2016 Honda Pilot · symptom sheet

Multiple warning lights come on at once

97owner reports
41,302median miles
$800median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Jan 20, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

790 of the 1,696 complaints on this car are about the electrical system. 97 of those describe warning lights.

Tick what matches of 97 reports

every light on the dash at once

the car went into limp mode

it happened while driving

cleared after restart

the dealer found a module fault

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the battery (25 reports), the module (11 reports) and the sensor (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

One recall on the electrical system covers the 2016 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

15V-668Oct 16, 2015

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to September 8, 2015 and 2016 Pilot 4WD vehicles manufactured May 7, 2015 to September 4, 2015. In the affected vehicles, when one of the safety systems such as tire pressure monitoring, anti-lock braking or electronic stability control malfunctions, there is potential that the instrument panel will not illuminate the corresponding warning light, however the warning lamps will illuminate when the ignition is turned off and then turned back on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic stability control systems", number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 138, "Tire pressure monitoring systems".

Risk and remedy

Risk: If a safety system cannot immediately warn the driver when needed, the driver may be at increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JV7.

NHTSA investigations into the electrical system on the Pilot

PE12-026opened Oct 2, 2012

Electrical · model years 2003 to 2004

Ignition interlock failure - rollaway. Closed jan 14, 2013, led to recall 12V-573.

NHTSA summary

On December 10, 2012, Honda Motor Company submitted a defect information report to NHTSA regarding ignition interlocks in approximately 576,117 model year MY) 2003 through 2004 Honda Pilot and Odyssey vehicles that are the subject of this investigation and 231,044 MY 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX vehicles (Recall No. 12V-573).Honda's report states that a design change to the ignition switch used in the recalled vehicles reduced the range of rotation for the ignition switch from 160 degrees in earlier designs to 125 degrees without a corresponding change to the ignition interlock blocking mechanism.The result was that excessive rotational force could damage a lever that would allow the driver to remove the ignition key that was in a position other than the Park position, which may allow the vehicle to roll away.ODI identified 176 complaints related to the alleged defect, including 48 roll away crashes.Threeof the incidents resulted in the following injuries to pedestrians:1) a broken foot and torn Achilles tendon; 2) a fractured fibula and crush injuries to a shin area; and 3) an incident requiring unspecified treatment at a hospital emergency room.This investigation is closed.The VOQs associated with this investigation are: 10486515, 10486393, 10486100, 10485010, 10482229, 10482091, 10481169, 10481105, 10481079, 10481027, 10480804, 10480648, 10480099, 10480009, 10479934, 10479695, 10479561, 10479517, 10479494, 10479484, 10479437, 10479421, 10479409, 10479343, 10478916, 10478876

EA11-012opened Sep 12, 2011

Electrical · model years 2003 to 2005

Low beam headlights stop illuminating. Closed sep 17, 2012, led to recall 12V-136.

NHTSA summary

This investigation was prompted by Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 11-017, and was based on reports from consumers alleging that both low beam headlights stopped illuminating simultaneously.Some complainants also reported that the combination switch (switch) that controls the headlights and turn signals, and/or its electrical wiring harness connector were damaged by overheating.ODI's PE information request letter asked Honda for certain data on model years (MY) 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2003-2008 Element, 2001-2005 Civic, and 2000-2001 S 2000 vehicles.Analysis of complaint and Honda data show that a complete low beam headlight circuit failure occurs in models with 2-bulb headlight systems (i.e., a single bulb on each side for high and low beam).Models with 2-bulb systems include MY 2002-2004 CR-V, 2003-2005 Pilot, 2001-2003 Civic, and 2003-2008 Element.Models with 4-bulb headlight systems (i.e., two bulbs on each side, one for high and one for low beam) have different electrical circuits for the headlights and do not experience the same failure mechanism as the 2-bulb system.MY 2000-2001 S 2000 models with 2-bulb high intensity discharge headlights also have different electrical circuits for the headlights and do not experience the same failure mechanism.Honda introduced the 4-bulb headlight system in CR-V in MY 2005, in Pilot in MY 2006, and in Civic in MY 2004.On March 29, 2012 Honda submitted a defect information report (DIR) to recall 554,428 vehicles, including MY 200

None of these investigations covers the 2016 model year.

What owners paid

15 of the 97 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $300 to $1,234.

$300$800$1,234

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 28,000 and 61,000 miles, from the 53 reports that gave a mileage.

215

116

317

1018

1819

820

1121

1522

723

1524

625

126

What owners wrote

“ECM Failure with fuel rail/system pressure code. Safety issue due to no prior issue and all of a sudden engine stalling in the middle of a busy intersection and taking 10 mins to get started and shift gears to get out of the way of oncoming traffic with all dashboard lights illuminated to include check engine light, trailer stability assist problem light, hill assist problem light, LKAS light, and ACC light.”
Filed Apr 9, 2025

“For the third time in less than 4 months, I have taken my car to the dealer because all of the warnings light come on and the car sputters and dies in traffic.”
Filed Jul 5, 2024

“Vehicle dash flickers and does a partial starting then stops. The interior lights come on and stay on for hours. The alarm will activate randomly and not stop until you lock then unlock vehicle.”
Filed Apr 11, 2024

“When coming to a stop the vehicle engineâs automatic stop/start system stops the engine then multiple warning lights are on and the vehicle fails to restart automatically. Driver must work through a series of steps while sitting at an intersection or stoplight resulting in a vulnerable position.”
Filed Dec 8, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 97 reports involved a crash. 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.