2005 HONDA PILOT Complaints

IN MARCH OF 2007, MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MILES PER HOUR WHEN OUR 2005 HONDA PILOT STARTED BRAKING ON ITS OWN AS IF THE ABS SYSTEM HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. WE DID NOT THINK MUCH OF IT UNTIL THE SUMMER OF 2012 WHEN THE VEHICLE DID IT AGAIN ABOUT 5 TIMES IN A WEEK. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP IN STATEN ISLAND WHEN THEY TOLD US THAT WE NEEDED FOUR NEW TIRES, AND TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WITH THAT DIAGNOSTIC I TOLD THEM THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SINCE A CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. SINCE WE COULD NOT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE, WE HAD THE ABS SYSTEM DISABLED, AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RESURFACED. THE ONLY BAD PART IS THAT WE ARE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE TRADITIONAL BRAKING SYSTEM WITH NO ABS CAPABILITY. CAN YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ANY UPDATES ON YOUR INVESTIGATION ON THE SUBJECT MATTER? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

GOING 30MPH VSA LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKES LOCKED. TOWED TO DEALER. PER REPORT BATTERY VOLTAGE FAILURE, ECM/PCM FAILURE. BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE, CAN RELATION FAILURE, INTERNAL POWER SOURCE FAILURE, ABS MODULATOR FUNCTION TEST ABNORMAL. ABS CONTROL UNIT REPLACED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP GEARS AND THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE INDEPENDENTLY WITH THE TRANSMISSION BECOMING UNRESPONSIVE. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO HIS RESIDENCE WHERE IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

2-15-2011 PRIOR COMPLAINT OF VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST LOCKING THE BRAKES, OCCURRED 3 TIMES. HONDA HAD NO SOLUTION TO ABRUPT JARRING BRAKING. CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH VSA TURNED OFF. 1-2-2012 VSA, EVEN THOUGH VSA TURNED OFF, BRAKES LOCKED WHILE GOING 45 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, MIDDLE LANE, THEN BRAKED 4 MORE TIMES BEFORE I COULD PULL OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. VERY CLOSE NEAR ACCIDENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO HONDA 1-3-2012. SPOKE TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE DIRECTOR AGAIN, SPOKE TO HONDA FLORIDA REP, NO IDEAS, DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH INTERNET & NHTSA DOCUMENTED. FINALLY I AGREED TO SPLIT REPAIR, SPENT $793.61 AND THEY REPLACED 57110-S9V-A61 MODULATOR ASSEMBLY VSA. HONDA REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THE BRAKING WAS CAUSED BY, OR THAT THEIR VSA REPLACEMENT THAT DAY WOULD SOLVE PROBLEM. IF VSA OFF WHY DID IT HAPPEN 5 MORE TIMES? SINCE NHTSA HAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION ON THIS WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM I WANTED YOU TO HAVE AN UPDATE. *TR

FIRST INCIDENT, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN 2005 HONDA PILOT BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND MAKE A "GROANING" NOISE OR A NOISE ALMOST LIKE WHEN YOU DRIVE ON A GRAVEL ROAD. 2005 HONDA PILOT WAS ALSO (WHILE VIBRATING AND MAKING NOISE) ABRUPTLY SLOWING DOWN/ STOPPING WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT WOULD ALSO DO THIS WHILE APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR. SECOND INCIDENT WAS LATER THAT SAME DAY. I PICKED THE 2005 HONDA PILOT UP FROM MY WIFE AS SHE WAS NOW TO AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS OF DRIVING, I WAS DOING ABOUT 55 MPH AND THE 2005 HONDA PILOT MADE THE SAME NOISE AND VIBRATION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND ALSO SLOWED DOWN ABRUPTLY AS IF I HIT THE BRAKES(WHICH I DIDN'T). ABOUT ANOTHER HALF MILE WAS A TRAFFIC LIGHT AS I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN FOR LIGHT I APPLIED THE BRAKES GENTLY AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE BRAKE PEDAL LEFT MY FOOT AND THE 2005 HONDA PILOT CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THIS HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES SO I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING AT THAT POINT. WHEN I STOPPED IN THE PARKING LOT I NOTICED MY VSA INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON. IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF UNTIL I TURNED THE 2005 HONDA PILOT OFF. SAME DAY I TOOK MY 2005 HONDA PILOT TO THE LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE SYMPTOM. *TR

THE CLIMATE CONTROL LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT ON THE DASHBOARD OF OUR 2005 HONDA PILOT AND IT HAS BEEN A COMMON COMPLAINT OF OTHER OWNERS ON INTERNET FORUMS. IT BECOMES A HAZARD AT NIGHT BECAUSE THE BUTTONS DO NOT ILLUMINATE WHICH I BELIEVE IS AN EXTREME HAZARD THAT TAKES THE EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR LONGER THAN NEEDED TO ADJUST SETTINGS. NO OTHER PLACE IN THE DASH HAS HAD THE BULBS STOP WORKING BUT IT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO EVERYONE'S CLIMATE CONTROL LIGHTS. I THINK THIS IS AN EXTREME HAZARD SIMILAR TO SOMEONE USING A PHONE IN THE CAR AND HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. *TR

AT 30-40 MPH THE PILOT SHUDDERS SIGNIFICANTLY AND DOES SO FOR ABOUT .5-3 SECONDS. THERE IS APPARENTLY A DESIGN OR OTHER FLAW IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER (WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO A FAILED TRANSMISSION). DESPITE WHAT APPEARS TO BE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS NATIONWIDE, HONDA WILL APPARENTLY NOT NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. THE DRIVING DANGERS ARE OBVIOUS, AND CONSUMERS ARE LEFT WITH REPAIR BILLS OF $3,000.00 - $5000.00. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS NHTSA. *TR

TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED TO RISE. I STOPPED THE CAR AND FOUND THE RADIATOR HAD FAILED INTERNALLY. THE COOLANT WAS MIXING WITH THE ATF. ALL THE ATF FITTINGS TO THE RADIATOR SHOWED SIGNS OF RUSTING. IN MY OPINION THE RADIATOR DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING ARE FAULTY. *TR

ACCELERATING AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEED, USUALLY JUST AFTER STOPPING, HEARD AUDIBLE "POP" THROUGH CAR RADIO, ABS AND EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON. CAR BRAKED RAPIDLY, EVEN THOUGH FOOT WAS ON ACCELERATOR AND NOT TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDAL. FORCED CAR TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP. THIS SAME SEQUENCE OF EVENTS HAPPENED THREE TIMES WITHIN 30 MINUTES. PULLED CAR INTO PARKING LOT AND CALLED HONDA SERVICE DEPT. THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING AND CAR WAS TOWED IN TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS. SERVICE DEPT DROVE CAR AROUND FOR OVER THREE DAYS AND WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ISSUE. THEY HAD SOME IDEAS TO CAUSE, BUT SINCE THEY COULDN'T GET IT TO REPEAT, COULD NOT FIX ANYTHING. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 HONDA PILOT SOMETIME SHUDDERING BETWEEN 30-40 MPH. TO MAKE THE SHUDDER STOP, I PRESS OR RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR BRIEFLY. AFTER CHECKING ON LINE ABOUT THIS PROBLEMS WITH OVER 300 COMPLAINTS. THEY ALL STATE THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER CAUSE THE VIBRATION. HONDA STILL NOT RECALL. COUPLE OF TIMES SOMEONE ALMOST REAR END ME. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. *TR