2015 Honda Pilot: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2015 Honda Pilot
On the 2015 Honda Pilot, the failure owners report most often is other brake problem, and the reports cluster around 5,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 45,000 miles. Overall it scores 67 out of 100, high risk for a 2015.
High risk for a 2015 — 211th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. 139 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 40 named failure modes on the 2015 Honda Pilot, and the three most-reported carry 21% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other brake problem leads with 12 reports, about 0.4 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 2k to 50,000 miles.
Other body or interior problem follows with 9 reports, median 45,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
Other electrical problem follows with 8 reports, median 45,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (23), body (21) and brakes (13).
The mileage the reports cluster at
81 of the reports on the 2015 Honda Pilot came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 45,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 58% by 50,000 miles, 93% by 100,000 miles and 98% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 1 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 40,000 and 50,000 miles, which alone holds 17% of the dated reports.
35% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 40. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 1 report came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 8 mention a crash, 3 a fire and 3 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.94, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other brake problem at $300–$1,800, other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and paint peeling or clear coat failure at $600–$6,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
22% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other brake problem | brakes | 12 | 10 | 2k | 4k | 51k | 0.4 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 9 | 4 | — | 46k | — | 0.3 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 8 | 5 | — | 44k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Paint peeling or clear coat failure | body | 6 | 4 | — | 77k | — | 0.2 | $600–$6,000 | Low |
| Other engine problem | engine | 6 | 4 | — | 42k | — | 0.2 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 5 | 4 | — | 49k | — | 0.2 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 5 | 4 | — | 51k | — | 0.2 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 4 | 3 | — | 15k | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| Head gasket failure | engine | 3 | 2 | — | 84k | — | 0.1 | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 3 | 3 | — | 85k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 3 | 2 | — | 25 | — | 0.1 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 3 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Audio or connectivity failure | infotainment | 3 | 3 | — | 40k | — | 0.1 | $150–$900 | Low |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 3 | 2 | — | 62k | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 2 | — | 67k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 3 | 2 | — | 50k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Stalling while driving | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 2 | 1 | — | 211k | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 1 | — | 55k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 28k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Oil leak | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 31k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Piston, ring or cylinder wall damage | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 119k | — | 0.0 | $3,000–$9,500 | Critical |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 37k | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 90k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 178k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 60k | — | 0.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 1 | — | 8k | — | 0.0 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 50k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 23 | 14 | 23k | 45k | 55k | 0.7 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2015 Honda Pilot draws about 4.2 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 83rd percentile of complaint rates among 2015 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 33,058 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2015 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other brake problem
Vehicle was put in park, passengers got off, driver tried to open trunk using side trunk button but it did not open. Driver went to trunk to open it manually but it still failed to open. Driver went in front to try opening the trunk again and that's when the car started rolling back. Gear was still in park but it rolled back. Driver tried to manage it since a baby was in the car. Car crashed after rolling 500 feet with a pole. Driver while trying to manage the car from outside, sustained a fracture to her tibia. No one else was injured but her. So in spite of putting the car in park, the car rolled back. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 honda pilot. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the brakes malfunctioned. The brake pedal extended to the floorboard when the brake pedal was depressed and the stopping distance was extended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the master brake cylinder was faulty. The master brake cylinder was replaced. The failure was remedied, but eventually recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,800.
Other body or interior problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 honda pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it was discovered that the front passenger tire was flat. The contact retrieved the jack that came with the vehicle and attempted to lift the vehicle. The jack was elevated to its maximum height and there was not enough clearance to remove the tire. As a result, the contact resorted to using wooden blocks to elevate the vehicle high enough to remove the tire. The jack seized and another jack had to be used in order to remove the original jack. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 500. Updated 10/06/15*lj updated 11/07/2017*cn
The compass started flashing I call the dealership they said that to calibrate it back just drive in a circle on a parking lot. That would work but the flashing has appeared more often and now it won't go away. It flashes all the time and it is distracting while driving. It has the possibility of causing an accident specially at night. Please I need this defect recalled asap. Ps. I'm screenshooting this request for proof of reporting in case something happens.
Other electrical problem
While cranking my 2015 honda pilot on 11/22/15 it did not want to start. I turned the key and let it go and it continued to try to start on its own. I turned the key back to off and took it out of the ignition. After the third try of starting my vehicle it finnally started. It was not extremely cold out ide the temperature was 51 degrees. This is my 3rd pilot I have owne and never had this issue before. My vehicle only has16,500 miles on it. Could this be the sign of a bigger issue?
I have a 2015 honda pilot with navigation. The navigation system and radio have continuously rebooted on their own since tuesday. Honda cororate refers me to the dealerships. The dealerships refuse to work on the car as they say it is a widespread issue and they hope it just resolves itself in a few days. The fix I was told to do didn't work. I am caught in the middle as are many others and no one knows what the problem is. The service manager refuses to look at the vehicle as he says it is a widespread issue so it has to be satellite problems and can't be a vehicle problem. I am scared to drive it. The reboot occurs whether driving or stationary. It turns out all lights and displays in the middle of the dash (radio, air indicators, time, navigation)
Recalls on the 2015 model year
NHTSA has issued 4 recall campaigns covering the 2015 Honda Pilot, affecting an estimated 56,797 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump and air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
2,490,460 vehicles 2023-12-18- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
9,555 vehicles 2019-06-27- Defect
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute…
- Consequence
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
19,138 vehicles 2019-05-16- Defect
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
- Consequence
- An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
1,355,406 vehicles 2018-09-27- Defect
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Honda is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Acura TSX, TSX Wagon and ZDX, Honda Crosstour, Insight, Fit and Pilot vehicles, 2011-2012 Honda Accord and 2011…
- Consequence
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2015 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2015 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2015 — 211th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 24 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2004 comes out best at 65 and 2020 worst at 79, with 2015 itself at 67.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2015, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2011–2015 generation specifically, 2015 is the strongest year at 67 and 2011 the weakest at 75.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2011-2015 generation, 2015 Honda Pilot scores best at 67 and 2011 Honda Pilot worst at 75.
What the numbers say to check
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other brake problem from about 2k.
On a 2015 Honda Pilot with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other brake problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
139 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 139 reports, 81 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 58% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2015 Honda Pilot?
The most-reported failures are other brake problem (12 reports, median 5,000 miles), other body or interior problem (9 reports, median 45,000 miles) and other electrical problem (8 reports, median 45,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2015 Honda Pilot problems start?
Other brake problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 5,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 1,900 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 45,000 miles.
Is the 2015 Honda Pilot reliable?
It scores 67 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 211th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2015 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Honda Pilot is best?
Within the 2011–2015 generation, 2015 scores best at 67 out of 100 and 2011 worst at 75. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed