The Idle-Stop feature is malfunctioning, the vehicle is equipped with an "Auto Idle Stop" feature that has a dangerous defect. The engine frequently fail to restart after shutting off at stops, unexpectedly leaving the driver stranded or immobile, with the risk of being hit from behind by incoming traffic.
2025 Honda Passport
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Passport years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 39 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
39 reportsAt red light, foot on break, car in drive. Light turns green, I go to drive off. Car puts itself in neutral, dash says “shift to park”, I try to press to put it in drive, it won’t shift to “D”. I put it in park. Turned the vehicle off, car wouldn’t restart. Kept trying, wouldn’t start. Held my finger on the push to start for ~1…
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At red light, foot on break, car in drive. Light turns green, I go to drive off. Car puts itself in neutral, dash says “shift to park”, I try to press to put it in drive, it won’t shift to “D”. I put it in park. Turned the vehicle off, car wouldn’t restart. Kept trying, wouldn’t start. Held my finger on the push to start for ~1 minute, it did not want to start at all. It was spitting trying to start, very very hesitant *car was in accident on 2/26/26 L front (driver side) was damaged Since accident, I have had issues even though car was repaired
25 Passport Black edition only 27k miles at a stop my vehicle won’t start back up kicks it from D to N will start flashing to put in P. Vehicle will not start back up until I turn off and back on. The second time it did this it wouldn’t even start back up battery light flashing. I try to remember to turn that stop/start button o…
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25 Passport Black edition only 27k miles at a stop my vehicle won’t start back up kicks it from D to N will start flashing to put in P. Vehicle will not start back up until I turn off and back on. The second time it did this it wouldn’t even start back up battery light flashing. I try to remember to turn that stop/start button off. Very dangerous. Went to dealership. Says they can’t do nothing unless warning are on at the time of check. 4/24 was the second time this has happened. When I start the passport it’s like it has troubles and not wanting to start. Lights will start flashing braking system and blind spot all the safety feature lights. Something is wrong with these passports.
car transmission issue not getting enough power while putting foot on gas pedal rpm goes upto 5k for getting speed not shifting gear properly
Vehicle has stalled multiple times at stop lights after the automatic engine stop engaged. Vehicle will not restart when accelerator is pressed and has to be placed in park before the engine can be started again. This happened (4) times on the most recent trip yesterday 3/19/2026.
The car has an auto stop capability that engages during red light stops (etc.). The auto stop function automatically engages every time you start a new trip. Unfortunately, the car occasionaly fails to restart and displays emergency alerts. To restart the engine, the car must be put back into Park. This essentially results in t…
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The car has an auto stop capability that engages during red light stops (etc.). The auto stop function automatically engages every time you start a new trip. Unfortunately, the car occasionaly fails to restart and displays emergency alerts. To restart the engine, the car must be put back into Park. This essentially results in the vehicle stalling out and it creates a significant safety risk. It happens on a somewhat regular basis. In addition, when starting the vehicle, it sounds as though the starter is having a difficult time powering up the engine.
2025 Honda Passport with 10k miles ***Braking issues - -Collision Mitigation System going off randomly and often, with no oncoming traffic, no obstacles or obstructions. -Phantom braking and “BRAKE” warning/steering wheel shake. Occurs often on windy, hilly roads with sharp curves, often to the right. Branches, guard rails, …
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2025 Honda Passport with 10k miles ***Braking issues - -Collision Mitigation System going off randomly and often, with no oncoming traffic, no obstacles or obstructions. -Phantom braking and “BRAKE” warning/steering wheel shake. Occurs often on windy, hilly roads with sharp curves, often to the right. Branches, guard rails, etc will activate the system at high speeds 50 mph and over, causing serious safety concerns of the vehicle stopping for no true cause. -White cars in oncoming traffic seemingly activate the “BRAKE” warning on occasion. -“BRAKE” warning went off and significantly slowed the car when a water filled pothole was to the right. -Issues have occurred with no cars ahead of the Passport. ***Engine issues after getting fuel - -After getting gas, check engine, power steering, and battery light will sometimes turn on. Only resolution is to restart the vehicle. -Brake pedal was also hard/stuck after getting gas, and vehicle could not be turned on until brake was pushed extremely hard/pumped. Power steering light came on after this incident. ***Lights- -Automatic adjusting high beams turn on and off erratically. Cannot use the automated system. ***Transmission- -Engine braking downhill on one or two occasions would not allow car to shift back up. Had to use paddle shifters to get the car moving again. Dealership cannot replicate these issues on a short ride with their tech, therefore the vehicle is “fine.”
