2020 HONDA PILOT Engine Problems

88 NHTSA complaints on file

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Engine Issues in the 2020 HONDA PILOT

88 engine complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 HONDA PILOT. Of these, 0 involved a crash, 4 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.

88
Complaints
0
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

All Engine Complaints

#11718170 |
Currently showing DTC P219B (O2 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Lean – Bank 2 Sensor 1) along with P0430 . For prior years thru 2019, Honda has issued Service Bulletins 19-072 and 20-100 covering DTCs P030x, P219A, and P219B, which may involve PCM software updates, a Cylinder A/F Test, and potential injector replacement. However, they have not issued bulletins for 2020. My car only has 58,000 miles.
#11716679 |
Driving on the highway dash goes completely black. Can’t see speed. Cruise control shuts down. Have to pull off the highway shut the engine down and wait for a couple minutes then restart. I have had all recalls repaired at the dealership where purchased but this happens weekly. At 50,000 miles I noticed rough and abrupt transmission shifting and clunking with a lag in acceleration. This continues despite multiple transmission flushes. The problem continues to worsen and current mileage is at 71000
#11708440 |
2020 Honda pilot will sporadically turn off at highway speeds and at stop lights and will not turn back on until placed in park with foot on the brake. This is not to be confused with the start/stop feature used to save fuel. Additionally the 2020 pilot will lurch forward (like stuck in drive) while still in park.
#11708041 |
There was a snap like sound under my hood while driving. Shortly after, the check engine light engaged and the vehicle lost all ability to accelerate. This happened while merging onto a fairly busy road, with rolling hills. If there were vehicles around there would have been potential for an accident. If this happened on the freeway in a middle lane, the vehicle would not have been able to successfully exit without causing extreme danger to the passengers and other vehicles. The vehicle stopped on the side of the road. When the ignition was briefly reengaged, there were rolling error codes, including vehicle stability, all wheel drive failure, etc. The engine was noticeably knocking. The vehicle was towed and inspected by an independent mechanic. The 3rd cylinder in the engine will no longer hold compression. I now need to get the vehicle to an engine specialist for further inspection and...
#11703275 |
Transmission is sluggish and the RPM’s fluctuate between 1200 and 1400 at any speed going back and forth so the car has a back and fourth motion. Engine failure on 12/3/25 car stopped while driving. Makes a loud knocking sound. Most likely faulty bearings due to poorly engineered camshaft. White pear paint peeling since I purchased car. Capital Honda in San Jose unable to address any issue saying nothing is covered under warranty. These issues where taking place even while under warranty.
#11696923 |
Auto start/stop problems with car. When at a stop, car shifts into neutral and cannot get back into Drive. Sometimes I cant turn off car. And when I do it's the only way to get car back into drive. Absolutely dangerous especially with kids in the car. Has happened on several occasions dating back so when car had only 50,000mi. Has had transmission replaced at 60,000mi. Still have engine idle issues till now.
#11695730 |
When I am driving my car and stop at a stop light sometimes the car will fail to start up. It goes into neutral and then will take at least a minute to restart which is very dangerous. Its something with the start/stop feature and I had this problem two years ago and after many times dropping off my car at the Honda dealership and them telling me nothing is wrong with the car I finally said there had been a service bulletin on the start/stop system and they finally fixed it. Now two years later the same thing is happening. It is very dangerous as it happened when I was at a stop light getting off the highway and a car was coming from the highway and it took a couple minutes to restart and I almost got hit. Honda refuses address the issue and says there is nothing...
#11695873 |
The auto shut off has been not working properly and the vehicle wont restart after it shuts off. My wife was at a traffic light, and the vehicle shut off. When the light turned green, it did not restart. As a result of this she about got taken out by a semi that was coming in behind her. This could have been a deadly accident as it is raining and wet. She was stuck at the light on a busy highway for 3 minutes before the vehicle would restart.
