Reliability report · 2022 Honda Pilot · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,700/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →
2022 is the calmest Pilot in our data: 129 complaints, less than a tenth of the 2016 launch year's 1,660, and the last year of the mature third generation. The connecting-rod-bearing engine failures and the loud transmission-shudder era are behind it, and no single expensive pattern dominates. Calm doesn't mean flawless — it means there's no known walk-away failure mode here, so the work is verification rather than worry.
The recall list is short and all free by VIN: the brake master-cylinder campaign (23V-458) that also covers 2021, the MOST-cable rearview-camera campaign (23V-431), two overlapping seat-weight-sensor campaigns (24V-064 and 26V-332), and the salt-belt rear-subframe-corrosion campaign (26V-365). Mechanics note the same brake-switch and small-rotor quirks as the late third generation, both inexpensive. Confirm the brake recall, test the pedal, and 2022 is one of the most sensible used Pilots to buy.
Evidence: 129 NHTSA complaints · 5 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources
Canary status
Calm
What that means: 129 federal complaints — by far the lowest of any Pilot year in our data, and the last year of the third generation before the 2023 redesign. The expensive early-generation engine and transmission patterns have largely worked themselves out; the job here is confirming a short, mostly-free recall list and testing the brakes.
129
Federal complaints
5
Recalls
Tested variant: 2022 Honda PILOT SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 16481)
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.
The most consequential 2022 item, shared with 2021: a tie-rod fastener between the brake booster and the master cylinder may have been assembled improperly, which can let the master cylinder separate and cause a loss of brake function. Recall 23V-458 covers 2021–2022 Pilots (with Civic, Ridgeline, Passport and Acura MDX); dealers inspect and repair the brake-booster assembly free (Honda codes VEU/AEV/ZET). Confirm 23V-458 shows completed by VIN and test the brake pedal for a firm, consistent feel.
Recall brake-booster inspection/repair
$0
2022 carries the MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport — a fiber-optic data network) cable recall (23V-431) that addresses a rearview camera which can go blank, and two overlapping front-passenger seat-weight-sensor recalls (24V-064 and 26V-332) where a cracked sensor can cause an unintended airbag deployment. All are free by VIN. Test the camera on the drive and confirm each recall is closed.
$0
Recall camera-cable and sensor repairs
The low-drama late-third-generation items apply here too. The auto idle-stop no-restart condition is covered by the 10-year/no-mileage extension (valve adjustment and starter) after a fuel-injection software update; confirm the update was applied. A mechanic reports brake-switch failures on 2021–22 cars (the vehicle won't start and has no brake lights) — an inexpensive repair — and notes the Pilot's front rotors are undersized and warp relatively early, showing up as steering-wheel vibration under braking. None is a deal-breaker; they're checks and small budget items.
Sources: Independent mechanic channel transcripts (3rd-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins
By the final third-generation year, the two failures that dominate the early Pilots have faded: the connecting-rod-bearing engine failure (recall 23V-751 stops at 2019) and the loud transmission-shudder-and-limp-mode complaints of 2016–2019 are not the 2022 story. That's the main reason this year sits at 129 complaints. Still test-drive the transmission and listen on a cold start — good habits — but you're buying into the settled end of the generation, not its rough launch.
Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2022 Pilot · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (3rd-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins
The settled final year of the third generation — the fewest complaints of any Pilot we track.
Free fixes at any Honda dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.
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.
Fuel
23 MPG combined (20 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 44308 (Pilot FWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 3.5L 22 MPG.
$2,700/yr
at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026
Crash losses
Insurers lose about 24% less on this vehicle than on the average car. Lower collision losses tend to show up in what you pay for coverage.
Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda Pilot 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda Pilot 4dr 73, where 100 = average.
76 vs 100
24% below average
Theft
Stolen about 22% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.
Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report WT-22). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda Pilot 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda Pilot 4dr 95, where 100 = average.
78 vs 100
22% 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.
The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.
Watch my VIN — freevincanary.com/honda/pilot/2022