2005 HONDA PILOT Complaints

WE BOUGHT A SECOND HAND 2005 HONDA PILOT ONE YEAR AGO. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT HAS BEEN WORN THIN (TO THE POINT WHERE IT WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY FAIL IN A CRASH) BY WHAT APPEARS TO BE A POORLY MADE BUCIKLE. WHERE THE SEAT BELT STRAP RUNS THROUGH THE BUCKLE THERE APPEARS TO BE A ROUGH EDGE THAT HAS SLOWLY WORN THROUGH THE FABRIC OF THE BELT ITSELF. THE TWO HONDA GARAGES WE CONTACTED REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY, SO WE HAVE PAID A LOCAL GARAGE TO FIT A NEW BELT. THERE HAS BEEN NO INCIDENT WITH RESPECT TO THIS, BUT WE ARE REPORTING THIS IN CASE OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE.

TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN I PROCEEDED THROUGH AN INTERSECTION GOING STRAIGHT BETWEEN 10-15MPH MY BRAKES SUDDENLY STARTED PUMPING HARD I TRIED TO APPLY A LITTLE MORE GAS THE BRAKES STARTED AGAIN , I HIT THE HAZARD LIGHT AND MANAGED TO GET OUT OF THE RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC INTO A PARKING LOT , READ MY MANUAL THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH AND THE TRIANGLE BELOW IT CAME ON AS WELL. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND THEN RESTARTED THE 2005 HONDA PILOT EXL THE DASH INDICATERS DID NOT LIGHT UP I DROVE THE TWENTY OR SO MILES HOME TRYING TO STAY IN THE SHOULDER LANE JUST IN CASE THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. I DID A LTTLE RESEARCHING ON THE NET THERE ARE A FEW OTHER PILOT OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO DEFINITIVE SOLUTION.

I WAS DRIVING MY WIFE AND THREE KIDS WHEN OUR 2005 HONDA PILOT'S TRANSMISSION STOPPED FUNCTIONING. WE WERE NEARLY REAR-ENDED 3 TIMES ON A 40 MPH SPEED LIMIT STREET, BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR AND MY FAMILY PUSHED TO A SIDE STREET. OUR CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS DUE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE RADIATOR DISENTEGRATING AND THEN METAL PARTS LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION. WE'VE TAKEN METICULOUS CARE OF THE CARE AND HAD ALL SERVICE PERFORMED AT THE DEALER. IN FACT, WE HAD THE RADIATOR FLUSHED JUST 5 MONTHS AGO AND ONLY 9,500 MILES AGO.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE BRAKES FELT SOFT AND THE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. HE STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TWICE A FEW YEARS AGO FOR THE BRAKE FAILURE. THE DEALER CHECKED THE BRAKES AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL; THEREFORE, THEY COULD NOT OFFER HIM ANY ASSISTANCE. HE WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 17,513.

2005 HONDA PILOT BRAKES SUDDENLY LOCK UP WHILE DRIVING. HAS OCCURED ON FOUR OCCASIONS. OPERATOR NOT TOUCH BRAKE PEDAL. *TR

DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY, HEADLIGHTS FAIL TO TURN ON. BRIGHTS WORK. UNABLE TO USE HEADLIGHTS FOR ANY DRIVING. CHECKED FUSES ALL GOOD, THOUGH INCORRECT MARKING ON A 15A FUSE SLOT THAT IS 20A. ALL LIGHTS BULBS ARE GOOD, EVEN REPLACED TO BE SURE. FOUND MELTED 16 PIN CONNECTOR WITH COMBINATION STALK SWITCH. UNABLE TO REPAIR YET. *TR

3/20/10. 2005 HONDA PILOT EX WITH 110K MILES. BRAKE PEDALS FEEL 'SOFT' AND GRADUALLY EXHIBIT A PEDAL HEIGHT THAT GETS LOWER (CLOSER TO THE FLOOR) BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPS. I NOTICED THIS ISSUE A WEEK AGO, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME BEING PARANOID. HOWEVER, IT APPEARS BE INCREASING VERY SLOWLY OVER TIME.THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 3/16/10 HONDA RECALL TO MODIFY THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST' (VSA) MODULATOR FOR ONLY 344,000 ODYSSEYS AND 68,000 ELEMENTS. I'M CONTACTING THE DEALER ON MONDAY. KEEP IN MIND THAT THEY REPLACED BOTH MY FRONT AND BACK BREAKS LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AGO. THE 2005 HONDA PILOT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE 3/16/10 RECALL. *TR

SEAT BELT FRONT PASSENGER UNSNAPS UNEXPECTED WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. THE CAR WARRANTY COVERED REPLACEMENT; DEALER REPLACED SEAT BELT. THIS IS A POTENTIAL LOSS OF LIFE SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

MY WIFE WAS CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH A WEEK AGO, UNDER VERY GOOD ROAD CONDITION, WITH HER FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL, WHEN SHE TRIED TO DODGE THE PASSENGER CAR FROM THE NEXT LANE, HER BRAKE WASN'T WORKING PROPERLY, SUDDENLY HER CAR MADE LOUSY BANGING SOUND AND SLED 3 TIMES IN RAPID TOWARD LEFT AFTER TOWARD RIGHT, AND LEFT AGAIN. LUCKILY NO CONTACTS WAS MADE WHILE IN DEVASTATING MOMENT. BEFORE HEADING TO DEALER, TODAY SNOWY DAY, DRIVING 10 MPH TO MY DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL DROPPING, IT HAPPENED AGAIN AS SIMILAR BUT NOT SO PANORAMIC. BARELY AVOID TO COLLISION WITH POLICE PATROL CAR ON OPPOSITE LANE. *TR

2/24/10. 2005 HONDA PILOT EX WITH 107K MILES. HAVE A BLINKING "D" LIGHT AFTER DRIVING FOR A FEW MINUTES. THE LIGHT STOPS BLINKING WHEN I CUT OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON, BUT THEN IT RETURNS. TODAY IS THE 1ST DAY THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED. OWNER?S MANUAL NOTES THAT THE BLINKING "D" LIGHT INDICATES A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP (ECONOMY HONDA-CHATTANOOGA, TN) WHO SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND MAY JUST BE A BAD TRANSMISSION SENSOR WHICH WILL COST ME ABT $350 AND 2 HRS OF MY TIME. HOWEVER, IT COULD ALSO MEAN THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS FAILING PREMATURELY. THIS IS RIDICULOUS AS LAST MONTH I SPENT OVER $1K TO GET THE $105K MILE MAINT AND HAVE ALWAYS KEPT UP WITH REQUIRED MAINT. IF THIS PROBLEM IS SO COMMON- WHY HAS NO RECALL BEEN ISSUED? IN LOOKING AT OTHER ONLINE COMPLAINTS, THE SAME ISSUE OCCURS WITH THE 2003-2004 PILOTS. I HAVE AN APT WITH THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *TR