#11691145 |
The auto stop/start idle function does not re-engage after stopping the engine. This has happened at least 4 times in the last 3weeks with my vehicle. When stopped in traffic or at a light and stop sign the engine idle engages and stops running the engine, when releasing the brake pedal the engine does not turn on as it should and the car stalls. This requires the operator to engage hazard lights, shift into park and repeatedly try the push start button to turn on the vehicle to proceed. The passenger safety of myself and children are of concern. While having to wait on a car function, that is the core operation of the vehicle, it is dangerous to shut off a vehicle while in operation. Having other vehicles honking and trying to pass or even stopping at a highway entrance ramp then trying to engage the car to meet...
#11686007 |
Engine auto off at an intersection. Would not restart. Burned up starter. Towed to Honda dealership. Rod bearing spun causing catastrophic damage to engine. Honda Care Extended warranty is covering at least part of the cost to replace either the shortblock, or possibly replace entire engine. No decision on which just yet.
#11685006 |
While stopped at red light the auto off feature engaged and the car stalled out when restarting. This has happened multiple times since buying the vehicle
#11683598 |
Rough Shifting at lower speeds when accelerating and deceleration. Very hard jerk while driving with family in the car. Hard jerk happened occasionally and produces no codes. Dealer and mechanic say they can't do anything without codes.
#11683674 |
I have a 2020 Honda Pilot (VIN [XXX] ) and have experienced RPM fluctuations when trying to maintain speed. I'm concerned these issues may be related to ODI investigation PE25008 and further use of my vehicle without having it inspected may result in a crash, fire and/or complete engine failure. The engine has not operated smoothly for months, and my mechanic has not been able to figure out why. It feels like the engine is struggling to maintain a steady RPM, leading to bouncing or surging in power. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
#11681912 |
The bearings went out on cylinder number 5. The engine is torn down at the present time at the dealership. There was no warning. It is our understanding that other 3.5 l engines have had this happen. Our vehicle just wasn’t included in this recall. I think the recall needs expanded.
#11674721 |
The idle engine turn back on feature has not turned on several times. It has happened a couple of times upon turning it back on after a complete turn off in a parking lot. Also, it has happened in traffic at a stop light on busy roads where I was sitting there dead stopped in the road unable to get the car started. Another time, it did not turn back on as I was pulling out of my neighborhood and we almost got hit because of it. The battery seems to be involved and seems to have to recharge for a few minutes and then it will turn back on. I've called 911 to help me get out of the road, have taken out the battery and put it back, and had it checked at the dealership. I have to remember to use the button that turns off the idle...
#11674773 |
I’m reaching out regarding a persistent and hazardous issue with the Auto Stop/Start function on my vehicle. The system routinely fails when stopping at lights and stop signs, causing the engine to shut off and not restart. On several occasions, the vehicle has shut off while in motion—on highways, at intersections, and in the middle of roadways—putting me and others at serious risk. I brought the vehicle to John Eagle Honda of Dallas on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The dealership diagnosed two recall-related issues (Recall #23-008 and #21-012), temporarily resolving the problem. However, the failure returned just five days later and has persisted ever since. I purchased the vehicle in May 2020, practically new from the dealership. This issue began roughly a year after purchase and has only escalated. I’m requesting further review and a permanent resolution, as this continues to be a severe safety hazard.
#11674614 |
Vehicle auto start / stop system intermittently will not restart the engine after turning off at a stop.
#11673071 |
Engine stall while at stop light. This happens probably 1 every 50 times
#11672132 |
my car shut off at red light and wont restart .Even though i had it repaired under the recall.
