Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Auto start-stop will not restart the engine
Most reported: 2017 Honda Pilot with 56 reports. Across the 55 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 807.
- 807owner reports
- 55model years affected
- 30,000median miles
- 6involved a crash
- 1involved a fire
Start-stop complaints describe one moment: the engine shuts off at a light, as designed, and then doesn't come back when the driver lifts off the brake. Owners report sitting in traffic with a dead engine, having to shift to park and restart by hand, and dealers who find nothing wrong on the first visit. It usually happens more than once before anyone files.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of auto start-stop failure reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 1566% of its complaints70k mi
- 22016 Honda Pilotrecall543% of its complaints60k mi
- 35113% of its complaints16k mi
- 42019 Honda Pilotrecall435% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 52018 Chrysler Pacifica1 crash394% of its complaints18k mi
- 62018 Jeep Compass1 crashrecall344% of its complaints30k mi
- 72017 Ford Escaperecall301% of its complaints37k mi
- 82018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall291% of its complaints28k mi
- 9272% of its complaints28k mi
- 102019 Jeep Cherokee1 crashrecall272% of its complaints10k mi
- 112019 Ford F-150recall212% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 12193% of its complaints4k mi
- 132018 Honda Pilotrecall184% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 141817% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 15173% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 16163% of its complaints23k mi
- 17165% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 18143% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 19132% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 20137% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 211110% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22112% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 23113% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 242015 Jeep Cherokeerecall101% of its complaints85k mi
- 25103% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe auto start-stop failure. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 15113% of its complaints16k mi
- 2566% of its complaints70k mi
- 32019 Honda Pilotrecall435% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 42018 Chrysler Pacifica1 crash394% of its complaints18k mi
- 52018 Jeep Compass1 crashrecall344% of its complaints30k mi
- 62016 Honda Pilotrecall543% of its complaints60k mi
- 7272% of its complaints28k mi
- 82019 Jeep Cherokee1 crashrecall272% of its complaints10k mi
- 92018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall291% of its complaints28k mi
- 102017 Ford Escaperecall301% of its complaints37k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Honda Pilot204
- Ram 150024
When it happens
282 of the 807 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 12,073 and 54,000 miles; the median is 30,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of auto start-stop failure, grouped by the model year of the car. 6 involved a crash and 1 a fire. 1 person was hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 807 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
How start-stop is meant to work
Fueleconomy.gov, run for the Department of Energy and the EPA, describes these systems as turning the engine off when the car stops and restarting it instantly when the brake is released or the accelerator is pressed. The point is to save the fuel wasted at idle, and the site rates the gain at about 2%. Every restart leans on the battery and the starter, and the Car Care Council notes that frequent engine on-off cycles wear a starter faster than ordinary commuting does. The parts owners name here match that: the battery, the starter, the start-stop control module and the alternator.
What a shop checks first
Ask for the battery, starter and charging system to be tested. If the battery ends up being replaced, there's one more step. Delphi's technical team notes that fitting a new battery in a start-stop car can require reprogramming the car's energy management system with a diagnostic tool, and that if it's skipped the start-stop system may not work correctly. A cheap battery swap without that step can leave you with the same fault.
When to stop driving
An engine that won't restart in the middle of an intersection can get you hit. Until it's fixed, turn the feature off each time you start the car if yours lets you and leave space to get out of traffic if it does shut off. Some owners report the fault even with the feature switched off, and that deserves a prompt visit.
What to tell the mechanic
Say how long the car had been running, whether the A/C or heater was on, and how many times it has happened. Note whether any warning appeared on the dash, and whether the car restarted normally with the key or button. If the battery has been replaced before, say when and where, so the shop can check whether it was registered to the car.
Recalls, bulletins and warranty
Search your year, make and model at NHTSA's recall page. Alongside recalls it lists manufacturer communications, which include the service bulletins automakers are required to file with NHTSA. A recall repair is free. Outside a recall, a starter or module that fails within the factory warranty's months or miles should be covered, and keeping your service records helps if the claim is questioned.
Sources
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.