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Honda PilotModel year report

2009 Honda Pilot Problems

Compared with other Honda Pilot years

Fewer complaints than typical for this model

23/100 0.5× a typical year · 50 = typical

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
134filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
70,400miles, 83 complaints with mileage
Recalls
9campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
19 mpgcombined, 3.5L 6-cyl FWD · 17 city / 23 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2009 Honda Pilot (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2009 Pilot most often describe engine problems, especially oil consumption between changes, with some reports of misfires and loss of power. Front-end vibration while braking or at highway speed, tied to worn lower control arm bushings and rotors, is the second recurring theme, and a number of complaints concern air bag warning lights and inflator recalls. Reported mileages vary widely, from very low-mileage seat and brake complaints to high-mileage engine oil-burning reports.

  1. Suspension

    Front-end vibration when braking or at speed

    • 27 complaints (20%)
    • median 54,750 mi at 5.3 yrs old (24 state mileage)
    • filed 2011–2020

    Owners describe violent shaking of the steering wheel and front end when applying the brakes, especially from highway speeds, and sometimes a constant vibration above 60 mph that tire balancing does not cure. Complaints frequently point to cracked or torn front lower control arm compliance bushings; some owners had rotors replaced only for the shaking to return. Dealers reportedly identified the bushings and quoted repairs in the several-hundred-dollar range. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 78,000 miles, often during braking from highway speeds.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Drive the vehicle at 60 mph and brake firmly to feel for shake through the wheel, and have the front lower control arm bushings and rotors inspected before purchase.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “When to dealer's shop last week and was told that the compliance bushing was leaking and torn. I research the internet and noted that it is common problem for this vehicle. I'm paying a steep money to fix this problem. Is there any investigation going on for this problem?”

    NHTSA complaint #10532279, filed 2013-07, 45,000 miles

    “2009 Pilot front compliance bushings worn/loose according to Honda dealership. Cost to repair $726.00. I have read numerous reports of similar problems with varying prices and mileage. This problem seems to be a defect that we are paying to fix.”

    NHTSA complaint #10578861, filed 2014-04, 75,000 miles
  2. Engine

    Excessive oil consumption / oil burning

    • 18 complaints (13%)
    • median 110,000 mi at 7.9 yrs old (11 state mileage)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2013–2022

    Owners describe needing to add a quart or more of oil between oil changes, sometimes finding the dipstick dry even though the oil life indicator did not come on. Some report the check engine light, misfires, hesitation, or a burning oil smell; dealers reportedly told several owners the oil use was within a normal range and that no repair was needed. A service bulletin describes a piston ring condition on certain cylinders that can cause spark plug fouling and misfire codes. Reported from roughly 70,000 to 240,000 miles, often noticed several thousand miles after an oil change.

    5 related service bulletins

    What to check: Check the oil level and look for a fuel or burnt-oil smell, and ask for oil-change records and whether any oil-consumption test was done. Ask whether the piston ring warranty extension described in the service bulletin applies.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Excessive oil consumption. 170k miles on this vehicle. Noticed approximately 30k miles ago that I needed to add oil between oil changes, which I always get every 3500-4000 miles. Usually takes less than 1 quart. Most recently, took 2+ quarts. Honda advises this is not unusual and no repair is necessary - just continue to add oil as needed. Seems absurd.”

    NHTSA complaint #10854881, filed 2016-04, 170,000 miles

    “Excessive oil consumption, engine hesitation, misfire, multiple engine lights. When I changed the oil my mechanic told me that the engine did not have a drop of oil and he is not sure if that damaged the engine. He asked me to drive the car and report any problem. A couple of days later I noticed the above symptoms.”

    NHTSA complaint #10555911, filed 2013-12, 99,000 miles
  3. Engine

    Engine stalling or sudden loss of power

    • 13 complaints (10%)
    • median 75,936 mi at 6.3 yrs old (12 state mileage)
    • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2009–2020

