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2017 Honda Pilot: engine knocking or ticking

88 of the 942 complaints about the 2017 Honda Pilot describe engine knocking or ticking.

owner complaints
88
of this car's complaints
9%
typical repair cost reported
$9,978
typical mileage
100,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 51 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine knocking or ticking by model year

What owners say

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Engine · TX

The ''Low Oil Pressure'' light came on with limited driving function. It's been verified by an independent automotive repair that it has a rod knock that's similar to the rod bearing failures from the 2016 Honda Pilots that warranted a recall.

Filed Sep 29, 2026 · Engine · CA

My car starting making ticking noises. The engine oikd light briefly came on while I was driving with my family. It started to get worse so I took it to my mechanic. They discovered that it was a rod bearing failure.

Filed Sep 25, 2026 · Engine · AR

Random complete engine failure while driving due to connecting rod bearings. Mechanic diagnosed and shows damage. Car will not start or run at all.

Filed Sep 21, 2026 · Engine · MO

2017 Honda Pilot 3.5 L V6 170,000 miles has mechanical "knock" noise corresponding to engine RPM at start, idle, and acceleration. Knock comes from engine block and can be heard from top and bottom of the engine bay, louder from underneath, clearly coming from the rear bank of cylinders. Possibly connecting rod bearing failure. General routine maintenance and oil changes have been completed consistently. If the connecting rod bearing were to fail while running, metal fragments would damage and seize the engine. If this would occur while driving, vehicle would unexpectedly lose engine power, crippling other systems like power steering, electrical, and possibly controlled braking. This could result in a serious or even fatal collision. Me and my children rely on this car for our transportation needs and no longer trust its reliability. I'll have the dealership inspect the engine components according the the 2023 recall campaign, even though my specific VIN, model, or year are not included.

Filed Aug 20, 2026 · Engine · TX

The connecting rod on my 2017 Honda Pilot is coming apart and metal is present in the oil. The engine began knocking and progressively got louder. The sound was coming from the bottom of the engine around cylinder 1. We shut the car off and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer service center confirmed that the connecting rod on cylinder 1 was coming apart and found metal in the oil and filter. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. There was a warning lamp that came on saying there was a fuel emission problem. That lamp has come on intermittently since we had recall service done on the transmission 6 weeks ago (June 2026). We did have that looked at, but were told they could not reproduce the issue. A check engine lamp also appeared just after the noise first appeared. I included the dealer repair center diagnosis and estimate of repair. I also included documentation that their records for our maintenance are incorrect. We took immaculate care of that vehicle from the day we purchased it.

Filed Aug 7, 2026 · Engine · 56,908 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the engine made a knocking sound while being started and while driving. The knocking sound became louder while driving to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the timing belt, timing belt tensioner, idler pulley, and water pump, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that the connecting rod bearing had failed and the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25008 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,908.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Engine · WI

2026-08-06 ~7:50AM check engine light came on/flashed while entering freeway, car generally ran as normal though felt as if cylinder was not firing (two weeks prior had regular maintanance and all spark plugs were replaced, assumed this was related to that). Dropped daughter off at camp turned off vehicle. 2026-08-06 ~8:05AM restarted vehicle, check engine light did not come on. Engine ran as normal, proceeded to drive towards dealership. 2026-08-06 ~8:25AM entered freeway, check engine light and many other warnings came on (rolling display of errors), engine limited to low RPMs and ~30MPH. 2026-08-06 ~8:30AM called honda dealership to let them know I was coming in. 2026-08-06 ~8:40AM Service manager utilized OBD port which provided initial code of misfire on cylinder 5. 2026-08-06 Dealership subsequently determined the engine had "spun a rod bearing". Honda recommended service "Replace Short Block"

Filed Jul 20, 2026 · Engine · 92,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while idling at a red light and then attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle shut unexpectedly. The contact was assisted with pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed it with connecting rod bearing failure. The mechanic informed the contact that it was a known issue and that there was a previous recall for the issue. Upon research, the contact became aware of the federal safety agency ID Number: PE25008 (Engine). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed the failure and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer located a used engine, but the vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was informed of the issue and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Transmission · NC

my connecting rod bearing wore are ruined my engine. this is addressed in 23v-751 for 2016, 2018, and 2019 Honda Pilots, but not 2017 for some reason. could you please see why this year is not included on the recall.

Filed Jun 29, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · FL

My son was driving the car and the engine started knocking and engine shut off.

Filed Jun 23, 2026 · Engine · CA

All of a sudden, the car began to make a ticking noise (it sounded like a playing card was in the spoke of a bicycle). I brought the car home and took it to the Honda dealership in Poway, CA. They diagnosed the car with pitting in the rod bearings in cylinder 4. They told us that this can cause engine failure (do not drive the car) and that the engine needed to be replaced. There were no error messages or warning lights. This could have been extremely dangerous for those around us had the engine failed while my daughter and I were driving, or if the car had stopped suddenly. The three options given were to replace the engine with one with 20,000+ more miles than the original engine, replace the short block and associated gaskets with a new one, or $2500 (as-is) for the car. We replaced the short block and associated gaskets at a cost of approximately $ 8,500. As my husband was doing his research, he found that there had been a recall for the 2016 and 2018-2020 Honda Pilots for the same issue. Please be aware that this has happened to our car too, and it is very dangerous and expensive to repair. Honda should be held responsible for ensuring that all Pilot engines are safe and that the defective rods are replaced free of charge to owners under a recall.

Filed Jun 6, 2026 · Engine · FL

There is a loud metallic knocking sound coming from my engine. I have lack of acceleration power, and the check engine light came on. You are more than welcome to come inspect the car. My safety was placed at risk as my engine can blow up, and/or I lose acceleration while driving and cause an accident. The sound is continuous and will be until the Rod Bearing is fixed so it’s easily reproducible. Yes it’s been looked at by a mechanic.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2017 Honda Pilot knocking

Is engine knocking or ticking a common problem on the 2017 Honda Pilot?

88 of 942 owner complaints about the 2017 Honda Pilot (9%) mention engine knocking or ticking. The model year with the most reports is 2016.

How much does it cost to fix engine knocking or ticking on the 2017 Honda Pilot?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $9,978 (median of 11 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2017 Honda Pilot?

There are 0 recalls and 51 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2017 Honda Pilot

Stalling 175Start-stop 99Engine failure 89Check engine light 63Jerking 52Won't start 47Loss of power 39Warning lights 36Fuel pump 33Hesitation 24Collision warning 23Transmission failure 19Adaptive cruise 17Shudder 17Misfire 15Key fob 14Won't shift 13Grinding brakes 12Headlights 12Lane assist 11Sunroof shattered 11Harsh shifting 9Battery drain 8Screen failure 7Slipping 7Sudden acceleration 7Overheating 6Backup camera 5Fire or smoke 5Seat belt 5

All model years of the Honda Pilot

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