The 2016 Honda Pilot (third-generation) was offered with two different automatic transmissions: a conventional 6-speed automatic and a new 9-speed automatic. The 6-speed came standard on the LX, EX, and EX-L trims, while the Touring and Elite models were equipped with the 9-speed transmission. Both gearboxes were paired with the same 280-horsepower 3.5L V6 engine, but they differed in design and features. The 9-speed introduced a push-button, shift-by-wire selector in place of the traditional lever and included an engine idle stop/start system (features not found on the 6-speed models)1. This report analyzes how these two transmissions compare in terms of performance and reliability, and whether the 6-speed is generally regarded as the more dependable choice for the 2016 Pilot. Each section below draws on expert reviews, owner reports, and technical analyses to provide a detailed comparison, with clear references to supporting sources.
Acceleration and Power Delivery: Both transmissions deliver strong acceleration thanks to the Pilot’s capable V6, but any performance differences between the 6-speed and 9-speed are marginal in real-world driving. In instrumented tests, a 2016 Pilot EX AWD with the 6-speed automatic ran 0–60 mph in about 6.4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 14.7 seconds @ 93.7 mph. The same tests of a heavier Elite AWD with the 9-speed recorded 0–60 in roughly 6.6 seconds and a 14.8-second quarter mile @ ~93 mph. In other words, the 9-speed didn’t provide a dramatic acceleration advantage in this case – the lighter 6-speed model was actually a hair quicker to 60 mph. Honda intended the 9-speed’s lower first gear and additional ratios to improve launch and passing response, and indeed some sources claim the 9-speed is slightly faster on paper. For example, Car and Driver reported an Elite (9AT) at 6.1 seconds 0–60 vs. 6.2 for an EX (6AT) FWD, which is a tiny 0.1s difference. In practice, drivers often find the 6-speed plenty responsive. Consumer Reports commented that with the standard 6-speed, the Pilot’s V6 “smoothly and promptly” delivers power with no dead spots, and the 6-speed “smoothly [swaps] gears” to keep the engine in its power band. In contrast, they found the 9-speed “neither smooth nor responsive” in everyday driving. Many experienced that the 9-speed can hesitate or hunt between gears when a burst of acceleration is needed. As Edmunds’ test team observed, the 9-speed sometimes lingers in a higher gear to save fuel and may require multiple downshifts for power – but it often only drops one gear when you really need two or three, making it feel less eager than the 6-speed in transient maneuvers. This hesitation can be irksome when merging or passing, whereas the 6-speed is more apt to be in the right gear without calling attention to itself. Overall, both versions make the Pilot one of the quicker three-row SUVs in its class, but the 6-speed’s more straightforward behavior can translate to more predictable real-world acceleration.
Fuel Economy: The 9-speed was introduced partly to boost fuel efficiency, but the real-world difference is minor. Official EPA ratings gave a slight edge to the 9-speed: for AWD models, the 2016 Pilot with the 6-speed is rated 18 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, 21 mpg combined, whereas the AWD 9-speed is 19/26 mpg, 22 mpg combined. That’s only a 1 MPG combined advantage on paper. In fact, highway ratings are identical, and the 9AT gains just +1 MPG in city driving due to features like the idle-stop system. Edmunds conducted back-to-back road tests of an AWD 6-speed EX vs. an AWD 9-speed Elite and found virtually a tie in actual gas mileage. Over a ~102-mile urban loop, the 9-speed Pilot managed 21.6 mpg versus 20.8 mpg for the 6-speed; but on a mixed rural and highway loop (~116 miles), the 6-speed did slightly better (25.3 mpg vs 24.8 mpg). Combined, the two returned 23.0 mpg (6AT) vs 23.2 mpg (9AT) – essentially no meaningful difference. The testers noted the 9-speed’s extra top gear is so tall that the Pilot often couldn’t stay in 9th on mild hills or headwinds, negating its benefit in those situations. Meanwhile, the 6-speed had no trouble maintaining its top gear and performed equally well or better whenever conditions weren’t ideal for the 9th gear. In short, real-world fuel efficiency for the 6-speed Pilot is on par with the 9-speed. Owners confirm that the 6-speed can deliver excellent mileage – one owner reported 22 mpg overall with over 30 mpg on highway trips in a 2018 Pilot EX-L 6AT, matching or exceeding expectations. The bottom line is that opting for the 6-speed does not impose a fuel economy penalty in everyday use, despite the 9-speed’s theoretical advantage.
