2005 HONDA PILOT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED, SMOKE APPEARED BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR WHEN THE HEAD LAMPS WERE ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V136000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING); HOWEVER, THE REPAIR FAILED TO REMEDY THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.

THIS VEHICLE WHICH NEVER HAS HAD A PROBLEM WAS TAKEN IN FOR THE AIR BAG RECALL TO THE HONDA DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD ~170K MILES. WITHIN WEEKS OF THE EVENT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION AND REPAIR. THE DEALER ADVISES THAT BOTH FRONT BUMPER AIR BAG SENSORS SIMULTANEOUSLY WENT BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY SAID THIS WAS NOT IN ANYWAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL WORK. I DON'T BUY IT AND SEE THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME IDENTICAL CHALLENGE SHORTLY AFTER RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED. I AM CERTAIN A AUTHORIZED REPLACEMENT PART INCOMPATIBILITY EXISTS OR A PRESCRIBED REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE TECHNIQUE IS FLAWED. THIS IS SIMILAR TO 10CFR PART 21 SAFETY RELATED ISSUE IN US COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER REGULATIONS THAT I WORK IN AND MUST BE ACTED UPON BY THE NTSB. THE AIRBAG SAFETY SYSTEM WAS RETURNED NON-FUNCTIONAL BECAUSE OF MY REFUSAL TO PAY THE DEALER NEARLY $500 FOR REPAIRS I KNOW THE PROCESS IS ABSOLUTELY ACCOUNTABLE FOR INDUCING. THE REPLACEMENT IS NOT A LIKE-FOR-LIKE COMPATIBLE UNIT OR THE DEALERS ARE NOT INSTALLING THE REPLACEMENTS CORRECTLY PUTTING THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AT SUDDEN SAFETY RISK WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT 70 MPH. HONDA DEALER-BASNEY HONDA MISHAWAKA, INDIANA 574-256-3800

MY 2005 HONDA PILOT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MY LOCAL MECHANICS SCANNED THE COMPUTER CODE P0741, TORQUE CLUTCH SOLENOID. AFTER HE REPLACE THE SOLENOID AND CLEARED THE CODE I DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 50 MILES BEFORE THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SO I TOOK IT BACK THE THE SHOP TO HAVE THE CODE SCAN AGAIN. THE SAME CODE, P0741 APPEAR IN HIS SCANNER. HE RECHECK THE REPLACEMENTAL PART FOR MALFUNCTION AND CONNECTION ISSUES WITH NO ISSUES. SO I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE A SECOND OPINION. THE TRANS SHOP EXAM THE TRAN AND FOUND NO ISSUES ALSO. BOTH SHOPS SUGGEST THAT THERE MUST BE AN INTERIOR ISSUE IN THE TRAN ITSELF. MY ONLY OPTION ARE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TRAN OR DRIVE IT AS LONG AS IT IS DRIVING FINE. I THINK HONDA KNOW OF THIS INTERIOR ISSUE AND DON'T WANT TO RECALL THE VEHICLES. REPLACING A TRAN ISN'T A CHEAP FIX.

WHILE DRIVING IN NORMAL CONDITIONS AT ANY SPEED AT ANY TIME IT ON ANY TYPE OF ROADWAY FEELS AS IF THE BRAKE IS BEING SLAMMED ON AND PULLS THE CAR SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM THE DRIVER. I HAVE THIS OCCUR DAILY. THE VSA LIGHT AND MANY TIMES THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT IMMUNIMATE JUST PRIOR OR AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT. IT IS AT THE HONDA DEALER WHO FIRST WANTED ME TO REPLACE THE REAR END BUT THEY SAY IT IS A FAULTY SENSOR AND ARE REPLACING IT FOR ABOUT $800 BUT THEY ARE STILL NOT SURE THAT IS THE PROBLEM. I SAW THE RECALL FOR 2013 PART OF THE VSA AND THEY SAY THAT WAS FIXED BACK THEN. SO WHAT IS GOING ON NOW THIS CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND COSTLY.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, MY 2005 PILOT MODEL EXL HAS 90,000 MILES. RECENTLY THE VSA LIGHT STARTED TO COME ON RANDOMLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. WHENEVER THAT HAPPENED THERE WOULD ALSO BE A LOUD 'CHUNK' NOISE THAT ACCOMPANIED IT AND FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP. HOWEVER TODAY WHEN IT HAPPENED, I COULD NOT TURN OFF THE VSA FUNCTION AND THE WORST PART WAS THAT THE MALFUNCTION OF THE VSA HAD LOCKED THE BRAKES ONCE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR FOR A FEW SECONDS AND ALTHOUGH THIS ONLY OCCURRED ONE TIME, IT WAS AN EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VSA LIGHT AND THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BUT NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKE, AS IT WAS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION AND CONSUMER WAS LOOSING ENGINE POWER AND EVENTUALLY STALLED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE VSA MALFUNCTIONED AND IT WAS A PART THAT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE TIRES AS BEING EQUIPPED FOR THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 03/30/16.*JB

THERE IS VIBRATION WHEN ACCELERATING BETWEEN 35-45 MPH. SEEMS THERE ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION WHICH IS COMMON AMONG OTHER OWNWERS.

THE CAR'S VSA (VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM) WILL ENGAGE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY YAW RATE SENSOR. UPON INVESTIGATION, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 2005 MODEL. MY CAR'S VSA (BRAKES) WERE ENGAGED ON MULTIPLE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR NO REASON. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO RAPIDLY DECELERATE AND I NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IF I MANUALLY DISENGAGED THE VSA SYSTEM (THE PILOT HAS AN ON/OFF SWITCH), I EXPERIENCE NO SUCH ERRONEOUS BRAKING INCIDENTS. YOU CAN SEE THE INCIDENT SUMMARY HERE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: DP12002 HTTPS://GOO.GL/RF5YIN OR DISCUSSION THREADS HERE: HTTP://GOO.GL/6HBQEX

AT 105,000 MILES I TOOK MY 2005 HONDA PILOT FOR SOME PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE-OIL CHANGE, TRANSMISSION SERVICE, AND AN AIR BAG RECALL. THE MECHANIC NOTED THAT THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED ON HIS TEST DRIVE. NOW THE D LIGHT IS BLINKING AND THE VEHICLE DOES SHUDDER BETWEEN 35-50 MPH. THE SERVICE WRITER ALEX SCHENBECK AT DICK'S HONDA IN HILLSBORO SAID HE DIDN'T NOTICE THE MECHANICS NOTE AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT THIS COULD BE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. ACURA ISSUED A RECALL ON THE MDX FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM CAUSED BY A DESIGN FLAW IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER. ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE THERE HAVE BEEN 208 COMPLAINTS ON THE 2004-2005 HONDA PILOT TRANSMISSION AND 66 COMPLAINTS ON THE TORQUE CONVERTER SPECIFICALLY. I WILL BE CONTACTING HONDA NORTH AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING A LOYAL HONDA CUSTOMER OR LOSING MY BUSINESS FOR LIFE.

WHEN THE VEHICLE GETS TO ABOUT 30 MPH YOU FEEL A SHUDDER IN THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER MOMENTARILY LOSING INERTIA, THE VEHICLE IS ABLE TO INCREASE SPEED AND CONTINUE WITHOUT HESITATION. I'VE HAD THE DEALER CHECK IT AND THEY THINK IT MAY BE A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.