Honda over-the-air update 79EA-0028-121
What it saysOver The Air - This update contains various performance enhancements and UI improvements. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Honda filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Feb 10, 2026, received Mar 3, 2026, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: A30149. It names 3 model years (2023–2025). An over-the-air update is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Get the next Honda Pilot bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationOver The Air - This update contains various performance enhancements and UI improvements.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A30149 | Over-the-air update | Feb 10, 2026 | 11029291 | PDF, 36 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Honda bulletins for the Pilot
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Honda files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 484 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 73 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH in the rain, the Honda emblem became wet, and the driver assist features stopped working properly. The message displayed was sensor obstructed which may affect some of the driver assist features. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed.
2025 Honda Pilot · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 11, 2025 · ODI 11641971
I purchased my 2023 Honda Pilot on April 7, 2023. I had to wait for it to come in which happened roughly 2 weeks later. Within a month or so of having the vehicle while sitting at a traffic light I got 2 warning lights.
2023 Honda Pilot · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 11, 2023 · ODI 11559436
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group31 other manufacturer communications filed against the Honda Pilot under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Honda list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| A26-030 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | Service Bulletin - The driver-information interface may display a warning message when a malfunction in the Auto Idle Stop System is detecte… |
| A24-061 | Service bulletin | Nov 7, 2025 | Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct positi… |
| ATI&10032025903 | Other | Oct 4, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Pilots with a customer complaint of a no auto re-st… |
| A25-073 | Service bulletin | Aug 13, 2025 | Service Bulletin - When the vehicle is put into reverse, the rear camera may display a black and white image. This could occur intermittentl… |
| ATI&08072025902 | Other | Aug 7, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2022-2025 Passport Blacks, TrailSports & 2019-2022 Pilots wit… |
| ATI&04152025902 | Other | Apr 15, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and Pilots with a customer complaint… |
| ATI&04012025904 | Other | Apr 1, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and Pilots with a customer complaint… |
| ATI&03032025903 | Other | Mar 4, 2025 | Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2025 Civics, CR-Vs and Pilots with a customer complaint… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Honda, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Honda 79EA-0028-121 a recall?
No. A over-the-air update is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 79EA-0028-121 repair free?
A over-the-air update is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does 79EA-0028-121 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2025 Honda Pilot, 2024 Honda Pilot, 2023 Honda Pilot. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.