Reliable Auto DB

2017 Honda Pilot reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2017 Honda Pilot has 921 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 35 per year. That is about even with the other Pilot years here. Their median is 33 complaints per year. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Frame, Front passenger seat weight sensor, and Fuel pump.

2016 Honda Pilot LX
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

921

Per year

35

Recalls

4

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (465 of 921), then Electrical system (264) and Fuel and propulsion system (122). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 38,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 19,064 and 63,125 miles. Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Pilot has 1,701 complaints, 62 per year, and the 2018 has 439 complaints, 17 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Honda Pilot. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall structure, frame 2026-06-04 · NHTSA campaign 26V365000
Summary American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear subframe may corrode at the suspension mounting points, which can result in rear suspension component failure.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in the fall of 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are AOU and AOT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning June 10, 2026.
Vehicles affected 880,514
Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2026-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V332000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Vehicles affected 98,892
Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Vehicles affected 2,490,460
Recall structure, body, hood 2021-11-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V932000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 Passport, 2016-2019 Pilot, and 2017-2020 Ridgeline vehicles. The hood latch striker may become damaged and separate from the hood, which can result in the hood opening while driving.
Remedy Dealers will either repair the hood latch striker, or replace the hood if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 18, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is PBV.
Vehicles affected 724,826

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (921 total)

Engine
465
Electrical system
264
Fuel and propulsion system
122
Powertrain
122
Speed control
30
Service brakes
26
Forward collision avoidance
22
Fuel system, gasoline
19
Structure
15
Seat belts
14
Lane departure
13
Visibility and wipers
13
Engine and engine cooling
12
Exterior lighting
10
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
Steering
8
Suspension
8
Latches, locks, and linkages
5
Visibility
4
Air bags
3
Back-over prevention
3
Seats
3
Child seat
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Traction control
1
Wheels
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

9

Fire-flagged

5

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Of the 252 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 38,000 miles. The middle half fall between 19,064 and 63,125 miles.

Complaints filed per year

2320174320183820197320208220212332022942023112202411920251042026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "This follows the hood repair recall done in 2022. This repair wasn’t done correctly"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-18
  • "I recently purchased this car from a Nissan dealership a week after we purchased it the emissions system problem light came on took it back they replaced a catalytic converter it was ok for a couple weeks and all of a…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-12
  • "I own a 2017 Honda Pilot equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission. I am reporting what I believe may be transmission/torque-converter failure and a potential safety concern. The vehicle began experiencing…"
    Powertrain, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-11
  • "The car is having issues with the idle stop. It started taking longer to restart after a stop and now it turns completely off. It happened today in a traffic light in a big intersection."
    Engine · filed 2026-09-05
  • "The engine started throwing emissions codes and running rough about 6 mo ago but it was very sporadic and always cleared on their own. However on 8/23 my husband was driving it, all the lights started coming on and it…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Honda Pilot SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 Honda Pilot SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Pilot all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
Pilot all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3100
Pilot front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (9-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Pilot front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2016–2022
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 245/60R18 (LX/EX/EX-L) to 245/50R20 (Touring/Elite)
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Honda service bulletin 20-029 covers 2016-2019 Pilot Touring and Elite models, plus a VIN range of 2020 Touring and Elite models, for intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration. Honda traced the symptom to abnormal adaptation values in the transmission control module's software rather than to a mechanical fault; the remedy updates the transmission control module, after which the transmission needs about 500 miles of normal driving to re-adapt to the driver's pattern, and 2016 models additionally require a powertrain control module idle learn. A separate earlier bulletin, 16-008, covers 2016 Pilots with the 9-speed automatic for a different set of shift-quality symptoms, including a sensation of surge while braking and slow downshift response at low engine speeds.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Honda Pilot Next year 2018 Honda Pilot See every Honda Pilot model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Honda Pilot reliable?

The 2017 Honda Pilot has 921 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 35 per year. That is about even with the other Pilot years here. Their median is 33 complaints per year. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Frame, Front passenger seat weight sensor, and Fuel pump.

What are common problems with a 2017 Honda Pilot?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (465 of 921), then Electrical system (264) and Fuel and propulsion system (122). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 38,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 19,064 and 63,125 miles. Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Honda Pilot more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Pilot has 1,701 complaints, 62 per year, and the 2018 has 439 complaints, 17 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Honda Pilot been recalled?

The 2017 Honda Pilot has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Honda Pilot?

Owners have filed 921 complaints about the 2017 Honda Pilot with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Honda Pilot get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Honda Pilot is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Honda Pilot take?

2nd gen: 5W-20 (2009-2012) or 0W-20 (2013-2015). 3rd and 4th gen US Pilots use 0W-20 (about 5.7-5.8 qt with filter on recent fills).

Does recall 24V-900 cover the Honda Pilot?

Certain 2023-2025 Pilots are covered for the fuel tank fill pipe: an incomplete connection may allow a fuel leak; dealers inspect and repair the fill-pipe connection.

What generation is the 2020 Honda Pilot?

3rd generation (2016-2022). The 4th generation starts in 2023.