2003 HONDA PILOT Complaints

2003 HONDA PILOT WITH 136,000 MILES BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY JERK INTERMITTENTLY WHEN ACCELERATING BETWEEN 30 AND 60 MPH. THE JERKING WOULD OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE WANTED TO SHIFT GEARS. RPM WOULD REV, HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. ALSO HAD DIFFICULTY MOVING GEAR SHIFT PAST D DOWN TO D3. ON THE 5TH DAY OF THIS OCCURRING INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK CONSTANTLY. CAR BEGAN TO REV AND SEEMED GEAR WAS STUCK. MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP CAME ON AND D GEAR DRIVE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING. THIS JERKING/JOLT MOVEMENT OCCURRED ON HIGHWAY AND STREET ROADS WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS POSES A GREAT SAFETY CONCERN AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT RESULTING IN INJURIES AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THIS PARTICULAR MODEL MAY HAVE BEEN A PART OF A RECALL FOR A FAULTY TRANSMISSION, HOWEVER THE FIX DESCRIBED ULTIMATELY DID NOT PREVENT THE INEVITABLE....THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. MOST CONSUMERS END UP REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. HONDA AMERICA SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND REPLACE TRANSMISSION AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. CONSUMERS EXPECT TO RECEIVE MORE THAN 200,000 MILES ON A HONDA VEHICLE. *TR

ON MY 2003 PILOT, I BEGAN TO NOTICE A VIBRATION/GRINDING NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING THROUGH 35 TO 40 MPH. THE NOISE WOULD LAST FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS AND THEN STOP. BROUGHT TO THE DEALER AND OTHER SHOPS MANY TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR AND THEY ALWAYS SAID THEY COULDN'T IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. STARTED HAVING SOME IDLING PROBLEMS SO TOOK IT TO AUTO SERVICE CENTER AND HAD TO REPLACE ALL MOTOR/TRANSMISSION MOUNTS, AND IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE. AFTER WE GOT IT BACK AND LESS THAN 90 MILES LATER, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED WHINING WORSE THAN BEFORE AND THEN ACTED LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING THEN BUCKED VIOLENTLY AND THE "D" LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. NOW THE TRANS MISSION NO LONGER SHIFTS. *TR

THE 2003 HONDA PILOT STOPPED WITH LOUD CLANKING NOISE. THE ENGINE WOULD TURN ON BUT WOULD CONK-OUT WHEN PUT IN GEAR. THE CAR HAD A BROKEN ENGINE MOUNT AT 2 PLACES. THIS WAS REPLACE AT THE DEALER. ABOUT 3 WEEKS LATER THE CAR STOPPED AGAIN ON THE ROAD. THIS TIME AGAIN THE CAR WOULD TURN ON BUT WILL CONK-OUT WHEN PUT IN GEAR. THE DEALER SAID THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND HAD THE TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACED. I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES (SINCE AROUND 35000 MILES) BECAUSE THE CAR WAS MAKING GROWLING NOISE AROUND 1500 RPM. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I STOPPED GOING TO THE DEALER OUT OF FRUSTRATION. I KNEW AT SOME POINT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE ENGINE MOUNT AND TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUE NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY HONDA ON 2003 PILOT. *TR

PLASTIC PANEL HOUSING DRIVERS SEAT ADJUSTMENT CONTROLS HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE SEAT OF MY 2003 HONDA PILOT. THE SCREW THAT HELD IT IN PLACE IS STILL THERE BUT THE PLASTIC PANELING BEING HELD BY THE SCREW HAS BROKEN AWAY FROM THE PANEL. THIS HAPPENED IN THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE OWNED IT. TRIED TO GET IT FIXED. TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING WITH OUR 2 YOUNG KIDS AND OUR 2 DOGS ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH IN OUR 2003 HONDA PILOT WITH 130,000 MILES ON IT. WE HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD BANG AND JERK AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. WE PULLED TO SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH NO COLLISION. FROM THEN ON WE WERE UNABLE TO GET ANY GEAR TO ENGAGE (EVEN PARK). HAD CAR TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND ARE AWAITING ESTIMATE FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAD HONDA SERVICE THE VEHICLE AND DO ALL 100,000 MILE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM BEFORE TOTAL FAILURE. WE FEEL VERY FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE HAD A COLLISION ON THE HIGHWAY WITH OUR WHOLE FAMILY IN THE CAR. HONDA KNEW THEIR TRANSMISSION WAS FLAWED AND JUST PUT A BAND-AID ON IT WITH THE RECALL IN 2004. I GUESS ENOUGH OF A BAND-AID TO GET THEM THROUGH THE WARRANTY PERIOD. I BELIEVE THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE FAULTY AND DANGEROUS TO HAVE ON THE ROAD. *TR

2003 HONDA PILOT IGNITION INTERLOCK FAILED. THE CAR WAS STOPPED, TURNED OFF WHILE IN DRIVE GEAR, THE KEY WAS REMOVED AND THE DRIVER LEFT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN ROLLED DOWN THE STREET AND STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A BRICK MAIL BOX 2 BLOCKS AWAY. HONDA DEALER TOLD US THAT THE DRIVE MUST HAVE FORCED THE KEY OUT TO BE ABLE TO REMOVE IT WHILE IN DRIVE GEAR AND DAMAGE THE IGNITION. DRIVE DISPUTES THIS. SAID THE KEY CAME RIGHT OUT. WE HAD ROUGHLY $2500 DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE TO REPAIR AT THE TIME. CHOSE NOT TO PAY TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH AT OUR COST. HONDA DID NOT REPLACE OR REPAIR THE IGNITION. IT IS STILL BROKEN. *TR

MY 2003 HONDA PILOT SHUDDERS WHEN ACCELERATING BETWEEN 35-45 MPH. IT FEELS LIKE DRIVING OVER A BUMPY ROAD. *TR

I HAD REPEATED VISITS TO BABYLON HONDA IN BABYLON , NY FOR A REAR TAILGATE SPOILER PROBLEM. WHEN OPENING THE TAILGATE (REAR DOOR) THE SPOILER WOULD HIT AND GRIND AGAINST THE ROOF PANEL. BABYLON HONDA ADDRESSED THE ISSUE BY TIGHTENING THE SPOILER MOUNTS WHICH WORKED FOR AWHILE, BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNED. THIS PAST JULY WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 91 AT 65MPH, THE SPOILER FLEW OFF MY CAR AND NEARLY HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME. I AM WAITING FOR BABYLON HONDA'S RESPONSE TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM - THE SPOILER MOUNTS CRACKED. *TR

I OWNS A 2003 HONDA PILOT WHICH WAS RECALLED UNDER CAMPAIGN #04V176000. THE OIL JET KIT WAS REPLACED, YET THE TORQUE CONVERTER ON THE TRANSMISSION HAS NOW FAILED. I HAVE PERFORMED ALL MAINTENANCE AS DICTATED BY THE MANUFACTURER, WITH A CERTIFIED HONDA TECHNICIAN. THE LOCK-UP ON THE TRANSMISSION IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

THE PLASTIC PANEL HOUSING THE DRIVER'S SEAT ADJUSTMENT CONTROLS HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE SEAT ON MY 2003 HONDA PILOT. THE SCREW THAT HELD IT IN PLACE IS STILL SEATED, BUT THE PLASTIC PANELING BEING HELD BY THE SCREW HAS BROKEN AWAY FROM THE PANEL. *TR