2021 Honda Pilot Fuel System Problems

23 owners have reported fuel & propulsion system problems with the 2021 Honda Pilot to NHTSA — 5% of all 446 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 54,000 miles. That ranks #6 of 23 Pilot model years for fuel system complaints (a typical year has 10). One related recall has been issued.

23complaints
54ktypical miles
1related recalls
1crashes
1fires
1injuries

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

my vehicle had died on the road, i had it towed to the local independent shop that does most of my repairs needed on our vehicles, it was diagnosed with a fuel pump issue, the shop checked for recalls on our 2021 Honda pilot and showed no recalls, i had them replace the fuel pump and repaired the issue, i kept possession of the old fuel pump and when i got the car home and started looking into the issues we were having, i found that there was a fuel pump recall on certain 2021 Honda pilots but our vin # was not listed in that recall, i searched the NHTSA web site and found the recall report on the fuel pumps that were affected and showed all the part numbers associated with that recall, (part 573 safety recall report 23V-858) the fuel pump that was in our Honda had one of the recalled fuel pumps in it,(part #17708-Tz5-A11-M1). …

54,000 miles · Jan 2025

2021 Honda Pilot is subject to "rapid acceleration". We had no notification of this issue until the vehicle drove itself into our home on its own causing damage to the car and our home. Only after we did some research did we know Honda had this issue.

Oct 2023 · crash · 1 injury

Vehicle spontaneously caught fire. There were no known/indicated issues with the vehicle. Vehicle was eventually extinguished by the fire dept. It took them 45 mins to render it extinguished. Vehicle was parked in my driveway at the time of the incident.

Sep 2024 · fire

The reason we took our Honda in to the Honda retailer to begin with is because the car kept alerting a message of an "emissions systems failure." We took it in and found out that we had 3 recalls on our Honda Pilot. They fixed one recall but stated that they "needed parts" for the other recalls. It has been one month and after continuous follow ups they continue to tell us that they still haven't gotten the parts and are behind in service. This is unacceptable. The retailer believed that we were receiving the "emissions system failure" error message is because of a fuse. They replaced the fuse but the message returned several days later. …

Jul 2023

I believe I have a fuel pump issue. My car has stalled on multiple occasions while trying to pull out of my driveway. There is at least a quarter tank of gas. I have had to get gas in a gas can and add it to the tank and then it would start. I now make sure I always have at least a half a tank of gas. On three separate occasions when the auto idle stop turns the car off at a light, the car does not restart when the brake is released and it slips the car into neutral (very dangerous at an intersection) There was a recall on Pilots Fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Fuel pump Recall date 2023-12-17 Recall no. …

Jan 2026

After driving the vehicle for a few hours during a very cold day, as we got off an exit ramp. We then turned onto the next road in our travels and the check engine light went off and blinked. The vehicle went into limp mode. Pulled the vehicle over, turn the car off and then back on and everything worked just fine. Had an oil change already scheduled for 2 days later. Brought the vehicle in for it oil change and we told the Honda Mechanic (dealership) what just happened. His response was: That is a common honda problem. "You did what we would have told you to do. Turn the car off and then back on. When the engine compartment gets really warm when driving for long periods of time with the cold weather, something tells it to misfire and throws a check engine code. We tell people to do what you did and turn the car off and then back on". …

Jan 2026

On two occasions my car has stalled out and would not start. The engine turns over but it seems to not be getting fuel. There is still a quarter of a tank of gas in the car. After adding additional fuel and clearing the code P0087. The car runs. I brought the car to the dealership but they said there were no codes and there is nothing they can do. There are recalls for fuel related problems on Honda Pilots 2015-2020 this was issued 12/17/2023. There was a more recent recall on Honda Pilots 2022-2025 for fuel related problems on 1/22/2025. My Pilot is a 2021 the only Pilot not recalled in the past 10 years for fuel related issues. Please recall the 2021 Pilot. I tried reaching out to American Honda and they were no help. They told me they do the recalls and to reach out to you. Please help I am afraid the car will stall out at high speeds and cause harm to me and my family

Dec 2024

While driving with my family in my 2021 Pilot on the interstate at 75mph, I felt a shudder while in traffic. Fortunately, I signaled to get over and cars around me responded, because the check engine light flashed on and off and the car shut off. We had enough time to roll to the side of the interstate safely because drivers around me were aware and considerate. The car would not restart so we had to tow it. The Pilot has been evaluated by an independent mechanic who says that a failure in the high pressure fuel pump caused oil to dilute gasoline. A full engine replacement is required. There was no prior warning of this issue. American Honda has been contacted for potential support. Early stage of that, but dealing with them has, so far, been great.

Sep 2026

When driving the my 2021 Honda Pilot and I stop, the vehicle goes into idle engine automatically. There are have been numerous incidents when I lift my foot off the break, the engine does not turn back on. The vehicle is in drive and starts to beep and flash to put in park, shut off and restart. Obviously, this is extremely dangerous since it has occurred in the middle of traffic and in stop and go traffic on the highway. It puts the passengers in my vehicle at risk as well as other cars on the road. There are no warning signs or lights. My dealer has been made aware of the "idle stop" feature not working correctly.

Sep 2024

My vehicle has failed to restart several times with the auto idle start feature enabled while stopped at a stoplight. I was in a turning lane the first time it happened, so other vehicles had to make a left hand turn from a lane that was meant to go straight to get around me. The starter has not been inspected There weren't warning lamps prior to the auto start feature not working. When the car would not turn back on. I had to put the car in park, turn off "Accesory mode", turn the car back on, and put the car back in drive. There have been several other instances the car has hesitated to restart, but it does.

Dec 2025

Related recalls

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 23V-858 · Dec 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles

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.

Fuel System complaints in other Pilot years

’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’261618763514101613561911421251985423105715
Fuel System complaints per model year, Honda Pilot.

Frequently asked questions

How common are fuel system problems on the 2021 Honda Pilot?

NHTSA has 23 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2021 Honda Pilot, 5% of the model year's 446 complaints.

Is there a recall for 2021 Honda Pilot fuel system problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-858 (fuel pump, Dec 18, 2023). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2021 Honda Pilot fuel system problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury to fuel & propulsion system 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.