Driveability and Smoothness: Where the 6-speed often earns higher marks is general smoothness and consistency. With six well-spaced ratios, it shifts in a familiar, unobtrusive manner. Multiple reviewers highlight that the 6-speed “never calls attention to itself” and “always seems to be in the right gear,” making it very transparent to the driver. In contrast, the 9-speed’s behavior was polarizing. Some drivers who are sensitive to shift quality feel that the 9AT is busy or jerky at times. The 9-speed’s programming has it hunting between its many gears to optimize efficiency, which can make its shifting more noticeable, especially at low speeds or with gentle throttle. Honda did equip 9-speed models with paddle shifters and a Sport mode to allow more driver control, billing it as a more “sporty” experience. A few owners appreciated the quick, frequent shifts as giving a sense of performance (“if you like feeling a transmission go through gears, you’ll love the 9-speed” one Pilot Touring owner remarked). However, many found it too unrefined for a family SUV. Consumer Reports bluntly stated that the Touring/Elite trims are “saddled” with the 9-speed, which they found neither smooth nor responsive, advising shoppers to “stick with the six-speed” for a better drive. Edmunds’ long-term test team also clearly preferred the 6AT after living with both: after a week driving a 6-speed Pilot EX, their review declared “I’d take the 6-speed in a heartbeat,” noting it shifted seamlessly and improved the driving experience. Even some Honda enthusiasts on forums chose lower trims deliberately to avoid the new transmission, calling the 6-speed “smooth” versus the 9-speed feeling “sporty” but sometimes erratic. In summary, driveability is a strong suit of the 6-speed – it’s a proven, smooth-shifting unit – whereas the 9-speed can feel less predictable. The differences aren’t so large that every driver will notice or mind (and Honda refined the 9-speed in later years), but in 2016 many testers and owners found the 6-speed to deliver a more consistent and fuss-free driving experience3.
User Interface: Beyond the mechanical behavior, there’s also the matter of the shifter design. The 6-speed Pilots use a conventional console shift lever, while 9-speed models have a push-button gear selector on the center console (buttons for Park, Drive, Neutral, and a pull toggle for Reverse). This change doesn’t affect performance per se, but it noticeably affects user experience. Reviews were mixed on the push-button setup: some appreciated the open console space and modern look it affords, but many drivers found it less intuitive than a traditional lever. Edmunds’ Dan Edmunds quipped that the 9-speed’s button shifter is “just plain silly and annoying,” since you must look down to find the right button, whereas “there’s little need to...think about a normal shift lever” by feel. Consumer Reports also called it “infuriating and unintuitive” in their assessment. Owners often echo these sentiments; one Pilot owner remarked that he wasn’t “too keen on” the push-button shifter in the 9-speed and preferred the traditional handle of the 6-speed. It’s worth noting these shifter differences because they factored into many buyers’ trim decisions and day-to-day satisfaction, even though they don’t directly impact reliability. In short, the 6-speed offers a more familiar interface, while the 9-speed’s futuristic design has a learning curve – a minor point unless a driver strongly prefers one style over the other.
