Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 15-60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, and the vehicle started jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
1) Engine failure - Several times our 2016 Touring has stalled at a stoplight. It takes time to start back up. I have to turn on hazard light, and it is getting worse every occurrence. This has happened since I bought new, and when it happens, all of the lights come up on the dash. There is a investigation in the state of California, but nothing in Ohio yet. 2) I just had to replace my drive shaft that goes from from to back on center bottom of the car. They said the rear is failing, and that may be part of the problem with sluggish acceleration. 3) Transmission: Sluggish acceleration is this ZF 9 speed (outsourced) by Honda issue. I will be accelerating on the freeway, and all of the sudden, it would down shift to like second gear, causing me to slow down suddenly. Dangerous if cars are behind in rush hour. …
Engine failure while on highway traffic in construction zone caused engine shut off, losing power steering and odd braking. I was driving on a split 4 lane highway (2 lanes each direction), with a large ditch median between the directional lanes. My direction had construction cones for several miles limiting traffic to 1 lane, still at a 65 MPH speed limit with heavy semi traffic. The right lane was closed for construction, so all traffic was lined in left lane, though maintaining the speed limit. A few hundred yards into the construction my check engine light came on, and then after a minute or so it started blinking but there was no place to pull over safely. I reduced speed and semi traffic was lining up behind me. Then the engine and rest of car shut off, losing power steering. …
The 3.5L V6 engine in this vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic internal mechanical failure due to premature connecting rod bearing wear. The engine stalling occurred abruptly while actively driving, which created an immediate safety risk as the vehicle lost propulsion, power steering assistance, and power braking assistance. This forced a dangerous emergency maneuver to navigate through moving traffic to get to the side of the road. Prior to the engine failure, there were no persistent dashboard warning lights or clear messages indicating an imminent mechanical failure. The first distinct symptom was a brief, sudden metallic knocking sound from the engine bay immediately before the vehicle lost all power and stalled. …
The fuel injector failed which cause safety issues such as reduced speed, failing safety issues, and the car is misfiring and not running safely. When driving the car started to misfire and was not running correctly. It then reduced speed and the safety features were disabled. Yes this issue was confirmed by Ken Vance Honda in Eau Claire WI. There was a flashing check engine light, hill start assist problem, emissions system problem, power steering system problem, trailer stability assist problem, and vehicle stability assistance problem lights that came on. This is a known safety issue with 2016 Honda Pilot as Honda America did an extended warranty to cover the expense to replace the injectors. Unfortunately, our car missed the deadline by a few months to get this covered. …
5 times we have experienced P2135 code. 4 times this year, causing the dash warning lights to flash numerous warnings and the vehicle goes into immediate limp mode. Unable to accelerate normally and unable to drive faster than 30-35 mph on the freeway causing us to drive on the shoulder until we are able to safely exit the freeway . This has occurred while on a hill going up to an intersection not allowing me to accelerate to get through intersection safely. Unable to recreate the situation at the dealership, they see the code but unable the diagnose the root cause. We had the throttle body replaced at our expense per dealership recommendation. It reoccured again within 200 hundred miles. Dealership has had it for 2 days and they are unable to reproduce or diagnose the problem.
Several times, while driving on the freeway, I've taken my foot off the accelerator to naturally slow (rather than brake) for traffic in front of me. When I put my foot back onto the accelerator to speed back up, the car actually decelerates before catching with a "clink" noise and then finally accelerates. This has only happened to me while driving at higher speeds (65 mph) on the freeway and is quite a safety issue as those behind me wouldn't necessarily know my car was suddenly decelerating. It is extremely scary when this occurs and has me scared to drive in any middle lanes, in the event I need to get over to an emergency lane suddenly. My car has been to the dealership three times now and they cannot find the root of the problem.
My wife was driving the kids to school, stopped at a busy intersection. The engine idle-stop feature stopped the engine, and when my wife hit the gas, the car wouldn't restart. It required several attempts. This happens sporadically with the car, and it's happened on numerous occasions. Others have reported the same problem on Honda Pilot forums (https://www.piloteers.org/threads/2016-wont-start-after-idle-stop.158131/). The battery was replaced a couple of years ago after the first several times this happened, but both the battery and alternator test healthy. There is clearly a design flaw with this stop/start feature. My wife was left stranded for a few minutes at a busy intersection, with fast-moving cars, with my kids in the car.
In many instances (perhaps 30 in the five years) while driving on the highway I will depress the accelerator to pass a vehicle but instead of accelerating the engine revs drop and the speedometer goes blank. This is very dangerous as you are expecting to accelerate - especially when changing lanes to pass someone - but instead of accelerating the car starts to slow down for a few seconds and then, after the revs drop, they pick up again. I have a video of this but I can't upload it below. Please let me know where to send it. The first time I brought it to a Honda dealer they said they had to remap the "software". The second time they had no idea why it was happening or how to fix it. I would like to get this fixed but am flummoxed.
While driving at freeway speeds of 80 mph, and while passing a vehicle, Engine wants to temporarily slow (like it's dropped a cylinder or two), and the car will NOT speed up. Then engine warning light starts to blink, Emissions Problem light starts to blink, then car downshifts several gears and slows dramatically - or will rev at 4500-5000 rpm. ON THE INTERSTATE! DRAMATICALLY UNSAFE. I've reported this to my dealer, Penske Honda in Carmel, IN - and they can't resolve any issue or see a stupid "error code". This has happened three times in past 3 years. IT"S TERBBYLY UNSAFE. Car goes from 80 to 60 and engine and transmission go on the blank.
Acceleration complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2016 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2016 Honda Pilot, 2% of the model year's 1,716 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2016 Honda Pilot, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Honda Pilot acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 31,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.