2003 HONDA PILOT Complaints

ON 9/6/2012 HONDA PERFORMED RECALL WORK ON THIS VEHICLE, SEE NHTSA RECALL 12V-136. ON 8/5/2013 I CHECKED THE VEHICLES LIGHTS AND ALL WERE WORKING. ON 8/6/2013 WHILE MOVING VEHICLE IN DRIVEWAY I NOTICED THAT BOTH LOW BEAMS WERE NOT ILLUMINATING EVEN THOUGH THE SWITCH WAS TURNED ON. THE PARKING LIGHTS AND HIGH BEAMS BOTH WORKED, BUT THE LOW BEAMS DID NOT WORK. ON 8/8/2013 I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER (ROBERTS IN DOWNINGTOWN, PA). THE DEALER'S SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE REPORTED THAT THE RECALL WORK WAS FINE AND THAT THE HEADLAMP SWITCH WAS BROKEN. THE COST OF THE HEADLAMP SWITCH IS $190. I WILL PICK UP THE VEHICLE LATER TODAY, 8/8/2013. I AM REPORTING THIS TO PROVIDE DATA THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL AS IT RELATES TO THE SAFETY RECALL. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CERTIFIED LETTER (7011 0470 003 0649 3438) FROM ATTORNEY REPRESENTING HIS CLIENT REGARDING PAID REPAIRED WORK HE HAD DONE TO HIS 2003 HONDA PILOT AND LATER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICES ABOUT THE PROBLEM; HE IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT. *SMD ON DECEMBER 21, 2012, THE KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION, AND COULD NOT BE REMOVED WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER IT WOULD COST $624. 41 TO FIX THE PROBLEM, DESPITE THE FACT IT WAS A KNOWN DEFECT, WHICH APPARENTLY RESULTED FROM AN IMPROPER SETTING OF THE CABLE CONNECTING THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE TRANSMISSION AT THE SHIFT LEVER BRACKET, WHICH WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HONDA VEHICLES. AFTER THE CONSUMER PAID FOR THE REPAIRS, HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM HONDA CONCERNING THE IGNITION INTERLOCK SWITCH ON HIS VEHICLE.

2003 HONDA PILOT TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING IN LOW GEAR AFTER ENGINE WARMED UP. WHENEVER VEHICLE IS GOING FROM A STOP TO MOVEMENT, SUCH AS RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC, VEHICLE DOE NOT CLICK INTO GEAR RIGHT AWAY. TOOK VEHICLE TO HONDA DEALER WHO STATED TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $4100 + 12 HRS LABOR FOR INSTALLATION. VEHICLE ONLY HAS @78,00 MILES ON IT. LUCKILY MY TRANSMISSION HAS NOT SEIZED AS MANY OTHERS HAVE ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSING GRAVE SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, OUR 2003 HONDA PILOT STALLED AND WOULD NOT RE-START. WE HAD IT TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC WHO HAS BEEN SERVICING OUR VEHICLE. HE STATES THAT THE TIMING BELT PULLEY HAD RIPPED OUT THE WATER PUMP AND CAUSED A BOLT TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE CYLINDER HEAD. *TR

THE KEY GETS STUCK IN IGNITION AND DOES NOT TURN. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS IT FINALLY TURNS AND THEN I CAN START THE CAR. I HAVE NOTICED A LOT OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE, CALLED UP HONDA AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS SYMPTOM. *TR

WE PURCHASED OUR 2003 HONDA PILOT EX-L NEW AT DANBURY HONDA ON FEBRUARY 20, 2003. WE HAVE HAD ONGOING ISSUES WITH THE "D" OR DRIVE LIGHT FLASHING INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW AND HAD IT CHECKED AT THE DEALER EACH TIME, WITH A REPORT BACK THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AND IT WOULD GO AWAY. THE DEALER HAS DONE ALMOST ALL OF THE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE TO OUR VEHICLE AND WE ALSO DO PROACTIVE CARE TO OUR VEHICLE. MOST RECENTLY WE SPENT A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY ON REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION THROUGH HONDA DEALERSHIPS IN DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA (DISASTER THERE) AND DANBURY, CT. WE ARE NOW BEING TOLD WE NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION, ONLY MONTHS AFTER PUTTING A LOT OF MONEY INTO THE CAR. HAD WE KNOWN WE WOULD BE SPENDING THIS KIND OF MONEY (ABOUT $5K), WE WOULD HAVE TRADED THE CAR IN. HOWEVER, WE ARE NOW CAUGHT IN A FINANCIAL BURDEN WITH HAVING TO PUT A NEW TRANSMISSION IN THE 2003 PILOT, WHICH WE THINK SHOULD BE PART OF A RECALL BASED UPON ALL THE ON-LINE RESEARCH WE'VE DONE. CAN ANYONE PLEASE ASSIST? *TR

YOKOHAMA GEOLANDER H/T-S GO51 P235/70R16 CRACKING AND SEPARATION OF TIRE TREAD AROUND ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF TIRES. ALL 4 TIRES PURCHASED 6/26/09 AND ONLY 27K MILES. THESE WERE NOT DRY ROT CRACKS. *TR

KEY CANNOT BE INSERTED INTO IGNITION SWITCH. TAKES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO INSERT KEY AND ONCE FULLY INSERTED KEY WON'T TURN IGNITION. TAKES NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS AND EVENTUALLY KEY WILL TURN IGNITION. *TR

WE BOUGHT A 2003 HONDA PILOT IN 2006. 3 MONTHS AGO WE FOUND OUT IT HAD BEEN RECALLED IN 2004 FOR THE POWERTRAIN. THAT APPARENTLY WAS FIXED AT THAT TIME. IN APRIL, WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE RPMS SHOWING 3000 WHILE WE WERE DRIVING ONLY 35 MPH. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED US THAT THE POWERTRAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS COST US OVER $6,000 TO REPLACE INCLUDING OVER $700 TO LEASE A CAR. AMERICAN HONDA SAID THAT THE WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT AND THAT IT WAS A HIGH MILEAGE VEHICLE AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR. OUR QUESTION IS WHY WOULD THE POWERTRAIN HAVE TO BE REPLACED A SECOND TIME WITHIN A 9 YEAR PERIOD. THE 109,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE IS WITHIN IF NOT LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. GRANTED, A 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE WILL PROBABLY NOT STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, IF THE POWERTRAIN WAS FIXED UNDER THE RECALL IN 2004, SHOULD IT NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY FAILED TO RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHEN THE GEAR LEVER WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V573000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE DEALER REPLACED THE SHIFT INTERLOCK LEVER AND FAILED TO INCLUDE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AFTER THE REMEDY REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.