Honda Pilot Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 182 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Honda Pilot across 22 model years. The 2003 model year has the most (32). The words owners use most often: “low beam” (23% of reports).
- 182exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 40%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.
- Low beam: mentioned in 41 of 182 complaints (23%)
- High beams: mentioned in 25 of 182 complaints (14%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 95 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 182 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 5 a fire, 2 an injury.
Honda Pilot exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Pilot | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2024 Pilot | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Pilot | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Pilot | 4 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Pilot | 7 | 1% | 7,000 |
| 2019 Pilot | 9 | 1% | 3,058 |
| 2018 Pilot | 3 | 1% | 7,000 |
| 2017 Pilot | 10 | 1% | 35 |
| 2016 Pilot | 14 | 1% | 10,100 |
| 2015 Pilot | 4 | 4% | 125,500 |
| 2014 Pilot | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2013 Pilot | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2012 Pilot | 1 | 1% | 13,000 |
| 2011 Pilot | 3 | 1% | 30,500 |
| 2010 Pilot | 1 | 1% | 112,000 |
| 2009 Pilot | 1 | 1% | 68,957 |
| 2008 Pilot | 9 | 7% | 82,000 |
| 2007 Pilot | 17 | 8% | 84,550 |
| 2006 Pilot | 14 | 5% | 130,000 |
| 2005 Pilot | 30 | 4% | 132,000 |
| 2004 Pilot | 12 | 2% | 130,000 |
| 2003 Pilot | 32 | 4% | 104,950 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Exterior lighting:headlights:switch
Model years: 2003, 2004, 2005
Problem: Honda is recalling certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v; model year 2003 through 2005 pilot; and model year 2002 and 2003 civic vehicles. In march 2012, honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v and certain model year 2003 pilot vehicles. In august 2012, honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 820,789 vehicles including certain model year 2004 and 2005 pilots and model year 2002 and 2003 civics. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,375,217. Due to tension from the combination switch wiring harness, wear on the surface of the electrical terminal can occur, yielding copper oxide, which increases electrical resistance. Increased electrical resistance may cause the terminal ends to melt within the wiring harness connector.
Risk: If the terminal ends melt within the wiring harness connector, the low beam headlights may become inoperative, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the low beam terminal harness or replace the lighting switch as necessary, free of charge. The original recall began in april 2012. Owners of vehicles involved in the september 2012 expansion will be notified in september 2012. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
when driving our 2023 honda pilot we stopped at traffic light the car shut off would not restart our front doors would open and close our back doors would not operate back tale gate door would not operate we had no4 way blinkers no lights totally dead auto. we were in middle of four lanes bumper to…
Brake lights did not appear to be working while car suddenly slowed.
There is an electrical malfunction which causes all of the electrical components to flash on/off, glitch. This has occured while driving but primarily when the vehicle is parked and unattended. Iâm afraid it can short and cause a fire. The vehicle will turn istelf on and off repeatedly and…
LIGHTING--DTR warning light stays on an they don't work but then I was pulled over 1 morning on the way to work because the both taillights stopped working. Checked everything no idea what it could be but the wiring. Because if you piggy back off a hot wire they will work. SUSPENSION-- there is a…
2014 Honda pilot touring--ENGINE-is running through oil faster than it should. The spark plugs/coil packs have all been replaced now. Starting with 1 an 3.I was driving down the road and it started stalling out while I was in traffic about 8 mo.ago . The vehicle didn't want to go anywhere an when…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Honda Pilots have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 182 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the Honda Pilot. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Honda Pilot exterior lighting?
Yes: 1 safety recall list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Honda Pilot?
The most frequent phrase is “low beam”, in 41 of 182 complaints, followed by “high beams” (25).
Other Honda Pilot problems
- Engine problems (2,344)
- Electrical System problems (2,055)
- Power Train problems (1,327)
- Air Bags problems (733)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (631)
- Service Brakes problems (533)
- Forward Collision Avoidance problems (511)
- Structure problems (417)
See all Honda Pilot problems.