2007 Honda Pilot Problems

What owners report

Complaints about the 2007 Pilot cluster around airbag warning lights and inflator recalls, a group of brake symptoms (spongy or inconsistent pedal, unintended braking, earlier-than-expected wear), and unintended low-speed acceleration or revving. Many reports come in at fairly high mileage on older vehicles, though brake, tire and seat complaints appear early, some within the first few thousand miles.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake pedal spongy, inconsistent or braking on its own

   • 14 complaints (7%)
   • median 29,875 mi at 3.1 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2022

   Complaints describe a pedal that feels spongy or travels to the floor on some stops and is firm on others, requiring heavy pressure to stop. Several owners report the vehicle applying brake pressure by itself, often with the VSA or stability warning light coming on, and one dealer diagnosed a faulty brake booster. Others describe grinding and intermittent brake lock-up where rear rotors were resurfaced and pads replaced without a lasting fix. Mostly reported between about 16,000 and 50,000 miles, with a few reports at higher mileage.

   What to check: Test the pedal feel on several stops from different speeds and listen for grinding or clunking. Ask whether the brake booster, calipers or VSA module have been replaced, and have a shop check for air in the hydraulic system.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Applied brakes but they did not work. Collided with the rear of a vehicle ahead of me causing much damage to both vehicles. One person was taken from scene by ambulance. My vehicle is probably not repairable and is available for inspection. Other owners of 2007 Honda pilots have had same experience of brakes failing to work. (all numbers below are approximate as this internet report does not allow stating ranges for the vehicle's mileage, speed, etc.)”

   NHTSA complaint #10350279, filed 2010-08, 49,000 miles

   “Inconsistent brake pedal on 2007 Honda Pilot. Amount pf pressure applied to the brake pedal to stop the truck varies at almost every instance. At times, the pedal is spongy and goes to the floor. Other times it barely moves at all and the truck stops. This has been going on for quite a while now. I had the front brakes replaced in november 2009. When I had the vehicle inspected 1/2010 I had the mechanic check the front brakes but he said they were new and there was no problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10326547, filed 2010-04, 16,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Unintended acceleration or engine revving at low speed

   • 10 complaints (5%)
   • median 65,750 mi at 5.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2018

   Owners describe the engine revving or the vehicle surging forward when maneuvering at parking-lot speeds, sometimes while braking or after lightly touching the accelerator over a curb. In several accounts the driver shifted to neutral or applied both feet to the brake to stop the vehicle; some report the dealer could not reproduce or identify a cause. Reported from near-new (a few hundred to a few thousand miles) up to about 150,000 miles, typically at low speed in parking or turning situations.

   What to check: During a test drive, check for a hanging or slow-returning throttle and any sudden rpm rise when creeping or turning at low speed. Ask whether the throttle body or pedal assembly has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was starting to pull into the garage to pick up my mother and daughter when the accelerator stuck and kept increasing speed and I was unable to get it to slow down or stop. This is a double car side of the garage and my daughters car was on the right side of the garage so proceeding at a slow cautious speed is necessary. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10368868, filed 2010-11, 35,067 miles

   “While attempting to stop at a stop sign the engine raced to 3500-4000 rpms. I put it neutral and stood on the brake. The shifted gears from neutral to drive and reverse, and the acceleration stopped with a pop and went back to 1500. There was no injury or accident, but I was scared to death. This was the third occurrence in a week in a 2 week old Honda Pilot with 180 miles on it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10191778, filed 2007-05, 150 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag (SRS) warning light stays on

   • 41 complaints (19%)
   • median 87,614 mi at 8.5 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2026

   Owners describe the red SRS or airbag indicator lighting up and staying on, sometimes intermittently and sometimes every time the vehicle is started. One report notes the dealer pulled a code for an open or short in the passenger airbag cutoff circuit and suggested possible interference from an accessory power inverter, but did not repair it. Other complaints focus on waiting for passenger-side inflator parts under the inflator recall campaigns. Reported from roughly 28,000 to 160,000 miles, appearing on vehicles only a few years old in some cases.

   Recall 19V501000Recall 19V499000Recall 18V268000Recall 17V029000Recall 16V344000Recall 15V3200004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm by VIN whether the driver and passenger inflator recalls have been completed, and ask for the paperwork. Watch the SRS lamp through a full start cycle and have any stored airbag codes read before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Srs (airbag malfunction) red light came on 2007 Honda Pilot ex for no apparent reason. The srs red light stays on while driving. Vehicle age only 3 years old with zero accident history. Worried about so called Honda reliability . This is a safety issue no doubt.”

   NHTSA complaint #10370711, filed 2010-12, 28,000 miles

   “Srs indicator illuminates periodically for no obvious reason. Dealership read code 92-20 open/short in passenger airbag cutoff circuit; stated could be interference with AC inverter but don't use that in vehicle; did not attempt to fix the problem, sent me back home to monitor if it happened again. With nothing in passenger seat, srs illuminates as well as with items in seat. As of 11/26/12, illuminated steadily for multiple trips (usually does not illuminate on every road trip). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10486168, filed 2012-11, 86,000 miles
4. 4
   Seats

   Heated seat overheats or burns

   • 14 complaints (7%)
   • median 105,000 mi at 7.3 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2024

   Complaints describe the driver's seat heater becoming abnormally hot, in one case scorching the seat foam and producing smoke. Other seat complaints involve the driver's seat feeling loose or rocking, and one owner found the steel bracket attaching the seat to the slide mechanism had broken. A separate report describes the leather side panel splitting along the stitching. Seat heater reports at roughly 82,000 to 140,000 miles; the broken seat bracket was reported near 157,000 miles.

   What to check: Turn the seat heater on briefly and check for hot spots or a burning smell, and rock the driver's seat by hand to feel for play in the brackets and slides.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Drivers seat felt like it was loose and rocking slightly, then about 1 week later, felt worse. I slid it back to see if a bolt came off, and to my surprise, the steel bracket holding seat to sliding mechanism had completely broken off! I do not weight much and the care has not been in accident, so I believe the engineering of the bracket is insufficient and can lead to a serious accident. I was in my driveway when my seat broke, so fortunately, no one was injured.”

   NHTSA complaint #11103680, filed 2018-06, 157,000 miles

   “Nylon side panel of the back portion of the driver seat has a row of empty stitch holes just under the pleat where the side and the leather seat panels are stitched. The holes started to expand and become larger eventually causing a tear. Other holes are just beginning the process and are starting to expand. Went to my dealer and service manager told me it is happening because of getting in and out of the car. Unsatisfied, he told me he would have regional inspector look at it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10262582, filed 2009-03, 19,225 miles

Buying note. Verify by VIN that the airbag inflator recalls and any related warranty extension were completed, and test the brakes and low-speed throttle behavior carefully on the test drive. These are older, higher-mileage vehicles, so a pre-purchase inspection covering brakes, seat hardware and lighting is worth the cost.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.