My 2020 EX (that I love too) had the crackling issue and it was annoying on long trips. Honda issued an advisory on this (not a recall, but an advisory). Took it it my local dealership who said if they could reproduce it, they (Honda) would fix it. They were not able to reproduce it and it was frustrating. However, I took it to the dealership that I purchased the Pilot from from (neighboring city) and they were able to reproduce it right away and fixed it at no cost. Hasn't been an issue since. It was under warranty at the time. So, you may want to ask your dealer.