Honda 3.5L V6 Engine Recall: How to Check a Used Pilot or Odyssey

If you are looking at a used Honda Pilot, Odyssey, Ridgeline or Acura MDX or TLX with the 3.5-liter V6, there are two separate things to check. One is recall 23V-751, a 2023 recall for about 249,000 vehicles whose crankshafts were ground out of spec, which can wear out the connecting rod bearings and wreck the engine. Run the VIN, and if it is in that recall, get written proof the dealer inspected or replaced the engine. The other is NHTSA's open investigation PE25008, which covers roughly 1.41 million of these V6 models from 2016 to 2020 with the same kind of bearing failure outside that recall. No recall had come out of it when we checked on November 8, 2026, so a clean recall lookup does not settle it.

That second part is what makes these SUVs and minivans tricky right now. A 2018 Pilot can come back "no open recalls" and still be in the larger group NHTSA is looking at. So you are really doing two jobs: confirming the recall work if it applies, and judging the engine yourself if it does not.

What recall 23V-751 covers

Honda filed the recall on November 8, 2023. Its Part 573 report lists 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline and 2018-2019 Odyssey, with 248,999 vehicles potentially involved and an estimated 1 percent actually defective. Honda's explanation is specific: equipment used to make the crankshaft was set up wrong, so some crank pins were ground with a crowned, convex shape that is out of spec. That shape wears the connecting rod bearing until it can seize.

The warning signs Honda listed are abnormal engine noise, stalling and loss of power with the check engine light on. The dealer remedy is to inspect and repair, or replace the engine if needed, free. Honda's dealer bulletin 23-097 put affected cars in dealer inventory on stop sale and specifically noted that the 2017 Pilot and 2018 Ridgeline are not included, which explains the odd year gaps. Honda's recall codes are XG1 for Honda and GG0 for Acura.

One honest negative: when owner letters went out in January 2024, Honda told owners the replacement parts were not available yet and were expected in early spring 2024. So a car that was "under recall" for months may have been driven a long way before anyone looked inside. Honda's letter also told owners that if the engine started a new and worsening knocking or rattling noise, they should pull over, shut it off and have it towed.

The bigger investigation: PE25008

NHTSA opened a recall query, RQ24013, on November 8, 2024 after 173 owner complaints of failed rod bearings in vehicles that were outside the 23V-751 recall. That query closed and NHTSA opened a Preliminary Evaluation, PE25008, on August 20, 2025. The opening resume covers 2018-2020 TLX, 2016-2020 MDX, 2016-2020 Pilot, 2018-2020 Odyssey and 2017-2019 Ridgeline, an estimated 1,410,806 vehicles. It counts 414 reports to NHTSA plus 2,598 from Honda, 3,012 in all, with seven crashes or fires and no injuries listed.

The important line in that document: NHTSA said the evidence it gathered "does not suggest" these failures come from the same crankshaft defect behind 23V-751. In other words, a different or unknown cause. Car and Driver covered the opening on August 25, 2025 and noted it could be some time before a conclusion or a recall. When we queried NHTSA's recall database for the 2017, 2018 and 2020 Pilot on November 8, 2026, the only engine recall listed was still 23V-751.

How to check a specific used one

Start with the VIN on Honda's recall lookup or NHTSA's. Our Honda recall check guide and the Acura version show where to enter it. If 23V-751 shows as completed, ask for the repair order. You want to know whether the dealer inspected and passed the engine or actually replaced it, since those are very different cars. Our piece on confirming a recall was completed covers what that paperwork looks like.

Then judge the engine itself, recall or not:

• Listen to a cold start and a warm idle. A knock or rattle that gets louder with revs is the symptom Honda described, and it is a walk-away for us.
• Scan for stored codes and look at oil change history. Long gaps on a 2016-2020 V6 make us nervous even without a known link to this problem.
• Ask whether the engine was ever replaced. A replacement under warranty or recall can be a plus, but you want the paperwork, not a story.
• Get a pre-purchase inspection from a shop that knows Honda V6s. If they hear bottom-end noise, believe them.

Do not mix this up with the oil burning problem in our VCM oil consumption check, which Honda documented on 2013-2017 Odyssey and 2013-2015 Pilot engines. On an overlapping 2016 or 2017 Odyssey you could be dealing with either, and they need different evidence. Model-specific notes are in the used Pilot guide and used Odyssey guide.

Where a history report helps

A history report will not diagnose a bearing. What it can show is service visits, mileage gaps, a past engine replacement if it was reported, and whether the car was ever sold at auction or branded after a breakdown. Pulled direct from CARFAX, expect to pay about $39.99 to $44.99. CarVins is licensed to resell CARFAX and AutoCheck and has no tie to CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian beyond that. Guests have been paying around $5.50 a report here, members about $4.50, and both reports together roughly $6.75. Those prices shift, so confirm at checkout. And if a seller pushes a printout dated a year ago, run a fresh one.

Sources

• Honda Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V-751 (NHTSA)
• Honda Service Bulletin 23-097, connecting rod bearing stop sale (NHTSA)
• Honda interim owner letter for 23V-751, January 2024 (NHTSA)
• NHTSA opening resume, RQ24013
• NHTSA opening resume, PE25008
• Car and Driver: NHTSA investigating 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles (Aug. 25, 2025)