    Owners describe the engine stalling or losing power without warning while driving, sometimes requiring a tow; some were told spark plugs, converters, or injectors needed replacement, and in other cases the cause was not found. A few reports describe engine noise followed by low compression or major engine damage. Reported widely, from near-new mileage up to about 150,000 miles.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask for service records on spark plugs, ignition, and any engine repairs, and have a mechanic check for stored misfire codes and listen for abnormal engine noise.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “We were northbound on a local road near returning from our children's school. I was driving with my two children in the rear of the vehicle, at approximately 30mph. With no warning the car made a noise, several warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and I lost control of the car as all acceleration, steering, braking, et cetera, ceased operation. I was able to coast to the shoulder but was still in the road, where I put on my emergency lights and with my children climbed out of the car on the passenger side. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11066708, filed 2018-02, 89,109 miles

    “On 7/20/16 driving at 60 MPH on highway. Lost power and heard clicking. Coasted to side of road, called police (no report), called my roadside assistance and vehicle towed to dealership. I had the timing belt replaced 1 year earlier on 1/19/15. I always maintained the vehicle at the dealer at each service interval. The dealer replaced multiple items in engine (attached document) and charged me $1453 for the work&parts which did not fix the problem. The dealer then tested vehicle and noted low compression and engine damage. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10923930, filed 2016-11, 128,248 miles
  4. Air bags

    Air bag warning light on or passenger air bag shows off

    Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

    Owners report the air bag warning light coming on or the passenger-side air bag indicator showing off while someone is seated there, sometimes intermittently. One complaint describes frontal air bags not deploying in a crash. Multiple recalls cover the front passenger inflator, and several owners said the recall part was not yet available when they were notified. Reported across a wide mileage range, roughly 36,000 to 238,000 miles.

    Recall 19V502000Recall 19V378000Recall 18V268000Recall 18V042000Recall 17V545000Recall 17V030000Recall 16V346000Recall 13V0160005 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask the dealer to confirm by VIN that all open air bag inflator recalls have been completed, and check that the air bag warning light goes out after startup.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The warning sign.... Side air bag off... Turns on automatically or blinks various times....so I stop the vehicle and put in park and turn off vehicle and the warning light for the air bag is no longer there. The warning indicator shows it turns off on its own the side air bags”

    NHTSA complaint #11052601, filed 2017-12, 160,000 miles

    “Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Honda Pilot. While driving various speeds, the air bag warning indicator intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v346000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 238,000. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10979471, filed 2017-04, 238,000 miles
  5. Seats

    Power seat track jams or feels loose

    Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

    Owners describe the driver's power seat grinding, moving on its rails, or jamming so it will only travel a short distance, leaving the driver stuck close to the steering wheel. Some were told the whole lower seat track assembly needed replacement at significant cost, and one dealer reportedly said it had seen a number of similar cases. Reported from very low mileage (under 15,000) up to about 75,000 miles.

    What to check: Move both front seats through their full travel in every direction and listen for grinding or slipping, and ask whether the seat tracks have been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “2009 Honda Pilot - issue with power motor on driver and now passenger seat. Motor grinds, seat does not move with ease, occasionally seat feels like it's moving on the rails (when it shouldn't be). Honda states 'technicians are working on it'. Problem was first reported over 18 months ago, Honda is aware of issue.”

    NHTSA complaint #10356795, filed 2010-09, 10,000 miles

    “The driver's power seat horizontal position track jammed so that the seat could only be moved about 2 inches forward/backward. This locked the driver into a position very close to the steering wheel and unable to reach auto controls, seat belt without significant difficulty. Honda dealer said they're had a rash of these power seat jam-ups on pilots. Had to replace the lower seat track assembly which cost $1,340 with parts, labor and tax.”

    NHTSA complaint #11281354, filed 2019-11, 75,000 miles

Buying note. A 2009 Pilot can be a practical used buy, but check the oil level and consumption history, inspect the front bushings and rotors, and confirm the air bag recalls were completed by VIN before purchase. A pre-purchase inspection with a scan tool will help confirm whether these common reports apply to the specific vehicle.

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.

NHTSA recorded 134 consumer complaints for the 2009 Honda Pilot. 83 of the complaints include a mileage, and 40% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 70,400 miles. Of all complaints, 9 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 12 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns and 73 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 15 Honda Pilot model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 23 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (fewer complaints than typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Engine cooling (4), Vehicle speed control (4), Electronic stability control (3), Other or unknown (3), Tires (3), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (3), Equipment (2), Exterior lighting (1), Fuel system (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Wheels (1).

