Our research found that electrical system, forward collision avoidance, and brake issues are the most common problems.
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The 2022 Honda Pilot is meant to be a family-friendly SUV designed for the long haul. The automaker claims it is “made for the bold.” Yet, customers can’t deal with the boldness of the defects, including the glitchy electrical system, faulty forward collision avoidance system, and malfunctioning service brakes.
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The most common problems owners of the 2022 Honda Pilot complain about relate to forward collision avoidance and the vehicle’s braking and electrical systems — and often they are interrelated. For example, drivers report that the SUV frequently flashes BRAKE when there is no reason to brake. There are also major issues with auto braking.
Other components and systems mentioned in NHTSA complaints are airbags, backover prevention, the engine, fuel/propulsion system, lane departure, powertrain, steering, structure, suspension, tires, vehicle speed control, and wheels. Some are mentioned in conjunction with one another. There are also complaints listed as visibility/wiper or unknown or other that describe how sunroofs and windows explode.
There are also three recalls that affect the 2022 Pilot:
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Structure:body |
Complaints about brake issues are varied. They range from vibrations when braking and soft, spongy brakes that don’t engage to spontaneous braking and even total brake failure. In some cases, dealers have been able to identify the problem, in others, not.
An owner from Pennsylvania had brake problems after only 200 miles. The issue described is that the 2022 Pilot brakes and loses power after the brake pedal has been released, causing unsafe and uncontrolled stopping. The dealer replaced the antilock brake module. This worked for a while and then got worse. “The sticking brakes, (and) loss of power to the SUV got so bad that it was unsafe to operate, and was towed to the dealer awaiting another repair.” After the problem had recurred twice, the owner appealed to the NHTSA. “This braking issue could possibly cause serious accidents if not remedied soon.”
Another braking-related complaint states that “while driving at various speeds, the braking system would erroneously activate causing the vehicle to abruptly reduce speed. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the brake lights would randomly flash on and off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined.” This Pilot had only 1,000 miles on the clock.
A complaint from an owner in Pennsylvania is identified as also being a forward avoidance problem. It states, “My brakes don’t work properly (and) I feel a vibration when I brake and I have been close to colliding with vehicles and the emergency brake does not respond.”
When it comes to braking issues, Honda has chosen not to release any documentation at this time. By the end of 2024, there was still not one single manufacturer communication from Honda addressing brake-related issues even though malfunctioning brakes have caused crashes.
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An owner from California was injured in July 2024 after the 2022 Pilot accelerated and the brakes didn’t work. After parking on the upper level of a parking structure, the driver adjusted the car forward to align with the parking slot. “As I moved the car forward it jolted and accelerated.” The word “brake” flashed twice, but the brakes didn’t work. “The car fell to the lower floor. I was fortunate as it was a Sunday (and) no cars or pedestrians were in the lower level.
However, the car was damaged and the driver was injured and paramedics and police had to be called. The complaint states that prior to this, the Pilot had lost power and was towed to a dealership. He was told it was a battery issue and they changed the battery. A month after the accident the owner called Honda. “They gave me a case number. But said it’s the insurance who will investigate. Per insurance Honda should do the investigation.”
In September 2024, someone from Minnesota also experienced sudden acceleration. The Pilot’s speed increased over 100 mph and the driver was unable to stop or slow the vehicle down by pressing the brake pedal or when activating the emergency brakes. Eventually, a state trooper used his vehicle “to forcefully ram into the side of the vehicle to make the vehicle reduce speed and eventually stop.” Luckily, the driver only experienced minor injuries.
There are also no manufacturer communications shared with the NHTSA by Honda about issues regarding forward collision avoidance. Furthermore, many of the complaints about forward collision avoidance issues implicate the Pilot’s braking system.
An owner from California, describes how, while driving on the freeway, the SUV braked “without me pressing the brake. In what has become a common problem, “There were no vehicles in front of me to trigger the automatic brake sensors. The brake warning light turned on and began flashing. I was almost hit from the back by the car behind me.”
