2020 HONDA PILOT Unknown Or Other Problems
89 NHTSA complaints on file
Unknown Or Other Issues in the 2020 HONDA PILOT
89 unknown or other complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 HONDA PILOT. Of these, 1 involved a crash, 1 involved a fire, and 1 resulted in injury.
89
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Unknown Or Other Complaints
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.
This is about the auto stop/start feature that kicks in when you are stopped in traffic or at a stoplight. The car shuts down and is supposed to restart. Twice now, the car has refused to restart when I took my foot off the break. I had to turn the car off, open the door, and close the door and restart the car. I have no shut off that feature.
My battery died while the vehicle was parked. I needed to physically move the vehicle but could not because the electronic button shifter would not allow me to put the transmission in Neutral. The only way to move it out of Park is a lengthy process requiring tools, engine component removals and a manual shifting of the linkage using a long wrench. My solution, was I had to leave the vehicle unattended, call a friend, get tools and replace the battery while blocking traffic. Safety concerns were that the vehicle was blocking traffic at a business and no documentation by Honda of how to fix or even shift the vehicle into Neutral. Now consider if someone has to try and manually tow the vehicle while in Park! I replaced the battery myself, but this is a well documented issue with electronic shifters, that will never make a dealership or service...
The 'infotainment system; which in includes the navigation system and backup camera and sensors suddenly goes black. I may first get a black screen with "network Communications lost" message, then it goes black or get a message that says "unfortunately, com.honda.tuner has stopped". It started happening after I had to replace the batter. This was the 2nd replacement battery I've had to install. I had the battery replaced in March, 2025 at my honda dealer, and before I even got home I started getting the messages. Sometimes, the infotainment system may come back, other times, it does not come back. If I pull over, shut the car down, wait a few mintues, open the door and then close the door, it may come back when I start the car up again. I took it to the dealer - they could not figure out the problem and said that maybe replacing...
I am the original owner of my Honda Pilot and have always taken the vehicle to Honda dealerships for all scheduled maintenance and service. On [XXX], I noticed the air conditioning was blowing only warm air, with no cold air at all. I scheduled an appointment at Germain Honda in Beavercreek, Ohio, where the vehicle was inspected on July 28, 2025. I was informed that the A/C system had suffered what is often called “A/C black death” and that the entire A/C system would need replacement at a cost of $6,753.93. I was also told that no parts were available and that I would be contacted when they became available. I have not been contacted since. When I asked why this happened, I was told it was rare and that I was just unlucky. However, my own research has shown that many Honda Pilot owners (and likely Ridgeline owners as...
All safety features on the dashboard have lit up all are constantly on. Honda America states no open recall, I see many forums for Honda owners having this issue that also impacts safety
Since purchasing the vehicle there was a leak under the driver's side console after heavy rains. After multiple trips to the dealer they directed us to replace the windshield. We did so (under protest). The leak still existed. The dealership determined that there was a gap at the A pillar. We worry that this is related to the Sturcture recall about missing welds. Honda will not admit to any issue.
complaint of water leak from the front windshield, water leaks into the front floorboard. It is a known 2023 Honda Pilot issue dated 5.18.23, but the 2020 has the same leak
No incident. Turned my car on and the ACC, LKAS, Collision mitigation and brake system lights all are amber.
Crackling sounds coming from the front of the car similar to the original recall in 2020 and the front digital panel is not functioning and shutting down endangering the drive by not displaying information. My recall was cleared but the malfunction seems to have returned.
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.
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.
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...
Every week or two, sometimes multiple times in same week, the 2020 honda pilot would turn on randomly in accessory mode where headlights would come on and/or infotainment/radio would come up, or alarm/horns would go on by themselves. Often in the middle of the night when car was in a garage. Sometimes during the day. New vechicle battery was replaced 2 months earlier. Batterries in key fobs were replace but issue continued. Honda dealership diagnosed it as keyless access unit letting voltage through transistor waking ignition switch and recommended replacement of keyless access unit. 2020 pilot was 4 years old with 55,832 miles. Appears to be a common issue/complaint on online forums with replacement of remote keyless access control unit. Dealership replaced unit 19 days ago.