Summary of Performance: In 2016, the new 9-speed automatic was intended to enhance the Pilot’s specs on paper with a wider gear spread and marginally better MPG. And indeed, it introduced some technical advancements. However, in practice the 6-speed held its own and, by many accounts, actually provided a more seamless driving experience. Acceleration and fuel economy between the two are essentially comparable. The differences boil down to shift quality and behavior: the 6-speed is straightforward, smooth, and predictable, whereas the 9-speed can feel overly complex – at least in this first model year implementation. As one veteran auto tester concluded after comparing them back-to-back, “More gears isn’t necessarily better” if it comes at the cost of smoothness. Many experts and owners in 2016 favored the simplicity of the 6-speed over the extra gears of the 9-speed for daily driving4.
Reliability is a crucial aspect where the 6-speed and 9-speed transmissions developed very different reputations in the 2016 Pilot. Being the first model year of a major redesign, the 2016 Pilot as a whole had more issues than typical for a Honda – so much so that Consumer Reports gave it a poor reliability rating (1 out of 5) and even flagged the 2016 Pilot as a used Honda to approach with caution. A large share of these problems related to the new transmissions. Below, we break down the known reliability concerns for each transmission type and how the 6-speed compares to the 9-speed in long-term dependability.
The 6-speed transmission (Honda internally known as the 6AT) in the 2016 Pilot is essentially an updated version of the tried-and-true Honda/Acura automatic that had seen duty in the previous Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey models. As such, it was a proven design with many years of development. Owners and technicians generally consider the 6-speed to be durable and reliable, with relatively few serious issues reported in the Pilot. In online owner forums, many 2016–2018 Pilot owners with the 6-speed report no significant problems even after tens of thousands of miles6. For example, one owner of a 2016 Pilot EX-L (6AT) noted “Nary a problem in 4 years of ownership”, and another with a 2016 EX-L said their transmission has been “flawless” through 36,000 miles (including heavy towing use). Such anecdotes align with the broader trend: the 6-speed Pilots did not experience widespread catastrophic failures in the first few years.
However, “flawless” does not mean perfect – the 6-speed has a few known quirks and failure modes to be aware of. The most common issue reported pertains to a judder or shudder during low-speed acceleration, often described as a rumbling or jerking between about 20–50 mph. In 2016 Pilots, this was traced to the torque converter lock-up clutch oscillating due to deteriorated transmission fluid and suboptimal software calibration. Essentially, under certain driving conditions (especially prolonged low-speed, high-load situations), the transmission fluid could overheat or break down, causing the lock-up clutch to slip (“judder”). Honda acknowledged this with a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on October 29, 2016, addressing “a judder from the torque converter lock-up clutch… while driving between 20 and 60 mph” in some 2016 Pilots. The TSB instructed dealers to flush the transmission fluid and update the transmission software to better manage heat and lock-up clutch control. Owners who experienced this issue typically had it resolved under warranty via the software update and fluid change (Service Bulletin 17-014). The fix was usually successful in eliminating the shuddering. Still, the existence of this problem indicates that the 6-speed can be sensitive to heat and fluid condition if driven hard.
Contributing to this, Honda did not include an external transmission cooler on Pilots without the towing package, meaning the 6AT must rely on the built-in cooling in the radiator. Enthusiast owners note that in hot climates or heavy stop-and-go driving, the fluid in the 6-speed can run hot, accelerating its degradation. Since Honda’s normal service interval for transmission fluid can be as high as 60k miles, some owners proactively choose to change the ATF more frequently (e.g. every ~30k miles) or install an auxiliary cooler, especially if they tow or drive in severe conditions. By keeping the fluid fresh and cool, they aim to prevent the onset of the judder. This is a preventive maintenance tip for long-term 6-speed reliability: timely fluid changes are key, and adding the factory ATF cooler (standard with the towing package) is beneficial if you frequently haul or live in a very hot area. The 6-speed also has to work with the Pilot’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system (which shuts off some engine cylinders at cruise). Some owners believe VCM can cause additional vibrations or heat buildup, and choose to disable VCM with aftermarket devices as a precaution. While the necessity of this is debated, it’s another step owners have taken to ensure buttery-smooth operation from the 6AT.
