Honda Passport Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls β NHTSA data
Comparing used Honda Passport options? We analyzed 10 model years (2001β2026) 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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Found a Honda Passport? Check that exact car.
Model-year trends show patterns β 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 924 owner complaints and 43 safety recalls across model years 2001β2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2019 drew the most complaints; 2024 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Honda
- Model
- Passport
- Model years analyzed
- 2001β2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 924
- Safety recall campaigns
- 43
- Crash-related complaints
- 43
- Fire-related complaints
- 0
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2019 (278 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2024 (17 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 β 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 β 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 924 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.
- 924 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: Oct 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
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
TIRES
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
SUSPENSION:REAR
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
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2001β2026. 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 924 NHTSA complaints β these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
924 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.
Reporting a front windshield that is wavy and affects visibility for shorter passengers like the average woman. Makes objects blurry especially when sunny. Bought car used so out of warranty. Online research shows there are many people experiencing this problem.
I purchased the 2023 Honda Passport used with 47,500ish miles. It came with a factory 60,000 5-year powertrain warranty. The ONLY reason i paid cash for this vehicle. At 49,900 miles, the engine developed a subtle engine knock. At 50,460 miles, engine has clearly audible knock at idle - 2,000 RPM in gear (under load). 9/1/26 Antrim Honda, [XXX] denied hearing obvious noise. They did not collect oil or oil filter but charged a $190.00 diagnosis fee. The dealerβs conclusion: the noise is a βcommon engine characteristic of the 3.5" but is contradicted by the presence of bearing material in the oil. With 1,000 remaining on the previous oil change, completed by Keystone Ford, prior to my purchase, XXX, I changed the oil myself. I changed it into a new, cleaned pan, inspected and found heavy metallic βgold dustβ bearing material suspended in the used oil. I have retained both the used oil and the oil filter for Hondaβs inspection and independent laboratory analysis. No warning lights or codes on the dash. [XXX] [XXX] my work email if you can: [XXX] (work) [XXX] (personal) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Timing belt tensioner is failing on my 2023 Honda passport. I have read this to be a common problem on many Honda passports enough where a recall would be justified. If it fails the engine will completely implode causing the car to come to a complete stop even on the highway. The problem can be easily be confirmed to be a widespread issue through searching the Internet for the same vehicle. Yes my vehicle may be inspected. No it has not been in any accidents.
2023 honda passport trailsport rear a/c is blowing warm air and will not get cold. if rear ac is not blowing any cold air than it will be sure that front ac will follow, this should be a manufacturer defect recall because there are many same model with the exact same problem
Purchased this 2023 Honda Passport on January 31, 2026 as a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle from Venice Honda, Venice Florida. On July 15, 2026, I noticed condensation inside the entire lens of my left headlight. The attached pictures will show no damage at all to the headlight. Venice Honda examined the vehicle and headlight on July 27, 2026 and upon completion the service tech stated that the CPO warrantee will not cover this headlight replacement. I advised the tech that on March 3, 2023, Honda released Technical Service Bulletin 23-024 regarding moisture in the headlights on 2019-2023 Passports. I am deeply concerned that enough moisture inside the headlight would cause corrosion leading to shorting out the headlight. Attached is Technical Service Bulletin 23-024.
these cars require a seat calibration after a deer collision. they say your seat sensors are shot and want $900 to fix your seat and recalibrate the system. they also say your passenger airbags will not work without fixing the seat. pure safety for ransome. two seat belts also exploded and the deer walked away. zero body damage to car. this stuff is a joke.
Read 14 more owner reports
Auto braking same location regardless of traffic
I already took my car to honda dealer to fix the brake from shaking when it was around 10k miles. It is now happening again.
Sunroof while driving exploded - the boom was extremely scary
Air conditioning not working. 3 years 15,000 miles.
