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Reliability report · 2023 Honda Pilot · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,850/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A clean-sheet redesign with a fresh-launch recall sheet — low complaint volume, but verify every campaign.

2023 is a complete redesign — the fourth-generation Pilot, on a new body with a new 3.5-liter dual-overhead-cam V6 and a 10-speed automatic (shared with the current Accord, Odyssey and Acura's TLX/MDX Type-S, and generally well-regarded). Complaint volume is low at 113. But like any launch year, it carries the redesign's teething recalls, and two of them have real safety weight: a steering-rack defect (23V-735) where a loose ball bearing can cause loss of steering control or lock-up, and a fuel-filler-neck recall (24V-900) where the pipe can separate and leak fuel.

There's also a software stall recall (25V-031) — a fuel-injection control error that can cause an engine stall or loss of power, matching owner reports of warning cascades and hesitation — plus a driver's-seat-frame recall (24V-859) and a brake-pedal-pin recall (25V-391). All are free by VIN. Beyond the recalls, first-year owners report water leaks from the roof and windshield, loose or missing front-window-regulator bolts, and a cylinder-head-cover oil-leak bulletin (codes P2096/P2270). None of those is expensive, but on a redesign year the message is simple: the numbers are quiet, so make the recalls and the bulletins your checklist.

Evidence: 113 NHTSA complaints · 5 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 113 federal complaints — a low number, but this is an all-new fourth-generation Pilot with a new engine and 10-speed transmission, and first-year cars carry a launch recall sheet: a steering-rack defect, a fuel-leak campaign, a software stall recall, and a brake-pedal recall. The volume is small; the recalls are the real work.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

113

Federal complaints

5

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2023 Honda PILOT SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 18933)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

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

Steering-rack ball bearing — recall 23V-735

major

The fourth generation's launch safety headline. A manufacturing error can leave a loose ball bearing in the steering gearbox assembly, which can cause a loss of steering control or steering lock-up. Recall 23V-735 covers 2023–2024 Pilots; dealers replace the electric power-steering rack free (Honda code FFX). This is a steering-control recall, not a nuisance — confirm 23V-735 shows completed by VIN and pay attention to any notchiness, clunk or catch in the steering on the test drive.

Recall steering-rack replacement

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2023 Pilot

Fuel-filler-neck leak and FI-ECU stall — 24V-900, 25V-031major

Two more redesign recalls with real consequences. Recall 24V-900 covers 2023–2025 Pilots where the fuel-filler neck tube and pipe may separate and let fuel leak — a fire risk near an ignition source — repaired free. Recall 25V-031 covers 2023–2025 Pilots (with Acura MDX and TLX Type-S) for a fuel-injection electronic-control-unit (FI-ECU — the computer that runs the engine's fuel system) software error that can cause an engine stall or loss of power; the fix is a free software reprogram. The stall recall lines up with owner complaints of dashboard warning cascades and sudden loss of power. Confirm both are closed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2023 Pilot

$0

Recall fuel-neck and FI-ECU repairs

Driver's-seat-frame and brake-pedal recalls — 24V-859, 25V-391moderate

Two more free launch-year campaigns. Recall 24V-859 (with the 2023–2024 Accord, Civic, HR-V and Acura Integra) covers a driver's-seat cushion frame that may not have been tightened properly, leaving the seat unsecured in a crash (FMVSS 207). Recall 25V-391 (2023–2025 Pilot with Acura MDX/TLX) covers a brake-pedal pivot pin that wasn't secured, which can let the pedal shift out of position and prevent braking as intended (FMVSS 108/135). Both are free by VIN — confirm each shows completed.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall database, 2023 Pilot

$0

Recall seat-frame and brake-pedal repairs

First-year fit-and-finish: leaks, window bolts, oil-leak bulletinminor

The redesign's non-recall teething items, all inexpensive and all covered by warranty on a car this new. Owners and dealers report water leaks from the panoramic/sunroof and windshield (easily sealed), a pattern of loose or missing front-window-regulator bolts on both front doors (one car had the bolts sitting loose inside the door panel), occasional door-lock-actuator and center-display faults, and a cylinder-head-cover oil-leak bulletin — a burning-oil smell or a check-engine light with codes P2096 and/or P2270, traced to porosity in a head-cover bolt hole. The new engine drops the old valve-adjustment maintenance. Inspect for leaks, cycle both front windows, and ask whether the head-cover bulletin applies to the VIN.

Sources: Independent mechanic/owner channel transcripts (4th-gen Pilot) and Honda manufacturer-communication bulletins

Due to a manufacturing error, the gearbox assembly may contain a loose ball bearing, which can result in a loss of steering control or steering lock-up.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

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

  1. 23V-7352023–2024 Pilot: steering gearbox assembly may contain a loose ball bearing, risking loss of steering control or steering lock-up. Free electric-power-steering-rack replacement. Honda code FFX.open
  2. 24V-9002023–2025 Pilot (with 2023–2024 Passport): fuel-filler neck tube and pipe may separate, allowing fuel to leak and increasing fire risk. Free inspection/repair of the filler neck and pipe. Honda code OKM.open
  3. 25V-0312023–2025 Pilot (with Acura MDX Type-S and TLX Type-S): FI-ECU software error may cause an engine stall or loss of power. Free FI-ECU software reprogram. Honda codes EL1/AL0.open
  4. 24V-8592023–2024 Pilot (with Accord, Civic Sedan/Hatchback, 2024 HR-V, Acura Integra): driver's-seat cushion frame may not be tightened properly, leaving the seat unsecured (FMVSS 207). Free driver's-seat-cushion-frame replacement.open
  5. 25V-3912023–2025 Pilot (with Acura MDX and TLX): brake-pedal pivot pin not secured properly, which can let the pedal shift out of position and prevent braking (FMVSS 108/135). Free inspection and brake-pedal-assembly replacement as needed. Honda codes FLX/XLY.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 — 2023 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 46374 (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 20% 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, 2023–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda Pilot 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda Pilot 4dr 41, where 100 = average.

80 vs 100

20% 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.

Recall steering-rack replacement$0
Recall fuel-neck and FI-ECU repairs$0
Recall seat-frame and brake-pedal 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. 01Confirm the steering-rack recall (23V-735) shows completed by VIN and feel for any notchiness, clunk or catch in the steering on the drive — this is the redesign's steering-control recall.
  2. 02Verify the fuel-filler-neck recall (24V-900) and the FI-ECU stall recall (25V-031) are closed — both have real safety consequences, and the stall recall matches owner warning-cascade reports.
  3. 03Run the VIN against the driver's-seat-frame recall (24V-859) and the brake-pedal-pin recall (25V-391).
  4. 04Inspect for water leaks around the panoramic roof, sunroof and windshield, and cycle both front windows fully — loose/missing regulator bolts are a reported first-year pattern.
  5. 05Ask whether the cylinder-head-cover oil-leak bulletin (codes P2096/P2270) applies, and check for any burning-oil smell or oil weeping at the head cover.

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vincanary.com/honda/pilot/2023