Reliability & 5-year cost of ownership — 2021 Honda Pilot
NHTSA data on file today
The 2021 Honda Pilot has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns and 452 owner complaints on file as of . Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.
NCAP overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars, averaged across 2 NHTSA-tested trims.
Recall campaigns on file
- NHTSA #26V365000 Rear Suspension Components May Fail NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #26V332000 Air Bags May Deploy Unintentionally During a Crash NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #24V064000 Air Bag May Deploy Unintentionally During a Crash NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #23V858000 Fuel Pump May Fail NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #23V458000 Loose Fastener on Brake Booster Assembly NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #23V431000 Rearview Image May Not Display/FMVSS 111 NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #23V174000 Side-View Mirrors May Detach/FMVSS 111 NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #20V725000 Tire Carcass May Break Causing Sudden Air Loss NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #20V440000 Delayed or Inoperative Rearview Camera/FMVSS 111 NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #20V439000 Instrument Panel Software Incorrect/FMVSS 101/111 NHTSA notice
Most-cited components in owner complaints
- Electrical System 137 complaints
- Engine 112 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance 98 complaints
- Unknown or Other 85 complaints
- Lane Departure 44 complaints
- Air Bags 32 complaints
Of the 452 complaints on file, 14 report a crash and 2 a fire; across all 452 complaints, owners report 10 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).
Average
Estimated 5-year repair + maintenance cost: $4,500–$12,000AI estimate — not from NHTSA data
The 2021 Honda Pilot has an average reliability rating based on the 444 owner complaints and 10 recall campaigns. The electrical system and engine components have the highest number of issues, but the evidence of failures elsewhere is thin, limiting a conclusive assessment.
Most-common failures
| Part | Typical mileage (AI estimate) | Cost range (AI estimate) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| electrical system | Unknown | $200–$1,200 | common |
| engine | Unknown | $500–$4,000 | common |
| forward collision avoidance | Unknown | $100–$800 | common |
| lane departure system | Unknown | $200–$1,500 | occasional |
| air bags | Unknown | $300–$2,000 | occasional |
AI estimate — not from NHTSA data: the mileage bands and repair-cost ranges above. Get a written repair quote before you budget.
Scheduled maintenance to budget
Routine items every owner should plan for.
- Oil and filter changes
- Brake inspections and replacements
- Tire rotations and balancing
- Transmission fluid change
- Engine air filter replacement
- Coolant replacement
- Spark plug replacement
Warning signs to watch for
Symptoms that signal a major upcoming repair.
- Unresponsive infotainment system
- Sudden stalling
- Check engine light
- Brake fluid leaks
- Erratic shifting
Generated by gpt-4o on from the NHTSA recall campaigns and owner-complaint counts on file for the 2021 Honda Pilot at the time. The rating is an AI assessment; cost and mileage figures are AI estimates, not NHTSA data.