostics and couldn’t find...

I was on a six lane highway at a traffic light. The idle stop engaged while I was sitting for the light to turn green. I released the break and the car didn’t start. I tried to put the car in park and push the start button and the car wouldn’t start. I sat through a couple light cycles in the middle lane with my hazards on. I turned off all accessories and the car did start and I was able to drive off.

Sitting at stoplight with the auto start on (turns off at light to save emissions). light turned green took foot off brake, the car died, had to push the start button a few times before car would turn back on. This has happened to us twice.

The engine engages the auto-idle feature but fails to restart at stopping points in the roadway or at intersections. This leaves the occupants stranded in the roadway in traffic congestion. There were no warning indicator lights on the dashboard before the incident indicating a potential issue.

The automatic engine stop-start feature of the car is having serious issues, the car engine shuts off automatically after stopping the car at stop signs/red lights etc and does not restart automatically after releasing the brake. This has been an intermittent issue and has happened noticeable number of times till now. When the system does not restart its asks to pull over without having engine turned on which is conflicting message. I have spoke to the dealership and they say there is no known issues with the system which says otherwise based on my research multiple customers are facing this issue. Though not a huge safety risk, unable to start a car in busy intersection induces some amount of safety hazard.

We are original owners of the vehicle. At busy intersections, including when in the middle of the intersection for a left turn, the car has shot off with the auto-off feature. Upon removing our foot from the brake the truck shut off completely (engine should have restarted). To restart the vehicle we had to ensure we were in park and restart the engine. This catches the driver off guard and creates a panic which is not safe. This has happened about 10 times since owning the vehicle. During my last service appointment I reported the incident, and they checked the battery to ensure it was not a battery related issue. Since that appointment in February we have had this happen ~3-4 times. There is NO OPTION to just disable the auto off. Se we are doing our best to remember to de-activate it every time we start the engine. I'm...

The automatic Stop-Start feature has had multiple issues in the last two years on my 2018 Honda Pilot Elite. The lesser issue has resulted in ALL systems turning off when the brake pedal is pushed all the way down. While the usual, expected result is just the engine cutting off, many times the entire electrical system shuts down. On two (seemingly random) cases, however, the car did NOT restart for quite some time. Once was at an interaction, the other was in stop/go traffic in the rain on the highway. Here is where it could have been catastrophic as I could not even turn on my flashers to warn (in low visibility) that I was stopped while all other traffic was flowing. In neither case did I require a jump start and I have never had any reason to blame the battery. Even in the winter, the car starts right...

This has happened to me about 10 times in this vehicle: I am at a stoplight or stopsign and my "Idle-Stop" system in the Honda shuts down my engine and then when my foot comes off the brake it does not restart like it is supposed to leaving me stranded in the middle of traffic with a non moving vehicle. I think this is extremely dangerous and I am scared this will cause a terrible accident if not fixed. The only way the engine restarts is after about 30 seconds to a minute it finally is able to power back on. Please have Honda issue a recall for this issue.

On multiple occasions / almost daily the engine auto shut off kills the engine completely. The vehicle needs to be restarted to get moving. This poses as a significant safety hazard. This delay is going to get someone killed. The engine dies at stop lights, stops signs, off ramps and sitting in traffic. A complaint was made to the Honda dealer on 4 or more occasions with them informing us they can not replicate the issue and there isn’t a safety recall on it yet. This issue has gotten so bad that I am thinking about selling this car do to a safety issue. Honda is usually a trustable brand and stand by their brand, but some reason they will not admit to this reoccurring problem in the Honda Pilots.