2020 Honda Pilot · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 26owner reports
- 3,600median miles
- 4involved a crash
Newest report Jul 20, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
26 of the 489 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 26 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
Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2020 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 2020 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 2,000 and 11,700 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2020 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.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2021 Accords, 2019-2017 Civics, 2017-2021 CR-Vs, 2018-2021 Odysseys & 2018-2021 Pilots with a customer complaint of an unexpected CMBS operation or a brake application.
What owners wrote
“Full brake system, Emissions System problem, and Service System malfunctioning, out of the blue. Factory Reset and System Updated performed with no improvement.”
Filed Jul 20, 2026
“My husband was getting off the highway when a car ahead of him braked suddenly. He attempted to hit the brakes, but the car did not stop. The automatic stop crash feature did not turn on. The abs did not work. Ultimately, crashing into the car ahead of him. Manufacturer Safety-related recall issued NHTSA #23V-174 Recall #FE5 2020-22 Multi-Model Door Mirror Glass Safety Recall Status: Remedy Available”
Filed Jul 7, 2023
“The automatic collision avoidance system continually gives false warnings, shaking the steering wheel and beeping, while flashing a brake warning. This occurs even if there is no other traffic on the road, which could cause an accident by startling the driver when it unexpectedly activates. The automatic brakes are also overly aggressive, which could cause a rear end collision.”
Filed Mar 2, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 4 of 26 reports involved a crash and 6 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
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 169 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 93 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 46 reports
- Forward collision warning goes off or the camera drops out 46 reports
- Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking) 41 reports
- Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 36 reports