The 2003 Honda Pilot I own is on it's second transmission. The vehicle becomes disabled and the "D" light flashes on the dash indicating the transmission has failed. The Honda dealer says that the transmission must be replaced again. Two transmissions at only 127, 500 is a sign of problems with the design and manufacture of the transmission itself. I believe Honda should recall all 2003 & 2004 Honda Pilot for transmission replacement for the remainder of the useful life of the vehicle.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

I have a 2003 Honda Pilot with dvd player and wireless headphones. My wife and I were driving on the highway with our two young kids who were watching a dvd with the headphones. The kids stated that the headphones stopped working and started making a white noise sound. A few minutes later we saw smoke come out of the dashboard, through the tape deck and other openings. We were scared to death and had limited visibility. Fortunately, I was able to pull over without wrecking. We all got out of the car and let the smoke clear. Afterwards, we took it to the charleston, SC dealership. Even though they found burnt parts in the dvd player, they refused to help. They wanted over $1000 to put in a new dvd player. We took the paperwork and left, while the dvd headphones still do not work to this day. I even filed a complaint with the BBB, without success.

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

The key does not turn in the ignition. We have to wiggle it or mess with it many times to get it to turn, sometimes it takes too long for us to get to it turn, which causes many inconveniences for us. The dealer wants $700-$900 to repair this problem, which is outrageous. The consumer should not be responsible for this defect or mistake in the engineering design of the vehicle. And we know this is a common problem with Honda. Please recall Pilot for this very inconvenient defect. If there is an emergency and someone needs to get to the hospital quick, not being able to start your car because the key won't turn will be catastrophic. This problem needs to be taken care of quickly by the manufacturer.

- Sanger, CA, USA

There are several issues: 1. the problem began with the key not fitting properly as it once did, perhaps after several attempts. When I turn the key or put the key in the ignition it won't turn to get the vehicle started. I turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and it doesn't matter. The Pilot still won't start. When reading the manual, it's a push sign under the ignition but this isn't addressed in the manual. It doesn't tell you the purpose of the push sign. I've tried everything to get the key to turn and I've let others try also. And it doesn't work for anyone. The steering wheel is turned all the way to the left but the wheels are not and it won't turn to the right it all; it's locked. The vehicle won't go in neutral, so I can roll it or nothing. 2. there is knocking noise that is louder when you accelerate on the left front side perhaps it's coming from the drive-train or axle on that side, almost sounds like something is loose and may fall off. 3. the radio turns off for a few seconds randomly and it may not happen again for a while and suddenly does once again. 4. the lock and handle to the glove compartment broke off and cannot be opened. 5. the wire to control the handles for the rear seats to recline and fold down broke from within the seats. I looked inside it's the piece of plastic to hold the wire in place that broke, there needs to be a better replacement part made of steel not plastic. 6. the floor mat sticks in bunches causing the carpet to soil can be hazardous I.e. Toyota, only remedy is to replace the floor mat for the truck entirely, very, very expensive... 7. when it reaches 30mph it shakes and you can hear a loud noise like you're driving over something ridged it's scary. 8. the button for four wheel drive does not function 9. the chrome on the door handles peeled off tearing the skin causing injuries to the hand, my finger still feels tingly and numb. Please help!!!

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

Same situation as released in ODI case number 10172900. I had a tremendous amount of smoke coming from the dash. The smell of burning plastic or circuit board was strong. After the incident, my rear dvd headphone outputs, both wired and wireless, no longer function. Took the Pilot to a dealer and they could not confirm the failure of the headphone outputs even though I requested that they put in a dvd to test the system. They did not have one available. The dealer would only pull the radio unit and recommend that I replace that unit. When I asked if they had tested the unit, the response was that they could not test the unit. The unit would have to be sent somewhere for test and possible replacement. They could not guarantee that this would fix the problem. To view the area behind to dvd player, I was advised that it would take a technician 8 plus hours to remove the necessary dash elements in order to get into the cavity containing the dvd player. There was a definite resistance to explore the suggestions I had as to why there may have been smoke. All I know is the there was enough smoke to require me to pull off the road and my daughter and I to "bail" out of the car.

- St. Charles, MO, USA

On Saturday night, 6/19/2004, we purchased a used 2003 Honda Pilot with aprox 17K miles on it. As part of the purchase agreement, hanlees Toyota included an aftermarket leather upgrade for the cloth interior. Subsequently, on Monday (6/21/04) we were informed by american Honda Motors that the aftermarket leather upgrade was both potentially hazardous and would void our manufacturer's warranty. Consequently, on Tuesday, 6/22/04, we returned the car to the dealer and advised them of these circumstances, with the intention of a refund of our $5000 deposit and cancellation of the sale. However, hanlees was non cooperative in this request. Reaching an impasse, we left with the car and are now seeking your assistance. Here is the information from Honda regarding the safety concerns of the aftermarket leather upgrade: Honda service news, no aftermarket leather seat covers with side airbags, never install aftermarket leather seat covers on Honda vehicles with side airbags. Here's why: The occupant position detection system (opds) sensors attached to the seat-back foam are calibrated to sense through the seat cover. If the cover material changes, the odps could malfunction or turn on the SRS indicator. Side airbags that deploy through the seat bolster seam are sewn with a special thread that bursts and positions the side airbag to protect the occupant. This thread isn"T available to the aftermarket, which means you must replace the seat cover whenever a side airbag deploys or a seat cover is damaged. Also, when I pointed out the safety issue of the aftermarket leather upgrade I was sold, the response from the customer relations manager at the dealer was well side airbags arenT even mandatory, anyway bottom-line, I think it is a potentially dangerous situation for this dealer to offer possibly hazardous aftermarket upgrades to itS customers without warning them of their unsafe nature. The onsumer was able to resolve the safety issue and as part of the resolution he would like to withdraw his complaint.

- Sacramento, CA, USA