2011 Honda Pilot
The Verdict
The 2011 Honda Pilot has 290 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (113 complaints) and electrical (80 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 44/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Honda Pilot, consider the 2024 model year which has 65% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2024 has 65% fewer complaints
View the 2024 Honda Pilot dashboard →
Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution
About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Get notified if a recall hits this car.
We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2011 Honda Pilot. No spam, no marketing.
Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 183 | 26 | 248 | 77 | 211 |
| 2004 | 184 | 19 | 138 | 67 | 135 |
| 2005 | 165 | 122 | 165 | 94 | 130 |
| 2006 | 99 | 32 | 88 | 37 | 10 |
| 2007 | 78 | 19 | 79 | 25 | 10 |
| 2008 | 52 | 6 | 44 | 20 | 10 |
| 2009 | 44 | 13 | 31 | 39 | 7 |
| 2010 | 34 | 8 | 37 | 28 | 3 |
| 2011 | 113 | 37 | 80 | 44 | 16 |
| 2012 | 43 | 25 | 34 | 55 | 12 |
| 2013 | 91 | 38 | 27 | 89 | 25 |
| 2014 | 51 | 8 | 16 | 36 | 5 |
| 2015 | 42 | 11 | 22 | 28 | 4 |
| 2016 | 264 | 20 | 350 | 907 | 117 |
| 2017 | 141 | 19 | 107 | 550 | 81 |
| 2018 | 89 | 4 | 32 | 244 | 47 |
| 2019 | 218 | 33 | 166 | 370 | 62 |
| 2020 | 125 | 21 | 154 | 137 | 26 |
| 2021 | 161 | 24 | 96 | 105 | 13 |
| 2022 | 58 | 15 | 22 | 26 | 8 |
| 2023 | 66 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 4 |
| 2024 | 59 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 6 |
| 2025 | 72 | 22 | 20 | 29 | 14 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Compare Against
See how the 2011 Honda Pilot stacks up against rivals.
Complaints
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while parked, the front driver-side seat belt retractor failed to retract as intended. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V468000 (Seat Belts). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,775.
On XXX at approximately 6:04 PM, the vehicle was being driven on a highway in [XXX] — after dark, during an active snowstorm, on slick roads, at approximately 40 MPH — when the front passenger-side airbag deployed spontaneously with no collision, no impact, and no warning of any kind. There were no prior warning lamps or symptoms. The deployment cracked the windshield and caused interior damage. The component is available for inspection upon request. This vehicle had the Takata recall performed in 2019. The failure is believed to be related to NHTSA Recall 19V502000 (Honda Recall Nos. F5F/Q5E), covering 2009-2015 Honda Pilots with passenger frontal airbag inflators that may explode due to propellant degradation from humidity and temperature cycling. A spontaneous deployment with no crash is consistent with this defect. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Honda dealership. Technician findings included: blown fuses 9 and 11, diagnostic system crashing repeatedly, complete loss of SRS/ABS/gauge communication, burning smell from the airbag inflator, copious F-CAN malfunction codes, and DTC U0151. Technician concluded: "ADVISE replacing deployed passenger airbag and inflator assembly." The dealership confirmed the component needs replacement but could not determine the cause. A spontaneous airbag deployment at highway speed during a snowstorm with no crash poses extreme risk to the driver and public. This incident warrants investigation to determine whether recall remedy parts from prior Takata campaigns are continuing to fail in other vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 115,776 and at the time of registration. The contact stated the vehicle was currently at 116,187 miles. The contact recently received a Carfax Report and discovered that the mileage was 191,299 on March 22, 2026. The mileage was listed at 115,776.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale from the Facebook Marketplace on 2/25/26. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 144,135. After retrieving a Carfax Report, the contact discovered that the mileage was 204,000. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 35 MPH or lower, there were sounds of an electrical system failure coming from the vehicle. The following morning, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer confirmed that the actual mileage was 204,000. The contact reported the odometer fraud to the DMV, who then informed the contact that the private seller had not transferred the title yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 144,000. Twenty-four hours after the purchase, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had an appraisal on the vehicle, and it was discovered that the mileage on the Title was 204,000.