β’ Component/system that failed: A/C compressor (shaft seal leak confirmed by Mt. Kisco Honda dealer diagnosis). The vehicle is available for inspection. β’ Safety risk: No direct crash risk, but loss of A/C in hot weather (NY summers) reduces driver comfort and can cause fatigue or window fogging in certain conditions (e.g., defrost mode struggles when compressor doesnβt engage). No warning lamps or messages appeared. β’ Problem reproduced/confirmed: Yes β intermittent since the vehicle was new (~2 years). It was noticeable during summer months (works some days, fails others). In March 2026 it became consistent hot air. Dealer performed diagnostic (evacuate/recharge) and confirmed compressor leak. They recommend full compressor replacement (~$1,580). β’ Inspections: Inspected and diagnosed by Mt. Kisco Honda (Service Advisor [XXX] ). No police, insurance, or other third-party inspections. β’ Prior symptoms: Intermittent A/C failure (cold some days, warm/hot others, recirculate button resets) since purchase. Progressively worsened. No other warning lights or symptoms. Additional Details: This is a known issue on 2019β2025 Honda Passports, Pilots, and Ridgelines with the 3.5L V6 and R-1234yf refrigerant (oil causes premature shaft seal wear). Honda issued TSB 23-050 and 10-year warranty extensions for the identical problem on CR-V and Civic models. At only 37,000 miles, this appears to be a manufacturing/design-related defect present or developing from new. I have attached the dealer diagnostic paperwork. Please investigate for a potential recall or extended coverage. Case # with Honda Corporate: XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When both the left and right rear passenger seatbelts are in use independently from each other, the seatbelt warning signal is initiated when a passenger is seated in the respected positional location. The warning signal is both visible and audible when a passenger is buckled in and seated.
Problem started at 11,000 miles as very minor and has become progressively worse up to the now 32,000. Vehicle has been to dealerships 5 times with no repair performed. THE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE: Hesitation and gear searching on acceleration. Intermittent acuity. 3 times I needed to accelerate quickly in order to merge with 40 mph traffic from a stop sign. I stepped on the throttle and the vehicle lurched into traffic then lost power and gear searched for 3 seconds creating a potentially very serious incident. Once the gear engaged, the vehicle took off at a high rate of acceleration and speed causing yet another unsafe condition and making me look like a maniac. THE OTHER SYMPTOMS: 1) Hard Starting, sometimes vehicle seems to sputter, sometimes it revs hard on startup 2) Vehicle sometimes enters some kind of error state similar to the vehicle not being in park when the engine is shut down. An audible alarm sounds, like when the lights are left on or a key is left in the car, and the vehicle refuses to lock the doors on its own as usual. Visual inspection by the driver reveals nothing appears to be wrong. Lights are off, no key left, vehicle is in park. Powering back on, checking park indicator and turning back off seems to reset this condition. 3) Inconsistent accelerator pedal input. Sometimes the vehicle goes much harder or seems to be held back by something at other times. 4) Erratic torque distribution for AWD. Viewed from dash torque distribution readout. AWD engages 100% at all wheels at times of very light throttle on dry pavement. 5) Engine just sounds terrible at idle and at times of hard acceleration. 6) Rough acceleration. Choppy gear shifts. 7) Vehicle continues to push forward under power when throttle is lifted and brakes are applied causing harder than usual brake pedal pressure to be necessary and inconsistent vehicle slowing. 8) No CEL is on. 9) Constant minor weaving due to inconsistent AWD torque delivery. PROBLEM IS ONGOING
Was driving through highway construction site. One lane, jersey walls close on both sides. A lane shift was forced by the jersey walls and my vehicle slammed the brakes causing me to need to very accurately control steering during this unnecessary emergency braking situation. Cars behind me had no way to drive around or a shoulder for an out. Traffic was heavy, lucky that no accident occurred. Other less dramatic events have occurred with the auto braking as well. The front collision warning without auto-braking occurs on nearly every drive.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) engaged while there were no vehicles or objects nearby. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the message "BRAKE" was displayed, the steering wheel vibrated, and the vehicle quickly decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the dealer was not aware of the failure. The dealer advised the contact to deactivate the CMBS as needed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
The push button gearshifting. I have accidentally hit reverse about 100 times since Iβve owned this car in six months. It ended up in a rear end collision with a parked car. Then when I tried to drive forward, I backed up again. The first time was intentional backing and I didnβt see the car behind meβ¦ the second time I was attempting to drive forward and I hit the reverse button again. It was instinctual. I hit the car twice.
