2018 HONDA PILOT Complaints

Driver side mirror has been vibrating since my purchase of the vehicle. Today the mirror glass has separated from the mirror housing while driving causing me to lose the ability to use this mirror. There is an open recall for the 2020-2021 production years of this vehicle for this same issue which should be extended to the include the 2016-2019 range as well.

I have taken this vehicle into the Honda dealership on five separate occasions to report a power transfer problem. I first visited the Honda dealership to report this problem on 9/2024. It hasn't been until my most recent visit on 12/18/25, that a customer service representative told me that my vehicle needed a new torque converter. It is available for inspection upon request. The first occasion when the vehicle caused a safety issue, we were preparing to make a left hand turn and the car jerked, the dash lights flashed, and the vehicle completely turned off. This was in the summer of 2024. We have had many smaller incidents leading up to this first occurrence but they haven't resulted in the vehicle completely shutting off. Most of the power transfer problems occur when we first back out of the driveway, put the car into drive, press down on the gas pedal, and there is no propulsion forward. This has occurred on a regular basis since the purchase of the vehicle. After two to three seconds the car jerks forward and then drives. This will also occasionally occur when we are stopped at a stop sign or at a traffic light waiting to propel forward or make a turn. Many of the safety issues occur when trying to make a turn with traffic, and there is no power to propel the vehicle forward. We have been fortunate to have the other vehicles slow to allow the Pilot to pause before moving forward. We now have to ensure there is a large distance before making a turn. We have had the dealership, Continental Honda of Anchorage, reproduce the lag problem, July 2025. Recently, we had a Transmission System Problem warning light come on the vehicle. We have also had a flashing P, R, D indicator light when the vehicle was in those gears. The Transmission System Problem light appeared on December 9th, then it reappeared on the 17th.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-65 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the message "Transmission Systems Failure" was displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, the transmission downshifted unexpectedly, and a short while later shifted to normal drive and operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the torque converter clutch had failed; DTC: P0741. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had become progressively worse and occurred more frequently. The contact related the failure to TSB: 23-078; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Whining noise during acceleration in any gear, gets louder as acceleration advances

The front passenger seatbelt snapped into 2 pieces toward the floor. It is physically impossible for that portion of the seatbelt to get caught in the door that would weaken it. The only people who are in the vehicle since we bought it new from Honda are my wife and I who are both in our 70's. The car is not abused and kids are never in it. This piece of metal should not have snapped and broken into two pieces. Honda told us that it was not under warranty and not their problem. We told them that this was a safety feature that should not have failed within this time period. I also have a 1994 Ford Pickup with the original flimsy seatbelts and they still operate like they were new. We believe that since this is a safety issue, it should have been covered by Honda. We are assuming that it was caused by faulty materials. We still have the broken seatbelt in case anyone wants to inspect it. We had to pay $993.89 to repair it. We are asking for assistance in recovering that cost.

Issue with Power Train caused car to go into limp/survival mode. Dealer found issue with power train sensor Code, error PO 369 CMP Sensor Interruption CMP Sensor Damaged. Mileage on care was 73,048. Had to replace power train at approx $ 3,646.00.

This car has had numerous transmission issues and a documented torque converter failure. Honda extended the warranty for 2018 pilots with these failures but did not include our vin number even though it’s the sane problem. They are refusing to fix it. This is a widespread issue and they are refusing to help us even though there are known manufacturing problems. The dealer hid this problem from us before the sale even though the code was documented in their system in Dec 2024 and we bought in May of 2025 reassured that it was a great car. Dealer refusing to fix it even with these records and hiding this from us and Honda corporate doesn’t care and said they only have to fix the ones that have certain vin numbers even though it’s the same problem and systemic. Rotten crooks endangering our family and ripping us off!

Camera unit failure causing failure of safety systems and resultant safety issues.

While driving, the vehicle just stopped. Tried to navigate to get to side of the road, but ended up stuck in the middle of the lane, in the middle of the road. My pilot also has some sort of lock, so I could not put it in neutral to be pushed out of oncoming traffic. Tried to jump start but the battery was fine. Road side assistance took 3 hours to come and tow us. Once at a dealership, diagnostics was run, starter was checked. But turns out the engine had ceased. The vehicle had randomly not started back up when the eco shut the car off when the brakes were pushed down, but this was extreme! Very dangerous! I regularly change my oil, only use synthetic oil and have my car serviced, fluids topped off. I have been on the wait list for the fuel recall, but Honda on Gilbert, in Gilbert, AZ does not answer calls, call back, or offer rentals for recalls. But this situation was scary and unacceptable. There is other recalls for the 2018 Honda Pilot for engines ceasing up. This is poor workmanship for Honda. Yes, this has been confirmed. My vehicle is currently had Honda Superstition Springs in Mesa, AZ, because I did not trust to go back to Honda Gilbert to timely correct the issues or communicate. Yes, You can inspect the vehicle. Engine ceasing while driving put my self and others at risk. No warnings.

All warning lights triggered on by faulty rear view camera sensor making one unable to discern if there is a true issue with one of the systems