2005 HONDA PILOT Complaints

VSA WARNING LIGHT AND ! LIGHT COME ON AT THE SAME TIME WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. LIGHTS COME ON AFTER APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AND STAY ON UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO AND HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY DAY. THE WARNING LIGHTS SEEM SENSITIVE TO THE COLD AS WELL. THE ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER HAS NO REGISTERED ANY MALFUNCTION CODES. FORTUNATELY HAVE NOT YET EXPERIENCED THE INTENSE BRAKING OF OTHER OWNERS BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE VSA SYSTEM ON 2005 HONDA PILOTS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 40 MPH, THE BRAKES SUDDENLY ENGAGED. THE DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE VSA WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS LATER TOWED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER DIAGNOSED DUE TO THE CONTACT SEEING AN INVESTIGATION OPENED IN REGARDS TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE12028 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 155,000.

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS CAR USED FROM ANDERSON HONDA OF PALO ALTO. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VSA HAS ENGAGED FOR NO APPARENT REASON AT SPEEDS RANGING FROM 10-35 MPH. THE VSA ENGAGED AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN TURNING AND AT THE FASTER SPEEDS ON THE STRAIGHT-A-WAY. WHEN THE VSA ENGAGES THE VSA LIGHT AND WARNING LIGHT TURN ON. THE LIGHTS DO GO OFF AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF AND AT REST FOR A FEW MINUTES. MOST OFTEN WHEN THE VSA ENGAGES THE CAR SHUDDERS SLIGHTLY, BOTH THE BRAKE AND THE GAS PEDAL SHUDDER AND VIBRATE. THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS SLOWING MOMENTARILY. IN THE MOST RECENT EPISODE ON NOV. 27. THE CAR WAS TRAVELING 35 MPH DOWN HILL AND THE STEERING PULLED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. *TR

DRIVING ALONG A TWO LANE HIGHWAY ON A 20 DEGREE MORNING AND COASTING AROUND A GENTLY CURVING CORNER TO THE RIGHT AT 45 MPH WHEN AN UNEXPECTED JARRING AND PULLING TO THE LEFT OCCURRED COUPLED WITH A LOSS OF SPEED AND THE VSA LETTERS AND A TRIANGLE INDICATOR LIGHTS LIT ON THE DASH BOARD.. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS GOT MY ATTENTION AND LUCKILY NOTHING WAS COMING FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION. I HAD NOT TOUCHED THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL AFTER THE INITIAL PROBLEM OCCURRED AND WHEN I SAW THE LIGHTS AND WENT ALONG MAYBE 200 TO 300 YDS IT DID IT AGAIN WHICH GOT ME VERY WORRIED. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND TRIED TO RESET THE CAR BUT TO NO JOY SO I DROVE THE REMAINDER OF MY COMMUTE TO WORK WITH THE VERY SAME LIGHTS LEFT ON. THE REMAINDER OF MY DRIVE WAS FINE BUT NOT SURE IF I AM SAFE DRIVING WITH THIS ANOMALY AND ESPECIALLY THE SUDDEN SELF BRAKING, WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN NEXT? *TR

MY WIFE AND I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENCES WITH OUR VSA SYSTEM IN OUR 2005 PILOT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. WHILE DRIVING ANYWHERE FROM 5-40MPH, THE CAR HAS LOCKED THE BRAKES AND STEERING. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY WITH NO PRIOR INDICATIONS. I DID A BIT OF RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND NO SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM. I SAW THAT THE NHTSA WAS LOOKING INTO THE ISSUE AS OF OCTOBER, AND I AM HOPING TO FIND A SOLUTION SOON. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENS AT THE WRONG TIME. *TR

