2018 Honda Pilot Engine Problems
Owners have filed 157 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2018 Honda Pilot, 36% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,873 miles. The words owners use most often: “idle stop” (12% of reports).
- 157engine complaints
- 80,873median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 43%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Idle stop: mentioned in 19 of 157 complaints (12%)
- Put park: mentioned in 16 of 157 complaints (10%)
- Auto start: mentioned in 14 of 157 complaints (9%)
- Restart engine: mentioned in 11 of 157 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 19 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 157 complaints, 1 a fire.
Honda Pilot engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Pilot | 33 | 16% | 4,298 |
| 2024 Pilot | 11 | 9% | — |
| 2023 Pilot | 13 | 9% | 36,000 |
| 2022 Pilot | 34 | 21% | 71,551 |
| 2021 Pilot | 108 | 24% | 30,000 |
| 2020 Pilot | 101 | 21% | 11,650 |
| 2019 Pilot | 235 | 26% | 44,298 |
| 2018 Pilot | 157 | 36% | 80,873 |
| 2017 Pilot | 474 | 51% | 43,434 |
| 2016 Pilot | 771 | 45% | 61,700 |
| 2015 Pilot | 22 | 20% | 51,000 |
| 2014 Pilot | 31 | 27% | 27,000 |
| 2013 Pilot | 79 | 29% | 5,500 |
| 2012 Pilot | 35 | 20% | 22,650 |
| 2011 Pilot | 31 | 11% | 66,924 |
| 2010 Pilot | 28 | 25% | 87,500 |
| 2009 Pilot | 35 | 26% | 104,500 |
| 2008 Pilot | 10 | 8% | 99,889 |
| 2007 Pilot | 14 | 7% | 133,532 |
| 2006 Pilot | 22 | 8% | 112,000 |
| 2005 Pilot | 48 | 7% | 107,000 |
| 2004 Pilot | 22 | 4% | 106,650 |
| 2003 Pilot | 25 | 3% | 145,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanical
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
Risk: A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura MDX and Honda Pilot vehicles and 2019 Acura RLX, RLX Sport Hybrid, TLX and Honda Odyssey and Ridgeline vehicles. The timing belt teeth may separate from the belt.
Risk: Teeth separation from the timing belt may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any affected timing belt free of charge. Vehicles receiving a replacement timing belt will also have the engine inspected and any damaged components will be replaced for free. The recall began June 7, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is L4M. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is Z4L.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owned a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was knocking very loudly, and the vehicle lost driving power. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired.
The vehicle started to make some strange noises coming from the engine area. I brought the vehicle to our mechanic, who stated that the engine needs to be replaced. He described the problem as an issue with the piston that is appearing to be common with the shut off system, causing it in this…
When I press down on the gas, the car is delayed in responding. This has gotten increasingly worse, at times resulting in near collisions with on-coming traffic. I've reported this to my local dealership (Priority Honda in Chesapeake, Virginia) but they continue to tell me there are no diagnostic…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Honda Pilots have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 157 owner complaints about engine for the 2018 Honda Pilot (36% of the 440 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Honda Pilot engine?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list engine. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 80,873 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2018 Honda Pilot?
The most frequent phrase is “idle stop”, in 19 of 157 complaints, followed by “put park” (16).
Other 2018 Honda Pilot problems
See all 2018 Honda Pilot problems or engine problems across all Pilot years.