Apart from the torque-converter judder (which was effectively addressed by Honda’s TSB), major failures of the 6-speed have been rare. It’s telling that no class-action lawsuits or widespread campaigns have targeted the 6-speed Pilot models, whereas (as discussed below) the 9-speed became the subject of such complaints. That said, a handful of 6-speed Pilot owners have experienced serious issues in the higher mileage range. For instance, there are reports on CarComplaints.com of transmission failure in some 2016 Pilots around 50–100k miles, with owners having to replace the transmission. In one case, a certified-used 2016 Pilot’s 6AT failed at ~78k miles, just outside the warranty, resulting in an $8,000 replacement bill. Another owner’s 2016 EX-L needed a replacement around 99k miles, quoted at $7,000–$10,000, prompting them to warn others “DO NOT BUY a 2016 Honda Pilot!!”. These instances, while unfortunate, appear to be isolated. Statistically, only 8 transmission failures were reported on CarComplaints for the 2016 Pilot (as of mid-2024), versus over 30 reports of the milder “transmission jerks” issue that the TSB fixed. Honda did extend warranty coverage or issue service bulletins for other 2016 Pilot problem areas (fuel injectors, engine stop-start issues, etc.), but there has been no blanket recall on the 6-speed transmission itself. The lack of a recall suggests that catastrophic 6AT failures were not common enough to warrant one – most owners never experience a failure if maintenance is kept up.
In summary, the 6-speed automatic in the 2016 Pilot is generally considered reliable. Its strengths are that it’s an older, well-understood design and doesn’t have the dramatic complaints that plagued the 9-speed in 2016. The most common issue – a low-speed shudder – was addressed with a software update and fluid change, and is manageable with good maintenance. Long-term owners report the 6AT “works perfect” and shifts “smooth as butter” especially with fresh fluid6. Some minor percentage of units have failed at higher mileage, as with any component, but broadly the 6-speed has earned a solid reputation. An owner succinctly evaluating both options wrote: “The 6-speed (what I have) is basically the same unit that has been in the Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey for years… Annoying [quirks] but very manageable… IMO you are safe with [the 6-speed] just have to treat [it] right!”. This captures the sentiment that the 6-speed is the “safe bet” for reliability in a 2016 Pilot.
The 9-speed automatic (ZF 9HP transmission) was all-new to the Honda Pilot for 2016, representing a leap in technology – and with that came teething problems. While the 9-speed offered more gears and modern features, it soon became clear that it had a variety of issues in early ownership. Complaints about the 9-speed transmission were numerous, both in the Pilot and in other Honda/Acura vehicles that used the same unit (such as the 2015+ Acura TLX and MDX, and later Honda Odyssey, Passport, etc.)11. By owners’ and mechanics’ accounts, the 9-speed’s debut was plagued by rough shifting, software bugs, and even mechanical failures in some cases. A Honda Pilot forum poll in 2016–2017 showed many owners experiencing problems with the 9AT, ranging from persistent shift quality issues to outright transmission replacements under warranty. As one Pilot owner who deliberately avoided the Touring trim put it: “the new 9-speed auto…scared me ... There have been tons of complaints about the 9-speed transmission, in various brands of car”. He noted Honda did implement a “major revision” for 2019, but for 2016 models, problems were prevalent enough that he felt justified in sticking with the 6-speed.
