CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware the 2003 Honda Pilot once the odometer reaches 100k miles, when two problem defect trends have shown up: transmission failure & ignition switch problems.
Typically a locksmith can fix the ignition switch or it can be replaced for around $700. However the transmission failure is a far more expensive problem, with the average repair cost at well over $3,000. A major transmission recall of over 1 million Honda vehicles back in 2004 dealt with transmission damage due to overheating, but 2003 Pilot transmissions have continued to fail.
The plastic latch to my 2013 middle seat recliner is broke. You can see in the photo the two connection areas have torn, causing the cables to fall out both sides. The other plastic piece is also broke, one of the glides snapped off. Very upsetting because the Dealer quoted me $500 to fix, or I can do it myself but I need to buy the entire system for $236 plus tax. I don't need to replace the whole system, nor would I want to anyway. There is a lot of tedious work to fixing this. It is absolutely ridiculous to not sell the lever separately and force the customer to spend $236-$500 and buy the whole cabling system, just to replace the small plastic part that is the product of Honda's bad design. No way that lever, that pulls metal cable, at a significant torque should be made of plastic! I don't have to be an engineer to see that. I have read this issue in many places on line so I'm not the only one. Now I cant use the vehicle's cargo compartment like planned.
Update from Jan 28, 2013: Instead of paying the $236 for the part or $500 to have the Dealer fix it, I decided to fix it myself. I glued and bolted a thin piece of metal I snipped to shape from a scrap metal 2x2 to the outside surface then redrilled the hole and channel for the cable to lock in place. All works just fine and since the metal cable is now in contact with metal, not plastic, I dont anticipate the same problem to happen again. So far so good anyway.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
click to see larger images
The plastic latch to my 2013 middle seat recliner is broke. You can see in the photo the two connection areas have torn, causing the cables to fall out both sides. The other plastic piece is also broke, one of the glides snapped off. Very upsetting because the Dealer quoted me $500 to fix, or I can do it myself but I need to buy the entire system for $236 plus tax. I don't need to replace the whole system, nor would I want to anyway. There is a lot of tedious work to fixing this. It is absolutely ridiculous to not sell the lever separately and force the customer to spend $236-$500 and buy the whole cabling system, just to replace the small plastic part that is the product of Honda's bad design. No way that lever, that pulls metal cable, at a significant torque should be made of plastic! I don't have to be an engineer to see that. I have read this issue in many places on line so I'm not the only one. Now I cant use the vehicle's cargo compartment like planned.
Update from Jan 28, 2013: Instead of paying the $236 for the part or $500 to have the Dealer fix it, I decided to fix it myself. I glued and bolted a thin piece of metal I snipped to shape from a scrap metal 2x2 to the outside surface then redrilled the hole and channel for the cable to lock in place. All works just fine and since the metal cable is now in contact with metal, not plastic, I dont anticipate the same problem to happen again. So far so good anyway.
- mmoyer, Cleveland, OH, US