Honda preliminary evaluation PE25017
Inaccurate Rear Passenger Seat Belt Warning Status. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the seat belts on 2 model years (2023–2024). Opened Oct 28, 2025 and still open — 11 months so far, against NHTSA’s goal of eight months for a preliminary evaluation. open
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 6 complaints, and multiple Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports alleging inaccurate rear seat belt warning status. These allegations concern both false positive and false negative statuses in model year (MY) 2023-2024 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured by American Honda Motor Co. (Honda). The complaints state that the rear passenger seat belt warning system is displaying inaccurate information to the driver for both second and third row seating positions. This can lead to the driver dismissing warnings regarding rear seat belt status. The inaccurate information can also cause the driver to believe rear occupants are buckled when they are not. This reliance on false information presents concerns for the safety of children and child seats located in the rear rows, especially in the third row where the buckled status is more difficult for the driver to visually confirm. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to determine the scope and severity of the potential problem and to fully assess the potential safety-related issues. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one is open. Nothing is owed on the vehicle today; if it becomes a recall, owners are written to and the repair is free. The moment to know is the day the campaign number appears — Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, or take a free one-line alert by model year.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themA vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE25017 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one has not produced one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is PE25017 still open?
Yes, as of NHTSA’s latest file: opened Oct 28, 2025, 11 months ago.
Which vehicles does PE25017 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 2 model years: 2024 Honda Pilot, 2023 Honda Pilot. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.