On May 1, 2022, While driving on the thruway, numerous alert lights lit up on the dashboard. The engine began to knock and thump and lost power. I coasted through traffic to the side of the thruway and shut the engine off (dangerous). Upon restarting the knocking noise restarted and I shut it down and had it towed to the Honda dealership. Diagnosis: Blown engine. I had the tech disassemble the engine to determine cause, which was identified as the "number 1 connecting rod wore journal on side of crank". Pieces of the engine internals were found in the oil drip pan. Since then, I have read of: Honda is recalling certain 2016-2022 Acura MDX, 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2018-19 Honda Odyssey, 2016 and 2018-19 Honda Pilot, and 2017 and 2019 Honda Ridgeline models. These vehicles all use the same 3.5L engine. My Pilots model was excluded from this recall. In a recent USA today article it was stated that the federal safety agency was investigating years excluded from this recall. The investigation announcement into the 1.4 million vehicles says that the safety administration received 173 complaints from drivers whose cars were not included in the recall.
2017 Honda Pilot engine complaints
Page 7 of 18: complaints 161 to 190 of 491, newest first, as owners wrote them.
engine misfires, rough idling, decreased fuel economy, and a check engine light due to potential clogging or wear within the injectors, sometimes caused by debris from the high-pressure fuel pump
The car engine was revving up intermittently, with rough shifting of gears, poor acceleration and 3 of the dashboard malfunction indicator lights activating - emission system, transmission system, and blind spot information system. Car still at dealer.
At around 134,000 miles our Pilot started making a knocking noise on startup and during acceleration. The check engine light never came on, nor did any other dashboard warnings, and we had not experienced any troubling symptoms prior to this. Our Honda dealership diagnosed the problem as connecting rod failure requiring full engine replacement. Due to the significant cost of a new engine (>$10k) we opted to have a used engine put in ($8k). I contacted Honda corporate to make them aware of our situation since there is a recall for this exact issue on 2016 and 2018 Pilots but not 2017.
Vehicle started making loud banging noises. Took to local independent mechanic. He said the engine rod bearing is bad and vehicle is unsafe to drive and could cause an accident if completely fails while driving. The car is available at my house. Called Honda of Bartlesville when engine light initially came on with code for engine problem and when I showed up, the one I talked to on phone acted like I never called about it then hid in the back room and wouldn't come out. The car was 150 miles from end of warranty. To drive it there it was over warranty, and this was discussed on phone call. The car was inspected by local mechanic. The first sign was around 50K miles and periodically come on. The dealership wouldn't do anything about it and ignored it when I discussed it. Car now has about 100 miles and is sitting in my driveway as I try to figure out what to do with it. The dealership new there were problems and avoided me and from what I am finding out, others. The mechanic had 4 other pilots same model behind his shop & said Honda's aren't what they used to be.
I was driving my 2018 Honda Pilot. Which has less than 80k miles on it. While driving the engine temporarily stopped, then the car felt very sluggish, and every safety light came on. The car is not drivable. I currently have it at a Honda Dealership. They are saying the camshaft and timing belt are part of the problem. They are taking the engine out tomorrow to check. My car is not on the recall list, but I think it should be. It could also be impacted by the latest issues that have been reported. I contacted Honda today, and they said the dealership has to report it. My VIN is [XXX] . The engine stalls repeatedly while driving, luckily there was no accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Honda Pilot 2017 with 67.000 miles started having a tapping noise that grew increasingly worse within days until check engine light came on flashing and vehicle was no longer drivable. Fortunately main issue happened at Walmart parking lot in safe situation. Honda Service Center then recommended tow to their location. The diagnostics report claims the engine failure is due to multiple cylinders failing and tapping noise could be a rod bearing issue that led the engine failure. The engine is a 3.5l V6 installed in Honda between 2016-2020 vehicles currently under investigation by the federal safety agency [XXX] ). The total cost of repair is north of 10k. Estimate attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving with my family in our 2017 Honda pilot On the way to our niece 15th party going about 65MPH all check engine lights turned on and heard a knock on the engine and engine lost power car shut down in the middle of the road almost causing an accident. Attempted to turn car back on but it begin to rattle make all sorts of noises and all the engine lights turned on, at that point I shut the car off and got it towed after waiting on the side of the road for an hour. Had to rent a car and made it extremely late to this event we’ve planned all year. Vehicle has been up-to-date with maintenance all its life. My brother, who is a certified mechanic, determine engine failure due to rod bearings. Vehicle has 112,265 miles. After looking online a lot of people have reported the same issue and there is now an investigation. Now worried about spending all this money on a new engine and the same thing happening again. Not sure what to do family of eight now without a vehicle.