An owner from Texas describes how the Collision Mitigation Braking System “has almost gotten me rear-ended (and almost got me punched by one of them who thought I slammed on my brakes on purpose.) He had only owned the vehicle for a few weeks. It’s a long story that you can read on the NHTSA website.
Many forward collision avoidance complaints describe how the SUV flashes “BRAKE” when there clearly isn’t any reason to brake, even though these complaints are not included as brake issues on the NHTSA website. For example, an owner from Indiana states: “When driving on highways and interstate the vehicle flashes BRAKE when there is no reason to brake. This happens multiple times per day, in my commute.” When he took the vehicle to a dealership, he was told that the Pilot was functioning normally!
An owner from Utah identifies the same problem and states, “This is a very dangerous and possibly fatal flaw. The issue is definitely ongoing.”
Ironically, in complete contrast to most forward collision avoidance complaints, an owner from Massachusetts reported in July 2023 that on multiple occasions, while using adaptive cruise control, the Pilot “failed to recognize vehicles ahead and slow my vehicle to match with adaptive cruise control active. Cruise control also had difficulty controlling speed on downhill sections, at times allowing the vehicle to exceed the set speed by as many as 8 miles per hour.”
Most electrical system problems involve the computerized system, vehicles stopping suddenly for no apparent reason, and dashboard displays blacking out. A few relatively minor issues relate to car door locks not working and doors opening when vehicles are running.
An owner from Florida states that while driving, the dashboard driver and center screen displays went completely black for two to three minutes. Although they eventually came back on, the driver lost the ability to determine speed and was unable to get any other relevant information while operating the vehicle.
An owner from Illinois describes incidents of a “complete loss of power while driving.” While waiting at a traffic light even the fuel-saving mode was deactivated so that it wouldn’t shut off at every stop. Luckily the vehicle didn’t crash, but the owner tells how the Pilot stopped traffic because “I couldn’t get the vehicle to start at a very busy road and intersection. As a disabled person, I can’t be exposed to these unsafe conditions since I have serious medical conditions.”
After a Pilot “died” while “slowing down for a stoplight on freeway frontage road” and wouldn’t restart, the dealer replaced the vehicle’s battery. The complaint, from an owner in Texas, doesn’t state whether this was successful long term.
An owner from California tells how the Pilot “went dead twice in less than a year.” The first time he had the battery jump-started. The second time, it went “completely dead with all the error codes.” This complaint highlights a lack of customer service and the fact that he was blamed “for not driving enough.” The dealership representative “stated that the Honda Pilot must drive more because the computerized system drains the battery.”
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Just purchased a used Honda Certified 2022 Pilot and have experienced the brake lights flashing when there isn’t a vehicle or object in front of me. It seems like the vehicle shakes a little bit when slowing down to stop, regardless of the road conditions (asphalt, gravel) which is concerning to me.
My Honda pilot slams on the brakes and on turns, my Honda link never worked also the transmission skips and seems to lose power
My 2022 Honda pilot slams the brakes on and recognizes cars across the road. HondaLink has never worked and it leaks transmission fluid
My 2022 Pilot Elite constantly applies the brakes (hard pulsating)and the steering wheel shakes in both directions. Usually happens on long sweeping right turns as cars approach in their lane, the car thinks they are dangerously in front of me (They are not). No matter how many times it happens it always scares the hell out of me. This is the worst Accident avoidance system I have ever seen. Twice it has forced me off the road in to the rocky shoulder. Mechanic says “Unable to duplicate”. Been doing this since new, now with 6000 miles it is just getting annoying and seems very unsafe to me.
My 2022 Honda has only 3300 miles and going over rough roads the rear right side is thumping loudly…it is very annoying and Honda says it’s the nature of the beast, I don’t accept that. I also get the big BRAKE announcement when I am alone on a road an no one else is in sight, it happens often and the steering wheel jerks.