The 2016 Honda Pilot is associated with 1688 official NHTSA owner defect complaints and 8 safety recall campaigns in the federal safety database. The most frequently reported component area is Engine, accounting for 434 reports (26% of total complaints). EPA testing covers 4 certified vehicle configurations spanning 3.5l 6-cyl powertrain configurations. Gasoline and hybrid variants deliver 21 to 23 MPG combined.

Key Data Findings
  • NHTSA Owner Complaints: 1688 reports
  • Safety Recall Campaigns: 8 campaigns
  • Top Reported Defect Area: Engine (434 / 26%)
  • Safety Incident Signals: 23 crash / 9 fire / 10 injury reports
  • NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
  • EPA Efficiency: 21–23 MPG (4 variants)
Data Note: Compiled directly from official NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, and EPA FuelEconomy.gov databases.
Fuel Economy
21–23MPG
4 EPA certified variants (3.5l 6-cyl powertrain configurations)
Reported Complaints
1688
1688 submitted owner reports
Safety Recalls
8
8 official NHTSA recalls
NCAP Safety Rating
5 / 5 Stars Overall

What is the fuel economy and range of the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by certified vehicle variant

Variant Engine Drivetrain Transmission City Highway Combined EV Range Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Pilot 2WD 3.5L 6-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S9) 20 MPG 27 MPG 23 MPG $2,650 / yr
Pilot 2WD 3.5L 6-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 6-spd 19 MPG 27 MPG 22 MPG $2,800 / yr
Pilot 4WD 3.5L 6-Cyl All-Wheel Drive Automatic (S9) 19 MPG 26 MPG 22 MPG $2,800 / yr
Pilot 4WD 3.5L 6-Cyl All-Wheel Drive Automatic 6-spd 18 MPG 25 MPG 21 MPG $2,950 / yr
Data Boundary Note: EPA specifications are shown by certified vehicle configuration. NHTSA complaints and recall totals are recorded at the model-year level across all configurations.

What are the crash test safety ratings for the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tested Drivetrain / Cab Variant Overall Rating Frontal Crash Side Crash Rollover Rating Rollover Risk
SUV FWD 17.5%
SUV AWD 16.400000000000002%
Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Optional and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Optional in official NHTSA records for tested 2016 Honda Pilot models.
View complete 2016 Honda Pilot crash test & safety breakdown →

What defect complaints are reported for the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Summary of 1688 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
1688
Crash Reports
23
Fire Reports
9
Complaints w/ Injury
10
Total Injuries
20

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Engine 434 complaints (1 crash)
Electrical System 273 complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 113 complaints (1 crash)
Powertrain 86 complaints (2 crashes)
Fuel & Propulsion System 79 complaints

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2016 Honda Pilot problems & component breakdown (150 categories) →

Are there open safety recalls on the 2016 Honda Pilot?

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #26V365000 Active Recall
Affected Component: STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

Defect Summary: American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
NHTSA Campaign #23V858000 Active Recall
Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Defect Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
NHTSA Campaign #23V751000 Active Recall
Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

Defect Summary: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
View all 2016 Honda Pilot recalls & campaign history (8 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.