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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
11 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 1
Average Mileage:
53,992 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V351000 (air bags); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Contacted scott robinson service center - torrance, ca. On Feb 03,2015 for replacement of recalled airbags..was told that they were out of stock and would call me. When available. After six weeks of no contact with service center I called them. Was told that they only had passenger side air bag in stock and would have to back order drivers side airbag..I opted to have them install the passenger side and now waiting to hear on the driver side air bag. In one week it will be 60 days that I have been waiting for the completion of the recalled air bags.
Received a national recall letter for airbags. Called bill pearce Honda and was told I have to wait four months for the part because it is on " back order. "
Received recall notices for both passenger and driver-side airbags, NHTSA recalls 14V-349 and 14V-351. 14V-349 advises avoiding having a passenger sit in the front seat for safety reasons. Contacted dealership in early February about performing service, they ordered parts. Honda has not provided dealership with parts to make the repair, and it is now approaching 60 days since order was put in. I see many similar complaints on NHTSA website. Honda is now breaking the law with regard to these airbag recalls by not providing the parts to make the repairs within 60 days, and we are all left to drive unsafe vehicles in the mean-time. Airbags are supposed to save lives, not end them! NHTSA must do something about this! stiffer penalties are apparently the only way Honda is going to comply.
January 2015 I received an air bag recall on 2003 Honda Pilot, the same day I contacted tempe Honda with my recall id number to schedule an appointment to have the issue taking care of, promptly E-mail confirmation was received with the date and time available and no further question of any kind. When I arrived to the tempe Honda dealer the day of the appointment a service representative asked me if any other service of any kind was to be performed at that time. I replied negative, only the recall issue. And handed the key to the service representative, about 20 minutes later the service representative informed me that he did not have the replacement part at that time, that I would receive a call to re-schedule the service when the parts were available. Almost 2 month later and no phone call.
- Casa Grande , AZ, USA
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I received a recall notice in Jan 2015 for my 2003 Honda Pilot. I immediately contacted the local Honda dealership and requested they order the parts required to safely repair the air bags. I contacted them again in March of 2015 and no progress has been made. Currently Honda is unable to tell me how much longer until the replacement parts will be available to safely repair the vehicle. I am beyond frustrated at this time.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V351000 (air bags) however the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a resonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V351000 (air bags) and 14V349000 (air bags); however, the parts needed to do the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The vehicle has had unpredictable braking and traction for well over a year. Dealer visit on March 14, 2014 did not produce a cause. More recently I was unable to stop the vehicle from 40 mph for a red light with full brake pressure. Road conditions were good at the time. I had to accelerate through the intersection to avoid a collision. The vehicle currently displays the "check engine" light and "vtm-4" light quite consistently. Traction is also intermittently compromised by some unknown problem. It seems that when the vtm-4 light is on, the AWD feature of the vehicle is disabled. When it is on, it cannot be disabled with the switch on the dash. The driver side air bag was ordered on October 29, 2014 but has not yet become available. I called the dealer again on March 2, 2014 after I received another air bag recall notice. This now includes the passenger side as well as the driver side. Air bags are not expected for another two to three months. They will call...............!
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign id numbers: 14V351000 (air bags) and 14V349000 (air bags). The contact stated that the parts needed were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The dealer was unable to inform when the part would become available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V349000 (air bags) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Updated 03/24/15 the consumer stated as of 3/12/15 the recall parts had not become available. Updated 10/20/2015
I received a safety recall notice the end of January 2015. I called my Honda dealership on 02/12 to schedule an appointment and was told the "parts" were not available yet, please call back the end of the month. I just called my Honda dealership today, 02/23, and was told the "parts" would not be available until April! I just want this officially documented, should I or one of my family members(god forbid) have an accident with this vehicle and receive injuries because of this delay!! updated 09/23/15.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V700000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V351000 (air bags) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was unavailable.
Filed a complaint with Honda in 2011, to no avail, regarding our sticky/tacky airbag covers, probably caused by climate heat. In doing the current airbag recall work, the covers became permanently fingerprinted at the dealership. Again filed a complaint with Honda, explaining that not only are the covers even more unsightly because of the fingerprinting on the dashboard, it becomes a safety issue because you refrain from using the horn when needed because of the sticky nature of the cover, which leaves a residue on your hand. Honda offered to pay 25% of $ $2100 cost to fix their problem, a problem that we did not create. Not the response we were looking for...
When I called to inquire of Honda about the partial recall for the passenger side airbag I was told not to worry about it since it hadn't exploded yet. Really? I guess Honda isn't interested in repeat business; I have owned nothing but their products. Looks like I need to find a new(or smarter) manufacturer.
My vehicle is listed in the 6/2/2014 recall notice for the passenger airbag. Over the past 4 months I have tried to get the vehicle repaired per the recall notice and have been repeatedly told by the dealer that Honda has not given them instructions about how to fix per the recall. I have contacted Honda corporate and they report they will get back to me at some unknown time. Based on the reports of fatalities relating to Honda air bags, I am concerned whether or not the 2003 Honda Pilot is safe to Transport my family and friends. I request that either Honda promptly repair per the recall notice or officially and immediately let me know that the vehicle is safe to Transport people in its current state. Additionally, I am concerned about the driver's side airbag, even though the driver's side airbag is not listed in the regional safety recall. My vehicle has spent significant time in hot and humid areas, including South Carolina. I can find no data that gives me confidence that drivers side airbags in vehicles registered in states other than Florida, South Carolina, and other "hot" states are safe. I request that NHTSA immediately review the facts and data for driver's side airbags for vehicles not covered in the regional recall because of the "hot" state vs. "non-hot" state differentiation and issue information to the public regarding the risks. Thank you for your consideration and help.
Honda has failed to issue the recall for the defective tanata airbags they installed in this vehicle. We are the original owners. We contacted them directly early in September and they committed to recall it within a month. No recall has ever arrived.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Columbus, GA, USA