2012 Honda Pilot problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (18) · Engine (17) · Air Bags (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Pilot model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
127 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (9)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-06-27 · campaign 19V502000 · 9,555 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to p
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-05-16 · campaign 19V378000 · 19,138 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-09-27 · campaign 18V661000 · 1,355,406 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Honda is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Acura TSX, TSX Wagon and ZDX, Honda
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-04-26 · campaign 18V268000 · 1,335 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-01-09 · campaign 18V042000 · 691,726 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Sai
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are B0K and L0J.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-08-31 · campaign 17V545000 · 3,257 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement air bag inflators.
Risk: In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal air bag inflator may deploy the air bag improperly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are O07, Y0A, N06, G05, M04, Y01, and O09.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-01-10 · campaign 17V030000 · 977,708 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Sa
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KE1 and KE2.
Air Bags 2013-01-18 · campaign 13V016000 · 748,481 vehicles
Defect: Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Risk: The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly 2012-02-17 · campaign 12V063000 · 8,709 vehicles
Defect: HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 PILOT AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. THE VENT SHUT FLOAT (VSF) VALVE CASE IN THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY DOES NOT MEET THE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS.
Risk: AS A RESULT, FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE TANK, INCREASING THE RISK OF FIRE.
Fix: HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VSF ASSEMBLY DATE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 13, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009.
Service bulletins (62)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2022-07-19 · A13-082 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - american honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, soto et al.v. american honda motor co., inc., case no. 3:12-cv-1377-si (n.d. cal.). the piston rings on certain cylinders may rotate and align, which can lead to
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2021-01-23 · A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - there are several a/c leak detection tools available. -refrigerant gas leak detector -ultrasonic leak detector -leak dye"
Equipment 2020-05-12 · APP05122020 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - the may episode of tech2tech is now posted. we've got some valuable information for you, so check it out! this month we're featuring "replacing that leaky front rocker arm oil control valve."
Air Bags 2020-03-10 · A20-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - this bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. american honda is offering a customer support program (warranty extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement front passenger's airbag inflator only.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-03-05 · A20-023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the front rocker arm oil control valve is leaking.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-08-13 · 19-003-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
warranty extension: customer support program for front passenger's airbag inflator for 2010-12 accord and other listed years and models (expires september 30, 2028)
Showing the 6 most recent of 62 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-22 · Structure:body“my honda pilot is losing paint all over the body.it's everywhere these days. my honda pilot is losing paint all over the body.…”
2026-08-27 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2012 honda pilot touring equipped with the factory navigation system. the navigation system clock recently developed a problem where the time displays as 0:00 and does not operate normally. i attempted the available clock-setting procedures through the navigation system. i was temporarily able to set the correct time, but after exiting the…”
2026-04-12 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“on april 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her honda pilot at about 5:10pm. at about 7:03pm, my wife and i were sitting outside and heard a loud pop, it sounded like a car backfiring. i went to investigate and saw a little smoke and a small orange glowing piece of something on the ground under the vehicle towards the front of the …”
2026-03-16 · Air Bags“one day my pilot 2012 suddenly started turning on and off the passenger airbag then out of the blue the airbag system light when on. scanned it an it reads the passenger weight sensor is not communicating the part is no longer available to purchase and it is in backorder with date of delivery to be determined. car is not safe to operate and honda i…”
2026-02-18 · Power Train“the check transmission light comes and goes. ive had the transmission flushed with no issues. it pulls codes for the torque converter as its supposedly getting stuck per mechanic or is over heating and throwing the code. it does not drive rough and i believe it is a faulty code that needs to be addressed and updated and cleared. ive had it cleared …”
2026-01-05 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 140,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 honda pilot. the contact then discovered a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 67,450. the contact stated that at the time of retrieving a carfax report, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,000.…”
2025-11-24 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 204,943 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 honda pilot. after contacting the seller on facebook market place the contact purchased the vehicle and later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the odometer mileage reading was 94,397. after obtaining a vehicle carfax, the mileage li…”
2025-11-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my 2012 honda pilot is experiencing the same engine defect that honda acknowledged in later model years (2013–2015) and issued recalls/extended warranty coverage for. the defect involves the variable cylinder management (vcm) system causing excessive oil consumption, spark plug fouling, cylinder misfire, rough idle, fuel odor, and drivability issue…”
2025-04-17 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer“odometer fraud. the contact has never owned or purchased these vehicles. the vehicles never purchased in any type of sale. the contact stated that the state of new york has asked for additional paper for the vehicle's registration. the vehicle was not a private sale or dealer sale but illegitimately obtained. the contact has received a letter from …”
2025-04-15 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 240,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 honda pilot. the contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 112,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 240,000.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.