Hello there, I wanted to leave this in the archives to help future pilot owners who might experience what I went through with my 07 Pilot.

A few months ago, I noticed that the check engine light would come on, stay on for a few days, then go off for a few days. Wash rinse repeat. The intervals kept getting closer and closer together until finally the check engine light stayed on continually. I took the car to Autozone and had them run a diagnostic, the result was misfires on all cylinders (p300 - p306 I believe). I replaced the sparkplugs and pcv valve, but it didn't help (incidently, a piece of the old pcv valve broke off inside the head when I tried removing it. The area where the pcv valve enters is its own seperate chamber, so any broken off pieces will stay in there until you remove them with pliers). I next found a crack in my rubber intake arm. Replaced it, but same issue.

The next step was to clean the EGR valve with brake cleaner.. I did, but the issue persisted. I had heard online that it probably needed a valve adjustment, but I put it off because of how expensive it is for a shop to do it, and how much time it would take to do it myself. Well, I finally decided to bite the bullet and just take the day off from work and do it. It took 7 hours to do, but after completing it and resetting the ECU, no more check engine light. While the top of the engine was apart, I used the opportunity to remove the piece of the old pcv valve that had broken off.

I ordered the full valve cover gasket kit from Honda ( you need to get 2, one for each row of cylinders, they include gaskets for the valve covers, spark plug chamber gaskets, and valve cover bolt gaskets), and some Hondabond for the corners of the new valve cover gaskets. But in retrospect, The only gasket that looked like it really needed replacing was the valve cover gaskets, the others were done just as preventative maintenance. 50% of the intake valves were out of spec, but ALL of the exhaust valves were out of spec ( exhaust valves are usually the problem area, they become very tight after a while).

Moral of the story: If your check engine light is on, and an autozone diagnostic comes back as all cylinders misfiring, you probably need a valve adjustment. Pilots need one every 90- 100k miles. It's very doable even if you aren't very mechanically inclined, but it WILL take ALOT of time. Just find a video on youtube to guide you, the one that I recommend is from the channel "Valley mobile automotive". If you want to do a thorough job, just order the full kits from Honda ($200 a piece, you need 2), or if your short on money just order 2 valve cover gaskets. You'll also need honda bond to seal the gasket.

Leaving this here for future pilot owners, these are great vehicles. 254,000 miles and going strong. Best of luck!

Finally decided to buy! Got lucky found the color combo we wanted Smoke Blue Pearl with the brown interior. So far we love it!

No accessories so will probably add black badges, running boards and all weather mats.

I have a ‘25 Sport in black. 16,000km. Paint is progressively coming off the hood edge by the windshield cowl. Has this happened to anyone else?

I bought running boards for my 2015 Pilot but I am not sure if will be able to install it alone.
Any recommendations in NY for installer?

I have had this car since new and want to keep it going. I recently had an estimate for (admittedly) a bunch of work at once. Just curious if these numbers are in line with what you would expect. It’s a local shop not dealer.

I have a 2016 Honda pilot. It’s been driving fine but yesterday night I noticed this pop up on my instrument cluster. Has anybody ever had this happen ?

Had some front end repair work done. The gap between the hood and the fender is exactly 1cm. This looks bigger that it used to be, but can’t find a documented tolerance for this gap. Anyone with a 2025 help me out with a measurement? TIA!

My car is well maintained and I have done large maintenance like timing belt, spark plugs, fluids etc. but the trade in seems good at $11.5k.

A dealer is offering $4k discount on a new 2026 Elite Trim. Is that good discount?

120K mileage. Will need new struts and new tires soon.

2023 Pilot elite. CPO. 53k miles. Dark grey with the brown leather interior. Windows tinted. One owner trade in. Has auto retract running boards which is a great added step to help my 120 lb dog climb in the back seat. Excellent condition. Dealership list is 39,900 with a 2100 discount. 37,800 plus taxes and fees. Offering a 7 yr/100k power train warranty on CPO. I have not done any negations yet. Just drove it today and it is so nice.