I was told it developed a rod knock at 87500 miles and needed a total engine replacement. This occurred 1 month past my extended warranty period, and I was responsible for the total engine replacement. This was completed 11/04/24 at my mechanic with a cost of over $7000.
Complete engine failure about 2 weeks ago
Engine Failed
On October 24th I was parked at a rest area and started the engine on my 2017 Honda Pilot. When I did I heard a knocking in the engine and the oil light came on. I immediately shut the engine off and checked the oil. I contacted a wrecker and had it towed to the nearest Honda Dealership. I was advised that it’s probably a faulty Rod bearing. I did research and found out there was a recall on the 2016, 2018, 2019 pilots but skipped my year except the 2016 Ridgeline. I contacted Honda Corporate and they stated I had to get a physical inspection done at the Honda dealer again and it might or might not be covered. I did not get a definitive answer. I don’t understand when the 2016 and 2018 have a recall for an issue that occurred on my car, but my car is not included on the recall and I will probably be out a minimum of $10k for a faulty designed engine. Make note my vehicle has only 80k miles
Our vehicle developed an engine knock 1 week after purchase. The mileage on the vehicle is 110,914. We took the vehicle to a certified Honda dealership which has had all maintenance at Honda’s recommended service intervals complete for the entirety of the vehicles life. The problem was reproduced at the dealership and upon further investigation, the tech found connecting rod bearings and main bearing failure. I received an estimate for repairs in total of over $15,400. American Honda is aware of this issue and has remedied it through work found in safety recall 23V‑751. Our specific 2017 model doesn’t fall under the recall, but it has the same symptoms detailed in the recall. American Honda has been contacted for inquiry and vehicle is currently at the dealer awaiting further response.
Transmission dies at 128,00 miles
1. While driving on the highway at approximately 70 MPH, the engine’s crankshaft and connecting rod bearings suffered premature wear, leading to a catastrophic engine seizure. The engine failed while the vehicle was in motion, leaving us in a highly dangerous situation. The odometer reading at failure was 60,764 miles. 2. This mechanical failure put my children’s lives and mine at significant risk. When the engine seized, the vehicle rapidly decelerated without warning, which could have easily resulted in a high-speed collision and potentially fatal consequences. By sheer luck, I was able to navigate across lanes of traffic and pull the car onto the shoulder without incident, narrowly avoiding a serious accident. 3. I authorized a full engine tear-down to pursue goodwill assistance from Honda of America, but despite the clear mechanical failure, my request was ultimately denied. The root cause of the failure was the shredding of the connecting rod and related rod bearing, which led directly to the engine seizing. Despite this, the vehicle is not covered under safety recall report 23V‑751, and Honda of America has refused to offer any goodwill assistance. 4. The vehicle was inspected and diagnosed by a certified Honda dealership, further confirming the severity of the issue. 5. There were no warnings, error messages, or any indication of mechanical problems prior to the engine seizing, leaving no opportunity to take preventive action before the failure occurred. This version highlights the severity of the mechanical failure, the danger to your family, and the steps you have taken to seek assistance, providing a stronger basis for requesting recourse.
Vehicle fails to restart after the auto engine idle stops the car. Looks like this is a known issue but the dealer I bought this car from isn't doing anything to fix it.
While the vehicle was being driven, the engine suffered catastrophic failure putting the driver and nearby motorists lives at risk. Vehicle was taken to Honda dealership for inspection, and it was found that there was a large hole in the bottom of the engine block with one of the pistons poking through the hole.
I am the original owner and have regularly maintained my vehicle. Current miles is around 69k, now needs a new engine. Early engine failure, something about a rod. This is the same problem the 2016, 2018, and 2019 Pilots have been recalled for. Original quote from dealer (Norm Reeves Honda in Vista, CA) to repair was over $10k. I have gotten an offer from Honda America to repair it for $1982 now, but the value may be as low as $11,500 after I pay to repair it. About 2 weeks ago I had a Carmax offer for $19,000. Not sure why the value of the car would drop almost $8,000 after I pay to repair it. I see many people online reporting early engine failure on their 2017 Honda Pilots, too. After we shared on Instagram that we were stranded 700 miles from home (and had to pay for a hotel, two rental cars, and $700 to have the vehicle shipped to our dealer for repair) we have heard personally from other owners who had the same problem with the same car.
After driving for over 30 minutes, mixed highway and road, at a stop light, the autostart failed, engine turned off, and went into neutral, w/ a warning the autostart failed. Put into park and restart engine. Cars honking, got the car started after 30 seconds or so. Did not immediately go into park when pushed!
