KnownCarProblems2013 Honda Pilot Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Honda Pilot, most often about the engine (31% of complaints, typically around 5,000 miles). It is 11th of 24 Pilot model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2013 Honda Pilot problems
Engine
84 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles.
Sometimes when starting out and making left or right hand turn after being stopped at a stop light or stop sign, the engine will hesitate and bog down for a few seconds before it "kicks in" and then there is a "surge of power". This is very annoying at the least and also very dangerous as one could easily get…
Intermittently when starting to drive after being stopped at light or stop sign the engine will hesitate and bog down for a few seconds before it "kicks in" and then there is a "surge of power". This is very annoying and also very dangerous as someone could easily get rear-ended or worse yet get caught in the…
Transmission
54 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 3,000 miles.
The vehicle starts to shudder and vibrate at various speeds. You must slow down or speed up to get it to stop vibrating. We bought this Honda Pilot because we drive on a lot of slick roads. I feel this makes it very unsafe for my family. Along with being unsafe, it is very annoying and with it being a new vehicle, we…
My daughter was backing out of the garage onto a sloped driveway, applied the brake, shifted into park gear selector, exited auto to retrieve something from garage. Noticed the car rolling , attempted to get in the car, as her two children were in the rear (ages 6 &9).car rolled over her leg, resulting in major…
Body and structure
47 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, interior panels, frame and members.
Paint chipping from roof of car. You can see the gray primer. Honda refuses to acknowledge problem. Said my car has too many miles. It has 60,000. It is well taken care of.
The paint on my white 2013 Honda Pilot began to fail in 2017. The paint has failed and was literally peeling off in sheets between the windshield and moonroof. It's very clear this is a manufacturing issue since there are thousands of white Honda vehicles experiencing paint failure.
Brakes
42 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 25,500 miles. Parts named most often: power assist, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
After only 25000 miles, when braking, steering wheel vibrates excessively. Stopping vehicle from higher speeds dangerous as car steering becomes unsteady. Diagnosed warped front rotors. Normal city driving. Replaced rotors and pads. Vibration is now gone.
Premature wearing of the front brakes and rotors. Pulling, vibrating, difficulty stopping started early and increased over time. Purchased the car april 2013. Replacements done october 2014 at 24,800 miles. Honda would not reimburse US for the repairs
Other or unspecified
35 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 57,500 miles.
When driving on the highway between the speed of 60-80 MPH, the steering wheel shakes very noticeably making it very uncomfortable to drive with the vibration. I have had tires replaced and the wheels rebalanced and nothing seems to fix the problem. I have been dealing with this for months and no service station is…
The paint on top of Pilot just above the windshield and before the sunroof is peeling. I've seen lots of owners having the same problem. I noticed this when I washed the Pilot and saw the paint has bubbles and had chipped already. I have been driving it and noticed there is now a big part of the paint the peeled away.
Air bags
18 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles.
The contact owned a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle struck a deer. The contact stated that only the passenger's side air bag deployed. The local police department had the contact drive the vehicle to a rest area. A police report was filed. No injuries were…
The SRS modual is defective so I have non working air bags and the left seat belt is defective. Honda says the will fix the seat belt bot not the SRS modual.
Speed control
16 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Shortly after acquiring my new Pilot in february of this year I had and incident whereby at a low speed I lost all control of speed and the car began to slow down. Pressing the accelerator did nothing and the car behind me nearly hit me. It troubled me, but thought is was just something odd.. Until it happened again…
Accelerator pedal is depressed and there is no response from the motor for almost 2 seconds. This happens at slow speeds and also when slowing down on the freeway ( slow driver ahead ) then pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor to pass and again, no response from the motor for several seconds. This is very…
Suspension
13 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 9,500 miles.
This vehicle has had a rattling/scraping sound when going over rough pavement going from the right side of the dash through the right door and down the right side to the back. It occurs in all temperatures and despite the dealer regluing the floor and removing 5 lbs of air from the tires, the noise continues. The…
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that there was a constant grinding and rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer more than five times. The technician inspected and test drove the vehicle but was unable to diagnose the failure. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Honda Pilot recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are f5f and q5e.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 acura tsx, 2011-2014 tsx sport wagon, 2010-2013 zdx, 2008-2012 honda accord, 2010-2011 accord crosstour, 2006-2011 civic and civic hybrid, 2008-2010 civic gx ngv, 2012-2015 crosstour, 2007-2011 cr-v, 2009-2013 fit, 2014 fit EV, 2010-2014 insight, and 2009-2015 pilot vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began july 5, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are m4o, p4r, t4q, and w4p.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 acura tsx, 2011-2013 tsx sport wagon, and 2010-2012 zdx and 2008-2012 honda accord, 2010-2011 accord crosstour, 2006-2011 civic, civic hybrid and civic ngv, 2012-2014 crosstour, 2007-2011 cr-v, 2009-2013 fit, 2010-2013 insight, and 2009-2015 pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began november 6, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are m2j and s2k.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2014 honda insight and acura tsx and tsx wagon, 2014-2015 honda crosstour and pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 honda fcx clarity and fit EV vehicles in florida, hawaii, puerto rico, texas, alabama, georgia, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, california, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan) and the u.s. Virgin islands. Honda is also recalling certain 2011-2013 acura tsx, tsx wagon and zdx, honda crosstour, insight, fit and pilot vehicles, 2011-2012 honda accord and 2011 honda civic ngv, civic, civic hybrid and cr-v vehicles in arizona, arkansas, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia and west virginia. Lastly, honda is recalling ce
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began february 16, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are b0k and l0j.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 acura tsx, zdx, honda accord crosstour, fit, insight and pilot vehicles, 2011-13 acura tsx sportswagon, 2010-2012 honda accord,, 2010-2011 honda civic, civic ngv, civic hybrid and cr-v vehicles and 2013 honda fcx clarity and fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, honda is recalling certain 2010-2012 acura tsx, honda accord, accord crosstour, fit and pilot, 2010-2011 honda civic, civic ngv, civic hybrid and cr-v, and 2010 acura zdx and honda insight vehicles ever registered in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri,
Engine
Risk: A worn piston may suddenly fail, causing the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine short block free of charge. The recall began on september 16, 2013. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's recall numbers are jb4 (honda odyssey) and jb5 (honda pilot).
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2013 pilot 2wd and 4WD vehicles and certain model year 2013 odyssey vehicles. During manufacturing of the engine piston, it is possible that the heat treatment process was not properly applied, resulting in the piston having an insufficient hardness level, making it more susceptible to premature wear.
Air bags
Risk: The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on march 14, 2013. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 pilot and 2011-2013 odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from march 13, 2008, through december 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2013 Honda Pilot
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Honda Pilot?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (84 complaints, typically around 5,000 miles); transmission (54 complaints, typically around 3,000 miles); body and structure (47 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Honda Pilot have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 27, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Honda Pilot?
- It is 11th of 24 Pilot model years by number of complaints, with 271 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.