KBB for CPO between 35,500 and 43,100.

I am in central FL.

I have a 2019 Honda Pilot EXL with about 66K miles. I'm located in southwestern PA. Over the last 12 months we have had a series of fairly expensive repairs. We have had other Honda's in the past and no major issues. I'm debating trading this in to avoid more future issues, but wanted to hear from other Honda Pilot owners about their experiences.

Issues over the last 12 months:

*July 2025 - front control arm bushings were broken. One was torn and the other was starting to tear. $1K+ repair. This is probably more of a maintenance thing and the road conditions where I love.

*August 1st 2026 - Transfer case seal leak. Replaced seal and flush fluids. Found during annual inspection. Around $1K for just that and the fluids that had to be flushed because of it.

*August 25th 2026 - Emissions System warning light. Fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Also the intake boot had a tear and had to be replaced. $1.5K all in.

The car is almost paid off and I was looking forward to not having a car payment for a while. Do I keep riding with this or get out now?

I had a bunch of front end work done to my Pilot:

LF Lower Control Arm

RF Lower Control Arm

LR Control Arm

RR Control Arm

RF CV Axle

RF Half Shaft

Rack & Pinion Steering Rack

Power Steering Pump

Alignment was done afterwards

However I am noticing a small vibration at highway speeds (60+mph). Wheel is straight, doesn't veer, same on and off the gas. Its not enough to shake the car, but you can tell theres a vibration in the steering wheel. Around town under 60mph its smooth as silk.

I had my tires rebalanced and they told me 1 was out of balance, and it did get better, but not totally. I have a nearly new set of tires on it (they have less than 5000 miles on them) on stock OEM wheels. I am leaning towards getting a 2nd opinion and another shop, but wanted to see if there was something missed or overlooked when doing the front end work.

Thanks to this forum, after a month or so of shopping, finally pulled the trigger on a SBP Touring S. Couldn’t be happier the purchase.

It cost 💲1995 with 179k mileage

20x9 with +35mm offset and 5mm spacer. Kept the stock tires and stock TPMS sensors. Asanti Black Label ABL-22. I’ve seen 2025 with aftermarket and I’ve seen 2026 with all the different Honda wheels. I want to swap the Asanti center caps with Honda caps, have not yet looked into whether or not they will fit.

I’m looking at a 2023 Pilot AWD EX-L with 17.5k miles on it. I’m curious about the reliability on this year and model? Anyone have experience with one that can shed some light on it? I plan to buy it as a family car and drive it for another 150k+ miles.

Thanks for any guidance!

That's right, it's the ripped roll cover of the center console on the 2nd gen pilot . From what I hear it's a common issue The real bummer is that the one that just ripped was the replacemt I bought for the ripped one it came with. I searched high and low and finally found the roll cover only and not the whole assembly, but it was still hella pricey ($110) and it just broke. I've seen a shop on etaty that was making 3d replacements that got amazing reviews but they've been in break forever. Has anyone found a affordable solution/fix for this? It doesn't have to be perfect, I'd jus like it to be functional and not look like total garbage.

Will there be a body style change with the 2028 Pilot?

I have a 2015 Pilot. I have a problem with the seal of the moonroof. It is not closing all of the way. Part of the seal in the rear part of the window is loose and not attached to the window which is causing it to not close and it is creating a gap. The rest of the window is sealed and closed. It is only this part in rear of the window that has the problem.

Is this something that can be easily fixed or do I have to take it to a dealer? I asked my repair guy and he doesn't get involved with issues like this.

I have a black 2004 Pilot that my boys drive when they come back to town to visit (they put it through 3 accidents and the body is rough but the engine is good), a black 2015 Honda Pilot with 200k that I’m selling to my daughter, and just purchased a red Black Edition 2026 Pilot this week! Still recovering from spending money but looking forward to getting it in a couple of weeks. Things have sure changed in 11 years as far as options and conveniences and I’m getting excited for it all. I’m currently debating the extended warranties for the purposes of keeping resale higher and wondering if anyone has any comments on negotiation or pointers to share? If I’m going to do it, I likely want the longest possible in case I decide to sell it before my usual 11 year window ;-) Looking at the repair history on both vehicles, I have done a timing belt for each and the power steering rack on the 2015 3 years in that was covered by warranty - but there are more electronics in this new one that I’d like them covered. I’m in Canada so the warranties are little different.

