Sell your 2005 Honda Pilot for cash

The 2005 Honda Pilot is a SUV that came with a 3.5L 6-cyl engine. At 21 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.

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2005 Honda Pilot at a glance

Body styleSport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Engines3.5L 6-cyl
TransmissionsAutomatic 5-spd
Drive4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
FuelRegular Gasoline
Fuel economy15 city / 20 highway / 17 combined MPG
EPA annual fuel cost$3,950 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles)
Tailpipe CO₂523 grams per mile
Versions tested by EPA1 configuration
Age21 years

Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.

What affects its junk value

  • Age: at 21 years old, most of a 2005 Pilot's value comes from reusable parts and scrap metal, not resale.
  • Weight: as a SUV, it's heavier than a typical car, and scrap weight is a big part of any junk offer. See how scrap prices by weight work.
  • Catalytic converter: like all gas and diesel cars, it has a catalytic converter containing precious metals, one of the most valuable parts on a junk car. An offer assumes it's still in place. More on catalytic converters.
  • Recalls: NHTSA lists 13 recalls for the 2005 Pilot. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking it.
  • Known problems: owners reported the most issues with the power train, typically around 105,000 miles. If that's what failed on yours, it can still be sold as-is.

How junk car offers are calculated

2005 Honda Pilot recalls

NHTSA lists 13 safety recalls covering the 2005 Honda Pilot. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.

Air BagsJun 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V499000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsJun 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V501000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsMar 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V182000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V…

Risk: 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.

Air BagsApr 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V268000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed…

Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Air BagsJan 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V029000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2011 Honda Element vehicles, 2005-2012 Acura RL vehicles, 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2005-2008 Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsMay 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V344000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsMay 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V320000

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsNov 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V700000

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Air BagsJun 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V353000

American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Traction Control SystemMar 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V092000

Honda is recalling certain model year 2005 Pilot vehicles manufactured July 29, 2004, through August 29, 2005; model year 2005-2006 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 16, 2004, through September 22, 2005; and model year 2005 Acura RL vehicles manufactured March 1, 2004, through June 29, 2005. An electrical capacitor may have…

Risk: Sudden inadvertent braking, especially without illumination of the brake lights, may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Exterior LightingMar 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V136000

Honda is recalling certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v; model year 2003 through 2005 Pilot; and model year 2002 and 2003 civic vehicles. In march 2012, Honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2002 through 2004 cr-v and certain model year 2003 Pilot vehicles. In august 2012, Honda informed the agency that it was…

Risk: If the terminal ends melt within the wiring harness connector, the low beam headlights may become inoperative, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

SteeringFeb 2005 · NHTSA campaign 05V039000

On certain minivans and sport utility vehicles, the steering column may be incorrectly assembled, which could result in a loss of steering control.

Risk: Loss of steering control can cause a vehicle crash without prior notice.

Fuel System, GasolineNov 2004 · NHTSA campaign 04V541000

On certain sport utility vehicles, some fuel tanks were improperly manufactured.

Risk: In a crash, the fuel tank could be damaged and leak fuel. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Common 2005 Pilot problems

Owners have filed 679 complaints about the 2005 Honda Pilot with NHTSA. 42 reports involved a crash and 8 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 46 injuries.

Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.

Most-reported components

  • Power Train133
  • Air Bags115
  • Service Brakes98
  • Electronic Stability Control (Esc)96
  • Electrical System54
  • Engine48

Typical mileage when problems were reported

  • Power Train105,000 mi
  • Air Bags125,000 mi
  • Service Brakes104,000 mi
  • Electronic Stability Control (Esc)112,000 mi
  • Electrical System119,000 mi
  • Engine107,000 mi

2005 Honda Pilot crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2005 Honda Pilot.

VersionOverallFrontal crashSide crashRolloverRollover risk
4 DrNot rated——★★★★☆15.9%

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP). Ratings from different model years or rating systems aren't directly comparable.

2005 Honda Pilot service bulletins

Manufacturers have filed 150 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 2005 Honda Pilot. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.

Most common bulletin topics

  • Air Bags45
  • Electrical System17
  • Equipment8
  • Engine and Engine Cooling7
  • Engine and Engine Cooling7
  • Equipment6

Recent bulletins

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsJun 2026 · A18-050

    Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsMay 2022 · A20-015

    Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warra

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsMar 2022 · A21-019

    Service Bulletin - Corrosion of the frame rail that supports the rear subframe may occur on some vehicles that are commonly driven in harsh environments. The subframe mou

  • Service Bulletin/Repair InstructionsJan 2021 · A07-030

    "Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA opened 7 defect investigations covering the 2005 Honda Pilot.

Air BagsEA21002 · opened Sep 2021, open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to

Air BagsEA15001 · opened Feb 2015, openLed to recall 14V668

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were

Air BagsPE14016 · opened Jun 2014, closed Mar 2015Led to recall 13V172000

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were

Electronic Stability ControlEA13002 · opened Feb 2013, closed Mar 2013Led to recall 13V092000

Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction

On March 14, 2013, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) submitted a Defect Information Report to NHTSA identifying a defect in the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system in approximately 183,576 model year (MY) 2005 Honda Pilot, Acura RL and MY 2005-2006 Acura MDX vehicles (NHTSA Recall No 13V-092).The population and

Service Brakes, HydraulicPE12028 · opened Oct 2012, closed Mar 2013

Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction

The Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system in the model year (MY) 2005 Honda Pilot vehicles integrates braking control strategies for anti-lock braking, traction control, electronic stability control and brake assist functions. The system consists of a VSA modulator (an electronic control unit and electronic/hydraulic a

Electronic Stability ControlDP12002 · opened Jun 2012, closed Oct 2012

Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction

In a letter dated April 9, 2012, a consumer petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged stability control failures in model year (MY) 2005 Honda Pilot vehicles. The petitioner alleged that, in the malfunctioning of these systems, steering failures

Electrical SystemEA11012 · opened Sep 2011, closed Sep 2012Led to recall 12V136000

Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating

This investigation was prompted by Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 11-017, and was based on reports from consumers alleging that both low beam headlights stopped illuminating simultaneously.Some complainants also reported that the combination switch (switch) that controls the headlights and turn signals, and/or its electri

Selling a 2005 Pilot: questions

How much is a 2005 Honda Pilot worth for junk?

It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. As a heavier vehicle, its scrap weight adds to the offer. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.

Can I junk a 2005 Pilot that doesn't run?

Yes. We buy 2005 Pilots that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.

Can I sell a 2005 Pilot with open recalls?

Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 13 recalls for the 2005 Honda Pilot; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What paperwork do I need to sell my 2005 Pilot?

Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.

Sources

Data retrieved October 2026.

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