2003 HONDA PILOT Complaints

MY 2003 HONDA PILOT TRANSMISSION FAILED IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR. THE "D" LIGHT WAS BLINKING SO IT TOOK IT TO HONDA OF NANUET AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION? THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION THAT THEY CLAIMED THEY FIXED, BY ADDING A FUEL KIT TO FIX THE PROBLEM? IT DIDN'T WORK! I HAVE RESEARCHED MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEMS E.G. (EMONDS.COM). CAN ANYONE HELP THE CONSUMERS IN THIS CASE AGAINST HONDA? HONDA WANTED TO CHARGE ME OVER 5,000 TO FIX IT? VIN# [XXX] FIXED THE TRANSMISSION WITH A PRIVATE AUTO SERVICE FOR 4,120 BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS HONDA FAILED TO OWN UP TO THERE RESPONSIBILITY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2003 HONDA PILOT. I HAD THIS PROBLEM IN JUNE 2010. ON A MODERATE UPHILL CLIMB, THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 35 MPH AND I FELT VIBRATION AND SHAKING. FROM A STANDING STOP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE SHIFTING TO THE 2ND GEAR, AND THEN AGAIN BEFORE SHIFTING TO THE 3RD GEAR. THE PROBLEM CAME OFF AND ON UNTIL YESTERDAY. I WAS AGAIN DRIVING ON A MODERATE FREEWAY UPHILL CLIMB WHEN THE VEHICLE SHIFTED GEARS, SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 50 MPH, VIBRATED BEFORE SHIFTING AGAIN AND PICKED UP SPEED. I GOT FORTUNATE THAT THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND DID NOT HIT MY VEHICLE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE DRIVE 'D' INDICATOR WAS FLASHING AND THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I GOT OFF FROM THE FREEWAY AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. WHEN I TURNED THE ENGINE BACK ON, THE FLASHING 'D' DISAPPEARED. I TOOK IT BACK TO COMMUNITY HONDA TODAY WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS I TOLD THEM IN JUNE, PLUS WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY. I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THAT MY HONDA PILOT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION, TO THE TUNE OF $4,100 PLUS TAX. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON OTHER 2003 HONDA PILOTS AND I FOUND OUT THAT IT IS VERY COMMON FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL. WHAT INFURIATES ME IS THAT HONDA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN (06-003 DATED JUNE 9, 2007) FOR THE 2003 ACURA MDX WHICH IS BASICALLY THE SAME AS THE 2003 HONDA PILOT. THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. BECAUSE OF HONDA'S FAILURE TO ISSUE THE SAME SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE 2003 HONDA PILOT, I BELIEVE THAT HONDA SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ON MY VEHICLE. *TR

2003 HONDA PILOT EX-L: THE VEHICLE SHUDDERS AND HESITATES BETWEEN 35 - 50 MPH. I WAS TOLD BY A HONDA SERVICE DEPT. THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND 2 MOTOR MOUNTS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $4162. THIS PROBLEM IS TOO COMMON TO NOT BE CONSIDERED AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY RECALL. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE. I HOPE NO MAJOR INJURIES ARE CAUSED FROM THIS PROBLEM. *TR

OUR HONDA PILOT WILL SHUTTER WHILE ACCELERATING PASSING THROUGH SPEEDS OF 20 TO 50 MILES PER HOUR. THE SHUTTER WILL CONTINUE IF THROTTLE IS KEPT IN, IF I BACK OF THE PEDAL SHUTTER DISSIPATES AND I CAN RESUME ON ACCELERATING. I CAN FEEL A SLIGHT VIBRATION UPTO 60 MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HONDA ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAY THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. IT LOOKS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE PILOT/MDX OWNERS. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS SOON, BEFORE SERIOUS INJURY COULD OCCUR. *TR

2003 HONDA PILOT. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE IGNITION *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN PARK. THE DEALER FOUND THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM HAD AN INTERNAL FAILURE. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. *JB

I HAVE A HONDA 2003 PILOT. THIS WEEK, I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED INTO 1ST GEAR FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN STOP (WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS), I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY SEVERAL VEHICLES WHICH WERE TRAVELING BEHIND ME. I KEPT DRIVING AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN 4 MINUTES LATER. I EVENTUALLY MADE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY, THE SAME PATTERN CONTINUED BUT MORE OFTEN. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION, DUE TO AN "INTERNAL TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION", 3RD PRESSURE SWITCH FAILURE, AND INCORRECT GEAR RATIO. THE DEALER'S DIAGNOSIS REVEALED THAT CODES P0845 AND P0730 WERE GENERATED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON APRIL 2004 FOR A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE/YEAR, "NHTSA 04V176000", IN WHICH THE DEALER WOULD VISUALLY INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION AND SUBJECTIVELY DECIDE WHAT WAS NEEDED FOR REMEDIATION; EITHER A 1) A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT OR 2) ?PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE?. IN MARCH 2004, 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE RECALL BEING RELEASED, I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER ABOUT SHIFTING PROBLEMS. THEY ?SERVICED? THE VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF THIS COMPLAINT. THREE MONTHS LATER, IN JUNE 2004, I AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT SHIFTING PROBLEMS. THIS TIME, THE DEALER NOTED THE RECALL AND CHOSE REMEDIATION NUMBER 2. CURRENTLY, HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT, BUT QUESTION THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH ONLY 139,000 MILES ON THE CAR. ALSO, THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY ACCORDING TO HONDA SCHEDULE. *TR

FREQUENTLY THE HONDA PILOT WILL SHUTTER WHILE ACCELERATING PASSING THROUGH SPEEDS OF 20 TO 40 MILES PER HOUR. THE SHUTTER WILL CONTINUE IF THROTTLE IS KEPT IN, IF I BACK OF THE PEDAL SHUTTER DISSIPATES AND I CAN RESUME ON ACCELERATING. I CAN FEEL A SLIGHT VIBRATION UPTO 60 MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HONDA ABOUT THIS AND THEY HAVE NO EXPLANATION. IT LOOKS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE PILOT/MDX OWNERS. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS SOON, BEFORE SERIOUS INJURY COULD OCCUR. *TR

THE IGNITION KEY FOR THE 2003 HONDA PILOT HAS BEEN GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION CAUSING IT NOT TO START FOR OVER A YEAR. IF I WIGGLED THE STEERING WHEEL, THE KEY AND PUMPED THE BRAKES THE KEY WOULD TURN AND THE TRUCK WOULD EVENTUALLY START. ON AUGUST 25, 2010 THE THE KEY REMAINED JAMMED IN THE IGNITION AND THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED AND REPAIRED. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND MANY OTHER 2003 PILOT OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION KEY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY THE 2003 PILOT OWNER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO START THE TRUCK IN A TIMELY MANNER. *TR

MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON MY 2003 HONDA PILOT AND I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IT HAD A TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH SYSTEM FAILURE AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 PILOT WITH OVER 130,000 MILES, I BEGAN TO NOTICE A PROBLEM WHILE ACCELERATING WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD STICK AND REV UP, IF I LET UP ON THE ACCELERATOR IT WOULD CORRECT. NOW IT IS STICKING, REVS UP, AND IT WILL NOT CORRECT AT ALL. I HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND ACCELERATE AGAIN. THE "D" LIGHT HAS STARTED FLASHING AND ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. NOW I HAVE TO HAVE THE TRANS REPLACED FOR @ $4000. *TR