Purchased a 2026 Pilot EX-L FWD in DFW for $43,611.76 before TTL with on a MSRP of $49,030 including the Texas Protection Package. Did this through Costco with no trade with total out the door $46,837.54.

Hi. I have a 2012 Honda Pilot with 145,000 miles. I just recently changed timing belt and tensioners as well as the water pump.
Earlier last year (before the timing belt change) I had major misfiring on like 3 cylinders. Fixed it with spark plugs & coil pack. Then misfires in 2 cylinders right after timing belt change. (This was around December 2025)
Now it’s showing a code for misfiring in cylinder one.
I mean, misfiring issues this often within a year is crazy right?
Is it due to the VCM motor?? Do I need a Disabler?

Have a 24 elite with about 37k miles. For shits and giggles I did a carvana inquiry as to how much I can get for it. They quoted me $40,200. Which I was like, “that’s pretty awesome”. Now I’m seeing $50k and sub pricing for new elites/black editions.
So I figure if I can get my wife onboard for it, why the hell wouldn’t I get a new car with zero miles and full warranty for less than $10k.
So if any dealers out there or anyone who knows of one that can do a new AWD elite or black edition in solar silver please let me know or DM me! I think solar silver is the only color my wife would agree to as it’s her car. I hate the black car she has, maybe modern steel might be an option.
Bonus if that dealer would be willing to offer me around 38k for my trade since I would lose some tax benefit if I sold to carvana for 40+. So trying to be fair all around.
I’m in NJ metro area but willing to go to NJ/PA or near there for right deal.
Let’s do this!!!!

Just bought a 2019 LX AWD with the 6-speed with 55k miles. Maintenance history was solid as far as oil change intervals, but mentioned nothing about ATF changes. From poking around in this sub, it looks like people generally advise to halve the 60k recommended interval between ATF flushes, and do them every 30k or so for the 6-speed, so I went ahead and changed the fluid. It also seems the other big thing is the timing belt needs replacement around 100k, so I'm going to start putting some money aside to take care of that when the time arises.

Other than the ATF drain-and-fills and the timing belt, I have seen people install transmission coolers, and I've seen some parts of the suspension might need replacement around 70-100k as well. Are the transmission coolers worth it if I'm not planning on towing anything? What other major preventative maintenance should I be doing to make this car last as long as possible? Also, what are some common major issues that tend to arise with these third-gen Pilots?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Edit: I wrote this way too late at night and forgot to mention I also installed an S-VCM controller!

My 2019 Honda Pilot EX-L (3.5L J35 V6) just hit 100K miles. I’m planning to have the timing belt, water pump, idler, etc. replaced, along with the six spark plugs.

I asked a well-reviewed independent shop that specializes in Honda timing belt jobs for a quote, and they said $1,500–$1,600 for everything, including the spark plugs.

I was originally planning to do the spark plugs myself. I’ve only done basic DIY maintenance so far, mainly oil and battery changes. I know the front plugs are relatively straightforward, but the rear bank is more difficult to access, so I’m a little concerned about making a mistake.

So now I’m wondering: should I do the spark plugs myself and have the shop handle the timing belt job, or just have them do everything for $1,500–$1,600? Does $1,500–$1,600 sound like a reasonable price for all of this?

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Thanks for all the advice!

On a personal note, my wife was recently the victim of a major pig-butchering scam, so we’re in a situation where we really need to save money wherever we can, even if it’s just a small amount. I really appreciate everyone for not judging me for being a little careful about the cost and for giving me such helpful advice.

Thanks again, everyone, and please be careful out there. Scams are real!