2020 Honda Pilot with 80000 miles. A car i loved and had for over a year. I was driving from Florida to Texas. Everything was fine when I started. About 600 miles down I was at 70 mph and had to go little faster to overtake a truck because the shoulder was too small and my lane is about merge in to truck lane. There were at-least 10 vehicles behind me. I hit the accelerator pedal all the way until it touched frame but the engine is not at all responding and slowly losing power. The lane I was in was about to merge in to truck lane. I had to hit brakes with vehicles behind me but some how i managed to not get hit by them. It could have gone worse.
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.
The backup camera on my 2020 Honda Pilot shows green and purple blobs on the image. These colors make it very difficult for me to safely use the camera to back up. The guiding lines are hard to see and images of objects or people beside or behind the car are covered by these green and purple colors. This is very dangerous. I have seen online that many others have the same issue. I have completed the recall of the cables to the camera but that did not address this issue. The camera is almost useless now. All other images on the dash screen are fine.
The water is leaking from the Driver- Side rail beween the diver window and from windshield. I took it to Honda dealer they told me windshield issue need to replace it. As recommend i replaced the windshield and the water is pouring from it during the rain. Issue still exist. I reached out several mechnics they told me it is body issue from sun/moon roof.
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.
While stopped at a red traffic light after taking a freeway exit with one foot on the brake, my 2020 Honda Pilot engaged in auto stop (auto idle stop). When the traffic light turned green, I took my foot off of the brake, the vehicle attempted to start but stalled with the electrical components still on (dashboard indicators and ventilation still on). I stepped on the brake and attempted to put the vehicle in park, but noticed the vehicle would not shift out of neutral. I pressed the start/stop button (ignition) and the dashboard indicators flashed but the engine did not start until the second attempt. Somewhere in between, I pressed the emergency lights to indicate to drivers behind me of an issue. About 15-20 seconds had lapsed during my troubleshooting attempt. Prior to this event, there were at least 8 individual events where when the auto start/stop was engaged...
The problem is with the fuel system. My vehicle has stopped in traffic twice already.
My rearview camera guidelines are a mile off. Honda allegedly can't do anything to fix this. This could cause an unnecessary accident or cause a person to hit a pedestrian. Especially when it's as bad as this vehicle is. I'm talking 1.5 feet that's it's wrong.
The recurring malfunctions in my vehicle's front screen system have repeatedly endangered me, especially when it suddenly blacks out while navigating unfamiliar roads or during backing maneuvers. Additionally, the faulty front vehicle sensor has caused my vehicle to halt abruptly, even when no obstacles are present. Despite numerous visits to the dealer, the issues persist, and their repeated requests to bring it in have yielded no solutions. Since purchasing the vehicle new in 2020, these persistent safety concerns have become increasingly dangerous as they are getting worse. I have attempted to contact Honda with no resolution
Windows Down and Sunroof Open randomly if the unlock button on the FOB is pushed too long. This can happen then the FOB is in your pocket. I have found my car with the windows all open. Casuing the possiblity of the car being stolen, or worse this can happen and if it rains it an damage the car. Dealer says this cannot be disabled
Passenger side floor soaked. Dealer said it was a grommet that was missing on ac line and was fixed. However the issue is still happening. Had to replace carpet and most likely will have to again. And the problem is still not fixed.
Transmission was running hot causing the pilot to have a bad "jitter" when driving. The software had to be updated and transition had to be flushed a few times.
NHTSA Recall Number 23V-431 calls for cable connectors to be changed out due to poor connections resulting in the rear view camera image to function intermittingly or not display at all. Per Honda engineering, this repair is not sufficient to fix the issue and the main head unit has to be replaced too. Please include this as a part of this safety recall because of the safety issues it is causing as it relates to driver safety and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111, "Rear Visibility".
The infotainment system that controls all audio and backup cameras to the car has been malfunctioning for years. The problem is the system will shut it self off and remain non functional for long periods of time then will turn itself back on at anytime. The dealer (with aid from Honda Field service tech) have evaluated the car multiple times and addressed the issue. Each time the same issue return. There has been multiple recalls for the issue and they have all been addressed but then the problems always return. While the system is down no audio feature of the car is available such as audible backup warning, audible collision warnings etc.
The adhesive that holds Headliner on this vehicle is causing it to separate from the ceiling and I’m concerned that it will fall and block my view when driving. Can cause a serious accident. We recently had a recall problem with the adhesive on the side view mirrors .
