Other Honda and Acura vehicles with the 3.5-liter engines could have problems.
The stop/start function for your engine is one of the fuel-saving features in the third-generation Honda Pilot. This feature is common on many vehicles made by a variety of automakers and it shuts down the engine when the vehicle is temporarily stopped. It works in the same way as a traffic light. The automatic feature turns the engine on when it is time to move. For some Pilots of late-model models, this may not be possible.
This is the core of a new investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA), which focuses on 194,731 pilots between the 2016 and 2020 model years. The Office of Defects Investigation has received 221 complaints about the system.
Engines sometimes fail to start after they stop, and some reports indicate that it was necessary to jump start the engine to get it running again. This problem is only with the 3.5-liter V6 engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission. According to NHTSA, the issue has not been linked to any deaths, injuries or crashes.
Honda representatives have met with ODI officials on numerous occasions to discuss the issue. The automaker “discovered a correlation” between customers’ complaints and the alleged system problems. This was based on information from other sources. Honda seems to be aware of the situation. The automaker also indicated that similar issues are occurring in other vehicles with the same engine/transmission combination. This includes the Honda Odyssey, Acura TX, and MDX.
NHTSA is currently investigating the matter further in order to identify any safety concerns that might arise from the failures. The engine shutting down prematurely at short stops such as stop signs is one of the complaints. It is possible to pump brakes to start the engine, but it can also happen that the engine will not start. Honda has not yet issued a recall.