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Home›Honda›2016 Honda Pilot› engine problems
Owner complaints · Engine

2016 Honda Pilot engine problems

816 of the 1,709 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Pilot name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 95 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 4 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

816 complaints 48% of this model year’s 5 reports a crash 9 a fire typically at 72k miles

What owners filed about the engine

Source: NHTSA complaint database
816complaints name the engine

5 of the 816 reports a crash · 9 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2015: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2017: 7 · 2018: 19 · 2019: 51 · 2020: 34 · 2021: 68 · 2022: 146 · 2023: 56 · 2024: 148 · 2025: 179 · 2026: 100

72kmiles, typically

Half of the 235 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 41,000 and 106,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

48%of this model year’s complaints

1,709 complaints in all about the 2016 Honda Pilot, 100 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Honda Pilot engine problems, every year on file →

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In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

2016 Honda Pilot A/C grinding noise after activated at cold start after more than 36-48 hours parked. When A/C activated while driving vehicle belt system slips and pulls forward loosing speed.
Engine at 12,000 miles Nov 9, 2018 NHTSA owner report
Keyless start system error - the car won't start and this is the error message that pops up
Engine at 34,333 miles Oct 25, 2018 NHTSA owner report
While driving the car, if I go over certain types of rough road, i.e. Railroad tracks, the engine will stop and the car shut off. It is a momentary, less than 1 sec, shut down. It has happened at least 3 times in the last 6 months. I AM driving 5 MPH or slower as I AM going over a rough bump
Engine at 52,000 miles Jul 25, 2018 NHTSA owner report
Emmission system problems. Dealer say its a " P0430" -powertrain catalyst system efficiency below threshold
Engine at 94,000 miles Mar 8, 2018 NHTSA owner report
On my 2016 Honda Pilot, all the lights come on in the dashboard ex; vsc, check engine, ABS, power steering. Took it to Honda and they performed a software update. Two days later the same problems occurs
Engine at 25,000 miles Jan 17, 2018 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the engine

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recall filed under this heading

NHTSA investigations

95 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading

The 4 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Trouble codes named on this system

P0430 P219A P0087 P0369 P219B P0420 B12C5 P2422

Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Honda Pilot names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.

Other systems with a record on the 2016 Honda Pilot

Source: the same files
From here
Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are engine problems common on the 2016 Honda Pilot?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 816 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (48% of everything owners filed about it), and 95 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 4 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the engine on the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 23V751000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do engine problems show up on the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 72,000 miles; half of them between 41,000 and 106,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?

The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.