The Honda Pilot has been one of the market’s most trustworthy three-row midsize SUVs for several years. This SUV serves families well with reliability and quality, but it’s not without its own package of issues. With that in mind, let’s dig into the three most common Honda Pilot problems owners have faced over the years this SUV has been in the market.

Most common Honda Pilot problems

The latest version of this midsize SUV takes things to a new level with the off-road TrailSport version. If you’re looking at a previous model year, you’ll want to know some of the issues you might face with this Honda three-row SUV.

The three most common Honda Pilot problems reported and collected by RepairPal are:

• Warped front brake rotors may cause a vibration when braking – reported by 529 owners
• Overheated wire harness may cause low-beams to fail – reported by 187 owners
• Map light does not turn on when the opening door – reported by 125 owners

The popularity of the Honda Pilot should put these issues into perspective. Overall, the Honda Pilot reliability scores should be fairly high; but we’ll get into that later.

Here’s the fix for vibrating brakes

If the front brakes on your Honda Pilot vibrate, the rotors could be warped. When this happens, the brake rotors must be machined or replaced to correct the issue. Typically, when the brake rotors are replaced, the brake pads also need to be replaced. This problem typically occurs after 47,000 miles.

Low-beam headlight failure is one of the most common Honda Pilot problems

You’ve got a dangerous situation when the low-beam headlights don’t work. This issue can be caused by an overheated wire in the headlight harness. When this happens, owners will need to replace the combination light/turn signal switch connector. This issue typically appears after 137,000 miles of driving.

Why won’t the map light come on?

If the map light doesn’t turn on when the Honda Pilot’s door is opened, it could mean your Pilot has a faulty door switch. Replacing this switch will fix this problem. This problem usually appears after 97,000 miles in Pilot models.

Is the Honda Pilot a reliable midsize SUV?

The Honda Pilot receives a reliability score of 3.5 out of 5.0 from RepairPal. This places the Pilot 13th out of 26 models for the midsize SUV class. This ranking is based on three factors which are:

• Cost – The Honda Pilot’s average annual repair and maintenance costs are $542 compared to $573 for midsize SUVs
• Frequency – Pilot owners bring their vehicles to the repair shop for unscheduled repairs 0.51 times per year compared to 0.4 for the class.
• Severity – The probability of severe repairs for the Honda Pilot is 13% compared to 12% for midsize SUVs

Is the Honda Pilot a good midsize SUV?

The 2023 Honda Pilot brings a new generation of this SUV to the market. This vehicle includes a refined powertrain, callable off-road TrailSport trim, three rows of seats, and a strong powertrain. These improvements make the new Pilot more rugged and desirable than previous models.

The drawbacks to this new Pilot include the low city fuel mileage numbers and small entry-level infotainment display. This SUV ranks in the middle of the class with RepairPal, which could turn some consumers toward higher-ranked midsize SUVs.

Next, check out the Pilot’s sporty driving dynamics, or learn more about the 2023 Honda Pilot in this video below: