2012 Honda Pilot Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 13%of 172 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 30,000miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 Honda Pilot, 13% of the 172 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 30,000 miles. 3 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“When backing up using the backup camera the camera display will sometimes go black on the screen. I have almost on two occasions almost hit someone backing out of a parking lot. This is a intermittent problem that comes and goes. I feel it's a safety issues to have your vision suddenly cut out with no warning.”
NHTSA complaint #10910756, filed 2016-09, 54,000 miles“Yesterday (august 13th) I was driving on a city street about 45 MPH and my 2012 Honda Pilot's dashboard went completely dark and the speed went from approx 45 MPH to zero in a matter of seconds . I was in the far left lane at the time with cars zipping by me at much faster speeds and I had to coast to the right hand shoulder of the road. When I applied the brakes I didn't know if I was going to be able to stop the car but it did come to a stop. Note: the radio still played . I turned off the ignition switch , turned it immediately back on and the car started . …”
NHTSA complaint #11243862, filed 2019-08, 68,000 miles“My wife pulled the vehicle into our driveway and exited the car just a she noticed white smoke coming out from under the hood. She called me out of the house to look and I saw there was a fire in the engine compartment. I tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher but it spread too fast. The end result is the entire vehicle was burnt with not much left. I am assuming it was something electrical due to the nature of the initial smoke and the location of the fire origins.”
NHTSA complaint #10482886, filed 2012-11, 5,500 miles“This is first summer for my brand new Honda Pilot 2012 lx car and I notice when AC in on and car is not moving there is some kind of moaning very loud noise coming from the engine. I took my car to the dealer from where I purchased this vehicle. I was informed that Honda motors is aware about this issue in 2012 Pilot. I am very surprise and upset that despite Honda motor is aware about this issue, till the date Honda motors did not solve this problem. The noise coming is very loud when AC is on and when car is not moving. This noise is very annoying. …”
NHTSA complaint #10469567, filed 2012-08, 6,000 miles“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 112,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 240,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11654853, filed 2025-04, 240,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10159441Apr 26, 2019ServiceNews Article - Here's something you really ought to know about: When you play a DVD with 5.1 surround sound (Dolby Digital), you'll hear the dialogue coming from just the…
- 10142438Jun 13, 2018Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al.v. American Honda Motor Co…
- 10136437May 4, 2018Service bulletin - The piston rings on certain cylinders may rotate and align, which can lead to spark plug fouling. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1 cylinder misfire detected…
- 10129412Jan 31, 2018Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al.v. American Honda Motor Co…
- 10128544Jul 30, 2014Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al .v. American Honda Motor Co…
- 10128573Jul 24, 2014Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al .v. American Honda Motor Co…
- 10129532Feb 26, 2014Service bulletin - The piston rings on certain cylinders may rotate and align which can lead to spark plug fouling. This can set DTCs P0301 through P0304 and cause the MIL to…
- 10042830Apr 6, 2012Honda: see document search button for owner letter. When ignition switch is turned to lock and then back on, the rear entertainment system (res) or cd player, would restart from…
- 10043248Jan 12, 2012Honda: on some model vehicles, there is an alternator/starter tester (ast) module capable of testing alternators, installed on gr8 diagnostic battery station.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 4% |
| 2025 | 45 | 21% |
| 2024 | 11 | 9% |
| 2023 | 28 | 19% |
| 2022 | 40 | 24% |
| 2021 | 136 | 30% |
| 2020 | 214 | 44% |
| 2019 | 266 | 29% |
| 2018 | 85 | 19% |
| 2017 | 266 | 28% |
| 2016 | 581 | 34% |
| 2015 | 13 | 12% |
| 2014 | 9 | 8% |
| 2013 | 9 | 3% |
| 2012 | 22 | 13% |
| 2011 | 26 | 9% |
| 2010 | 9 | 8% |
| 2009 | 5 | 4% |
| 2008 | 9 | 7% |
| 2007 | 22 | 10% |
| 2006 | 18 | 7% |
| 2005 | 57 | 8% |
| 2004 | 60 | 11% |
| 2003 | 129 | 18% |
Other parts of the 2012 Honda Pilot
35 complaintsBrakes
29 complaintsAir bags
20 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
20 complaintsVehicle speed control
17 complaintsFuel system
16 complaintsSuspension
14 complaintsSteering
11 complaintsEngine cooling
10 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Honda Pilot
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology