Are Honda Pilots Reliable? A Complete Breakdown
Honda Pilot by Kevauto — CC-BY-SA-4.0
Hondas are known for being a relatively reliable vehicle manufacturer overall, and they have produced some of the most reliable vehicles currently on the road. But, not all Hondas are known to be an excellent option if you’re looking for a more reliable vehicle instead of just an affordable or effective one. If you’re considering getting a Honda Pilot, for instance, you might be worried by up and down reports of Honda Pilot reliability.
That’s a big problem since consumers who don’t know what to expect when you buy a vehicle don’t have the opportunity to prepare for the overall reliability of their vehicle.
Depending on who you ask, and when you ask, the Honda Pilot is either one of the most reliable vehicles Honda has produced or one of the least reliable.
Let’s take a closer look to see whether the Honda pilot is reliable or if the rumors of its failures are true.
Is The Honda Pilot Reliable?
When it comes to official ratings, right now, the Honda Pilot has managed to maintain average reliability scores, making it neither the best nor the worst vehicle Honda has to offer. It’s considered a middle-of-the-road option not only for its manufacturer but also compared with its competitors.
That said, the high affordability of the Honda Pilot may make it seem more attractive, even if it’s not as reliable as other options from Honda or other manufacturers.
However, the Honda Pilot has some stiff competition since one of its biggest natural competitors is the Toyota Highlander. Unfortunately for the Pilot, both Toyota and the Highlander tend to have incredibly high reliability ratings, which makes the Pilot less appealing and makes it all the more important that it be a reliable option if you’re going to choose it over the competition.
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Sadly, waves of complaints about the Pilot have lowered its reputation with consumers, if not its actual reliability scores with the experts.
Let’s take a closer look at the Honda Pilot’s strengths and weaknesses and see how well it does compared with other vehicles on the market and its competition.
Strengths Of The Honda Pilot
While the Honda Pilot has had an up and down reputation over the length of the vehicle’s release and different lines, the most recent models seem to have fixed some of the reliability problems that plagued previous generations.
Honda themselves seemed to have problems with reliability between 2015-2017, which the brand seems to have fixed in 2018 and for future releases. With that being said, the 2018 redesign got an impressive reliability score from Consumer Reports and other experts. The 2021 model also looks like it will prove to be an impressively reliable option.
The Honda Pilot is relatively reliable, with average fuel efficiency, fairly good brakes, and a suite of effective safety features that make it easier and safer to drive.
The Honda Pilot is also more comfortable than many of its competitors. Plus, like other Honda models, the Pilot is known to be a good option for taller drivers and passengers.
However, the component parts of the Honda Pilot aren’t known for great reliability or great fragility. Instead, they’re simply average and need average maintenance to get by.
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Weaknesses Of The Honda Pilot
The biggest weakness of the Honda Pilot is the history of the line. Like several Honda models, the Pilot has a history of checkered reliability. It’s a great SUV when it’s a good model year, but a bad SUV when you’re getting a bad model release.
The Pilot also doesn’t have anything that’s particularly exciting or innovative. That means its mixed reliability isn’t balanced by impressive features or anything that makes them more efficient than other vehicles.
While fuel efficiency is relatively good, its maintenance requirements are no more or less than other vehicles. It’s not faster than its competitors, and it’s not more or less comfortable than its best competitors.
Ultimately, while there aren’t many known complaints with the most recent models of the Honda Pilot, that doesn’t mean it’s more reliable than its predecessors in the line.
How Long Should You Expect A Honda Pilot To Last?
Honda Pilots have an average life expectancy for an SUV. You can expect most Honda Pilots to make it to at least 150,000 miles before they have any serious repair needs, and some Pilots are effective for as many as 250,000 miles before they need repairs.
It’s relatively rare for a Honda Pilot to make it to 300,00 miles in good condition, however. At least, Honda Pilots that see 300,000 miles usually have had a fair amount of repairs and maintenance and may have even had some major components replaced.
That said, if you’re willing to pay for those component replacements and other major repairs, Honda Pilots can keep going for a long time after getting serious work done.
At the same time, Honda Pilots might not always be worth the repairs they need as they get older. Sometimes, even when the repair costs less than the value of the vehicle, it’s still worth getting a new car simply because the Pilot will need more repairs more frequently than the alternatives.
How Can You Increase A Honda Pilot’s Reliability?
The biggest thing you can do to increase the reliability of a Honda Pilot is to stay on top of maintenance and look for preventive maintenance options whenever possible. That’s important because the better maintained a Honda Pilot is, the better its fuel efficiency, braking performance, suspension, and even the transmission will fare.
One of the weaknesses of the Honda Pilot is that they don’t stand up to even mild neglect very well, so maintenance schedules are even more important than average.
It’s also worth noting that Pilots don’t do well without being driven regularly. You shouldn’t let your Honda Pilot sit, which means that repairs need to be done quickly so you can keep driving the vehicle and keep it in good condition.
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Final Verdict: Is The Honda Pilot Reliable?
The Honda Pilot offers average reliability, at least for the most recent models, but can’t be expected to perform better than average or for longer than its competitors. It’s unlikely that the Pilot will outperform its competition, and it may not do as well as some of the highest performing options.
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