I was sitting at a red light with my foot on the brake. The Auto Engine Idle Shut Off system was engaged. When the light turned green, I lifted my foot off the brake to start moving an the engine wouldn't turn back on. Instead, the vehicle automatically kicked itself into neutral and displayed a message on the screen telling me that I had to put the car in park when the engine was off. It so happened that a police car was a couple of cars back from me. So I put the car in park, turned on my emergency blinkers, and went to tell the policeman what happened. When I went to show him, I turned the engine on and it started up like normal. It sounds like the Honda Pilot Auto Engine Idle Shut Off is a dangerous and defective feature that can leave a person getting rear-ended or stranded.
Our 2017 Honda Pilot (VIN# [XXX] ) was affected by Honda's recall to correct the vehicle stalling out at a stop, and having difficulty re-starting the engine. We had the recommended action performed at our dealer to update the engine software, which appeared to adjust the idle upwards. Since then, our vehicle has stalled less than before, but continues to have the same problem. In July 2024, our Honda Pilot stalled at a stop sign near Paris, KY and would not re-start for about 1 minute - we had traffic behind us which was upset that we couldn't quickly re-start the vehicle. I informed the service rep at Gary Smith Honda that we had a recurrence of the problem and was told that if the vehicle was failing intermittently that the dealer could not troubleshoot the problem until the vehicle failed at a regular interval. Today, [XXX], the vehicle stalled again at a red light in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and would not re-start for 90-120 seconds in heavy traffic, causing a safety issue. Eventually, the vehicle re-started. Honda's recommended fix for this problem has had some positive impact, but has not fully corrected the problem. My family is at risk as long as this problem reoccurs and we need a permanent solution, not the existing temporary, partial solution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine spun connecting rod bearing on Cylinder 1 just as described in TSB 23-097. Car shutoff going highway speeds on the interstate. The car is currently at the honda dealer getting an engine replacement. Honda OEM certified powertrain warranty will only put a used engine with potentially the same issue in the vehicle Check engine light, and transmission problem lights all came on. Engine initially reported a misfire and transmission complained of not enough torque coming from the engine.
The auto idle stop feature restart did not work properly and instead the car froze in stop and go traffic on a freeway. Not only did the restart, not work properly in addition the car's electronics froze with multiple error messages on the dashboard coming up. I had to turn the car off by pressing the engine start/stop button, waiting and then restarting it like normal.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a pinging noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine rod bearings were failing and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Emissions system error
My engine seized up and needs to be replaced. There was no warning lights on, no check engine lights, no sounds coming from the engine. It wasn’t overheating. It just suddenly stopped working. It’s been properly maintained & now I have to replace it. There was metal shavings in the oil and I noticed how there were issues with the bearings on the 2016, 2018 & 2019. It’s just fishy that the problem was fixed for one year but then was an issue again for the next 2 years again.
Rod bearing failure, engine replacement required. Recall for 2016, 2018, 2019 Pilots for same issue.
The vehicle was driven from my house with a plan to reach destination about 30 miles away. 1st half was on back roads, the 2nd half was on highway. Once the vehicle reached the highway, the pilot started to overrev, loud bang, a bit of smoke from hood. Vehicle was pulled over on closest shoulder which was the left shoulder on highway. I had my 2 twin 4 year olds in the car and had to call someone to come get us safely off the highway with cars passing at high rates of speed while shuffling car seats and children off the highway. I then had it towed to a honda service center. They tried to crank the engine over and couldn't and stated it was seized. Since I was out of warranty by time and mileage (6.5 years and 61K miles), they wanted to charge me $1K for diagnostics and provided the quote for a used and new engine. Since they didn't diagnose first, I had it towed to another mechanic and he took the bottom splash guards off and there was oil all over and a hole in the lower engine block, which appeared to be caused by a broken rod.
Twice in the past week my 2017 Honda pilot equipped with the auto start/stop feature completely shuts off at traffic lights. Usually it turns back on but it completely shut down and would not restart at very busy intersections. I was very afraid of being rear ended while i was stuck there at the light, and this is a known issue that Honda has yet to address.
After owning 2017 pilot (brand new) for 3 to 4 years, started experiencing intermittent stalling at stops when auto idle engaged. Similar to many other complaints, car would stall out, entering into an accessory mode. At times takes several attempts to restart the car. Have replaced battery and had the software update related to the issue done at the dealer. However, the issue persists and we now much remember to turn off the auto idle feature every time we start the car, or else we will end up stalled after a stop - usually creating a very dangerous situation and infuriating the drivers around us.
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