Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 2012 Honda Pilot. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
9 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2012 Pilot, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 18V661000 2018-09-27 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin…
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M2J and S2K. |
| 18V268000 2018-04-26 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O. |
| 19V502000 2019-06-27 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles.
The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators…
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E. |
| 19V378000 2019-05-16 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are… |
| 17V545000 2017-08-31 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement air bag inflators.
Risk: In the event of a crash, an incorrectly installed passenger frontal air bag inflator may deploy the air bag improperly, increasing the risk of injury. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are O07, Y0A, N06, G05, M04, Y01, and O09. |
| 17V030000 2017-01-10 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida,…
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's… |
| 18V042000 2018-01-09 |
Air Bags Frontal Passenger Side › Inflator Module |
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South…
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are B0K and L0J. |
| 12V063000 2012-02-17 |
Fuel System, Gasoline Storage Tank Assembly |
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 PILOT AND ACURA MDX VEHICLES. THE VENT SHUT FLOAT (VSF) VALVE CASE IN THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY DOES NOT MEET THE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS.
Risk: AS A RESULT, FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE TANK, INCREASING THE RISK OF FIRE. Fix: HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VSF ASSEMBLY DATE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 13, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009. |
| 13V016000 2013-01-18 |
Air Bags | Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Risk: The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash. Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. |
Summaries are quoted verbatim from NHTSA's official campaign records. A single campaign often covers dozens of model years and several nameplates, so a summary may name vehicles other than the 2012 Pilot — that is normal. Every record listed here carries this vehicle's own make, model and model year in NHTSA's database. Whether a recall is still open on a particular car can only be determined by VIN.
172 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Pilot, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags 6 crash, 9 injured |
17 | |
| Engine | 15 | |
| Service Brakes 1 crash |
14 | |
| Electrical System 2 fire |
13 | |
| Power Train | 9 | |
| Structure | 8 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 3 crash, 1 injured |
8 | |
| Suspension | 8 | |
| Unknown Or Other 1 crash |
7 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 6 | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 5 | |
| Steering,Service Brakes | 5 |
A complaint is an unverified owner report. It is a signal about where to look, not proof of a defect.
Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaint filings on this model year. These are the owners' own words, not our diagnosis, and each one is a single unverified report.
One day my pilot 2012 suddenly started turning on and off the passenger airbag then out of the blue the airbag system light when on. Scanned it an it reads the passenger weight sensor is not communicating the part is no longer available to purchase and it is in backorder with date of delivery to be determined. Car is not safe to operate and Honda is not selling the part anymore to get the repair. What should be my options?
filed 03/16/2026 · ODI 11724777
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V661000 (Air Bags). The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he crashed into another vehicle. The front driver’s side air bag deployed, with a powder that caused a burn to the driver’s right hand. A police report was not filed. Medical attention was not received on the scene but the contact's doctor later prescribed burn cream for the driver’s right hand over the phone. The contact notified an independent mechanic of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed Crash reported
filed 07/16/2021 · ODI 11425167
MIL comes on with DTCsP0301 through P0304 Car is available for inspection. Dealer confirmed along with independent service center. Service Bulletin 13-082
filed 04/03/2023 · ODI 11515128
burning to much oil and engine light turn and just put 2 quarts and iwas looking at complaints anf few people have the same issue i really take care of my truck
filed 11/13/2022 · ODI 11493394
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated during the past 3 seasons of winter, the vehicle would fail to come to a stop while depressing the brake pedal. No warning lights illuminated. The failure would occur during winter cold climate temperatures. The vehicle was previously taken to a local independent mechanic where both the front brake pads and rotors were replaced. The vehicle was also taken to the local dealer for a second opinion however the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local independent mechanic where the power fluid and brake sy
filed 12/16/2024 · ODI 11630973
BRAKE ROTORS WARPING AGAIN FOR THIRD TIME, 80,000 MILES. NO HARD BRAKING. MECHANIC TELLS ME HE SEES THIS A LOT WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. VERY SEVERE STEERING WHEEL SHAKING AND ALMOST LOSS OF CONTROL ON HIGHWAY WHEN EVEN SLIGHTLY BRAKING AT 60+ MPH
filed 10/10/2017 · ODI 11032721
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact then discovered a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 67,450. The contact stated that at the time of retrieving a Carfax report, it was discovered that the mileage was 140,000.
filed 01/05/2026 · ODI 11708810
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. After contacting the seller on Facebook Market Place the contact purchased the vehicle and later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the odometer mileage reading was 94,397. After obtaining a Vehicle Carfax, the mileage listed for the vehicle was 204,943.
filed 11/24/2025 · ODI 11701282
A recall only matters if it is open on your car. The lists above are for the model year as a whole; the free official lookup below tells you what applies to your specific 17-character VIN.
Free, official, and takes about thirty seconds. No account needed.
Yes. NHTSA records 9 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2012 Pilot. The most recent is campaign 18V661000, filed 2018-09-27, covering Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module.
Yes. 8 of the 9 campaigns on record for this model year involve the airbag system. The fix is a free inflator replacement at an authorised dealer.
The most-reported component is Air Bags with 17 of the 172 owner complaints on file, including 6 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
172 complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 Pilot, spread across 56 reported component groups.
Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's free recall lookup. Recalls are applied per vehicle, so the model-year lists above cannot tell you whether your particular car is covered.