2016 Honda Pilot recalls, problems & safety ratings
NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2016 Honda Pilot and 1,716 owner complaints. The most-reported problem areas are engine (774), electrical system (580), unknown or other (292). It earned a 5-star overall NHTSA safety rating. EPA-rated fuel economy is 21–23 mpg combined, depending on engine.
The 2016 has the most owner complaints of any Pilot model year from 2012 to 2025. It has 8 recalls vs. an average of 6.8 per model year.
Recalls 8
Every recall NHTSA lists for the 2016 Honda Pilot. Not every recall applies to every vehicle, so check your VIN. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
Structure · frame and members
Problem: American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Risk: Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
Fuel system, gasoline · delivery · fuel pump
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Engine and engine cooling · engine · hard parts internal/mechanical
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Structure · body · hood
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.
Risk: A hood that opens while driving can obstruct the driver's view and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.
Fuel system, gasoline · storage
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and AWD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that may leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KE8.
Fuel system, gasoline · storage · tank assembly
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).
Electrical system · instrument cluster/panel
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".
Risk: If a safety system cannot immediately warn the driver when needed, the driver may be at increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV7.
Seat belts · rear/other
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to June 5, 2015. Due to an assembly issue, the third row seatbelt may be trapped between the rear seat and the rear sideliner.
Risk: If the third row seatbelt is trapped, the occupants may not be restrained properly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the rear third row seat belt, free of charge. The recall began on August 6, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-310-783-2000. Honda's number for this recall is JS7.
Common problems
From complaints owners filed with NHTSA. Complaints aren't verified, but patterns across hundreds of owners point to known weak spots.
Most-reported problem areas
By the numbers
Recent owner reports
An airbag warning light recently appeared in our 2016 Honda Pilot. Believing it might be a faulty sensor, we scheduled a service appointment with our local Honda dealership. During the inspection, we were advised that the airbag was not properly seated and requires replacement. This vehicle has not been involved in any recent accident or other event that would explain why the…
Driving home late Tuesday night October 13, 2026 the car made a severe noise, pulled to side of the road turned car off. The car would not start, the car was towed the next day to the Honda Dealership it was bought from. The car had just been in the Honda shop for routine maintenance. There was no warning lights. The safety concerns being on the side of a busy road. My wife and…
I was driving and all of my dashboard lights lit up like a Christmas tree and i was unable to move the car safely without great difficulty in traffic during rush-hour with my children in the car the fuel pump went out was what i was told by Honda and there was a recall for this for several model years but not mine I only had 98,998 miles on the car and it should be covered by t…
Safety ratings
2016 Honda Pilot SUV AWD
2016 Honda Pilot SUV FWD
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for common configurations of the 2016 Honda Pilot.
Pilot 2WD
Auto (S9) · 6 cyl · 3.5 L
Regular
Pilot 2WD
Auto 6-spd · 6 cyl · 3.5 L
Regular
Pilot 4WD
Auto (S9) · 6 cyl · 3.5 L
Regular
Pilot 4WD
Auto 6-spd · 6 cyl · 3.5 L
Regular
Other model years
Questions
How many recalls does the 2016 Honda Pilot have?
NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2016 Honda Pilot, most recently for structure · frame and members (06/04/2026). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Enter your VIN to check whether a recall applies to your vehicle.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Honda Pilot?
Based on 1,716 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported areas are engine (774), electrical system (580), unknown or other (292).
Is the 2016 Honda Pilot safe?
The 2016 Honda Pilot earned a 5-star overall rating in NHTSA's 5-star safety ratings.
Is the 2016 a good year for the Honda Pilot?
The 2016 has the most owner complaints of any Pilot model year from 2012 to 2025. It has 8 recalls vs. an average of 6.8 per model year.
What gas mileage does the 2016 Honda Pilot get?
EPA ratings for the 2016 Honda Pilot range from 21 to 23 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain.
Own a 2016 Honda Pilot in South Carolina?
Our mobile mechanics diagnose and fix the problems above at your home, office or fleet lot in Lexington, Columbia and the Midlands, with dealer-grade scan tools.
Related vehicles
Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings APIs; EPA fueleconomy.gov. Data retrieved October 21, 2026. NHTSA model names used: PILOT, Pilot.