Harsh or Jerky Shifting: Especially at lower gears, many drivers reported the 9-speed would shift abruptly (particularly the 1–2 upshift) or hesitate and then slam into gear. One owner of a 2018 Pilot Touring (with a few software updates applied) still noted “the 1-2 shift is abrupt and jerky” and that the transmission does some things well but what it doesn’t do well, “it doesn’t do well ALL THE TIME”. These kinds of shift quality complaints were common from 2016 through 2018. The shift programming sometimes seemed confused by the 9 available ratios, causing gear “hunting” or inconsistent responses to throttle input. This could manifest as a pronounced lag or stumble when accelerating from a slow roll or a stop, followed by a sudden surge as the correct gear finally engaged. Such behavior not only annoyed drivers but also raised safety concerns – for example, if the transmission hesitated when pulling into traffic, it could create a risky delay. Honda released multiple software updates via TSBs to improve the 9AT’s calibration over 2016–2017, which did help reduce the frequency of these rough shifts for many owners. By most accounts, the 9-speed in later model years (2019 refresh and onward) became significantly smoother and more reliable after Honda and ZF refined the control logic. But for the early 2016 models, it took several dealer visits in some cases to get the latest updates installed and to resolve the worst shift issues.
Delayed engagement or “Neutral” episodes: Some owners experienced a frightening problem where the 9-speed transmission would erratically shift into Neutral or fail to deliver power when it should be in Drive. For instance, there were reports of 2016 Pilots giving a “Transmission System Problem” warning and effectively losing drive power – one forum post described a 2016 Touring that at ~50k miles suddenly flashed a transmission failure warning and had to have the entire transmission replaced under warranty. Another source notes incidents of the 2016 Pilot’s transmission unexpectedly shifting into neutral while driving, leaving the vehicle coasting with no power until reset. These incidents point to more severe faults, potentially sensor or internal failures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) logged complaints about the Pilot’s 9-speed that included sudden loss of power; notably, NHTSA documented at least five crashes and one injury that owners attributed to transmission problems in the 2016 Pilot. (This likely corresponds to situations where the vehicle hesitated or stalled due to the transmission and caused an accident.) The fact that the government agency recorded those suggests a pattern serious enough to investigate. Ultimately, Honda did not recall the 9-speed Pilot for a specific defect in 2016, but they quietly extended warranties or issued service campaigns for some related components in later years (for example, some 2016–2018 Pilots had extended warranty coverage on the fuel injectors and the Idle Stop system switch, which could mimic transmission-like symptoms if the engine failed to restart). The idle stop feature itself sometimes was implicated – if the engine failed to restart promptly at a stop light, it might feel like the transmission isn’t engaging. Honda addressed some of these with software fixes and a stronger starter in later years. Nonetheless, early owners of the 9-speed had to deal with troubling intermittent glitches that undercut confidence in the vehicle’s reliability.
Mechanical Failures: Although not as widespread as the shift quality complaints, there were cases of outright mechanical failure of the 9-speed transmission in the 2016 Pilot. Some owners had the transmission fail internally out of warranty, facing very high replacement costs. For example, a family with a 2016 Pilot Elite reported that a known “chirping” from the transmission eventually led to a complete failure just past the warranty, and Honda refused goodwill coverage – they paid nearly $9,000 for a new transmission. Similarly, the CarComplaints database contains examples like a 2018 Odyssey (uses the same 9-speed) needing a $7,600 replacement at ~70k miles after internal gear failure. In the Pilot, such failures often occurred outside the basic warranty (e.g. 60k–100k miles). If the vehicle was under Honda’s extended warranty or a purchased service contract, some owners were able to get it covered; others were not so lucky, resulting in repair bills upwards of $7k–$10k as noted in online complaints. These failures are not extremely common relative to the number of 9-speed Pilots on the road, but they have been numerous enough to dent Honda’s reputation and spur legal action (see below). When a 9-speed fails, the typical remedy is a full replacement of the transmission. At least one owner in late 2023 reported having the 9-speed unit replaced only to still experience issues, suggesting the problem was not fully resolved by a new unit of the same design. This implies that unless the underlying design/software is improved, replacing parts is a temporary fix.
