2003 HONDA PILOT Complaints

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2003 Honda Pilot. While having an oil change performed, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 138,000, and at the time of service, it was discovered that the mileage was 217,000.

I am the original owner of my 2003 Honda pilot and had to replace the front driver side door actuator years ago. Now all the remaining 3 doors need to have the door actuators replaced. If you're outside the car you cannot open the door. Using the key remote or putting the key into the front door keyhole will NOT unlock or lock the door. You have to be inside the car and lift or depress the lock button to get them to open or to lock it. This is a very dangerous situation for if an emergency should occur and it's necessary to either exit the vehicle or enter you won't be able to. I know the later year Honda's has had recalls on door actuators.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle violently jolted forward with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The failure had occurred while driving on a major highway. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: 04-021; however, the contact was informed that the repair had been performed on the vehicle in 2004. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into gear properly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,118.

Reporting an important safety issue I experienced due to random engine stalling on my 2003 Honda Pilot, typically after driving for a few minutes. The engine would crank for several seconds or sometimes start immediately after stalling, but no diagnostic trouble codes were ever stored. The vehicle had stable fuel trims and idle, and multiple components including the EGR valve and valve clearance were serviced without resolving the issue. Ultimately, the root cause was traced to a failing PGM-FI (fuel pump) relay located under the driver’s dash. After replacing the relay close to two months ago, the stalling stopped completely. This issue could pose a safety risk if the engine stalls in traffic, especially in a hazardous area where there’s no breakdown lane (construction zone, etc.) , and I believe this factor should consider this a known failure point in aging vehicles of this model. Attached are two images of the new relay zip tied under the driver’s footwell (could not remove the bad relay since it was too difficult to remove from its bracket).

the power steering losses fluid the steering is hard to turn and makes noise and the fluid gets on an area that gets hot i have not had an accident yet

Water leaked into front floors of vehicle soaking the carpet and the fuse panels in the floor. Yes it is available. Fuse boxes had standing water building up behind them slowly dumping water into them causing shorts in electrical system which could have caused the car to catch on fire. Yes the problem has been confirmed. No the vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than mechanic. The only signs of the problem I noticed was the carpet was soaked and couldn't understand why. The battery died randomly one night after locking the doors. No other signs were noted.

severe erosion of my undecarriage, metal just falls off from under the car. My fuel tank leaks and gas pours out. It has been deemed unsafe to drive by my Honda dealer, but has a good engine and other parts. It has been severely impacted by rust and erosion. The previous owner was a resident of Chicago, where salt is used, which I believe influenced this defect.

My 2003 Honda pilot rear subframe suspension is rusting and causing control issues. This is a common problem on the 2003-2008 Honda Pilots. In Honda TSB 21-019 Honda states " The subframe mounts may pull away from the body of the vehicle (see images below), but extensive testing has concluded that vehicle stability will be maintained." This is NOT true. Other Honda's have experienced similar issues and Honda has issued a safety recall. There should be a safety recall for the 2003-2008 Honda pilots for this subframe rust issue. Please see: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle rolled out of the garage and crashed into the neighbor's home. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.