I SAW ON THE NEWS THAT THE NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING A BRAKE ISSUE ON THE HONDA PILOT 2005. I EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR ISSUE BUT THOUGHT IT WAS A GLITCH AS IT ONLY HAPPENED ONE DAY (ALTHOUGH IT HAPPENED TWICE THAT DAY). I'VE FINALLY GOTTEN AROUND TO FILING AN OFFICIAL REPORT BOTH WITH HONDA AND NHTSA TO HOPEFULLY AID IN THE INVESTIGATION. THE BRAKING ISSUE HAPPENED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS ON THE SAME DAY, ROUGHLY 2 MONTHS AGO. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS GOING THE SPEED LIMIT WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I FELT LIKE THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD FLASHED, MY SPEED DECREASED SUDDENLY ALTHOUGH I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS. IT ONLY LAST A FEW SECONDS AND THEN I REGAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AN HOUR LATER, WHEN I WAS OFF THE FREEWAY, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME I WAS GOING 25 MILES AN HOUR DRIVING ON CITY STREETS. SAME EXACT ISSUE WHERE IT FELT LIKE THE CAR COMPUTER SHUT DOWN WITH NO POWER FOR A FEW SECONDS. IT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE, BUT I'M VERY SCARED THAT IT MAY HAPPEN AT ANY TIME AGAIN. WE ONLY HAVE ONE CAR AND HAVE A 1 YEAR OLD. I HOPE HONDA AND THE NHTSA MAKE PROGRESS INTO IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN CONTRIBUTE ANY MORE INFORMATION. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 60. I PUT ON MY BLINKER AND WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE TO THE LEFT LANE NEXT TO ME. A CAR IN THE LEFT LANE SPED UP AS I STARTED TO MOVE LEFT. I TURNED BACK SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT AND TAPPED MY BRAKES. THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND I HAD A HARD TIME CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO CARS NEXT TO ME OR BEHIND ME, BECAUSE I WENT INTO THE RIGHT LANE NEXT TO ME AND THEN ONTO THE BIRM LANE. THE CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY. THE ROAD WAS DRY- THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. THANK GOD MY CHILDREN WERE NOT WITH ME AND THAT THE ONLY CARS ON THE HIGHWAY WERE AHEAD OF ME. *TR

VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT AND WHEELS SHIMMY ON FREEWAY. PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES WITH FRONT AND BACK ALIGNMENT, PLUS TIRE BALANCING ON 08-01-12. VEHICLE STILL PULLS TO THE LEFT AND WHEELS SHIMMY WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2005 HONDA PILOT EXL. THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT GO OFF. THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, THE HONDA DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT IMPACT SENSOR FAILED. THE SENSOR MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $305. IF NOT REPLACED, THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT BE DEPLOYED IN AN ACCIDENT. THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILAR INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER 2005 HONDA PILOT OWNERS AND THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY NHTSA. *TR

STARTING ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHEN OUR HONDA PILOT 2005 REACHED A LITTLE OVER 100K MILES, THE ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM STARTED FREAKING OUT. WHEN GOING APPROXIMATELY 35-45 MPH ON STRAIGHT DRY ROADS THE BRAKES WILL SUDDENLY APPLY THEMSELVES WITH NO PRESSING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL! LUCKILY IT HAS LASTED ONLY A SECOND AND THEY ARE SUDDENLY RELEASED, BUT IT IS VERY FRIGHTENING AND IF I WERE NOT LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD AND HOLDING TIGHT TO THE WHEEL THE CAR EASILY COULD HAVE PULLED OFF THE ROAD (IT SEEMS TO BE PREDOMINANTLY THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE BRAKE - I THINK THE LEFT SIDE ONLY DID IT ONCE.) THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES ON DIFFERENT DAYS IN THE PAST MONTH. IT USUALLY HAPPENS WITHIN THE FIRST COUPLE MINUTES OF STARTING THE CAR. ALSO, WHEN DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS 5-15MPH WHILE TURNING WE HAVE STARTED TO HEAR A "CLUNKING/SCRAPPING" SOUND OF THE ANTILOCK BRAKES "ADJUSTING" - IS HOW I'D DESCRIBE IT? THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT BEING PRESSED, BUT THEY SEEM TO BE CONFUSED. THE SOUND IS SIMILAR TO HOW IT WOULD SOUND IF WE ACTUALLY HIT AN ICE PATCH WHILE DRIVING AND APPLIED THE BRAKES - KIND OF A CLUNKING OR BRACING SOUND TO PREVENT SKIDDING, BUT THE ROAD IS DRY. AND FINALLY JUST YESTERDAY THE BRAKES SEEM TO HAVE BECOME PERMANENTLY STUCK IN THE SLIGHTEST/TEENIEST LEVEL OF APPLICATION - THEY JUST SOUND LIKE THEY ARE APPLIED WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR KIND OF HUMMS. THIS DIDN'T STOP UNTIL I STOPPED THE CAR COMPLETELY AND TURNED IT OFF, WAITED 5 MINUTES AND STARTED AGAIN? THIS TIME THE ROADS WERE VERY WET AND POSSIBLY IT STARTED WHEN WE HIT A SLIGHTLY SLICK SPOT? BUT THEN DIDN'T LET UP TILL THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF? THE BRAKES HAVE A SENSATION LIKE THEY WILL SUDDENLY GO OFF WITHOUT WARNING OR MAYBE EVEN NOT APPLY IF I NEED THEM TO?! WE DRIVE A 7,6 AND 4 YEAR OLD IN THIS CAR EVERY DAY. PLEASE REQUIRE HONDA TO RECALL AND FIX THIS ASAP! THANK YOU. *TR...UPDATED 03-10-16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY GOT VERY HOT AND STOPPED. THERE WAS A CLUMPY REDDISH-BROWN FLUID LEAKING. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISE