2008 HONDA PILOT Complaints

I OWN AN 2008 HONDA PILOT (AUTOMATIC) AND WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS VEHICLE'S INABILITY TO HOLD IN GEAR ON AN INCLINE. THE PILOT WILL ROLL BACKWARDS WHEN IN DRIVE WITHOUT STOPPING ON AN UPHILL INCLINE, AND WILL ROLL FORWARD WHEN IN REVERSE ON A DOWNHILL INCLINE. I LIVE NEAR SAN FRANCISCO AND DRIVING IN THAT AREA IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IN AN AUTOMATIC THAT WILL NOT HOLD ITS GEAR. IT IS WORSE THAN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE GEAR ENGAGEMENT WITH A CLUTCH. I AM FORCED TO DRIVE WITH MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND RIGHT ON THE ACCELERATOR IN ORDER TO AVOID ROLLING BACKWARDS INTO FOLLOWING VEHICLES OR CROSS TRAFFIC. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT WITH NOT JUST MY VEHICLE BUT WITH ALL HONDA PILOTS PRIOR TO 2009, AS HONDA ADVERTISED THE 2009 MODEL WITH A NEW 'ANTI-ROLLBACK' FEATURE. THE 2008 MODEL IS LACKING THIS FEATURE, BUT I HAVE DRIVEN OTHER AUTOMATICS OF ALL OTHER TYPES AND SIZES AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. IN MY RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH SOMETHING CALLED A 'TORQUE CONVERTER' THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE RETROFITTED OR MODIFIED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE HONDA DEALER IN MY AREA BUT WITH NO SATISFACTION. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE. AFTER ONE DAY IN S/F, STUCK ON AN UPHILL SLOPE IN GRIDLOCKED TRAFFIC, I COMPLETELY BURNED OUT MY BRAKES AND NEARLY STRUCK CARS BEHIND ME ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND RECOMMEND A METHOD OF RECOURSE AS I CAN NOT SEEM TO GET HONDA TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO MY CONCERN. THANK-YOU. *TR

PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2008 PILOT EXL IN FEB. 2008 WITH ABOUT 3 ODOMETER MILES. ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER A FAINT POPPING NOISE COULD BE HEAR FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS (MORE THAN 3) TO THE DEALER THEY COULD NOT PINPOINT LOCATION OF NOISE AND CAR WOULD NOT CONSISTENTLY MAKE SOUND. IN DEC. 2008 IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE POPPING SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE DEALER ORDERED AND REPLACED THE PART FEB. 2009. AFTER REPLACING THE PART THE DEALER TEST DROVE IT AND COULD NOT HEAR THE NOISE ANYMORE. I PICKED UP MY CAR, HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING IT STARTED TO MAKE THE NOISE AND I LISTENED CAREFULLY OVER THE DAYS AND THE POPPING NOISE WAS COMING RIGHT BACK. I AM NOT TOTALLY CONVINCED THAT THE DEALER ORDERED AND REPLACED THE PART. I AM CALLING HONDA MOTORS CORP. ON MON., MAR. 9, 2009, TO VOICE MY COMPLAINT THAT THE CAR IS DEFECTIVE AND POSES A HAZARD. I DO NOT WANT THE STEERING WHEEL TO COME APART WHILE I AM DRIVING. I NOTICED THAT THIS WEB PAGE POSTED A RECALL OF THE 2005 HONDA PILOT FOR STEERING COLUMN IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED. I THINK THE SAME SHOULD BE DONE FOR THE 2008 HONDA PILOT EXL IF THIS IS A NORMAL SOUND AS MY DEALER IS TELLING ME. *TR

01) VEHICLE SKIDDING UNDER SLIGHTEST WATER AND/OR INCLINE ON ROAD EVEN THOUGH HAS ONLY 20,500 MILES 02) SOUND FROM THAT REAR OF VEHICLE (DEALER DESCRIBES THAT AS SLASHING GAS IN TANK OR BRAKING SOUND). *TR

