Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated with the RPM elevated beyond 5,000 RPM. The contact had taken his foot of the accelerator pedal; however, the unintended acceleration persisted, and the vehicle reached 40 MPH without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
When I was parking my Honda Pilot 2019, the car suddenly accelerated on its own without pushing the gas pedal and hit the wall of a building. This accident caused head, neck and back injury for myself. FYI, there was not any warning lamps or messages or other symptoms. I have also reported this incident to American Honda Motor but no one has inspected my car yet.
My 2019 Honda Pilot is repeatedly having problems, when the vehicle is started and running, first thing in the morning. There is hard jerking when the vehicle is shifting on low speed (ex: from first to second to third gear). This happens repeatedly in the morning start, then doesn't occur again on that day. It reoccurs again, the next day. Have taken the vehicle to the Dealer Service, they notice the issue but are unable to find the root cause. There is no Error Code generated. I find the same issue is being faced many other Honda Pilot owners, refer the link [redacted] . There was an earlier TSB [redacted] and [redacted], but that is only applicable up to 2017 models. Need a resolution from Honda, as this is not only a nagging unresolved problem, but also a potential safety hazard. Details on this issue for the vehicle, can be found from Honda of Gainesville, Florida. Thanks
Often times when accelerating the car has issues and will sometimes feel like it is dropping down a shift while I am in the middle of accelerating. Also, if Idle stop is left on, the car will sometimes shut off completely before turning back on. Yesterday, the car shut off completely then turned back on but I could not get it out of neutral. when I tried to shut the car off nothing would happen and when I tried to put it in park to then try and shut the car off still nothing happened. Finally, after a few minutes it turned off and I was able to start it back up and put it in drive. This is while I was coming off of the interstate and going into a round about. I only stopped for a second to merge onto the roundabout so this was a potentially dangerous situation.
3 episodes of unexpected and sudden braking for no reason. Twice on Sept 13 when ACC was in use and set at 70 mph the car hard-braked and dropped to 40-42mph rapidly, then it stopped braking and I was able to use the accelerator again- the braking lasted perhaps 10-15 seconds. The third episode was on Oct. 13 and the ACC was not on. I was driving manually at 55 mph and again the car suddenly braked and dropped to the same 40-42 range- maybe 5-10 seconds before the accelerator started to work again. There was no reason for the barking, no warning notices on the dashboard. Thank goodness there was no-one close behind me on any of these occasions, because the drop in speed was fast and hard.
While driving, the vehicle occasionally experiences a momentary loss of power, reacting as if the engine turned off. Power is restored after a few seconds, no longer than 10. The loss of power places everyone in the vehicle in danger, as well as surrounding vehicles. This is especially true when it occurs at interstate highway speeds, as it has done in the past. I called the dealership (Johnson Honda of Stuart FL - [phone]) and they said there was nothing they could do because there is no active recall associated with this vehicle. There were no symptoms prior to the failures. The failure has occurred approximately 6-8 times over the past couple of years.
Since we purchased the vehicle back in 2019, the truck would stall and want to shut off during driving on and off. We received the recall information back in August and were told to call and make an appointment to service the recall. Back in August they said they didn't have enough parts in stock to service the recall and they would call me when more parts became available. Now we are in December and the truck is getting worse and we have not received any information regarding service to it. We have two young children in the car with us daily and are afraid that something might go wrong with the car.
My rear camera does not work in my car. I received a recall notice regarding this. It was unable to be completed because my Infotainment system is completely non functional at this point. This is an on going issue that I have had with this car almost immediately after purchase. My speedometer also disappears while driving... the screen goes completely black and I have no idea how fast I'm going. It happens numerous times a week at this point.
On several occasions my 2019 Honda Pilot Touring AWD with Idle start/stop will not restart when the idle start/stop kicks in. At a stop light several times when I come to a stop and the engine will turn off and not restart when the idle start/stop engages. Very dangerous and a clear safety issue that Honda needs to rectify asap. I have read many others with the same issue occurring. Honda, please step up and do the right thing!
failed torque converter/software results in car surging during moderate acceleration. This is unsafe when vehicle will not accelerate properly under load. The problem was repaired by the dealer who indicated this issue to be a widespread problem with this car. There were no warning messages.
Acceleration complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2019 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2019 Honda Pilot, 3% of the model year's 918 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2019 Honda Pilot acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2019 Honda Pilot, though it has 13 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 2019 Honda Pilot acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 93% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 3 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.