Most common 2021 Honda Pilot problems
Share of the 446 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Pilot complaints by model year
Best Pilot years: 2015, 2014, 2012. Years to avoid: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2025, 2021. Compare all years →
2021 Honda Pilot recalls (10)
Suspension › Rear
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…
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
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…
Remedy: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Back over prevention › Display function
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the MOST cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023.
Show 4 more recalls
Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Tires
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain 2021 Pilot vehicles equipped with Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/50R20 102 H tires with DOT serial number A376 D3K9 2920 and mold numbers S-421920 and S-421921. The tires may have been cured for a time beyond the specification limits.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four tires and replace the tires that have the affected DOT serial number and mold number, free of charge. The recall began January 11, 2021.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Pilot, 2019-2020 Odyssey and 2019-2020 Passport vehicles. Incorrect central network software programming may cause several errors to occur that can delay or prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners that updated software is available. Owners have the option to either follow the mailed instructions to download and update the software for free, or visit a dealer to have the software update…
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019-2020 Passport, and 2019-2021 Pilot vehicles. Incorrect instrument panel control module software can cause the instrument panel to not display critical information, such as engine oil pressure, speedometer, and gear selector position until the next…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument panel control module software, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2021 Honda Pilot:
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
On June 3, 2022, the O ce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several eld reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a tra c light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged.
What 2021 Honda Pilot owners say
Electrical system all 135 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle had caught on fire while parked in the driveway. The vehicle was last driven at 12:51 PM in the day; however, at approximately 9:00 PM, after the vehicle had sat for over eight hours, the vehicle suddenly caught on fire. The local fire department responded to the scene and extinguish the fire. The vehicle was inspected and stated that the fire had originated from the battery or an electrical part inside the engine compartment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while at a complete stop with the START/STOP feature activated, the engine shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. After waiting for several minutes, the contact had to perform several procedures to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was initially taken to a dealer where a software update was performed; however, the failure returned weekly. Recently, the contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle after the failure, the vehicle began to jerk while accelerating, with an abnormal tapping sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective engine rod bearing. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the repair could not be warranted. The vehicle was not repaired. …
Driver assistance all 121 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to turn on, causing the vehicle to hit another unoccupied parked vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact stated that the failure recurred while reversing on another occasion, and the vehicle hit another unoccupied parked vehicle. The contact stated that both incidents were fender-benders. There was no injury sustained. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V-431000 (Back Over Prevention) that she related to the failure. The dealer was contacted and an appointment was scheduled for recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. …
On October 18, 2023, at about 11 am, I was approaching to enter our driveway with my foot on the brake system when all of the sudden the car sped up at a very high speed that I was unable to control. The speed was so forceful that the car crashed unto the house resulting in a lot of damage to our house, all this happened in less than one second. I had a next door neighbor in the car with me and thankfully neither of us was hurt, I like to mention at this point that neither air bag deployed to issue protection to us. Of course the safety of both of us was put at risk. We called the insurance with no luck to send an adjuster to inspect the car and/or damage done to the house, so we had to do everything on our own. The car has not been inspected by a representative of the manufacturer nor the police. …
Engine & cooling all 113 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal, loud rattling sound. The contact stated that her husband had noticed that the rattling sound persisted while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that upon opening the hood to inspect the vehicle, the contact noticed that the driver's side engine cooling fan had melted. The contact purchased a new engine cooling fan from O'Reilly Auto Parts, and the vehicle was taken to Four Brothers Auto Services, where the engine cooling fan was replaced. The contact stated that while driving on another occasion, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that while idling in line at the airport Arrival and Pick-Up level, the rattling sound became louder, and the vehicle made an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated that the engine started overheating. …
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while at a complete stop with the START/STOP feature activated, the engine shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. After waiting for several minutes, the contact had to perform several procedures to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was initially taken to a dealer where a software update was performed; however, the failure returned weekly. Recently, the contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle after the failure, the vehicle began to jerk while accelerating, with an abnormal tapping sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective engine rod bearing. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the repair could not be warranted. The vehicle was not repaired. …
2021 Honda Pilot engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 9-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 9-speed automatic | AWD | 19 / 26 / 22 |
EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Honda Pilot a good car?
Based on 446 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2021 Pilot rates avoid: 3.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Pilot at the same age. It is one of the Pilot years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Honda Pilot?
The electrical system — 135 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about starter assembly. Next are the driver assistance (121) and engine & cooling (113).
How many recalls does the 2021 Honda Pilot have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2021 Honda Pilot, the most recent from June 4, 2026 (rear). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Pilot?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2015, 2014 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2025 and 2021. See the full Honda Pilot years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Honda Pilot problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 32,000 miles; 66% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.