#11657374 |
My 2020 Honda Pilot has 53k miles on it. I have have the vehicle for 8ths and 8k miles. The vehicle engine light suddenly began flashing and the vehicle began running rough. A loud knocking sound was coming from the engine when accelerating. The vehicle was taken to a Honda dealer and analyzed. The testing showed that the camshaft and cylinder #2 rod bearing was damaged to the point of the engine needing replacement. Upon research of the problem and damage found by the dealer, it matches a major issue found on many Honda's and Accura's. A manufacturing defect in the crankshaft leads to excessive wear and failure of the connecting rod bearings. This problem can cause the engine to suddenly seize or fail. Honda is currently refusing to cover the repair cost because the VIN of my vehicle isn't on the recall list.
#11653171 |
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.
#11651767 |
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.
#11651888 |
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.
#11645410 |
[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...
#11639426 |
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.
#11634925 |
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...
#11632721 |
Honda Pilot AWD EX-L 2020 Engine Failure Incident Report October 5, 2024 Check Engine light went on 294 IL Tollway while traveling in left lane. Began to feel a slowing of the vehicle and just a wrong feeling, proceeded to move towards right lane in busy traffic and ~0.5 to 0.75 miles later check engine light started flashing as we proceeded to exit. Planned to make it to rest area or tollbooth but felt it was too far away; check engine light flashing, pulled over to shoulder short of the tollbooth. Shut down all extraneous items (radio, A/C) and pushed the ignition button to turn off vehicle. Could hear some clanking sounds (which we have later researched and found audio/video of mechanics speaking about oil pump failure and loud clanking sounds, which was exactly what we heard).Vehicle didn’t seem to respond (not shutting off), pushed button again and now several...
#11630325 |
Engine developed a knocking, then started to sputter and ultimately stalled. No codes showed. Sent to dealership, they said I need a new engine, but could not tell me why. Again No codes drove car for 1 day, engine completely failed.
#11627728 |
Piston rod blew out the side of the motor, was checked out at the Honda Dealership. My young daughter and friend were driving when it happened, which could have been bad. Dealer confirmed motor blown. I'm not sure if this was inspected by the manufacturer, but the dealer looked at it. There was no warning whatsoever prior to motor blowing.
#11625998 |
The vehicle had an engine bearing rod failure but was not included in the 23V-751 recall. The repair is covered under warranty but because there is no recall, I have to pay for car rental myself and the repair could take weeks to months.
#11625770 |
Approaching a 4 way intersection and traffic lights. I applied my brakes to stop as the light turned red. With my right foot on the brake and the engine stopped while waiting for light to change. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and started to press the gas pedal to continue traveling out of the intersection. The engine did not restart and I looked at the dash and saw my indicators were on and the transmission had gone into neutral mode. I tried repeatedly to get the car to engage into drive mode with no success. A 18 wheeler behind me started to lay on his horn to get me to move. I tried to get my transmission to engage in drive again, then park but nothing happened. I had no control. I next put my hazard lights on. The only thing I could...
#11623726 |
Started experiencing engine hesitation while driving during May, 2024. Dealer refused to accept that it is not related to the Recall (2016-21 Pilot Fuel Pump Mtr Saf Recall Exp2 NHTSA Recall Number23V-858), instead suggested for a fuel injector cleanup. I ended up spending $500 because my wife and kids drive this vehicle, I want them to be safe. Now, the problem is occurring again after a 3 months. What should I do?
#11620157 |
idle-stop system fails to restart the engine when I release the brake pedal, the vehicle inoperable and undriveable wherever it comes to a stop—whether at a red light or stop sign, in the middle of a busy intersection, or on a highway entrance ramp. I have to wait a minute of two before I can restart my vehicle.
#11616532 |
Car shuts off when going into idle when at a traffic stop or in traffic. Does not restart. Completely shuts off goes into neutral then park and have to press brake and start the car again. Has happens 4 times in last 2 weeks.
