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The 2008 Honda Pilot has 6 critical safety recalls on file — the kind NHTSA opens when crashes, fires, or injuries are documented. 132 owner complaints alongside. Read those first.
The 2008 Honda Pilot has 132 NHTSA owner complaints and 9 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is airbags at 29 complaints, typically surfacing around 89,975 miles (~$1,100 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Pilot | 679 | 15 |
| 2006 Pilot | 266 | 10 |
| 2007 Pilot | 211 | 9 |
| 2008 Pilot (this page) | 132 | 9 |
| 2009 Pilot | 134 | 9 |
| 2010 Pilot | 111 | 10 |
| 2011 Pilot | 292 | 11 |
Significant reliability concerns on file. Read the trouble spots before buying.
Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: airbags is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 89,975 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 9 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 3.6/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
When owners report each system failing, in actual miles — so you can see what's likely behind you, what's due around now, and what to budget for next. Enter your mileage to mark where you are.
"Typical" = median owner-reported failure mileage from the NHTSA complaint record for this exact year and model. Not a maintenance schedule — a heads-up on where this model's failures cluster.
Honda corporation is aware of a non-conformance issue with the Honda pilots transmission but has not provided a recall or solution to consumers. The "transmission" can fail between 35k to 157k miles when the vehicle is no longer under warranty. The mechanical defect was known…
Airbag light keep on after the car start up. 2008 Honda pilot. No accident involved. Honda said a control module need to be replaced. *tr
I own an 2008 Honda pilot (automatic) and would like an investigation of this vehicle's inability to hold in gear on an incline. The pilot will roll backwards when in drive without stopping on an uphill incline, and will roll forward when in reverse on a downhill incline.…
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda pilot. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH when the brake pedal was engaged followed by a brief delayed response. The failure was recurring in rainy weather. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the technician was unable…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. EA21002 on NHTSA →
How NHTSA investigations work, and what's open now →
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 3.6 out of 10 based on 132 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Honda Pilot has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2008 Honda Pilot is a higher-risk ownership prospect. Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open. The record behind that call: Reliability score 3.6/10 — below the segment average; 9 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the airbags first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 29 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 89,975 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 3.6 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 132 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is airbags. Typical failure occurs around 89,975 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is airbags, with 29 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 89,975 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop.
The engine is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 76,753 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 132 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $3,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.