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Fuel Tank / Fuel Filler Defect - Fuel Leak or Reduced Fuel Capacity
fuel smell; fuel leak; reduced fuel range; fuel filler or fuel tank recall
Catastrophic2023-2025
OPEN HOURS MON–FRI | 9AM–6PM
Seven NHTSA recalls, phantom braking, and steering failures: 2023-2025 Honda Pilot owners may have lemon-law rights. Free case review — Margarian Law.
You bought a 2023-2025 Honda Pilot because Honda has spent decades building a reputation for reliability. The fifth generation promised something genuinely new: an all-new platform, a refined J35Y8 V6 paired to a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic, a Google Built-In infotainment system, and Honda Sensing 360+ as the most advanced driver-assist suite the brand had ever offered in a family SUV. For many families, this was a $45,000-to-$55,000 bet on that reputation.
What many 2023-2025 Pilot owners have encountered instead is a vehicle that has been recalled seven times in fewer than four years — covering the steering rack, the driver's seat frame (twice), the fuel filler pipe, the fuel injection software, the 3rd-row seat belt, and the brake pedal assembly. That is an unusually dense recall record for a platform that was brand new at launch. Beyond the formal recalls, NHTSA complaint databases for this generation show a persistent pattern of phantom braking events — the Collision Mitigation Braking System triggering full emergency stops at highway speed with no obstacle present — along with 10-speed transmission hesitation, seat-belt sensor failures, and cascading multi-system warning-light events that dealers frequently cannot reproduce.
Honda has acknowledged several of these problems in recall filings, and the FI-ECU software fix (recall 25V031000) addresses one major stalling pattern. But the phantom-braking complaints — 31 on the 2025 model year alone — remain without a fix, and NHTSA complaint narratives record dealers telling owners 'that's a known problem, no fix is available from Honda.' For California families who paid new-car prices for this vehicle, that answer is not good enough.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
fuel smell; fuel leak; reduced fuel range; fuel filler or fuel tank recall
sticky steering; steering wheel feels stuck; increased steering effort; steering recall
driver seat cushion loose; seat fastener recall; seat may not stay secured
warning light; recall notice; repeated dealer repair
driver seat cushion loose; seat fastener recall; seat may not stay secured
brake pedal problem; reduced braking; unexpected braking; brake warning light
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
sticky steering; steering wheel feels stuck; increased steering effort; steering recall
A loose ball bearing in the steering gear box (recall 23V735000) can cause total steering lock-up — a loss-of-control event at any speed. Honda notified owners in December 2023 and requires rack replacement. If a Pilot owner experienced steering stiffness or lock-up events before the recall repair was performed, or if the dealer was unable to complete the repair within a reasonable time (leaving the vehicle unsafe to drive), those repair visits count toward California Song-Beverly eligibility. Steering defects that impair safe operation are among the strongest lemon-law fact patterns.
Dealers will replace the electric power steering rack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FFX.
driver seat cushion loose; seat fastener recall; seat may not stay secured
Recall 24V859000 covers an improperly torqued driver's seat cushion frame that fails to meet FMVSS 207 seating-system standards. An unsecured driver seat cannot adequately restrain the driver in a crash. If your 2023-2024 Pilot received this recall repair but the seat later exhibited looseness again — or if the repair required multiple dealer visits — the cumulative downtime and recurring safety concern supports a Song-Beverly claim. Note: this recall was later expanded via 26V054000 to cover additional VINs.
Dealers will replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
fuel smell; fuel leak; reduced fuel range; fuel filler or fuel tank recall
Recall 24V900000 addresses fuel filler neck separation that allows raw fuel to leak in the presence of an ignition source — a direct fire risk. This is a true Catastrophic-severity defect. Honda repaired vehicles starting January 2025. For the California lemon law, a fire-risk defect that required multiple inspection or repair appointments, or one where the owner experienced actual fuel smell in the cabin before the recall was remedied, is a strong eligibility basis. Document any fuel odor events with date and mileage.
