The 2023 drew 86 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 122 for a typical Pilot year. It is not picked as a best year: it is named in an open NHTSA investigation.
No Pilot year stands out enough to avoid. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
The software for the electric power steering (EPS) assist may cause the EPS system to enter a failsafe mode, resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
Risk: A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the EPS control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 14, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's numbers for this recall are KQB and TQA. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 11, 2026.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2022-2024 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles.
The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: A brake pedal that shifts out of position can prevent the driver from applying the brakes as intended, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles.
A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
Risk: An engine stall or loss of power can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S,2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles.
The fuel filler neck tube and fuel filler pipe may separate, allowing fuel to leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the fuel filler neck tube and pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is OKM.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Passport and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles.
The driver's seat cushion frame may not have been tightened properly, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: An unsecured driver's seat may not adequately restrain the driver during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Pilot, and 2024 HR-V, Acura Integra and Acura Integra Type S vehicles.
Due to a manufacturing error, the gear box assembly may contain a loose ball bearing, which can result in a loss of steering control or steering lock-up.
Risk: A loss of steering control or steering lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the electric power steering rack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FFX.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Pilot vehicles.
NHTSA listing: PILOT. Honda campaign FFX.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2023 Honda Pilot; 1 is still open. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
No restart after auto start/stop engages
Engineering analysis EA25004Open since Mar 26, 2025
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda… NHTSA's full summary
NHTSA listing: PILOT. Component: Engine and cooling (engine, crank/camshaft position sensor, engine control module (ecu/ECM), software, hard parts internal/mechanical).
Inaccurate rear passenger seat belt warning status
Preliminary evaluation PE25017Closed Oct 23, 2026 (opened Oct 28, 2025)
On October 28, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE25-017 to investigate allegations of inaccurate rear seat belt warning status indicators.
NHTSA listing: PILOT. Component: Seat belts (rear/other, status indicator switch).
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
Owners have filed 151 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Pilot. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Seat belt problems11 · 7%
Hesitation or slow acceleration9 · 6%
Several warning lights at once9 · 6%
Power steering problems or locked steering8 · 5%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages7 · 5%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (13); warnings (5)
Steering19 · 13%
Brakes17 · 11%
Engine13 · 9%
Powertrain10 · 7%
Unknown or other23 · 15%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Honda Pilot recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2023 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Pilot drew the most (206) and the 2023 drew 86.
Owner complaints
2023: 151 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2023: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Honda Pilot
Model year
Recalls
2010
10
2011
11
2012
9
2013
6
2014
3
2015
4
2016
8
2017
4
2018
7
2019
13
2020
11
2021
10
2022
5
2023
6
2024
7
2025
5
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 151 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Honda Pilot, the problems described most are seat belt problems (11), hesitation or slow acceleration (9), and several warning lights coming on at once (9). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2023 Honda Pilot safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2023 Honda Pilot earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2023 Honda Pilot?
Yes. NHTSA has 1 open investigation that names the 2023 Honda Pilot: no restart after auto start/stop engages (EA25004, opened Mar 26, 2025). It has closed 1 other. An investigation is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
How do I check if my Pilot has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: PILOT.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.