On three separate occasions, after stopping at a traffic light or in a parking lot, I was unable to move my car. The first time, the transmission dropped into neutral and I was unable to get it to any other gear . I had to turn off and restart the car multiple times to get it into gear. I was on a heavily trafficked road with multiple cars behind me at the light. Turned my flashers on and prayed to not get hit. The second time. I was in a parking lot and was leaving. I pulled into a space to look for something and got a message to put the car in park. I was unable to do so. Had to turn off and restart the car twice before It would go into park. I then turned it off and back on and was able to get it into...
The Auto Idle Stop system was engaged at a red light after exiting an expressway. When the light turned green, and I removed my foot from the brake, the transmission moved to neutral, and the engine would not start up again. I was unsuccessful in getting the car to start again by either pushing the start/stop button or adjusting the transmission to park. The battery indicator light was illuminated during this process, but no other errors were displayed. I connected a battery-powered jump starter within 3-5 minutes of the failure, and the vehicle started on the first attempt. The Auto Idle Stop system had worked as expected earlier in the drive and there were no other indications of any issues with the vehicle prior to the incident. My entire family's safety was at serious risk since we were stalled on a busy 6 lane road with no ability to move...
On multiple occasions the FOB randomly locks the car. Last time this happened on this past Friday it was hot outside and I had to frantically break out the window to get my baby out.
Sunroof exploded without warning while driving on the highway at 75mph. The explosion was extremely loud and the scare could have caused me to cause an accident with other cars nearby. I had two little children with me in the car. Vehicle has been sitting at the dealership, with not ETA of part due to backorder.
There is a crackling/popping noise coming through the speakers and then a sudden loud noise and the audio system will shut off. The warning sounds from the safety features also stop working when the loud noise happens. The noise is quite shocking when you are driving. The audio system has to be restarted to work again.
I brought the vehicle in on March 23, 2023, the side view mirror has seemed to shake for some time, we were told we just needed a new mirror and at $400, decided to not immediately repair, approximately 2 weeks later I went to the car wash and the sideview mirror came out and smashed against my window. I am told my vehicle is not part of the recall, but I had mentioned the mirror seeming to be not secure in the past.
From the time we purchased the vehicle, the radio suffered from popping and crackling in the speaker. It was repaired but the problem persisted. Starting this year, the center console that controls the radio as well the back up camera will shut down with the following failure "Network Communication Lost, MOST Net Off". This results in unexpected use of our rear back up camera as well as the additional features the center console provides. In total, Honda has attempted to repair this vehicle 4 times and have not been successful. My concern is if the rear camera fails as I am backing out of a parking spot, I do fear in that moment I could hit another vehicle or pedestrian.
Purchased the vehicle in Salisbury, MD, now live in Hagerstown, MD. Between the dealer purchased from (Pohanka Honda) and the dealer where we live (Hagerstown Honda) I can not get the recall corrected. One dealer tells me to call the other then the other dealer tells me to call the first dealer. I’ve tried and tried to get this resolved with no satisfaction.
My Honda Pilot when in the start/stop idle mode is completely stalling at stop lights. in these cases, I’m having to put the car in park, hit the button to turn it off, turn it back on, which takes up to 30 seconds and then I’m able to put it in drive. I can turn off the automatic idle, but it has to be done every time I get in and turn it on so it’s easy to forget. This is a safety concern for myself, my children, my spouse, and others on the road
My 2020 Honda Pilot Touring was not starting the engine back up after stopping at the traffic light and having the start/stop system stop the engine. I took my car to the dealer, and they disabled the start/stop system. This temporarily resolved the issue. But if a recall is issued for this problem, I’d like to have my start/stop system fixed, since it is part of the emissions system. Thanks, Carlos.
The car was stopped at a light. The idle feature kicked in and when foot off brake to go car stalled and turned off. Almost caused an accident because it was on a road that speed limit is 60 mph. Car behind me didn’t realize I was unable to go and had to quickly swerve. The car would restart for about 3 minutes.
Issue with auto start-stop. Upon being stopped at a light, the auto start did not reengage and upon starting back up again the radio defaulted to an AM station and would not allow us to change anything.
There is a popping and crackling sound that comes from the speakers whether it is on or off. When this occurs the infotainment system, rear entertainment system, and blue tooth stops working. This happens every single time the vehicle is used. This causes distracting driving because the noises happen all of a sudden when driving. Second problem-the car seems to shut off and turn back on by itself after pressing the gas when its on auto idle shut off. For a few seconds when I let go of the brake peddle, instead of turning on from the auto idle shut off it just shuts off, then I press the gas and it turns on. It has done this several times that it is concerning and I fear it can cause an accident if it moves forward when I think it shut off on its own.