Dealers will inspect and repair the fuel filler neck tube and pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is OKM.
warning light; recall notice; repeated dealer repair
Recall 25V031000 addresses a software error in the fuel injection ECU that causes sudden engine stall or loss of power at speed — a crash-risk event under any road conditions. Honda's remedy is an FI-ECU software reprogram (free of charge). However, owner-complaint data shows persistent hesitation and power-loss events even after the software update, suggesting the calibration gap was not fully resolved for all vehicles. If a California owner stalled or lost power on multiple occasions — before or after the recall repair — each dealer visit for that symptom counts toward the Song-Beverly 'reasonable number of repair attempts' threshold.
Dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EL1 and AL0.
driver seat cushion loose; seat fastener recall; seat may not stay secured
Recall 25V056000 covers 2025 Pilot vehicles where the third-row passenger seat belt was routed behind the side panel, rendering it unable to function in a crash. This fails FMVSS 208 occupant protection requirements. Any 2025 Pilot owner who transported third-row passengers before the recall repair was completed was unknowingly operating a vehicle with a non-functional safety restraint. If the dealer repair required multiple appointments or the vehicle was out of service for an extended period while awaiting this fix, Song-Beverly's 30-day out-of-service provision may apply.
Dealers will inspect and repair the seat belt routing as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is ZL4.
brake pedal problem; reduced braking; unexpected braking; brake warning light
Recall 25V391000 covers an unsecured brake pedal pivot pin that can shift the pedal out of position, preventing the driver from applying the brakes as intended. This is a direct brake-failure risk. Honda notified owners in July 2025. For Song-Beverly purposes: if an owner experienced abnormal brake pedal feel, unexpectedly high pedal effort, or a dashboard brake warning before the recall was repaired — and the dealer attributed it to this defect — those visits count. Multiple brake-system repair attempts without a lasting fix is a compelling lemon-law pattern given the life-safety nature of the defect.
Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pedal assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2025. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are FLX and XLY.
driver seat cushion loose; seat fastener recall; seat may not stay secured
Recall 26V054000 expands the earlier 24V859000 seat-cushion-frame campaign to cover additional 2024 Pilot VINs missed in the original recall. The defect — an improperly torqued driver's seat frame — renders the seat non-compliant with FMVSS 207. Owners who reported loose seat concerns to dealers before this expansion recall was issued may have been turned away with no repair offered; those unacknowledged service visits nonetheless contribute to the repair-attempt count under California law. Owners notified in March 2026 should confirm their VIN is covered and document the repair date.
Dealers will replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 10, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are ONC, KND, BNE and ZNF. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in thi
vehicle brakes hard with no obstacle present; CMBS emergency braking at highway speed; collision mitigation braking system problem warning; Honda Sensing false alarm; sudden deceleration on freeway; brakes slam on without input; rear-end collision risk from unexpected stop
Under California's Song-Beverly Act, a safety-affecting defect that cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts — or that results in the vehicle spending 30+ cumulative days out of service — can qualify for buyback or replacement. Phantom braking that triggers multiple dealer visits with no fix is precisely the 'cannot be repaired' pattern Song-Beverly targets. Owners should document every incident with dashcam footage, written repair orders, and Honda's written 'known problem / no fix available' acknowledgment to build the strongest claim.
Honda has not issued a formal recall or confirmed TSB as of research date. Dealer response: clean front emblem/radar area; verify radar alignment. Multiple owners report no lasting resolution after alignment inspection. Disable CMBS via the driver-assist menu as a temporary workaround. Document every false-braking event (date, speed, location, conditions) on the repair order.
transmission jerks on downshift; hesitation 0-30 mph; rough gear changes; gear hunting at highway speed; car bucks during acceleration; delayed throttle response when merging; transmission shudder; sluggish acceleration from stop
Recurring transmission hesitation or harsh shifting that requires multiple dealer visits without lasting resolution meets the 'reasonable number of repair attempts' standard under Song-Beverly. If the same symptom persists after the 25V031000 FI-ECU software fix and a follow-up TCM adjustment, the repair history strongly supports a lemon-law claim — particularly where the transmission issue prevents safe highway merging or causes an unintended stall.
