The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the 2016-2020 Honda Pilot for an issue related to the auto Stop/Start function.
The U.S. safety regulator reports that it has received 221 complaints from customers alleging that their vehicles left them stranded at stop signs and lights. The problem, they say, occurs when the vehicle is stopped at an intersection and the Stop/Start function turns the engine off. Once the engine is off, some owners report that the vehicle does not automatically turn back on to let them continue their journey.
Although that, on its own, is reason enough for concern, some owners further allege that their Honda Pilot was completely dead and that it needed to be jumped in order to get them going again. That’s something that would not be pleasant to attempt in the middle of a busy street.
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The issue seems to specifically affect Honda Pilots in the Touring and Elite trims that are fitted with the 3.5-liter V6 engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission. NHTSA estimates that may amount to a total population of 194,731 vehicles that could be affected by this glitch.
In its communications with Honda, though, NHTSA learned that the problem isn’t just limited to the Pilot. Other models fitted with the engine and transmission, like the Honda Odyssey, Acura TLX, and Acura MDX may also experience the same failure.
Documents do not yet reveal the cause of the failure but NHTSA said it is opening a preliminary investigation to determine the scope and severity of the problem, as well as the potential safety concerns associated with it. The regulator may compel Honda to initiate a recall depending on the findings of its investigation.