DRIVING AT SLOW SPEED IN PARKING LOT, WHILE MAKING A TURN TO THE RIGHT WITH STEERING WHEEL CLOSE TO FULL RIGHT TURN LOCK. KEYS ON KEY RING CAUGHT WITHIN RECESS IN THE BACK OF THE STEERING WHEEL (RECESS IS EXPOSED TO KEYS BECAUSE OF RIGHT TURN), AND LODGED AGAINST CASING THAT CONTAINS THE KEY ASSEMBLY, WITH THE RESULT OF THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKING IN THE RIGHT TURNED POSITION WHILE MOVING, CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR WITHOUT ACCIDENT SINCE NO CAR WAS IN THE PARKING SPACES AT THAT TIME. WAS ONLY ABLE TO REMOVE JAMMED KEY/STEERING WHEEL CONDITION (AFTER STOPPING) WHEN HONDA KEY BROKE, RELEASING THE ELECTRONIC PORTION OF KEY FROM THE METAL PORTION, ALLOW THE WEDGING OF THE OTHER KEY TO RELEASE. COMBINATION OF KEYS ON KEY RING AND LOW SPEED FULL RIGHT TURN CAUSE THE DANGEROUS CONDITION. DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR OTHER MOTORIST WITH MANY KEYS (8) ON RELATIVELY SMALL KEY RING, ALLOWING SOME KEYS ON RING TO POINT TOWARDS STEERING WHEEL RATHER THAN DOWNWARDS. HONDA SHOULD EITHER PLUG THE RECESS IN STEERING WHEEL, OR PROVIDE SHIELDING TO PREVENT KEYS FROM CONTACTING BACK OF THE STEERING WHEEL. NOTE THAT THE IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE HAVING THIS VEHICLE FOR 1.5 YEARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE AND WAS REAR ENDED BY THE VEHICLE IN HIS REAR. THE VEHICLE BEHIND HIM WAS TRAVELING 60 MPH AS WELL. FOUR OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE. NONE OF THE EIGHT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 12,300.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. THE ENGINE STOPPED AND I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. DEALER ANALYZED A BROKEN TIMING BELT AND REPLACED BELT AND HEADS. TAKING CAR BACK TO DEALER FOR ENGINE NOISE WHICH STARTED AFTER REPAIR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEADREST WILL GRADUALLY RISE ON ITS OWN AND CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL IT REACHES ITS HIGHEST POINT ON THE SEAT. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE DEALER ONCE FOR THE DEFECT AND THEY KEPT THE VEHICLE OVERNIGHT. AFTER TEST DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE OR OFFER A REMEDY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WE HAVE BOUGHT TWO HONDA PILOTS AND ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OUR NEW ONE. FUEL EVAP. SYSTEM, KEEPS HAVING PROBLEMS SENDING CODES TO THE COMPUTERS. COULD LEAD TO A DANGEROUS INCIDENT. PROBLEM RECURS ALOT, ESP AFTER YOU FUEL UP YOUR TANK OR IS 2/3 FULL. HONDA COULD NOT FIND ANY THING WRONG THE FIRST TIME, NOW WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY SAY THIS SECOND TIME ON OUR BRAND NEW ONE. *TR

2008 HONDA PILOT WITH DESIGN QUIRKS. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WAS MISSING TWO VALVE CAPS, REAR MUD FLAPS WERE INSTALLED AFTER PURCHASE AT HER EXPENSE, RADIO/CD/DVD NOT MP3 CAPABLE, ROOF RAILS ARE INCOMPLETE. *KB THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE WAS A WIND NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE SUNROOF WAS TILTED OPEN, THERE WAS AN ANNOYING SOUND.

A SAFETY CONCERN: HEADLIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE ROAD PROPERLY. ON RURAL ROADS THE HEADLIGHT DIP TOO LOW TO BE EFFECTIVE. ROADS WITH ELEVATIONS AND DEPRESSIONS NEGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HEADLIGHTS. THEY PLUNGE THE ROAD INTO TOTAL DARKNESS. A PERSON DRIVING FASTER ON A RURAL THAN 35 MPH WOULD BE "OVER DRIVING" THE HEADLIGHTS. *TR