2003 HONDA PILOT Complaints

TWICE HAD TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN 2003 PILOT. FIRST AT APPROXIMATELY 68,000 MILES AND SECOND AT APPROXIMATELY 120,000 MILES (APPROX 60,000 PER TRANSMISSION). SO MUCH FOR HONDA RELIABILITY! TRANMISSION REPLACED FIRST TIME BY DEALER AT THE COST OF EXTENDED WARRANTY PAYMENT. SECOND REPLACEMENT DEALER WOULD NOT ASSIST AND HAD TO FIGHT TO GET HONDA TO ASSIST. AFTER A LOT OF EFFORT AND FOLLOW UP ON OUR PART, HONDA AGREED TO COVER HALF OF COST. A SIMPLE SEARCH OF THE INTERNET WILL RESULT IN A MULTITUDE OF COMPLAINTS ON MULTIPLE WEBSITES...CLEARLY HONDA DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT TO PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION DUE TO COST INVOLVED IF THEY COVER THE REPAIRS. *TT

CONSUMER OWNS A 2003 HONDA PILOT. TRANSMISSION IS SHOT. WILL NOT GO INTO 2ND GEAR. CAR REACHES VERY HIGH RPM'S THEN WILL JERK. THIS HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS HEATED. WHEN CAR IS FINALLY IN 2ND GEAR, IT WILL SLIP AND FALL OUT. SOON AFTER, CAR WILL NOT REVERSE. VERY SCARY AND COULD OF BEEN FATAL. TRANSMISSION IS COMPLETEY SHOT. TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS CAR, ORIGINAL OWNER. HONDA WILL DO NOTHING TO COVER THE COST EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAS A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL IS ABOUT. HONDA IS NOT CARING ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE CONTACT HEARD A SQUEAKING SOUND WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE MECHANIC WHERE THE BRAKES WERE SPRAYED WITH A BRAKE SUBSTANCE;HOWEVER, THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE AIR BAG AND THE TRANSMISSION RECALL WERE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 149,000.

2003 HONDA PILOT EX-L RES SUDDEN TRANSMISSION ISSUE-TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING, NOT SHIFTING, REVVING EXTREMELY HIGH AND NOT SHIFTING INTO THE HIGHEST GEAR AT ALL. CAR IS JERKING ON MAJOR HIGHWAY AND ALMOST STOPPING ITSELF IN ITS TRACKS BY DOWNSHIFTING FROM 60MPH INTO 2ND GEAR. 24HRS LATER, THE CAR WON'T EVEN GO INTO REVERSE. VERY SCARY 2 HOUR PA TURNPIKE RIDE WHEN THIS SUDDENLY STARTED HAPPENING. NEVER HAD ONE PROBLEM BEFORE, AT ALL, BUT THAT WAS SCARY. THE VEHICLE HAS 167,000 AND HAS BEEN WONDERFUL UP UNTIL YESTERDAY. GLAD WE MADE IT HOME SAFELY. ON TO HONDA TOMORROW............ *TR

OWN A 2003 HONDA PILOT AND THE MIDDLE SEAT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BROKE AND WON'T RECLINE OR GO DOWN. COULD CAUSE A SAFETY HAZARD IF THE REAR PASSENGERS CAN'T GET OUT. *TR

OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, I HAVE NOTICED THE DRIVER SIDE FLOOR MATS ARE SOAKED WITH WATER ON MY 2003 HONDA PILOT. ATTEMPTS TO FIND AND REPAIR THE LEAK HAVE FAILED. I SEE MULTIPLE EXAMPLES OF THIS ON-LINE WHERE CONSUMERS LIKE ME ARE GETTING NO HELP FROM HONDA CORP. I AM CONSTANTLY PULLING UP THE CARPET TO ALLOW IT TO DRY OUT BUT THE RISK OF MOLD, MILDEW, AND RUST ARE HIGH. I ALREADY HAVE A MUSKY SMALL IN THE CAR WHICH IS NOT GOOD FOR THE HEALTH OF MY FAMILY. ADDITIONALLY, I JUST PULLED UP A COVER PLATE ON THE DRIVER-SIDE FLOORBOARD TO DISCOVER MORE WATER POOLED AROUND THE E-BRAKE CABLES. THIS POOL OF WATER COVERED THE E-BRAKE COMPONENTS AND COULD HAVE RUSTED OUT THE CABLES MAKING IT USELESS. *TR

OUR HONDA PILOT WILL SHUTTER WHILE ACCELERATING BETWEEN SPEEDS OF 20 TO 50 MILES PER HOUR. THE SHUTTER WILL CONTINUE IF YOU CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE, IF I LET OFF THE GAS PEDAL SHUTTER DISSIPATES AND I CAN RESUME ON ACCELERATING. OCCASIONALLY THE REAR END JUMPS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. IT LOOKS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE PILOT/MDX OWNERS. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED SOON, BEFORE SERIOUS INJURY COULD OCCUR. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

JAN, 2011 (ODOMETER ~61000 MILES.) CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED WHILE EXITING FROM HIGHWAY. FEB, 2011 DEALER CONFIRMED THAT 1. TRANSMISSION FLUID IS TURNING BROWN, 2. DIAGNOSED PROBLEM WITH THE GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION. THEY RESET CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. APRIL, 2011 EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY WITH VEHICLE. VEHICLE DID NOT RESPONSE AND WANTED TO STOP WHILE MERGING INTO STREET ROAD AND ACCELERATING FROM AROUND 10 MPH. MAY, 2011 (ODOMETER ~62500 MILES) ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AGAIN WHILE MERGING INTO HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 30 MPH. SINCE THEN WE ARE EXPERIENCING SUDDEN STOKE WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS CHANGING GEAR. CALLED HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICES AND WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAVE TWO CHOICES, EITHER COMPLAIN TO CEO OF HONDA AMERICA OR TO BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU ----------------- DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND NOTICED THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION FAILURE / PROBLEM WITH THE HONDA PILOT. ALSO, THERE WAS A RECALL NOTICE IN 2004 ON THIS VEHICLE REGARDING INSUFFICIENT FLUID FLOW IN TRANSMISSION (NHTSA REFERENCE #04V176000). -------------- I DID REGULAR MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALER. I SUSPECT THAT THE PROBLEM THAT I AM CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING WITH THE VEHICLE IS RELATED TO THE SAME RECALL BACK IN 2004. THIS VEHICLE HAS A DESIGN FAULT IN THE TRANSMISSION. -------------- - HONDA SHOULD ISSUE ANOTHER RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. - HONDA SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FREE OF CHARGE AND REFUND THE COST FOR DIAGNOSTICS. - IN ADDITION, HONDA NEEDS TO HAVE A MAJOR CHANGE IN HOW THEY HANDLE THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS, INSTEAD OF REFERRING US TO THEIR CEO OR BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. *TR

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS SYMPTOM WHEN YOU TURN THE COMBINATION LIGHT SWITCH TO THE HEADLIGHT "ON" POSITION, THE LOW BEAMS MAY NOT COME ON. PROBABLE CAUSE IN A RARE CASE, THE WIRE HARNESS MAY HAVE BEEN MISROUTED, CAUSING A TERMINAL IN THE HEADLIGHT WIRE HARNESS CONNECTOR TO BECOME HEAT-DAMAGED, WHICH MAY CAUSE THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS TO NOT COME ON. *TR