Automatic idle engine shut off had been the problem. I will come to a red light or stop sign, the car will do the engine shut off, and it will hesitate to start back up. There have been times that the car has complete shut down and I had to restart it in the middle of traffic. When that happens, it is VERY slow and hesitant to start back up. It is also common for it to restart the car and wipe out the radio and Bluetooth. The radio will turn to static. I have been unable to start my car completely while it has been parked. I have had this looked at multiple time but there is never a solution.
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. I was at an intersection at 10:30pm and it was extremely dangerous as my car would not start and was completely black. I could not even turn on hazards or put the car in nuetral to move out of the way. I had to call 911 and have the police assist. My car was towed to the dealership and I am waiting for an update. This will be the 4th time I have had my vehicle there for service for an electrical issue.
While driving down the highway, we heard a loud, sudden pop and then wind. The sunroof shattered and the cover was closed so all glass ended up on the cover. There were no overpasses above us or vehicles in front of us that could have caused anything to fall on the sunroof. There was nothing other than glass found on the cover and no damage to the top of the vehicle (as if something would have hit the glass and bounced off). The driver was startled and, if the cover had not been closed, the glass would have ended up in the face of our backseat passenger. Prior to this, I had no problems with the sunroof and there had been no prior damage to it. When I took the Pilot in for repair at the Honda service center, I was told that they have heard of a few cases...
I understand there may be an investigation of Honda's stop-start system, the system which is meant to improve fuel economy by shutting the engine off when the vehicle comes to a stop. I experienced this one (1) time while stopping at a traffic light, date unknown. The engine went off, as it was supposed to, but when I took my foot off the brake and pressed on the accelerator nothing happened, the engine had not restarted. I attempted to restart the car by pressing on the start button but since I was in Drive it wouldn't start. I think I tried to shift the transmission into Park (it's been several months since the incident) but I'm not sure if it shifted or not. I turned the car off by pressing the start button, waited briefly and then pressed the start button again to start, which it did. I shifted into...
I can't remember if I reported this already but here goes. My daughter was driving my 2020 Honda Pilot with 41,400 miles on it. She had baby in the back and was in slow traffic in Millsboro Delaware. She thought she smelled something burning. Then she got out of the vehicle, took the baby out and called 911. Fire started coming out of the engine compartment and the vehicle totally burned up.
I have owned the 2020 Honda Pilot Touring since Jan.2020. Up till now, theses similar situations have happened 4-5 times. It always happens when I am gradually slowing down to a complete stop at crossroads. Then suddenly a beep sound appears, then the engine shuts down to only the radio is playing, gear shifts to N by itself and I’m unable to restart the car. After about 1-3 minutes of unable to control the car, sitting in the middle of the Highway, then I was able to shut off the engine completely, then restart the car. When it happens, the dash board would have the battery light on and commend would say “you can not start the engine, shift to Park”, but it was on P, and I couldn’t shut of the engine anyway. It was not controllable. My car drives great normally and no messages would pop up on...
The infotainment screen in the vehicle which includes the backup camera display, navigation, radio, Bluetooth and other important vehicle functions and settings, shuts down and reboots in a continuous loop and sometimes turns off (blank screen) completely. This results in a backup camera function that is no longer useable as the screen does not/cannot display the camera image behind the vehicle. This is an SUV with a large rear blind spot that cannot be viewed simply by turning your head especially if there are short/small objects below the view of the rear glass. The other functions that rely on the screen also do not work and this constant rebooting/flashing is very distracting to the driver. There are also strange noises emanating from the sound system regardless of whether the system is on or off. This appears to be a widespread problem with this vehicle that still does not have a...
My vehicle was recalled twice before 2,500 miles for wiring harness connector issues (snapping, popping, crackling). I was told I could lose visibility with all dash functions, navigation, radio, etc. After the first and second recall service fix I continued to experience the same symptoms. I opened a case with Honda in June, 2021, and notified my local dealer. The Honda case number is 12314702. I have heard nothing from either Honda and my local dealer, and I am concerned nothing is being done on this issue and I will lose visibility of my dash at some point, putting myself and family in danger.
Other 2020 HONDA PILOT Problem Areas
Electrical System
194 complaints
Engine
88 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