The prevalence of these 9-speed issues culminated in a class-action lawsuit filed in 2023 on behalf of owners of various Honda models with the ZF 9HP transmission (including 2016–2022 Pilots). The lawsuit alleges that the 9-speed has an inherent defect in its design or software calibration that leads to rough/delayed shifting, loud clunking noises, harsh gear engagement, sudden unintended accelerations or decelerations, and even sudden loss of power . It cites that Honda knew of the problems, pointing to service bulletins and a “service campaign” Honda issued to update the transmission software, but claims those fixes have not truly solved the underlying defect. The suit notes incidents where the transmission shifted into neutral without input and refused to engage Drive, as well as internal gear failures requiring replacement. This legal action highlights that even years after 2016, significant numbers of owners continued to experience trouble with the 9-speed’s reliability. It’s an extraordinary step – Hondas are rarely subject to drivetrain-related class actions – and underscores how atypical the 9-speed’s issues were for the brand.
Honda’s response over time was to issue software updates and eventually to phase out or redesign the 9-speed. By the 2019 Pilot refresh, Honda updated the 9AT’s tuning (and made it standard on the Touring/Elite, with the 6AT still on lower trims) with reports of improvement. In the 2020 model year, Honda even started migrating to a new in-house 10-speed automatic (first seen in the Odyssey) for some models, suggesting a shift away from the ZF 9-speed. The Pilot itself didn’t get the 10-speed during this generation (it stuck with the 9AT through 2022, and the all-new 2023 Pilot launched with a 10AT), but Honda did work out many kinks by later years. Drivers of 2019–2020 Pilots comment that the 9-speed “is a pretty great transmission” and that after it “learns how you drive, it’s literally like butter”. This indicates that Honda eventually refined the 9-speed’s behavior to acceptable levels (and indeed, consumer complaints declined for later years). However, early adopters in 2016–2017 endured a much rougher experience, and that legacy affects used car perceptions today.
In comparison to the 6-speed, the 9-speed’s reliability in 2016 is widely seen as worse. The 9AT had far more reports of problems, ranging from minor annoyances to major failures, within the same timeframe. When Consumer Reports evaluated owner data for the 2016 Pilot, the transmission (particularly the 9-speed in Touring/Elite) was a major contributor to its rock-bottom reliability score. CR specifically called out that the upmarket trims’ 9-speed “uses an unintuitive push-button shifter” and wasn’t smooth or responsive, implying reliability/driveability concerns, and recommended sticking to the 6-speed models. Many Pilot enthusiasts echo that advice. For example, an owner on a BobIsTheOilGuy forum wrote that buying a 6-speed Pilot was the “right call” because of the 9-speed’s early reputation, mentioning “tons of complaints” about the 9-speed and relief that his 6-speed Pilot had “ZERO problems” in over three years. Another owner on Piloteers forum straightforwardly asked if the 6-speed is more reliable since “the 9-speed is having all kinds of problems” – the responses largely affirmed that the 6-speed was the safer choice and mostly trouble-free aside from the occasional fixable glitch. Even Honda technicians acknowledged early on that the 9-speed got “a lot of complaints at first” but tried to reassure that after a series of updates it was holding up better.
One specific aspect tied to 9-speed models that affects owner experience is the Idle Stop system. Because only the 9-speed Pilots have auto start-stop (shutting off the engine at stops to save fuel), they introduced a new point of failure – some owners had issues where the engine would not restart promptly or the system malfunctioned. In forum discussions, a few owners mentioned that the auto idle-stop sometimes failed to fire back up, requiring a shift to Park and manual restart – a frightening scenario at a traffic light. In fact, Honda later extended the warranty on the start-stop system’s components for some 2016–2017 Pilots. Owners who disliked this system could disable it, but it resets each ignition cycle (so it must be turned off every drive if you don’t want to use it). Thus, 6-speed owners didn’t have to worry about this particular gremlin, whereas 9-speed owners had to either tolerate or constantly disable the idle-stop feature to avoid its potential hiccups. While not a transmission failure in the traditional sense, it’s another reliability headache associated more with the 9-speed models.