#11613495 |
On August 12th, 2024, we were driving North on New Jersey Turnpike at 65mph surrounded by traffic when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly stalled (no dashboard warning lights or system messages prior, nor any signs while driving prior). The surrounding cars were unaware of this mechanical failure and thus it created an extremely dangerous situation for all on the highway. Fortunately, I was able to navigate safely to the side of the highway without incident. Having towed it to the nearest Honda dealer, they diagnosed the root cause to be seized timing belt idler pulleys, causing the engine to lose timing and stall. This failure also resulted in damage to the cylinder heads, valves and associated components. While the dealer has repaired all of this damage under warranty, they have not adequately justified how or why these components failed extremely prematurely (4 year old vehicle with 35k miles). Additionally, Honda...
#11605776 |
The car goes into neutral automatically when idle. It then needs to be shut down and restarted. This happens in traffic at a light or intersection. Although, I received the idle stop start recall software update the issue persists. The dealer was unable to reproduce the issue and there were no codes when diagnosed.
#11593410 |
When the vehicle comes to a stop and the auto-engine-start-stop feature is engaged, the vehicle will shift itself into neutral and will not disengage until you shut off the vehicle and turn it back on.
#11586698 |
My fiancé and children were driving our 2020 Honda pilot on May 2, 2024 when she started hearing a clunking noise and the vehicle, lost power as she was driving on interstate 70 she was able to get the vehicle to the side of the road safely, but the Indian was making loud clocking grinding sound with very little power to move This was very unsafe in a scary situation for her and the kids The car is not safe to drive like this
#11568027 |
Since I bought the car in 2019, Movie CD does not work all the time. Fixed once. Automatic emergency breaking. It does not stop. Have taken it to the dealership at least 4 times and they say they are not able to replicate the problem. Set the cruise speed control and it does not work. Currently not working for over a month. The engine transmission does not stop the car and if it does work the car does not stop totally and car jumps 2-3 feet while foot is on brake. Dealership say they can not duplicate the problem.
#11566150 |
Auto high bean is not working and no sign of auto( headlight on with letter A) on dashboard is not show. Trying to reset by holding high beam for 40 seconds still not working ( only blinking once), meaning still not working. That problem had after came back from recall on cracking sound inside speakers. Recently brought the car to Honda Beltsville, MD on January 15, 2024 about when stopping at traffic light when pressed the brakes hard the auto on/off engine is not working. Message on dashboard show that( the auto engine idle stop unavailable ). With my vehicle had 2 problems 1- light is not working on auto high beam and no sign on of auto headlight with letter A showing on dashboard. 2- auto on/off is still not working when stop at traffic light( Auto engine idle stop unavailable) massage on dashboard Please check this out, thank...
#11565882 |
While driving the vehicle, it would randomly lose power. This has occurred 6 times in the last 7 months. All of them at an Interstate. Each occurrence has happened when the vehicle has been driven 2 or more hours. While driving, all of a sudden the gas pedal would not produce any power. IE. Could be driving 70 mph, then all of a sudden the gas pedal would stop responding. Each occurrence, would have to pump the gas pedal (1-3x). Eventually the power would kick on and the vehicle would go, sometimes launch you as if the gas pedal is being ‘floored’. After which, the vehicle drives normal again. However, there’s no certain moment to know when the power would cease. It could happen at any time.
#11556044 |
On four (4) separate incidents, my car has either abruptly stopped running (waiting at a stoplight) or not been able to start. When I push the Engine Start/ Stop button to restart the car, it does not start and several random warning and dashboard lights flash on and off like crazy. These incidents occurred twice before the recall was fixed and twice AFTER the recall was (supposedly) fixed. Please help as I don’t want to be stranded AGAIN! This car is only a few years old. Thank you
#11552299 |
When stopping at a red light, my vehicle completely shut off (engine stopped, all lights went out, radio went blank) for a few seconds. The car turned back on (except for the engine). I was able to restart the engine after about 10 seconds, but I was stuck in the middle of traffic. I disabled the engine idol-stop feature.
