2012 Honda Pilot problems and complaints
Owners have filed 171 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Honda Pilot. The most-reported areas: Engine (35), Service Brakes (28), Electrical System (22).
Key takeaways
- 171 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 17 involve a crash, 3 a fire, 19 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 35 | 20% |
| Service Brakes | 28 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 22 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 20 | 12% |
| Power Train | 20 | 12% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 10% |
| Suspension | 14 | 8% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 11 | 6% |
| Steering | 11 | 6% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 10 | 6% |
| Unknown Or Other | 9 | 5% |
| Structure | 8 | 5% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Honda Pilot SUV 4WD | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| 2012 Honda Pilot SUV FWD | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Unknown Or Other - filed 2026-08-27
I own a 2012 Honda Pilot Touring equipped with the factory navigation system. The navigation system clock recently developed a problem where the time displays as 0:00 and does not operate normally. I attempted the available clock-setting procedures through the navigation system. I was temporarily able to set the corre...
Electrical System,engine,fuel/Propulsion System - filed 2026-04-12
On April 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her Honda Pilot at about 5:10PM. At about 7:03PM, my wife and I were sitting outside and heard a loud POP, it sounded like a car backfiring. I went to investigate and saw a little smoke and a small orange glowing piece of something on the ground under the veh...
Air Bags - filed 2026-03-16
One day my pilot 2012 suddenly started turning on and off the passenger airbag then out of the blue the airbag system light when on. Scanned it an it reads the passenger weight sensor is not communicating the part is no longer available to purchase and it is in backorder with date of delivery to be determined. Car is n...
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More for the 2012 Honda Pilot
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.