AutoUtility currently tracks 913 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Honda Pilot. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 418 complaints (45.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 5 cite a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 913 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (418 reports • 45.8% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (264), Fuel & Propulsion System (139)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 9 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
913
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
9
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
5
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
3
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2017 Honda Pilot

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 45.8% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

418 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 3 fire reports
#2 Problem Area 28.9% of complaints

Electrical System

264 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 3 fire reports
#3 Problem Area 15.2% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

139 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#4 Problem Area 13.3% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

121 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#5 Problem Area 6.1% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

56 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Honda Pilot

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 3.5% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

32 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 2.4% of complaints

Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown

22 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Honda Pilot

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759798
Filed: 08/26/2026

"The front camera has been identified as having a malfunction and needing repair. It causes all of the Honda sensors to show error lights. Adaptive Cruise, LKAS system, Lane Departure, and breaking lights all are lit up as errors. The vehicle's built-in safety protocols do not work due to the..."

Incident Date: 07/08/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11758905
Filed: 08/23/2026

"Vehicle stalled twice within a week. All lights on dash showed up. P0087 code. Honda dealer confirmed low fuel pressure pump needed to be replaced. It was happened on 8/13 and again on 8/22/26. Lucky, I was exiting the fwy. Almost lost control of steering wheel."

Incident Date: 08/13/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11758782
Filed: 08/22/2026

"I stopped at a stoplight and when the light turned green I pressed the gas and my car wouldn’t start. It took a few attempts at pressing the start button and putting car in park and my foot on the brake to get it to restart. Afterwards I noticed sometimes an orange light on dash for the Auto Idle..."

Incident Date: 08/21/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758204
Filed: 08/20/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 08/16/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Suspension NHTSA ODI ID: #11758068
Filed: 08/19/2026

"I am writing to request that the NHTSA investigate a potential safety and repair adequacy issue regarding our 2017 Honda Pilot Elite. On June 29, 2026, we brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership for a Rear Subframe Safety Recall. At drop-off, I specifically reported an ongoing..."

Incident Date: 06/29/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Honda Pilot

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Honda Pilot 108 7 4 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Honda Pilot 1688 23 8 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Honda Pilot Current Page 913 9 4 Current
2018 Honda Pilot 436 9 7 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Honda Pilot 886 13 13 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Honda Pilot 480 10 11 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Honda Pilot 423 12 10 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Honda Pilot 147 7 5 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Honda Pilot 134 3 5 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Honda Pilot 109 2 6 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Honda Pilot 190 11 4 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Honda Pilot 0 0 1 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Honda Pilot

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 104 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 248 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 79 0 1 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 78 1 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 71 1 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 66 1 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 51 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 20 0 1 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 19 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 16 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 16 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15 0 1 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 14 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 14 0 1 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 12 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 10 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 10 1 0 3 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 2 0 2 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 9 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 8 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 7 1 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 6 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 0 0 0 0
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 5 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 4 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 4 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 3 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
BACK OVER PREVENTION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
CHILD SEAT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (913). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (4)

2 OPEN 2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE25008
Opened: 2025-08-20 • Currently Active

Engine failure

Affected Component: ENGINE

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline.  The subject engine failures were analyzed as part of a Recall Query (RQ24013).  It was determined that these engine failures are outside the scop...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA25004
Opened: 2025-03-26 • Currently Active

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine wit...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Recall Query (RQ) ODI Action #RQ24013
Opened: 2024-11-08 • Closed: 2025-08-20

Engine failure

Affected Component: ENGINE

On November 8, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ24013 to assess the scope of Honda recall 23V-751 after receiving complaints that alleged connecting rod bearing failures in vehicles that were not within the scope of recall 23V-751. In November 2023, Honda recalled 248,999 various Model Year (MY)2016–2020 Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine. Honda recalled these vehicles due to a cranksh...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE22005
Opened: 2022-06-03 • Closed: 2025-03-26

No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages

Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine wit...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2017 Honda Pilot

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

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