2013 HONDA PILOT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A LOUD METAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKES HOWEVER THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE LOUD METAL NOISE WAS HEARD EACH TIME THE BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT EXHIBIT A BRAKE FAILURE BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO HEAR THE NOISE THAT THE CONTACT WAS REFERENCING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000. *TR

75% OF THE TIME THE VEHICLE IS IN ECO MODE THE ENTIRE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND SHUDDERS. THE EFFECT VARIES FROM ANNOYING TO SEVERE. IT HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS. THESE ARE THE SAME CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN STATED BY NUMEROUS OWNERS. I EXPECT MAJOR PRE-MATURE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN. HONDA REFUSES TO ADMIT TO THE DEFECT AND HAS NO FIX FOR THE DEFECT. RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO ENTER A PARKING GARAGE, THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16000. *TR

THE VCM (VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT) SYSTEM CAUSES JERKING AND VIBRATIONS, PERIODICALLY, DURING THE CHANGE FROM "ECO" MODE TO FULL CYLINDER OPERATION. I HAD THE SERVICE MANAGER DRIVE WITH ME AND ON THAT TRIP, THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE SALES AND SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT BEING A PROBLEM. I NOW SEE THAT HONDA HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE COMPANY REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND FIX THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM.

ONGOING DISTURBING SHUDDER OR VIBRATION APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE VCM/ECO FEATURE. THE RELATIONSHIP SEEMS TO CORRELATE WITH THE VISUAL ECO DISPLAY ON THE DASHBOARD. THE ISSUE CAN BE CATEGORIZED BY PROGRESSING THROUGH THREE STAGES OR MODES AS SPEED AND DRIVING CONDITIONS VARY. THE FIRST MODE CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS A HOWLING (SIGNIFICANT AUDIBLE TONE CHANGE) FROM THE ENGINE RIGHT BEFORE THE VIBRATION BEGINS, WHICH IS THE SECOND MODE. THE SECOND MODE IS THE VIBRATION/SHUDDER MOST PREDOMINATELY AROUND 44 MPH, BUT CAN OCCUR AT OTHER SPEEDS - DEPENDING ON THE "LOAD" ON THE ENGINE. THE SHUDDER/VIBRATION CAN VARY FROM A HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION (LIKE GOING OVER SMALL NARROW RUMBLE STRIPS) TO A MORE PRONOUNCED SHUDDER, BOTH OF WHICH IS CAN BE FELT BY PASSENGERS AND/OR DRIVER. IN GENERAL, THE PILOT WILL VIBRATE/SHUDDER CONSISTENTLY, APPARENTLY WHEN THE VCM FEATURE IS IN TRANSITION. HOWEVER, ON TWO OCCASIONS, A THIRD MODE OCCURRED: VERY SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH OR SO, BY SURPRISE, THE PILOT SHOOK (FRONT END AREA) TO SUCH A INTENSE DEGREE THAT IT IMPULSIVELY CAUSED THE DRIVER OF THE PILOT TO PULL-OVER AND STOP. NOT KNOWING WHAT REALLY IS GOING ON IS CAUSING SOME TREPIDATION ABOUT WHETHER TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR. TOOK PILOT INTO THE DEALER AND EXPLAINED THESE MODES. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE VCM RELATED VIBRATIONS AND SAYS THAT IS THE WAY IT WORKS AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO. BUT, TO ME THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. A BRAND NEW (RATHER COSTLY) CAR SHOULD NOT BEHAVE THIS WAY. MOREOVER, IT SEEMS SUCH REGULAR ONGOING VIBRATION/SHUDDERING CAN QUICKLY NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE INTEGRITY OR LONGEVITY OF THE ENGINE/DRIVE TRAIN, ETC., AS MOST MECHANICAL THINGS GENERALLY DO NOT LIKE VIBRATIONS WHICH QUITE OFTEN IS A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF WEAR AND TEAR. AS THE OWNER ONE MUST ASK THINGS LIKE: WILL THE ENGINE EVEN "SURVIVE" THIS IN THE LONG RUN? WILL THIS CAUSE MORE FREQUENT REPAIRS?