FI-ECU software reprogramming (recall 25V031000 — free of charge) addresses stall-on-throttle events. For remaining shift harshness: dealer TCM software update / adaptive learning reset. If harsh shifts persist after TCM update, valve-body inspection and replacement. Document shift events with video and specific road/speed conditions on repair orders.
seat belt unbuckled warning when buckled; false seat belt alert; constant beeping seat belt warning; second row seat belt alarm; passenger seat belt sensor failure; seat belt buckle replaced multiple times; alert fatigue from false warnings
A seat-belt sensor defect that returns after one or more warranty repairs is a textbook Song-Beverly pattern: same defect, multiple repair attempts, not repaired. While not a crash-hazard in itself, recurring false warnings cause alert fatigue and may desensitize occupants to genuine unbuckled alerts — a safety argument that strengthens any lemon-law case. Three or more buckle replacements for the same seat position within the warranty period is strong evidence of a substantial impairment.
Dealer replaces affected seat belt buckle assembly under warranty. Recurrence common — if the same seat buckle fails a second time, request TSB documentation and ask for a revised buckle part number. Document each buckle replacement on a separate repair order with the specific seat position noted.
sunroof shatters while driving; moonroof exploded; panoramic glass cracked without impact; glass fell into cabin from sunroof; loud pop from roof at highway speed; sunroof broke on its own; rear windshield spontaneously cracked
If Honda or the dealer denies warranty coverage for a sunroof that shattered without impact, that denial itself may be actionable. Under Song-Beverly, a manufacturer who refuses to honor a valid warranty claim within a reasonable time is in breach. Owners whose sunroof failed during the warranty period should demand written denial reasoning, obtain an independent glass inspector's opinion on cause, and escalate to Honda corporate before accepting any out-of-pocket charge. A pattern of the same part failing (glass or rear windshield) creates grounds for a lemon-law claim if the vehicle spent 30+ days out of service awaiting parts.
Glass panel replacement under warranty; insist on written denial reasoning if dealer claims impact. Request inspection of sunroof drain tubes during any service appointment — clear blockages proactively. Document any prior moisture or water pooling on the headliner, which supports the drain-clog theory. Carry dashcam video if possible; the instant-fracture pattern (no prior crack progression) distinguishes impact from thermal/stress failure.
multiple warning lights on at once; brake system error; electric power steering failure warning; ABS failure light; AWD disabled warning; stability control off; all safety systems disabled at once; vehicle won't restart after idle stop; body control module failure
A vehicle that repeatedly presents 10+ simultaneous safety-system warnings — brakes, steering, AWD, stability — represents a substantial impairment of use and safety. Under Song-Beverly, intermittent defects that cannot be duplicated at the dealer still count toward the repair-attempt total if the symptom was reported and documented. Owners should request that the dealer note the specific warnings observed (date, mileage, warning light list) on each repair order, even if the car 'cleared itself.' Three such documented visits without lasting resolution strongly supports a lemon-law claim.
Dealer diagnosis via DLC scan to identify root fault triggering cascade. Common root causes: wheel speed sensor replacement; ABS module replacement; body control module reprogramming. Auto idle-stop fault: software calibration or disable via settings. Insist on a specific fault code documented on every repair order even when the dealer cannot reproduce the warning pattern — intermittent faults can still generate stored codes.
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid, and 2024 HR-V, Pilot, and Acura Integra vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may not have been tightened properly, which can result in a loose seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 207, "Seating Systems."
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin was not secured properly, which can cause the pedal to shift out of position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2025 Honda Pilot vehicles. The third-row passenger seat belt assembly may not function, due to incorrect routing that traps the seat belt behind the passenger side panel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Passport and 2023-2025 Pilot vehicles. The fuel filler neck tube and fuel filler pipe may separate, allowing fuel to leak.
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Honda Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Pilot, and 2024 HR-V, Acura Integra and Acura Integra Type S vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may not have been tightened properly, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 207, "Seating Systems."
remedy available
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Pilot vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the gear box assembly may contain a loose ball bearing, which can result in a loss of steering control or steering lock-up.
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act — often called the lemon law — gives new-vehicle buyers meaningful remedies when a manufacturer cannot fix a warrantied defect after a reasonable number of attempts.
For the 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, the most relevant scenarios are:
STEERING / BRAKE DEFECTS: A safety defect — like the steering rack loose ball bearing (23V735000) or brake pedal pivot failure (25V391000) — is presumed to substantially impair safety. California courts recognize that even one or two repair attempts for a life-safety defect may be sufficient if the fix fails to last.