Summary of 9-Speed Reliability: In the 2016 Pilot, the 9-speed automatic falls short of Honda’s usual reliability standards. Teething issues led to many reports of rough shifting, software updates, and even some complete transmission replacements at relatively low mileage. These problems spurred ongoing owner frustration and eventually legal action alleging a systemic defect. Honda did make improvements over time, and many owners of later or updated 9-speed Pilots have satisfactory experiences, but early on the 9-speed earned a reputation as problem-prone. When directly comparing it to the 6-speed in terms of long-term reliability, most experts and owners consider the 6-speed to be the safer and more reliable choice for a 2016 Pilot6. The 6-speed had one notable (but manageable) issue with fluid-related shuddering, whereas the 9-speed had a laundry list of complaints and potential failures to monitor. As one forum member put it, before the later fixes “I would’ve said get the 6-speed” if buying a Pilot, because the 9-speed’s early issues were significant. It is telling that nearly all discussions about Pilot reliability in 2016 gravitate to advising the 6-speed over the 9-speed if possible.
Is the 6-speed 2016 Honda Pilot a reliable choice? – Based on the extensive data and owner feedback, the answer is generally yes. The 6-speed automatic version of the 2016 Pilot is widely regarded as more reliable and better-behaved than the 9-speed version. It benefitted from a mature design with fewer new variables, and as a result, it saw comparatively few serious issues in the field. Owners and reviewers consistently report a positive experience with 6-speed Pilots, praising their smooth shifting and dependability6. Apart from a known torque-converter shudder issue that Honda corrected with a TSB (and which can be prevented with good maintenance), the 6-speed transmission did not generate the kind of widespread complaints or costly failures that the 9-speed did10. In contrast, the 9-speed transmission in the 2016 Pilot suffered from multiple reliability and performance concerns – including rough or delayed shifting, software glitches, and some premature failures – that hurt its reputation. Over time, many of these problems were mitigated with updates, but in the critical early years (2016–2017) the 9-speed clearly struggled.
For a buyer or owner evaluating a 2016 Pilot today, this history means that a model with the 6-speed (LX, EX, EX-L) is often considered the more trouble-free choice in the long run. It’s not that every 9-speed Pilot will fail – indeed, plenty of Touring/Elite owners have accumulated high mileage after the updates without incident – but statistically and anecdotally, the odds of experiencing annoying or serious transmission issues were higher with the 9-speed, especially in unmodified 2016 units. The 6-speed may lack the extra gear count and tiny MPG advantage on paper, but it makes up for it by providing a consistent, worry-free driving experience that many find preferable4. As Edmunds’ head of testing wrote after comparing both: “Ignoring the equipment differences... I’d take the 6-speed in a heartbeat”, noting that it always feels in the right gear and never draws attention to itself. Consumer Reports went as far as advising shoppers to avoid the Touring/Elite (9AT) and opt for the 6-speed Pilot trims due to the transmission’s shortcomings.
In summary, the 2016 Pilot’s 6-speed automatic is generally reliable and well-regarded, making it a solid choice if you value proven dependability and smooth operation. It has a few minor issues to maintain (keep the fluid fresh and consider an ATF cooler for severe use), but these are manageable and known quantities. In contrast, the 9-speed introduced more complexity and had a rocky start, with enough problems to give buyers pause – particularly for early production models6. By all accounts, a 6-speed Pilot owner can expect a long service life with proper care, whereas a 9-speed Pilot owner in 2016 likely needed to ensure all the latest software updates were applied and might still have faced quirks or repairs along the way.
For someone researching these transmissions now, the consensus from experts and the Honda community is that the 6-speed is the safer bet for reliability, while performance differences between the two are negligible in everyday use. The 9-speed might offer a slightly different driving character (some call it “sportier” due to frequent shifting), but any benefit is offset by its history of issues in 2016. Thus, if reliability and peace of mind are top priorities, the 6-speed 2016 Pilot is indeed considered a reliable choice – and arguably the better choice – when compared to the 9-speed version6.