Unknown
Malfunctioned the brake the pedal and the seatbelt it was on Friday to I was driving after I yield drive there was few cars head of me ON A distance now I am trying to start slowdown early can't find the brake so I press the pedal with force when the pedal reaches to the floor slim stop right behind the car of me I will say 99% inch away to touch the car in front of me and the seatbelt even help me back and the all way have trying to move to other direction on when driving shifting unstable I don't fell save at all when I'm driving that specially driving to work at night for me that car need to have a state inspection and a complete repair before the dealership sold that car to me
The contact’s wife owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the rear window unexpectedly shattered. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 55,653 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 225,000.
Break pedal goes to the floor
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 166,000.
He sold me the Honda 2011 pilot the defective transmission I bought it from the person by marketplace when 1 week ago when I took it to change the transmission oil they told me that the transmission was damaged
I was driving along [XXX] , wheb I came to a stop at the stoplight at the intersection of [XXX] The vehicle shut off and couldn't restart. I had to tow it to a garage where the engine is being repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was hearing clunking in the back and brought it into the shop to get it checked out. I was told the rear subframe broke from being rusted/rotted out. I looked my car up to see if there were any recalls for it and found that there were recalls/buy backs for the same thing for 2003-2008 Honda pilots, 2007-2011 CR-V's and Ridgeline's in cold weather states, but not for my year of pilot even though it is the same issue wrong with the subframe. We tried contacting Honda, but after going back and forth with voice messages they told us there was nothing they can do because our year didn't have the recall. The pictures I uploaded are stills from videos taken. The videos can't be uploaded though this.
The gas tank bands are rusting out, they are about to break causing the gas tank to fall and probably catch fire. The gas tank protector and gas tank guard are also rusted out to the point of falling off and crumbling rust.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the rearview mirror was inoperable. The contact was unable to view objects in the rearview mirror. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rearview mirror had delaminated from the inside and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 246,632.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V573000 (Electrical System) however, neither the VIN nor the year vehicle was included. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 318,000.
Airbag light on.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while in the process of parallel parking, he shifted into drive(D) and slightly depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle accelerated forward unintendedly and hit the rear driver's side fender of another unoccupied parked vehicle. The contact stated his foot was stuck on the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that he had to manually remove his foot from the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to continue driving. An unknown local dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Have a known hacker. They have shown experience on remote hacking using TimeStomping and ECM modifications. I work as an Amazon Delivery driver in Kentucky. My Hackers are my Employer and the Operations Manager. The same hacking to their company vehicles are being done to employees personal vehicles. Forced Limp Mode, Power distribution, Fake sensors malfunctions, and Alarm controls are reoccurring. My entire communications network is compromised. When I called Honda (888) 528-7876) from my Boost Mobile iPhone, the automated system did not recognize my T-Mobile Android phone number that is registered on MyHonda. The person I spoke to asked my name, Vin number, and then asked if the T-Mobile phone number is the one associated with my Honda Pilot. After I mentioned the automated system did not have that number, I was to my number popped up as a caller ID. 2 different phones on 2 different networks acting as one!?!? 05/24/2023 At 11:55 am, I travel from my work to tha gas station. I put air in a tire that seems to leak air sporadically. After about 2 mins, my pilot power systems light turns on. I have already had my battery and systems tested less the 2 months prior, but travel down hwy for 15 miles. While having battery looked at, my pilot deactivated the air-bag system. The Auto Zone employee attempted to pull check engine codes. The first 2 attempts the pilot would not read anything at all. After I explained the previous instances when this had happened before with multiple other vehicles, he was finally able to read multiple (undisplayed) codes. As I travelled to the mechanic, I received a mystery call. Did not answer, but called back on android phone. It was a fund raising auto number. My pilot is hacked and using false time stamps. I was told this was discovered before, but never addressed as a form of undetectable hacking.
290 total