RECURRING DEFECTS AFTER REPAIR: If your Pilot stalled repeatedly after the FI-ECU recall repair (25V031000), or if your seat belt buckle was replaced three times and failed again, each documented dealer visit counts toward the repair-attempt total. Song-Beverly's rebuttable presumption is triggered after four attempts for the same defect, or two attempts for a defect likely to cause death or serious injury.
30-DAY OUT-OF-SERVICE RULE: If your Pilot has spent a cumulative 30 days or more at the dealership during the first 18 months or 18,000 miles — across any combination of defects — Song-Beverly's out-of-service presumption applies regardless of repair attempt count. Keep every loaner agreement, shuttle receipt, and service appointment confirmation as evidence.
REMEDY: If your vehicle qualifies, you may be entitled to a full repurchase (refund of all payments plus taxes and fees), a replacement vehicle, or a negotiated cash settlement. This is general information and not legal advice.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
The 2023-2025 Honda Pilot presents four specific 'cannot duplicate' patterns that dealers use to close repair orders without fixing the problem. Here is what to do for each:
1. PHANTOM BRAKING: The CMBS system resets itself and leaves no stored fault code. Bring dashcam footage of the false-braking event. Ask the service advisor to note in the repair order: exact date, speed at time of braking, road condition, and that no obstacle was present. Ask Honda to escalate to a field technical specialist. If the dealer says 'known problem, no fix,' get that statement in writing on the RO.
2. MULTI-SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CASCADE: These faults are often intermittent and stored in the BCM or ABS module but not flagged as active. Insist on a full DLC (OBD-II + Honda-proprietary) scan of all modules, not just powertrain. Request the printed scan results. Even if the scan shows 'no current faults,' historical/pending codes may appear. Ask the dealer to check wheel speed sensor resistance values — a marginally failing sensor will not throw a code until it fails completely.
3. TRANSMISSION HESITATION: The 10-speed AT adaptive learning may mask the defect after a restart. Request the dealer replicate the exact driving condition: cold start, slow 0-30 mph pull-away on a slight grade. Note the outdoor temperature and whether you had the auto idle-stop function active. If the dealer says 'normal operation,' request documentation of the Honda-specified shift-point calibration values to compare against your symptoms.
4. SEAT LOOSENESS: The seat cushion frame fastener recall (24V859000/26V054000) may not be the same VIN as the visible symptom. Push the seat firmly front-to-back and document any perceptible movement on video before the service appointment. Ask the dealer to torque-verify the seat frame bolts and document the actual torque reading on the repair order, not just 'inspected OK.'
Seven recalls on a brand-new platform in under four years is a significant quality story. Two of those recalls cover the same seat-frame defect across different VIN populations — a signal that Honda's initial quality inspection missed a widespread fastener-torque problem. The phantom-braking issue is arguably the most concerning open problem: 31 NHTSA complaints in a single model year, dealers confirming it is a known issue with no fix, and the risk being a rear-end collision from traffic behind an unexpectedly stopping SUV.
Honda built a strong reliability legacy on prior Pilot generations. The fifth generation's all-new platform has introduced new failure modes that the prior J35Y6-based cars did not exhibit. California owners who experience recurring defects from this dense recall record have real legal options — and the documentation is almost entirely in NHTSA's public database.
— The Margarian Law team
If your 2023-2025 Honda Pilot has been to the dealer multiple times for steering problems, phantom braking, transmission hesitation, a recurring seat defect, or any recall-related issue, you may have lemon-law options. Margarian Law has handled thousands of lemon-law cases and offers a free case review. Start gathering your repair orders now.
This is the most-reported open defect on the 5th-generation Pilot. The Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), part of Honda Sensing 360+, can trigger a full emergency stop at highway speed when no obstacle is present. NHTSA complaint data records 9 such incidents on the 2023 model year and 10 on the 2024 model year. The system misidentifies roadside objects, shadows, and overhead signs as collision threats. Honda dealers have acknowledged this as a known issue in complaint narratives but have not issued a recall or TSB fix as of mid-2026. To protect yourself: record every false-braking event with dashcam footage, report each incident to your dealer and insist it be written on the repair order, and file a complaint with NHTSA at nhtsa.gov. If the dealer says 'no fix available,' get that statement in writing. Three or more documented incidents without a lasting repair may support a California lemon-law claim.
