2016 Honda Pilot · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 31owner reports
- 24,000median miles
- 8involved a crash
Newest report Sep 8, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
31 of the 1,707 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 31 reports
Brake wear on other Pilot years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the pads and rotors (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the brakes on the Pilot
Vehicle stability assist malfunction. Closed mar 15, 2013.
None of these investigations covers the 2016 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 5,200 and 56,000 miles, from the 20 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2016 Honda Pilot that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Replacement TCMs don?t come with trim data. After installation, you need to run a teach-in (hydraulic pressure characteristic calibration) procedure with the HDS.
What owners wrote
“While driving and starting to brake the whole dashboard lights up stating there is brake failure. And low brake fluid.”
Filed Jan 18, 2025
“At times, when you start the car, on the screen where the radio and Honda link and Bluetooth are a message ( like an email) with a red exclamation point appears. I check the HONDA LINK app and it says that it has to do with the brake system. I drive the car and it stays on or disappears. It will come back and the go away. It happens around every few months since July.”
Filed Nov 2, 2023
“There is pulsating vibrations when applying brakes. This vehicle is rarely driven and has only logged 25,642 miles since I first bought it in 2016. I believe the rotors are warped. Must be a defect as this vehicle is rarely used.”
Filed May 30, 2022 · 25,642 miles
“There have been multiple times where the automatic emergency braking system engaged almost causing an accident with no car ahead of me. The latest incident caused a whiplash related injury to my daughter's neck. The tractor trailer behind me also locked up the brakes and luckily did so in time to avoid colliding with my car.”
Filed Feb 25, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 8 of 31 reports involved a crash and 13 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 413 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 350 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 165 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 159 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 147 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 97 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 74 reports
- Auto start-stop will not restart the engine 54 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 51 reports
- A/C blows warm or the compressor fails 38 reports
- Traction control or StabiliTrak light comes on 37 reports
- Fuel pump failure 34 reports