ENGINE VIBRATION IN ECO MODE. IT HAS GROWN STEADILY WORSE SINCE NEW. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE FOR A WELL ENGINEERED VEHICLE. *TR

WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, VEHICLE EMITTED AUDIBLE NOISE FROM WITHIN CABIN AND OUTSIDE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A CLUSTER OF FAST METALLIC CLAPPING/SNAPPING NOISES. THE NOISE WAS ACCOMPANIED AND FOLLOWED BY AN OBSERVED SHAKE AND HESITATION TO ENGAGE THE VEHICLE. EVENTUALLY, THE MOTION TO TRANSITION INTO A ZERO GAS COASTING SPEED, WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A LURCH TO VEHICLES DEFAULT DRIVE WHEN PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. THE FIRST NOTICEABLE INCIDENT OF THIS BEHAVIOR WAS EXPERIENCED IN THE NOVEMBER 2013 TIME FRAME, WHILE IN A DRIVE-THRU AT A RESTAURANT, WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, AND AFTER ORDERING, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WHILE PERFORMING THIS TRANSMISSION SHIFT. THE VEHICLE IS WITH THE DEALER FOR A REPEAT SERVICE CALL TO OBSERVE THIS PATTERN OF SHIFT CHANGE BEHAVIOR. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A FEW MORE INCIDENTS OF THIS HAPPENING, BUT THESE TWO ARE THE MOST NOTICEABLE THAT CAN BE RECOLLECTED AT THIS TIME. *TR

I HAVE HAD THIS PILOT FOR A YEAR AND ITS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN GOING DOWNHILL. WHEN THE ECO ENGAGES, THE CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER AND SOUND LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL. I NEED TO PRESS ON THE GAS TO GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS AT ANY MPH AS IT OCCURS WHEN THE ECO LIGHT TURNS ON. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND STATES ITS A FLAW OF THE 2013 PILOT AND CANNOT BE FIXED. THEY ALSO CALL IT NORMAL. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE AND I DO NOT CONSIDER IT NORMAL FOR THE CAR I AM DRIVING TO SOUND LIKE IT IS GOING TO TURN OFF. PIAZZA HONDA OF LIMERICK STATES THEY CAN HOOK THIS CAR UP TO A COMPUTER TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM BUT TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE THAT IT WAS A KNOW ISSUE, BASICALLY TELLING ME I AM WASTING MY TIME. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE FIXED, OR RECALLED AS IT IS UNSAFE. *TR

VEHICLE SHUTTERS TERRIBLE AT CERTAIN SPEEDS/RPM. HAVE TO ADJUST ACCELERATION TO GET IT TO STOP. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. NOT NORMAL OPERATION FOR A NEW VEHICLE. IT'S CRIMINAL THAT HONDA CLAIMS ITS NORMAL. *TR

EVER SINCE I PULLED OFF THE NEW CAR LOT,,,,, VEHICLE HAS VIBRATION AT 1500 TO 2000 RPM. IT IS SLIGHT BUT VIBRATES THROUGHOUT VEHICLE. ANNOYING IS THE PERFECT DESCRIPTION. GOES AWAY WITH SLIGHT ACCELERATION. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO ECO BEING IN OPERATION. I SEE SAME COMPLAINT IN OTHER POSTS. I BELIEVE IT IS A ROOKIE DESIGN FLAW IN POWER TRAIN. A $40,000 VEHICLE SHOULD BE WITHOUT THIS DEFECT. I ALSO OWN A 2010 PILOT THAT OPERATES WITHOUT ANY VIBRATION AT ANY SPEED OR LOAD UPON ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN. THIS IS MY SECOND "HONDA" COMPANY VEHICLE. I WISH I HAD THE 1ST ONE BACK. YOU CAN IMAGINE MY FRUSTRATION WITH MY 2013 HONDA PILOT. HONDA..... CAN YOU OWN UP TO THIS FLAW AND FIX? *TR