Honda Passport Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Honda Passport options? We analyzed 10 model years (2001–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Honda Passport has 844 owner complaints and 43 safety recalls across model years 2001–2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2019 drew the most complaints; 2024 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Honda
- Model
- Passport
- Model years analyzed
- 2001–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 844
- Safety recall campaigns
- 43
- Crash-related complaints
- 43
- Fire-related complaints
- 0
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2019 (268 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2024 (15 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Honda Passport: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe HONDA PASSPORT has 844 NHTSA complaints and 43 recalls on record. 43 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 844 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 43 federal recall campaigns
- 43 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Jul 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
43 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
SUSPENSION:REAR
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
TIRES
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
SUSPENSION:REAR
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2001–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 844 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
844 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Passport. The contact stated that on several occasions, the Auto START/STOP intermittently failed to operate and the vehicle shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that a battery warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact was forced to manually turn off the feature each time after starting the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact's husband discovered NHTSA Action Number: EA25004; and associated the failure with the Action Number. The husband also associated the failure with the fuel injector or a possible software update. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,800.
Got to red light, auto stop idled down car, when going to move car shut off and stalled out. Also happened two times in a drive thru. All times messages popped up auto stop interruption and vehicle in accessory mode
While waiting at a stoplight, the car was in Auto Idle Stop System mode. When the light turned green, I stepped on gas pedal and the vehicle shut off. The brake was hard and I could not turn off the vehicle for a minute. I opened the drivers side and passenger front door and closed, then was able to turn off vehicle. After a few seconds, I was able to start vehicle with push start button. The vehicle has sounded sluggish when starting up lately but battery tested good.
Collision Mitigation Braking System ( CMBS) on occasion orange dash brake light illuminates doesn't stop vehicle , has occurred since purchase on 02/25/2025 at least 150 times , current mileage to 06/16/2026 6877 miles, ref Honda Case # 1641332 , now every time on short drives this occurs 1-2 times, contacted Holman Honda Centennial Co several times , again last week " told there is no fix, you can turn off CMBS each tine vehicle is started " this is a safety feature , there are numerous complaints on line also with NTSB , am concerned that at some point the brakes could be slammed on without warning and cause another vehicle to rear end me
Idle stop has not engaged motor at intersection. This has happened three times in the last 2 months. Honda Passport has 29024 miles on it. All three incidents required shutting down the Passport and restarting the SUV. Each time there was a backup of cars behind me and I put on warning flashers.
With only 7688 miles, have been having transmission issues like hard shifting, not shifting when needing to speedup especially when trying to pass or on highway. In city hard shifting occurs constantly now. I had tried contacting Honda and the dealership to get the gaps issue resolved for past 2 years and nothing. This has been a poor experience for a Honda, which we have been very loyal for over 40 years. This transmission issue will only get worse and needing a resolution or fix as I have tried both dealership and Honda for help without being told my case has been transferred over and over.
Read 14 more owner reports
Idle Stop has failed to restart on more than once occasion. Battery tested low @ 25,000 miles
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.
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 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 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, 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 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, 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 right can cause car to weave at highway speeds and cause it to be unstable. Car is available for inspection upon request.
The auto stop/start feature caused my vehicle to stall in the middle of the road. I had stopped at an intersection and just as the engine shut off, traffic cleared and I went to accelerate, and the engine shut off completely. I had to shift to Park to start the engine.
Having problems with sudden braking and not accelerating after stopping at lights or stop signs. No warning lights came on. I dropped it off at dealership. They are keeping the vehicle due to safety concerns while driving the vehicle
I am submitting this report regarding a serious safety issue with my 2025 Honda Passport related to the auto stop/start feature. When this feature is enabled, the vehicle frequently struggles to restart smoothly after coming to a stop. The engine often hesitates and sounds as if it may not start at all. On September 26, 2025, the problem escalated into a complete failure. While turning left at an intersection, the auto stop/start feature engaged, shutting off the engine. When I attempted to accelerate, the vehicle failed to restart and became fully disabled in the middle of traffic. This created an immediate and significant safety hazard. Law enforcement was called to the scene, and a tow truck was dispatched. However, due to incorrect information and safety concerns, I did not proceed with the tow. Fortunately, the police were able to jump-start the vehicle, allowing me to drive it directly to the dealership. The dealership confirmed that there is an issue but has been unable to replicate the complete failure. They have performed two battery tests, both of which returned normal results. While they acknowledge the problem, they have not been able to formally diagnose it. I have since learned that similar issues and recalls have been reported for earlier Honda model years, suggesting that this problem may still exist in newer vehicles, including the 2025 Passport. Since the incident, I have been disabling the auto stop/start feature every time I drive in order to avoid being stranded again. However, hesitation during restarts continues to occur daily when the feature is active. Given the severity of the safety risk and the inability of the dealership to diagnose or resolve the issue, I am requesting that Honda conduct a formal investigation into this malfunction and take appropriate corrective action. This issue should be fully addressed under warranty, as it directly affects the safety and reliability of the vehicle.
Showing 20 of 844 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Honda Passport
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Honda Passport, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda Passport has 844 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda Passport has 43 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 43 of the Honda Passport's 844 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda Passport vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda Passport vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda Passport has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Check a Honda Passport by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Honda Passport.
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Honda Passport reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Honda Passport reliable?
Poor. The Honda Passport has 844 NHTSA owner complaints and 43 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Honda Passport years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2019 (268 complaints), 2001 (146 complaints), 2021 (130 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Honda Passport problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (170 complaints); FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (163 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (117 complaints).
Does the Honda Passport have recalls?
Yes — 43 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Honda Passport. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.