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Reliability report · 2017 Honda Pilot · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,850/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

The awkward middle year — same engine and transmission risks, but left out of the engine recall.

2017 sits in the middle of the third generation and inherits its two big problems — the transmission and the engine — with one important twist. Owners report the same connecting-rod-bearing failures seen on the recalled years: engines that knock and seize, sometimes at low mileage, with repair or replacement quotes in the thousands. But recall 23V-751 covers 2016, 2018 and 2019 Pilots and skips 2017, so a 2017 owner whose engine fails has no recall to fall back on. Several complaints are explicitly about this gap.

The transmission story is the same as 2016: 9-speed valve-body and torque-converter failures on higher trims, a lockup judder on the 6-speed lower trims (traced by Honda to fast-deteriorating fluid), and repairs owners put at roughly $6,000. On the plus side, 2017 does get the fuel-pump recall (23V-858) and the 9-year/125,000-mile engine start/stop switch extension. Buy a 2017 only with a documented, smooth transmission and a cold engine that starts silently — because if the engine goes, there's no safety net.

Evidence: 898 NHTSA complaints · 4 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 898 federal complaints, and the trickiest year of the third generation to buy: the transmission judder and hard-shift patterns carry over from 2016, and owners report the same connecting-rod-bearing engine failures — but 2017 was excluded from the rod-bearing recall (23V-751), so a failed engine is more likely to be on you.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

898

Federal complaints

4

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2017 Honda Pilot SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 11784)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Connecting-rod-bearing failure — and 2017 isn't covered

major

The same 3.5-liter rod-bearing defect that triggered recall 23V-751 on the 2016, 2018 and 2019 Pilots shows up in 2017 complaints: sudden knocking, a seized engine, loss of power. One owner's engine let go at 163,000 miles; another documented rod-bearing damage requiring a short-block replacement. The problem is that 23V-751 does not list 2017 — owners have filed complaints specifically asking why their year was excluded. That makes a 2017 riskier than its recalled neighbors on this exact failure, because there is no free repair to fall back on. Treat any cold-start knock as disqualifying and budget for the possibility of an out-of-warranty engine.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Pilot · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (3rd-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins

Transmission judder, hard shifts and torque-converter failuremajor

2017 carries both transmissions and both of their weaknesses. On the 6-speed (lower trims, lever shifter) a lockup judder appears between 20 and 60 mph; Honda's bulletin traced it not to a bad torque converter but to transmission fluid that deteriorates faster than expected. On the 9-speed (higher trims, push-button shifter) owners report violent jerking, shuddering, and torque-converter failure — one documented a 9-speed failure at 107,593 miles repaired for $6,229.91 at an independent shop. The fix path is a fluid-injection (PGM-FI) software update plus repeated fluid exchanges, escalating to a torque converter or transmission. Drive it through all gears and inspect the fluid and service records.

Sources: Independent mechanic channel transcripts (3rd-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins

$6,229.91

9-speed transmission repair, one owner (independent shop)

Misfire, catalyst and idle-stop coveragemoderate

Honda notified 2016–17 Pilot owners of a check-engine condition setting catalyst codes (P0420/P0430), misfire codes (P0300–P0306), and air-fuel-ratio codes (P219A/P219B), with a software/service fix — a mechanic channel frames this as a fuel-injector pattern, though the specific '10-year/150,000-mile injector warranty' claimed in that video is not confirmed in Honda's bulletins, so verify any coverage and eligibility by VIN rather than assuming it. Separately, the idle-stop no-restart condition carries a 10-year/no-mileage extension (valve adjustment and starter) after a PGM-FI software update, and the engine start/stop switch has a 9-year/125,000-mile extension on 2016–17 cars. Confirm which updates were applied.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Pilot · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (3rd-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins

Fuel-pump, hood-latch, airbag-sensor and subframe recallsmoderate

2017's four recalls are all free by VIN: the in-tank fuel-pump campaign (23V-858) that can cause a stall, the hood-latch-striker campaign (21V-932), a front-passenger seat-weight-sensor campaign (26V-332) where a cracked sensor can cause an unintended airbag deployment, and the salt-belt rear-subframe-corrosion campaign (26V-365, VINs searchable June 10, 2026). None is walk-away economics; the job is confirming they're closed.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2017 Pilot

$0

Recall repairs

My connecting rod bearing wore and ruined my engine. This is addressed in 23V-751 for 2016, 2018, and 2019 Honda Pilots, but not 2017 for some reason.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Honda dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 23V-8582015–2020 Pilot (with many Honda/Acura models): in-tank fuel pump may fail and cause a stall. Free fuel-pump-module replacement. Expansion of 21V-215/20V-314. Honda codes KGC/KGD.open
  2. 21V-9322016–2019 Pilot (with Passport/Ridgeline): hood-latch striker may separate, letting the hood open while driving. Free striker repair or hood replacement. Honda code PBV.open
  3. 26V-3322017–2022 Pilot (with many Honda/Acura models): front-passenger seat-weight sensor may crack and short, causing unintended airbag deployment in a crash. Free seat-weight-sensor replacement. Expands 24V-064; VINs searchable May 29, 2026.open
  4. 26V-3652016–2022 Pilot (with Ridgeline/Passport/Acura MDX) sold in 22 salt-belt states/DC: rear subframe may corrode at suspension mounts, risking rear-suspension failure. Free inspection and subframe reinforcement/repair. VINs searchable June 10, 2026. Honda codes AOU/AOT.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2017 Pilot

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

22 MPG combined (19 city / 27 highway) for the FWD, 3.5L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 38447 (Pilot FWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 3.5L 21 MPG.

$2,850/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 31% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda Pilot 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda Pilot 4dr 68, where 100 = average.

69 vs 100

31% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

9-speed transmission repair, one owner (independent shop)$6,229.91
Recall repairs$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Arrive to a cold engine and listen for any knock or rattle on the first start — 2017 is NOT in the rod-bearing recall (23V-751), so a failing engine here is likely your expense.
  2. 02Ask directly whether the engine has ever knocked, been inspected, or been replaced, and get service records.
  3. 03Test-drive through all gears and at 20–60 mph for judder, hard shifts or hesitation; check the transmission fluid isn't dark, and ask how often it was changed (a 6-speed needs it every 15,000–20,000 miles).
  4. 04Run the VIN against the fuel-pump (23V-858), hood-latch (21V-932) and seat-weight-sensor (26V-332) recalls, plus rear-subframe 26V-365 for salt-belt cars.
  5. 05Ask whether the idle-stop PGM-FI software update and the engine start/stop switch extension work were done.

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