There are major gaps on both top non rail tracks, this is the base exl model without rails. I have been having to remove debree and dirt where gaps located rear top spoiler where I was told by service manager that it looks defective but never got reply. Its been over a year now and honda keeps saying to contact dealership which …
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There are major gaps on both top non rail tracks, this is the base exl model without rails. I have been having to remove debree and dirt where gaps located rear top spoiler where I was told by service manager that it looks defective but never got reply. Its been over a year now and honda keeps saying to contact dealership which I have done many times. There shouldn't be any gaps that would cause this issue that would cause dirt and possibly rust. I have owned several vehicles that had no gaps on top trim and am a loyal honda/Acura customer for decades. I just want this defect confirmed and fixed. The suv only has 6k and had nothing but problems with support from honda and dealership. They said due to no models of 2025 exl on lot would take pics and call me about this. Its been a year with only honda rep saying this is dealerships issue to diagnose? Always had great support from honda, but shouldn't honda know specs of this issue? Plan on keeping this great suv for decades but not wanting rust of body problems years down the road. Honda I am disappointed in how this has not been resolved in a timely matter.
I am reporting a serious nighttime visibility and driver-assistance safety issue with my 2025 Honda Passport. During evening driving, approximately 60% or more of the upper portion of the windshield appears blacked out or severely dimmed, significantly impairing forward visibility. This condition worsens on downhill grades, wher…
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I am reporting a serious nighttime visibility and driver-assistance safety issue with my 2025 Honda Passport. During evening driving, approximately 60% or more of the upper portion of the windshield appears blacked out or severely dimmed, significantly impairing forward visibility. This condition worsens on downhill grades, where an even greater portion of the windshield darkens. Visibility improves when high beams are manually activated; however, driving continuously with high beams is unsafe and inappropriate. This creates an unreasonable risk of collision, particularly on unlit roads and downhill grades, as pedestrians, road curvature, and hazards are difficult or impossible to see without improper use of high beams. In addition, multiple ADAS systems operate erratically. Adaptive cruise control delays braking on downhill grades until the vehicle accelerates approximately 9–10 mph above the set speed, delays acceleration after braking and resuming, and disengages with minor steering inputs. Automatic high beams operate inconsistently. These issues persist despite recalibration. The condition has existed since early ownership and continues at approximately 20,000 miles despite multiple service visits. A Honda field technician confirmed all systems were calibrated but did not perform a nighttime drive. A dealership shop foreman conducted a nighttime drive but did not share findings, and I was told he was unavailable and had already spent “enough time” on the vehicle. My initial service record included the notation “do not diagnose.” I was initially told the dealership had never encountered this issue; later I was told they had seen it on other vehicles but did not know how to fix it. A dealership-recommended nighttime comparison drive with a 2026 Honda Passport did not exhibit these issues. I also regularly drive a 2024 Honda CR-V that shows none of these nighttime visibility or ADAS problems.
Vehicle has 11,500 miles on it and constantly pulls to the right. Pulls harder under hard acceleration, requiring steering correction when accelerating hard and again correcting when backing off the accelerator. Have had to dealer multiple times. They claim they can't fix. Correcting to the left under load and back to the ri…
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Vehicle has 11,500 miles on it and constantly pulls to the right. Pulls harder under hard acceleration, requiring steering correction when accelerating hard and again correcting when backing off the accelerator. Have had to dealer multiple times. They claim they can't fix. Correcting to the left under load and back to the right can cause car to weave at highway speeds and cause it to be unstable. Car is available for inspection upon request.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA25004 · No Restart After Auto Start/stop Engages
Opened Mar 26, 2025 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:crank/camshaft Position Sensor; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm):software; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (4)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:crank/camshaft Position Sensor
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm):software
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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