2004 HONDA PILOT Complaints

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HAS FELT EXTREMELY HOT IN THE LAST FEW TIMES THAT I USED SEAT HEATER. PULLED INTO WORK AND AS I STARTED TO EXIT SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE SEAT. NEVER CAUGHT FIRE AS I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE SWITCH AND POUNDED THE SEAT CUSHION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING TO THE AIRPORT FOR FAMILY VACATION, MY 2004 PILOT STARTED MAKING A GRINDING SOUND EVERY FEW MINUTES. WHEN WE RETURNED 2 WEEKS LATER WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MILES PER HR. IT CONTINUED MAKING SAME GRINDING SOUNDS. HAD MY MECHANICS LOOK AT IT SUGGESTED CHANGING TRANSMISSION FLUID AND DIFFERENTIAL FLUID, DID SO BUT IT KEPT ON MAKING GRINDING SOUNDS. RECENTLY GOT A NOTICE FOR ANOTHER RECALL ON MY PILOT, LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION SOON AFTER I BOUGHT MY PILOT IN 2004. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS RECALL. PILOT STILL GRINDING AND GETTING WORSE. CALLED DEALER THIS MORNING AND SAID THAT MY VIN # WAS NOT RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. WHY AM I NOT GETTING A RECALL NOTICE FOR A PROBLEM THAT HONDA KNOWS ABOUT? *TR

HAVING MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE DONE WAS GIVEN NOTICE THAT BOTH FRONT MOTOR MOUNTS ARE CRACKED AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS SEEMS TO ME TO BE UNUSUAL AND WHILE NO INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A SAFE DEVELOPMENT AND COULD CAUSE SOME SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IF NOT REPLACED OR IS NOT DISCOVERED AND THE VEHICLE WERE INVOLVED IN A CRASH. *TR

SRS RED LIGHT ON. NO PREVIOUS COLLISIONS OR AIRBAG DEPLOYMENTS. DEALER STATES THAT SRS CONTROLLER NEEDS REPLACEMENT, BUT NOT COVERED BY HONDA. AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT. COST PROHIBITIVE TO REPLACE SRS CONTROLLER IN HOUSTON, TX, THEY WANT $800-$1000 TO REPLACE THIS SAFETY ITEM. CALLING HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT PREMIUM AND EXPLOITIVE PRICES CHARGE BY THEIR DEALERS IN HOUSTON IS OF NO AVAIL. HONDA SHOULD TAKE NOTICE OF THIS PROBLEM SERIOUSLY BEFORE ANYONE GETS INJURED IN CAR CRASH BY FAILURE OF AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. AT MINIMUM, I EXPECT HONDA TO OFFER MINIMUM OR SUBSIDIZED PRICING AND PREVENT CUSTOMER EXPLOITATION BY THEIR DEALERS. PLEASE HELP. *TR

I TURNED THE DRIVER SEAT HEATER TO HI DURING MY DRIVE HOME YESTERDAY, THE HEATER GOT EXTREMELY HOT AND FELT IT WAS BURNING MY BACK EVEN WITH A HEAVY COAT ON, ALSO SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. I TURNED THE HEATER OFF BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS. THE SEAT STILL HAS BURNED SMELL TO IT NEXT DAY. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER GOT BURNING HOT, AND IT BURNT THE LEG AT A SPOT, THE INJURY WAS MINOR; WHEN THE HEATER WAS OFF THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED. I AM NOT USING THE HEATER NOW AS IT IS INTOLERABLY HOT AND MIGHT CREATE FIRE HAZARD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD GEARS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V176000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

WHILE DRIVING AROUND 30-50 MILES AN HOUR MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAKING A SHUDDERING NOISE WITH A VIBRATION AND WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING THE RPMS WITH MOVE UP AND DOWN WITH AS THE SHUDDERING PROGRESSES. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE YEAR AND MAKE OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO VERIFY THAT I NEED TO HAVE MY TORCH CONVERTER REPLACED AND IT WILL COST AROUND $1700.00 TO FIX IT. I'M CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE AS IT COULD CAUSE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT. *TR

THE HEADLAMPS BEGAN TAKING IN MOISTURE AND THEN SHORTING OUT EVERY TIME IT RAINS. WHEN YOU SEARCH ON THE INTERNET, IT IS AN OVERWHELMING PROBLEM IN PRIMARILY 2004-2006 HONDA PILOTS. I TOOK IT IN FOR THE WIRING RECALL BUT THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. THEY JUST SHORTED OUT AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT. VERY DANGEROUS. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 6 TIMES. ALTHOUGH THE WIRING WAS RECALLED, ONLY THE HEADLIGHTS COLLECT MOISTURE AND RUST. I HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1099 AND THEY HAVE CONTINUALLY SAID THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME BUT NEVER HAVE. ER.YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MAT. *TR

DRIVER'S POWER SEAT ASSEMBLY PART BROKE, WHICH SEPARATED THE SEAT FROM THE POWER MOVEMENT ASSEMBLY. SEAT ROCKS BACK AND FEELS LIKE SLIGHT PRESSURE COULD COMPLETELY DISENGAGE THE SEAT FROM THE CAR. SEAT ROCKING WHILE DRIVING IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT APPEARS TO BE A SMALL METAL BAR WHICH RUNS FROM THE SEAT ASSEMBLY TO THE "SLIDE ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY". IT IS A VERY SMALL COMPONENT OF ITEM REFERENCE NUMBER 14 (P/N: 81660-S3V-A30) OF THE "FRONT SEAT COMPONENTS (L.) (POWER)" FOR THE 2004 HONDA PILOT 5DR EX - KA5AT. SPECIFICALLY, THE METAL BAR SEEMS TO ATTACH TO THE ROD WHICH ROTATES WHEN THE SEAT IS TILTED FORWARD OR BACKWARD. THE BAR IS DESIGNED TO BE FIXED TO THE ROD, WHICH WHEN ROTATING, PUSHES THE OTHER END OF THE BAR (ATTACHED TO THE FRONT END OF THE SEAT BOTTOM) UP OR DOWN, RESULTING IN THE SEAT TILTING BACK OR FORWARD. IT IS THE ONLY PART SECURING THE FRONT-LEFT OF THE SEAT TO THE ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY. READING AROUND THE INTERNET, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS GENERATION OF PILOT. *JB