Example complaints

Engine: “About a year and a half ago the engine started burning a tremendous amount of oil. I have to constantly check the oil to make sure that the engine won't seize on me. There has already been a class action lawsuit against Honda about this. Being that I am the second owner of this car and it was never disclosed to me and am now tasked with finding out if Honda will fix it. Just wanted to put this problem out there.”

NHTSA complaint #11081375, filed 2018-03, 160,000 miles

Air bags: “Started noticing that sometimes the passenger side airbag says it's off although someone is sitting there. Now, the airbag warning light is on. I've attached a photo.”

NHTSA complaint #11164624, filed 2019-01, 171,000 miles

Suspension: “Took my 2009 Honda Pilot in to the Honda dealer for maintenance schedule and front brake pad replacement and was told that 1. Front lower control arm bushing & brackets $750.00 + tax the bushings inside the bracket are cracking. Just purchased the car from ourisman Honda in laurel, md in november 2011. Did not replace due to not being able to afford the cost. Considering replacement in 2/2015 due to the violent shaking that I experience when braking or driving over 60mph. I should not have had to incur this expense especially since Honda was aware of this malfunction.”

NHTSA complaint #10684063, filed 2015-02, 71,312 miles

Brakes: “Complete loss of power steering while stopped or at low speeds (trying to pull into a parking space) and front end/steering column shaking while breaking at 60 MPH. I was told by the service rep at the Honda dealership that I lost my power steering because there was a leak from eroded seal, causing power steering fluid to leak into the boots on the underside of the vehicle. For this reason, there was never any leakage onto the ground to ever indicate that there was a leak. Additionally, a warning light never came on in my dashboard to alert me of the issue. …”

NHTSA complaint #10701678, filed 2015-03, 57,500 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

40% of the 83 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 35,000 and 103,000 miles.

8%0–108%10–2523%25–5014%50–7518%75–10014%100–15013%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (83 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 70,400 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’08’11’1429’17’20’23’26
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2009 Honda Pilot. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Pilot · sedan AWD/FWDnot rated5 / 5——4 · 16.4% risk

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2009 Honda Pilot version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Pilot 2WD3.5L 6-cyl5-speed automatic172319$3,550
Pilot 4WD3.5L 6-cyl5-speed automatic162218$3,700

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

See all 9 recalls for the 2009 Honda Pilot → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 73 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 73 bulletins →

Other model years of the Honda Pilot

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20262712,0001522Too new to compareToo new
20252168,2184522Too new to compareToo new
202411635,0006522Too new to compareToo new
202314618,000552253 · TypicalToo new
202217036,000552342 · TypicalRising
202145032,0001052390 · MoreRising
20204924,00011523100 · MoreStable
201992122,00013523100 · MoreRising
201844047,500752346 · TypicalRising
201793638,000452368 · MoreStable
20161,72050,0008523100 · MoreStable
201510946,00044200 · FewerStable
201411634,25834201 · FewerStable
201327128,000642058 · TypicalFalling
201217236,000942045 · TypicalStable
201129346,3751141962 · TypicalFalling
201011159,94010—195 · FewerFalling
200913470,4009—1923 · FewerFalling
200813387,0007—180 · FewerStable
200721182,1777—18Not compared (before 2008)Rising
2006268100,0008—18Not compared (before 2008)Stable
2005679102,00013—17Not compared (before 2008)Falling
2004544104,00012—17Not compared (before 2008)Stable
2003720117,00013—17Not compared (before 2008)Falling

All Honda Pilot model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Honda Pilot?

Owners of the 2009 Pilot most often describe engine problems, especially oil consumption between changes, with some reports of misfires and loss of power. The issues reported most often: Front-end vibration when braking or at speed; Excessive oil consumption / oil burning; Engine stalling or sudden loss of power.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2009 Honda Pilot have?

NHTSA recorded 134 consumer complaints for the 2009 Honda Pilot as of Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2009 Honda Pilot is reported most often?

Engine is named most often, in 35 complaints (26% of the total), followed by air bags with 29.

Has the 2009 Honda Pilot been recalled?

NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2009 Honda Pilot get?

The EPA rates the 2009 Honda Pilot (Pilot 2WD, 3.5L 6-cyl) at 19 mpg combined, 17 city and 23 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,550 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2009 Honda Pilot reported?

Among the 83 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 70,400 miles and the middle half falls between 35,000 and 103,000 miles; 40% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.