2012 Honda Pilot Recalls, Complaints & Specs
9 safety recalls list the 2012 Honda Pilot, and owners have filed 171 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
9 safety recalls for the 2012 Honda Pilot
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, California,…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the states of…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators. One dealership may have incorrectly installed the replacement air…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's…
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Inflator module (air bags)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic NGV…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are…
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Air bags
Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013.…
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Tank assembly (fuel system)
Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 pilot and acura mdx vehicles. The vent shut float (vsf) valve case in the fuel tank assembly does not meet the design specifications.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vsf assembly date and, if necessary, replace the fuel tank assembly, free of charge. The safety recall began on march 13, 2012. Owners may contact honda customer…
171 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2012 Honda Pilot have filed 171 complaints with NHTSA; 17 describe a crash and 3 describe a fire. Reports cite 19 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 47,003 miles. Complaints peaked in 2014 with 24 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“I own a 2012 Honda Pilot Touring equipped with the factory navigation system. The navigation system clock recently developed a problem where the time displays as 0:00 and does not operate normally. I”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 27, 2026 · Unknown or other
“On April 9, 2026, my daughter came in from school and parked her Honda Pilot at about 5:10PM. At about 7:03PM, my wife and I were sitting outside and heard a loud POP, it sounded like a car backfiring”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 12, 2026 · Electrical system
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2012 Honda Pilot (Pilot 2WD, Pilot 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 20 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 17–18 / 24–25 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 6 cyl, 3.5 L |
| Transmission | Automatic 5-spd |
Compare Honda Pilot model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Honda Pilot model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Honda Pilot | 13 | 720 |
| 2004 Honda Pilot | 12 | 544 |
| 2005 Honda Pilot | 13 | 679 |
| 2006 Honda Pilot | 8 | 268 |
| 2007 Honda Pilot | 7 | 211 |
| 2008 Honda Pilot | 7 | 133 |
| 2009 Honda Pilot | 9 | 134 |
| 2010 Honda Pilot | 10 | 111 |
| 2011 Honda Pilot | 11 | 293 |
| 2012 Honda Pilot | 9 | 171 |
| 2013 Honda Pilot | 6 | 271 |
| 2014 Honda Pilot | 3 | 116 |
| 2015 Honda Pilot | 4 | 109 |
| 2016 Honda Pilot | 8 | 1,710 |
| 2017 Honda Pilot | 4 | 930 |
| 2018 Honda Pilot | 7 | 440 |
| 2019 Honda Pilot | 13 | 909 |
| 2020 Honda Pilot | 11 | 491 |
| 2021 Honda Pilot | 10 | 438 |
| 2022 Honda Pilot | 5 | 160 |
| 2023 Honda Pilot | 5 | 144 |
| 2024 Honda Pilot | 6 | 115 |
| 2025 Honda Pilot | 4 | 205 |
| 2026 Honda Pilot | 1 | 23 |
Checking a specific 2012 Honda Pilot
How do I know if my 2012 Honda Pilot has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 9 campaigns currently list the 2012 Honda Pilot; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Honda dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 12V063000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Honda models
- Accord24,554 complaints
- Civic16,209 complaints
- CR-V15,994 complaints
- Odyssey12,749 complaints
- Fit2,196 complaints
- Ridgeline2,186 complaints
- HR-V1,853 complaints
- Passport1,660 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.