AI Damage2023 Honda Pilot: common problems
Owners of the 2023 Honda Pilot filed 146 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and electrical system. The maker issued 90 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 146
- involving a crash
- 3
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 90
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 23% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 19% of all complaints
- 3 Forward collision avoidance 14% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 9% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 7% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 34 complaints (23% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Electrical system: 28 complaints (19% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 29.
- Forward collision avoidance: 20 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 19 complaints (13% of all).
- Service brakes: 17 complaints (12% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 10-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 146 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 28 | 1 | 29 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Engine | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Visibility | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| Seats | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 26 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Air bags | 4 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
i was involved in a fairly significant accident at 55mph and another vehicle pulled out in front of us. Our Honda pilot had significant front and side damage on passenger side and not air bags deployed at all. This is and was alarming to us.
With my foot over the brake, as there were children in the area from a car that had parked to the right of mine, my car suddenly surged forward at a high rate of speed. It ultimately crashed into the 3-foot safety wall with tension wires of the parking garage.
It does not register passenger is seating in the seat, when seat belt connected it confuses system and throws lights and alarms intermittently. This effects the SRS as is a distraction to the driver and could potentially confuse SRS into malfunctioning in an accident.
The second row, passenger side seat has faulty seatbelt alarms. When someone is sitting in the seat with a seatbelt on the alert, continually dings. The inaccurate and continuous alarms create a severe driver distraction while driving!
Within 1 year of purchase, the seat belt sensor on the 2nd row passenger side began malfunctioning. My child who sat in the seat was properly buckled, but the sensor would intermittently indicate the child was unbuckled. This was repaired in October 2024 under warranty.
On two separate occasions while the vehicle was being driven, the vehicle experienced multiple system warnings and a significant loss of steering assistance. The first incident occurred before July 16, 2026, at approximately 40,605 miles.
Suddenly warning lights on the dash lit up and steering became difficult. Three separate information warnings: Lane Keeping assist problem, electric power steering problem, adaptive cruise control problem. I was able to continue to drive the 3 miles to work.
There was a severe knocking sound and the dealer diagnosed heavy scoring and abnormal wear present on the front bank cylinder walls. The result was excessive internal engine clearance and cylinder wall damage. Engine cylinder piston block holes were worn beyond spec.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 437 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Pilot has 560 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 146, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Forward collision avoidance. Radar and camera: calibration after bumper or windshield replacement.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Service Bulletin - The driver-information interface may display a warning message when a malfunction in…
Service Bulletin - The driver-information interface may display a warning message when a malfunction in the Auto Idle Stop System is detected due to possible insufficient wire length at the Battery Management System…
- Over The Air - This update contains various performance enhancements and UI improvements
- Service Bulletin - The seat belt reminder incorrectly indicates that the second-row right passenger seat…
Service Bulletin - The seat belt reminder incorrectly indicates that the second-row right passenger seat belt is unfastened even after the passenger has fastened it.
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may or may not restart the engine. To better…
- Service Bulletin - Customers have experienced rattle or vibration noise coming from behind the center…
Service Bulletin - Customers have experienced rattle or vibration noise coming from behind the center display area of the dashboard while defrost is on high fan speed due to vent duct parts moving and contacting each…
- Service Bulletin - When the vehicle is put into reverse, the rear camera may display a black and white image
This could occur intermittently, and can change between color display to a black and white display.
- "Service Bulletin - Burning oil smell from under hood and/or MIL comes on with DTC P2096 and/or P2270 due…
"Service Bulletin - Burning oil smell from under hood and/or MIL comes on with DTC P2096 and/or P2270 due to possible porosity in the cylinder head cover bolt hole may cause oil to weep out onto Bank 1 (Rear Cylinder…
- Service Bulletin - Customers are experiencing screeching, squeaking, rubbing, or scraping from the rear…
Service Bulletin - Customers are experiencing screeching, squeaking, rubbing, or scraping from the rear wheel area due to rocks are getting caught between the rear brake disk and splash guard.
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Odysseys, Passports, Pilots, and Ridgelines with a customer complaint of a no auto re-start condition after going into an auto idle stop. The push button ignition may or may not…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of the lower door garnish being visibly loose, deformed, warped or mis-set. Customer may also notice visible gaps between the door surface and…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and Pilots with a customer complaint of a rearview camera inop, the display is on but does not display the rearview camera feed when the vehicle is in reverse. To…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2024 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, or flashing. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect…
NHTSA lists 90 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2023 Honda Pilot?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, electrical system, forward collision avoidance. Total complaints: 146. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (24%), warning lights, check engine (19%), windows, sunroof (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2023 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA lists 90 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2023 Honda Pilot from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2023 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.