YearToAvoid

2020 Honda Pilot Transmission & Powertrain Problems

NHTSA lists 35 Transmission & Powertrain complaints for the 2020 Honda Pilot, 7% of its 487 total complaints, with a median failure mileage of 56,993. No related recall is listed for this component. One injury and zero crashes or fires were reported.

Transmission & Powertrain complaints
35
7% of 487
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
1
Median mileage
56,994 mi
Related recalls
0

Typical transmission symptoms owners report

  • Owners report the transmission jerking or shuddering during acceleration, sometimes described as juddering with RPMs jumping up and down.
  • Several describe hard downshifts or gears getting stuck, in one case causing a slide on ice before the antilock brakes engaged.
  • Owners report hesitation or delayed acceleration when trying to merge or pass, with the vehicle feeling like it drags before jerking into gear.
  • Some report unexpected warning lights and the vehicle entering limp mode with a "Pull Over When Safe" message at low speed.
  • One owner reports repeated transmission flushes recommended by Honda without resolving the jerking and gear-shift problems.
  • Another reports loss of power, shaking, and cruise control disengaging along with worsened fuel mileage.

When 2020 Honda Pilot transmission complaints were filed

First complaint Jul 10, 2020, latest Sep 1, 2026.

2020 Honda Pilot transmission & powertrain complaints: complaints filed per month4Jul 2020Oct 2022Apr 2023Jan 2024Nov 2024Jul 2025Dec 2025Aug 2026
35 complaints filed with NHTSA from Jul 2020 to Sep 2026; peak Oct 2025 (4).

Transmission & Powertrain recalls for the 2020 Honda Pilot

No safety recalls on record for this model year.

Transmission & Powertrain complaints by Pilot model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 20106 (5%)
  2. 201121 (7%)
  3. 201220 (12%)
  4. 201354 (20%)
  5. 20147 (6%)
  6. 201511 (10%)
  7. 2016200 (12%)
  8. 2017122 (13%)
  9. 201878 (18%)
  10. 201992 (10%)
  11. 202035 (7%)
  12. 202125 (6%)
  13. 202215 (10%)
  14. 202310 (7%)
  15. 202412 (11%)
  16. 202520 (10%)

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2020 Honda Pilot have a transmission recall?
No related recall is listed in NHTSA data for the Transmission & Powertrain component on the 2020 Honda Pilot.
How common are transmission problems on the 2020 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA lists 35 Transmission & Powertrain complaints for the 2020 Pilot, which is 7% of its 487 total complaints for the year.
At what mileage do 2020 Honda Pilot transmission problems usually appear?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this component is 56,993 miles.
Have transmission problems on the 2020 Pilot caused crashes or injuries?
NHTSA data shows zero crashes and zero fires tied to this component, but one injury was reported.
Is the 2020 Honda Pilot's transmission complaint rate worse than other Pilot years?
At 7% share of complaints, the 2020 Pilot is lower than years like 2018 (18%) and 2013 (20%), based on NHTSA complaint data across model years.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.