2024 Honda Pilot Reliability Report

A wavy, distorted windshield is the main complaint. Drivers describe dizziness, headaches and trouble judging distance. Replacement windshields can show the same rippling, and they have been backordered for weeks. Dealers sometimes resist confirming the defect. Several reports describe the panoramic roof glass shattering at highway speed with a loud pop, like a gunshot. Glass stayed out of the cabin only because the roof shade was closed. One owner says the dealer refused to cover the roof under warranty. A broken moonroof shade that leaves constant glare is also reported.

Second-row belt sensors report a buckled passenger as unbuckled. The result is a constant chime and a dash warning for the whole trip. The middle seat comes up most often, but some cars have it in several second- and third-row seats. Some owners stop using the affected seats, and the driver cannot tell whether passengers are really belted. The fault tends to get worse over time and comes back after repeated dealer repairs. At least one dealer had no replacement part available.

With auto idle-stop on, the car can lose all power at a stop and fail to restart. Drivers are left stranded in intersections, and some cars have been towed. Reports say the problem persists after the related recall repair. Dealers often blame the battery and replace or recharge it without a lasting fix, and the only workaround offered is switching the feature off at every start. Other complaints describe automatic emergency braking on empty roads, and popping and crackling from the speakers starting within a few hundred miles.

The car brakes hard on its own at 40 mph or at highway speed with nothing ahead, which creates a rear-end collision risk. Dealers often cannot reproduce it. Other reports describe sudden warnings for ABS, brake hold and related systems. One crash report involves a stiff brake pedal at about 5 mph that led to two low-speed rear-end impacts, even though the car had passed a brake recall inspection. Adaptive cruise control also brakes aggressively when the car runs slightly over the set speed, especially over hills and downhill.

Phantom braking is the core problem. The collision mitigation system slams on the brakes at 40 to 50 mph on clear roads, sometimes because of strong shadows or a railroad crossing. Some cars come to a full stop in traffic, and drivers have to press the accelerator to override the system. Dealers say they cannot act without a repeatable fault. One report describes a flood of system warnings, a car that would not shut off, and a remote-start fault that locked the owners out.

The lower outer corner of the front doors has a sharp metal edge. Two reports describe deep calf cuts when getting out, one needing 9 stitches and the other 12. Both owners describe it as a design issue that shows up on other examples of this model. Water leaking into the cargo area and spare-tire well after rain or a car wash is also reported, and resealing did not fix it. One owner reports paint bubbling, peeling and cracking, along with a misaligned fender.

There are only two complaints, and they describe different problems. In one, a nearly new car suddenly shows a long series of warnings for brakes, parking brake, stability control and power steering at highway speed, with only 105 miles on it. The other describes very slow acceleration under 20 mph that has led to near misses, and the fuel injector recall and an engine computer update did not fix it.