Honda Pilot Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 15 to 206 complaints, under twice the 122.5 complaints of a typical Pilot year.
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2018, 2022, and 2023 drew under three quarters of the 122.5 complaints of a typical Pilot year since 2016, but each is named in an open NHTSA investigation.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2016.

Pilot problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Pilot year drew 122.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (81.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (122.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2020 Pilot Most described: infotainment or touchscreen failures	206	497	11
2016 Pilot Most described: stalling or shutting off	186	1,730	8
2019 Pilot Most described: auto start-stop problems	148	929	13
2021 Pilot Most described: auto start-stop problems	141	459	10
2013 Pilot Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	110	273	6
2017 Pilot Most described: stalling or shutting off	104	943	4
2023 Pilot Most described: seat belt problems	86	151	6
2011 Pilot Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	77	293	11
2012 Pilot Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	66	173	9
2022 Pilot Most described: stalling or shutting off	61	175	5
2018 Pilot Most described: stalling or shutting off	50	443	7
2014 Pilot Most described: misfires or rough running	39	116	3
2015 Pilot Most described: misfires or rough running	28	109	4
2010 Pilot Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	15	111	10

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Pilot for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	1	31
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	5	217
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	7	119
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	6	151
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	5	175
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	10	459
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	11	497
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	13	929
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	7	443
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	4	943
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	8	1,730
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	4	109
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	3	116
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	6	273
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	9	173
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	11	293
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	10	111	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2020: 497 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Honda Pilot
Model year	Complaints
2010	111
2011	293
2012	173
2013	273
2014	116
2015	109
2016	1,730
2017	943
2018	443
2019	929
2020	497
2021	459
2022	175
2023	151
2024	119
2025	217
2026	31

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 19 to 23 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2016.

2026: gas 22 mpg

Show as a table

Honda Pilot best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	19
2011	19
2012	20
2013	20
2014	20
2015	20
2016	23
2017	23
2018	23
2019	23
2020	23
2021	23
2022	23
2023	22
2024	22
2025	22
2026	22

Every Pilot year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Honda Pilot years should you avoid?

No Honda Pilot year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 122.5 owner complaints of a typical Pilot year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 15 to 206. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Honda Pilot years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2018, 2022, and 2023 drew under three quarters of the 122.5 complaints of a typical Pilot year since 2016, but each is named in an open NHTSA investigation. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Honda Pilot years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2020 (206) and 2016 (186) drew the most.

Which Honda Pilot years have the most recalls?

The 2019 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (13), then the 2020 (11). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Honda Pilot problems?

In the 6,769 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (997 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2017, and 2019); auto start-stop problems (823 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2017, and 2019); and the engine not starting (570 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2017, and 2019). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Honda Pilot year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.