2013 Honda Pilot problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (41) · Engine (37) · Structure:body (36)
🧭 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
201 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
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 2018-01-09 · 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.
Engine 2013-08-27 · campaign 13V382000 · 270 vehicles
Defect: Honda is recalling certain model year 2013 Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles and certain model year 2013 Odyssey vehicles. During manufacturing of the engine piston, it is possible that the heat treatment process was not properly applied, resulting in the piston having an insufficient hardness level, making it more susceptible to premature wear.
Risk: A worn piston may suddenly fail, causing the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine short block free of charge. The recall began on September 16, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's recall numbers are JB4 (Honda Odyssey) and JB5 (Honda Pilot).
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.
Service bulletins (89)
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.
Engine 2026-02-01 · A26-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. this can set dtcs p0301 no. 1 cylinder misfire detected, p0302 no. 2 cylinder misfire detected, p0303 no. 3 cylinder
Engine 2025-08-29 · A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the piston ring function deteriorates due to ring wear and sticking from sludge. oil from the crankcase adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. this can set dtcs p0301 no. 1 cylinder misfire detected, p0302 no. 2 cylinder misfire detected, p0303 no. 3 cyli
Engine 2025-07-29 · ONL6Z6072025 · Other
owner notification letter - the piston ring function can deteriorate due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. this can set dtcs p0301 no. 1 cylinder misfire detected, p0302 no. 2 cylinder misfire detected, p0303 no.
Engine 2025-07-18 · A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. this can set dtcs p0301 no. 1 cylinder misfire detected, p0302 no. 2 cylinder misfire detected, p0303 no. 3 cylinder
Engine 2025-06-17 · AEBM06172025901 · Other
dealer message - piston ring effectiveness may be reduced due to excessive wear and oil sludge build-up, which can cause oil to adhere to the spark plug, potentially leading to carbon fouling and misfire triggering dtcs p0301 through p0304 and cause the mil to come on.
Engine 2025-06-17 · A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - the piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire.
Showing the 6 most recent of 89 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Engine“i am submitting this formal written complaint concerning honda's refusal to reimburse me for a piston-ring-related engine failure in my 2013 honda pilot. i purchased the vehicle used from a honda dealership in august 2016. in august 2026, at approximately 155,000 miles, the original engine failed. the authorized honda dealership confirmed that the …”
2026-08-25 · Engine“diagnosed by cma honda dealership - need piston ring replacement due to the ongoing issue and service bulletin sb-10099310-9340. this was under 8 year warranty from date of purchase, but this just started happening at 155k miles and in 2026. i purchased this in 2016. although it is out of the extended warranty timeframe, it is still an ongoing issu…”
2026-06-29 · Unknown Or Other“recalls without notification; 1) engine- recurring problem piston seal leak - continual replacement of coils & spark plugs. engine light on vtm-4, traction bar symbol on, engine missing. [xxx] 2025: [xxx] ][xxx] oil change 7 days later wrench & engine light gone [xxx] * 2 days later it came on again. i let it sit for a 1½ days, and the sway light …”
2026-06-21 · Structure:body“the factory clear coat and paint on the roof of this 2013 honda pilot are delaminating and peeling away from the metal. the failure began about 1.5 years ago and continues to spread; in places it has now progressed through the paint to bare metal that is corroding and rusting. the vertical body panels remain glossy and intact while the entire horiz…”
2026-05-26 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“had a car accident and hit a sand barrel at about 40 miles an hour without the airbags didn’t deploy. the grill and bumper were damaged with impact.…”
2026-05-17 · Power Train“multiple mechanics have told me it’s spark plugs and piston ring and issues. i constantly get my oils changed when i’m at 10% and never let it run out of gas. constantly babied this thing. it only has 145k miles on it. had 111k when i bought it in 2022! i barely put miles on this and the fuel consumption and engine are now causing issues. even …”
2026-05-02 · Exterior Lighting“brake lights did not appear to be working while car suddenly slowed.…”
2026-01-26 · Air Bags“the car was inspected by the authorized dealer, but it is still on the list.…”
2026-01-10 · Service Brakes“repeatedly there has been a cylinder 1 misfire causing the check engine light to activate. the vehicle starts to shake and idling is rough. it has happened repeatedly over the past 3-4 years. in 2025 it happened in august, october and december despite repeated maintenance. error codes that have popped up due to the issue primarily include cylinde…”
2025-08-23 · Air Bags“• the side airbags on the passenger side, extending from the front passenger seat to the back, deployed without cause. the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. • the airbags deployed while driving, forcing us to pull over immediately in an unsafe location on a very busy road with two young kids. my son was sitting on tue passenger sid…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.