The 5th-generation Honda Pilot (2023-2025) has seven NHTSA recalls as of mid-2026: (1) 23V735000 — Steering rack loose ball bearing, loss-of-steering risk, 2023-2024; (2) 24V859000 — Driver's seat cushion frame improperly torqued, 2023-2024; (3) 24V900000 — Fuel filler pipe separation, fire risk, 2023-2025; (4) 25V031000 — FI-ECU software stall/power-loss, 2023-2025; (5) 25V056000 — 3rd-row seat belt mis-routed, 2025 only; (6) 25V391000 — Brake pedal pivot pin unsecured, 2023-2025; (7) 26V054000 — Seat frame fastener expansion, 2024. All remedies are available free of charge at Honda dealers. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If you experienced symptoms of any of these defects before the recall repair was completed, those dealer visits count toward a potential lemon-law claim.
There are two distinct seat-belt issues on the 5th-gen Pilot. First, recall 25V056000 covers 2025 model year Pilots where the third-row passenger seat belt was routed incorrectly behind the door panel, rendering it unable to function in a crash. Dealers will inspect and reroute free of charge. Second, a separate owner-reported pattern affects 2023-2025 Pilots: the seat-belt buckle in the second row triggers a false 'unbuckled' warning even when the belt is properly fastened. NHTSA recorded 23 complaints on the 2023 model year alone — the single largest complaint category for that year. The root cause is a damaged wire or contact failure inside the buckle assembly. Honda dealers replace the buckle under warranty, but recurrence has been documented (one owner had 3 buckle replacements for the same seat). If your buckle has failed more than once, request a revised part number from the dealer and document each replacement visit separately. Multiple replacements without resolution is a lemon-law repair-attempt pattern.
Whether any specific Pilot qualifies as a lemon under California's Song-Beverly Act depends on your repair history, not on the vehicle's recall record in general. That said, the 5th-generation Pilot's seven NHTSA recalls across fewer than four years — covering steering, two separate seat-frame campaigns, fuel leak, engine stall, brake pedal, and seat belt — create a factual foundation that owners can document. You may have a strong claim if: (a) the same defect returned to the dealer three or more times without lasting repair; (b) the dealer acknowledged a 'known problem' in writing with no fix available (this is documented in NHTSA complaint narratives for the phantom-braking issue); or (c) your Pilot spent 30 or more cumulative days at the dealer during the first 18 months or 18,000 miles. Gather all repair orders before consulting an attorney, and file each repeat visit with a clear description of the same symptom on each RO.
The most common cause of engine stall or sudden power loss on 2023-2025 Pilots is a software defect in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU), addressed by recall 25V031000. A software error causes the engine to stall or lose power unexpectedly, including during sudden throttle input changes. Honda's fix is a free FI-ECU software reprogram at any Honda dealer. However, owner complaint data filed after the recall shows residual stalling and hesitation continuing in some vehicles, particularly during highway on-ramp merging and left-turn maneuvers. If your Pilot still stalls after the 25V031000 recall repair, report it as a new dealer visit for the same symptom — the recall repair attempt counts toward your Song-Beverly total. Additionally, 2025 MY owners have reported a separate severe stalling pattern unrelated to sudden throttle, including at least one engine seizure at 160 miles. If your engine seized or required replacement, that event strongly supports a lemon-law claim on its own.
This is a documented pattern for the 5th-gen Pilot, particularly for phantom braking and cascading warning-light events, which are intermittent and often reset by the time the vehicle reaches the dealer. Three steps matter most: First, document symptoms before the appointment — dashcam video, photos of warning lights on your instrument cluster, and written notes of the exact date, speed, road conditions, and what you observed. Second, insist the dealer write your reported symptoms on the repair order even if they cannot reproduce the issue — California courts have held that a repair order recording the owner's complaint counts as a repair attempt even without a confirmed diagnosis. Third, ask the service advisor to check for stored and historical DTC codes in all modules, not just powertrain — the BCM and ABS module often retain codes from intermittent events. For phantom braking specifically, ask the dealer to check Honda's technical lines for any field technical service communications on CMBS false activation for your VIN range. Keep a written log of every call, visit, and service writer name. That log is your evidence.
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