While driving at highway speeds, I experienced multiple loud, intermittent double-knocking noises within a short period of time, followed by an additional grinding/rotational noise at low speeds. These noises were abnormal and raised immediate safety concerns, prompting me to bring the vehicle to a dealer that day. During inspection and test driving, the noise condition was confirmed. Further inspection revealed that a front brake caliper (flange) bolt was missing, and the brake caliper had shifted out of position. This bolt is a critical fastener that secures the brake caliper to the brake assembly and is available for inspection through service records. This condition posed a serious safety risk, as a shifted or unsecured brake caliper could result in reduced braking performance, brake failure, or wheel lock-up, potentially endangering vehicle occupants and other road users. The issue was confirmed by an authorized Honda service center, and the vehicle was inspected by manufacturer-authorized personnel. The vehicle was repaired at no charge by reinstalling the correct hardware and restoring the brake caliper to its proper position. One week later, I have come to find out this is a known issue, and Honda has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) for 2023β2024 Honda Passport vehicles addressing loose or missing front brake caliper/flange bolts. I never received a recall notice or voluntary letter from Honda notifying me this might be an issue or to have it inspected. No warning lights or messages appeared prior to the incident; the only symptoms were the knocking noises at highway speeds and grinding noise at low speed.
my 2023 Honda passport is having shifting problems (high revs, slow nd unpredictable power to wheels) Β harsh acceleration (not easy to safely /smoothly gauge power and speed from acceleration to wheel) high revs "stuck" --not shifting down smoothly/safely These issues are on going. I also researched and saw this has been reported b y other Honda Passport( 2023)Β owners. I contacted dealer 10/16/25 to document the complaint and asked dealer to call me back if any service advisories or recalls, they said no, but a service advisor wuld contat me if they felt a follow up was needed.Β Β Also, the vehicle had 'catastrophic' computer failure with power lost and warning lights within first 2 years --transmission lost power/engine still ran and forced into the breakdown lane and have vehicle towed.Β . Dealer did some type of reset. VIN # 5FNYF8H59PB027063
When I'm driving my 2023 honda passport my steering wheel vibrates/shakes feels almost like the wheel is gonna come off. When I turn my steering wheel left or right driving or parked I hear a loud knock noise coming from under the front of my car. I have had multiple things checked and looked at and brand new tires and no matter what. When I get an alignment my car still pulls one way or another. I thinks its the steering gearbox
Transmission rolls freely when on an incline. Will roll backward when in drive also will roll forward when in reverse. could easily roll over small children or animals. yes problem was confirmed by dealer Has not been inspected by others Dealer tested other new vehicles and found same problem. Insisted this is normal with all electronic transmissions. Although manfacturer has added a button in later vehicles to fix the problem. no warnings or messages
Showing 20 of 924 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 β hereβs 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 β but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda Passport has 924 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 924 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions β 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 β 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 β 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 β 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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By state
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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Keep researching before you buy
Compare brands and categories, then check the exact car's history by VIN.
Honda Passport reliability β frequently asked questions
Is the Honda Passport reliable?
Poor. The Honda Passport has 924 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 (278 complaints), 2001 (146 complaints), 2021 (142 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 (196 complaints); FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (177 complaints); ENGINE (137 complaints).
Does the Honda Passport have recalls?
Yes β 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.