Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 2013 Honda Pilot. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
6 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2013 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. |
| 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… |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 13V382000 2013-08-27 |
Engine | Honda is recalling certain model year 2013 Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles and certain model year 2013 Odyssey vehicles. During manufacturing of the engine piston, it is possible that the heat treatment process was not properly applied, resulting in the piston having an insufficient hardness level, making it more susceptible to premature wear.
Risk: A worn piston may suddenly fail, causing the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine short block free of charge. The recall began on September 16, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's recall numbers are JB4 (Honda Odyssey) and JB5 (Honda Pilot). |
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 2013 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.
271 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Pilot, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 37 | |
| Engine 1 crash |
36 | |
| Service Brakes 1 crash, 1 injured |
31 | |
| Unknown Or Other 1 fire |
21 | |
| Power Train 1 crash, 1 injured |
17 | |
| Power Train,Engine | 16 | |
| Air Bags 4 crash, 2 injured |
13 | |
| Suspension | 6 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control,Engine | 6 | |
| Structure,Unknown Or Other | 4 | |
| Seats | 4 | |
| Visibility/Wiper | 4 |
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.
The factory clear coat and paint on the roof of this 2013 Honda Pilot are delaminating and peeling away from the metal. The failure began about 1.5 years ago and continues to spread; in places it has now progressed through the paint to bare metal that is corroding and rusting. The vertical body panels remain glossy and intact while the entire horizontal roof has failed - a top-down failure pattern consistent with a defective factory finish rather than wear or environmental exposure. This matches a well-documented paint-adhesion defect in Honda vehicles of this generation: Honda issued warranty
filed 06/21/2026 · ODI 11745465
Paint has peeled completely off of areas of the body--including the roof above the windshield and others. This peeling has occurred without any physical damage to the body itself
filed 02/16/2025 · ODI 11642984
Diagnosed by CMA Honda dealership - need piston ring replacement due to the ongoing issue and Service Bulletin SB-10099310-9340. This was under 8 year warranty from date of purchase, but this just started happening at 155k miles and in 2026. I purchased this in 2016. Although it is out of the extended warranty timeframe, it is still an ongoing issue with these models and should be covered. Cost estimated for repair is $5700 and a new engine isn't an option since they all of the same issues.
filed 08/25/2026 · ODI 11759352
The contact owned a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 45- 50 MPH, the engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: RQ24013 (Engine). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that rod bearings and piston ring replacements were needed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case and assisted with the repair fees. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
filed 11/15/2024 · ODI 11625558
The VSA/ABS lights came on and I took it to the repair shop. The mechanic told me that the VSA/ABS module is bad and needs to be replaced. He said this is a very common problem in my vehicle type. He said the anti-lock brakes won't work which can be dangerous. He said the parts are always backordered and can take months to come in and they are extremely expensive. They range from $1200-$2400 for the part only. I researched the problem online and it seems to be a common problem across many Honda models and years. Many people have taken apart the modules themselves and have repaired them.
filed 06/27/2025 · ODI 11669795
Brake failure at stop sign. Driver crashed into a pole, suffered severe injuries including bleeding in the brain and broken ribs. Crash reported
filed 07/12/2022 · ODI 11473506
Vcm2 light appearing causing bank 2 to stop working, vibration and rpm not being able to go above 3000 or 5000
filed 07/11/2025 · ODI 11672818
Paint on roof of my 2013 Honda Pilot. First bubbled up the white paint - now 2 large areas the size of basketballs just above the front window. The paint has chipped off and the metal shows underneath. Have an appt to bring to dealer to inspect. Heard its common on 2013-14 Honda's in white. This brings down the value! My vehicle only has 100k.
filed 08/02/2023 · ODI 11536160
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.
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Yes. NHTSA records 6 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2013 Pilot. The most recent is campaign 18V661000, filed 2018-09-27, covering Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module.
Yes. 5 of the 6 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 Structure with 37 of the 271 owner complaints on file. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
271 complaints with NHTSA for the 2013 Pilot, spread across 61 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.