#11544319 |
The engine failed to start after being stopped at a red light. I engaged the gas and the entire car just shut down. I was stuck at the light in the middle lane with cars honking all around me. I attempted to put the car in drive, neutral, park and nothing worked. Somehow I was able to restart the car after many cycles of the light. This came out of nowhere; i.e. - it's never happened to me prior and is a HUGE safety issue. After doing some research, it seems this is an issue many Honda owners are complaining about. The incident occurred to me just as many others are detailing the exact same issue. To date, no one has inspected the vehicle but an appointment with the dealership has been made. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to this occurring.
#11541219 |
Honda Auto-Idle Start/Stop system does not restart. Auto-Idle system will engage and sometimes not restart. This happens while at intersections (red lights/stop signs) and in traffic. Vehicle cuts off and can take several minutes to get the vehicle to turn back on. When it happens, it puts my safety at risk, along with any passengers, and any other vehicles nearby that might not notice my vehicle is disabled. Dealer is unable to replicate the issue. Honda America is aware of the issue. First occurrence 9/17/2022. 6/24/2023, 7/19/2023, 8/16/2023, 8/23/2023 all additional occurrences of same issue. Several of these I have video evidence of.
#11540240 |
I was stopped at a stop light with my auto-idle system engaged. When the light turned to green the auto-idle would not disengage leaving me stalled in traffic. When I pressed on the gas I got an error message about the 'anti-collision system' being offline. I had to restart the car to resolve the issue. The dealer/service center states no known issues.
#11540376 |
When auto start/stop feature engages at times vehicle does not restart and will not restart. This has happened 5-6 times in heavy traffic leaving the car dead in the middle of the road until we repeatedly try to reset and restart.
#11539509 |
July 21,2023 Pulled of highway and car went idle at a light car turned off completely and didnt turn on car turned on after 2 minutes. August 13, same situation happened car didnt turn on for 3 minutes. In May car was serviced forr idle recall and I never had this issue until now. The dealer says its a weak battery. But it only happened when it was on idle and not when I turn it on. I had kids in the car and just got off highway. I could have had an accident. The 2nd time it happened it said to put the car in park and restart the car. There were no issues prior to the failure.
#11536661 |
The stop/start function for the engine engaged 3 times now when stopped at a stop sign on a hill incline. When I released the break for the car to start back up, the car went into neutral and shut off. I immediately put my foot back on the break so I did not roll backwards into another vehicle. This has happened 3 times now with near collisions so I am trying to drive with the feature turned off which is an inconvenience to turn it off every time I start the vehicle.
#11530725 |
Car completely shut down while in drive. Towed to dealership where I was told there was a software update that needed to be done. Car working fine now.

Other 2020 HONDA PILOT Problem Areas

Electrical System 194 complaints Unknown Or Other 89 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 34 complaints Power Train 32 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 30 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 26 complaints Service Brakes 22 complaints Fuel System Gasoline 21 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control 19 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 16 complaints Lane Departure Warning 15 complaints Lane Departure Assist 12 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 10 complaints Exterior Lighting 7 complaints Equipmentelectricalinfotainment 6 complaints Steering 6 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 4 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 4 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 4 complaints Structurebody 4 complaints Visibilitywiper 4 complaints Wheels 4 complaints Air Bags 3 complaints Seats 3 complaints Suspension 3 complaints Tires 3 complaints Back Over Prevention 2 complaints Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera 2 complaints Equipment 2 complaints Seat Belts 2 complaints Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel 1 complaint Electrical Systemignition 1 complaint Electrical Systemwiring Rear Compartmenttrunk 1 complaint Engine And Engine Cooling 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Controlcatalytic Convertor 1 complaint Equipmentelectricalradiotape Deckcd Etc 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Sensing System Camera 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinedeliveryfuel Pump 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkageshatchbackliftgatelock 1 complaint Service Brakes Airantilockwheel Speed Sensor 1 complaint Service Brakes Hydraulic 1 complaint Visibility 1 complaint Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevicesexterior 1 complaint Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly 1 complaint
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