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.
I bought this 2004 Honda Pilot new in 2004 in Louisville. In 2018 I drove to Florida without incident. While here in Florida I have had a problem with oil leaking. Than the compressor for the air went out and I took it straight to the dealer here. They told me it was not worth fixing. Since then I have had 2 mechanics look underneath the car and said it was so rusted that the frame was dangerous and they could not risk fixing it. I have checked with other Honda owners only to find out this is a problem with numerous Honda years and no one fix this problems because of liability. I have photos of the rusted out rear-end and the frame is not attached. You can find owners trying to weld the rear-end back on. No one will repair my compressor because of the rust and damage. When I had it at the dealers they did not mention this problem at all. They just said it was not worth fixing. My car has about 200000 miles but has has its service. This has to be a major recall or replacement. We could have had a major accident over this and didn't know [XXX] Please call or forward communication. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
When getting work done by licensed mechanic, I was told that there was a problem with the rear frame being soo rusted that the shock absorber was not attached because there was nothing left to attach it to. I was told they couldn't fix it and I should consider getting rid of it.
2004 Honda Pilot driver side rear subframe crossmember rusted and falling apart. Started to rust around 2010 then worst at 2019. Only the driver side is rusted and bad. The passenger side has no issues.
- Sylvania, OH, USA
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Rinsing with water of the undercarriage after exposure to salted roads after snowfall (routine practice) I noticed flakes of rust beneath the rear of the vehicle. I crawled under the vehicle to observe extensive corrosion of the cross member that the rear suspension struts are attached to. The rear driver side area where the strut is connected is corroded to the extent where the mount is partially eaten away and a large hole has formed. The other strut mounting area is charting the same course and is substantially corroded. Should a strut disconnect from the vehicle a loss of control would occur. The approximate mileage of the vehicle is 107000. No other parts of vehicle appear to be corroded to a level approaching the rear. I will look at the front end to inspect more closely for corrosion damage and to take pictures. Vehicle was parked (stationary) when the corrosion was observed.
Rear suspension cross member support rusts out due to design. Over time water is thrown from tire and rests in the support nut area. Over time rust builds up and the support breaks through the rear cross member. No way for the water to escape. I am supplying one picture of my car showing where rust has started. Two additional pictures are from the shop fixing my car for another issue showing another customer with the same issue, but much worse. You cannot buy the cross member due to how the car is made. So the fix is to cut out the rust and weld in a new support. The car shop will rust proof and put a water resistant foam over the new support nut ensuring the rust will not return. My cost of this repair for both sides is just shy of $2000. My opinion is this is a factory design flaw that should be addressed by Honda. No recalls for this issue exist, and you are talking about the back end support potentially collapsing as you are driving. The issue was caught by the transmission shop doing other work on 12/18/2018. They just fixed the other customer's Pilot (2004) with the same issue (pictures I attached) and had the foresight to look at my 2004 Pilot. So for safety reasons I have no choice but to have them apply the same fix.
Driving on over railroad tracks and heard loud clunk. Control was a major issue after. When I stopped the vehicle to inspect, I saw the following. Both rear wheels tilted inward at the top. I inspected underneath to find the rear sub-frame anchors had pulled through the uni-body. Called the manufacture and no assistance due to mileage and age and living in a salt belt state. Other manufacturers are recalling vehicles for frame rust issues. This is basically the frame of this vehicle.....and the overall condition otherwise is great. This should not happen!
While driving over a bridge expansion joint I heard a loud bang, the ABS and vtm 4 lights came on, and it started having a severe vibration. The rear uni body frame, for the rear sub frame, mounting points pulled out of the frame. The rearward sub frame had dropped down about 6 - 8 inches. The inside of the frame has rusted away, on the inside.
Rear mounting points for rear suspension subframe rusted out, allowing the subframe to become detached at two of four mounting points. Subframe rotated down until stopped by exhaust system, detaching wiring for anti lock braking system. Failure occurred while driving on secondary road at 40-50 mph.
I had a very serious mechanical failure after hitting a bump on a dirt road only going 25 mph. All 4 of the rear axle mounts failed causing the rear of the vehicle to drop and the tires to spread. This could have been very dangerous if I was going faster or hit the bump on the highway. We had been noticing a clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle but couldn't figure out what it was. So, perhaps one or two for the mounts had all ready failed before this final failure. We bought this vehicle new in 2004 and it has never been in any accident nor driven off road. It is a Michigan car so it has been exposed to road salt perhaps contributing to the rusting of the mounts. But, under no circumstance should this occur. After doing an internet search I was only able to find two other instances of this happening. As these vehicles get older more may happen if it is a design flaw.
Accident on the freeway the car sped out of control hit the center divider. Front and side air bags went off! the steering wheel airbags scarred the inside od my wrist.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 20 to 40 mph the front of the vehicle shudders violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer multiple times but they were not able to diagnose the problem. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Started at approx. 70,000 miles. Car shutters/vibrates (as though going over a soft rumble strip) when going approx. 45 mph. Stops once I let off gas or accelerate. Initially happened only once in a while. Now it happens consistently.
In approximately early 2006, I noticed the front wheels would shimmy when I applied the brakes at higher speeds. Typically it would occur as I was driving down steeper grades in the mountains. I brought this to the attention of the Honda dealer in April 2006 when the vehicle had 35,418 miles. The Honda dealer dismissed it and said it was probably due to the front wheel still wanting to provide power while the brakes were applied. Consequently, the brake system checked out fine during their inspection. Unfortunately, the problem still persists and is getting worse. I've also now noticed the problem when I drive on flatter surfaces as well. The problem is most noticeable when stopping at speeds over 50 mph and is even more pronounced when driving down hills. My concern at this point is that the vehicle will become unstable because of the excessive shimmy that occurs in the front wheels while braking at higher speeds or on an incline.
When ever I hit the brakes on my 2004 Honda Pilot exl there is a thumpping noise. I have complained to the dealer about it and he says that is normal. I have researched on the web and there are severral people complaining about the same problem.
At speeds exceeding 70 mph there is a vibration which can be felt through the steering wheel, gas pedal, and at times the floor of the whole vehicle. This usually occurs at 73-74mph. After repeated services and balancing of tires the dealership took the tires to perform a road force test. This ruled out the tires causing the problem. After the 4th attempt to correct the vibration a Honda case manager said that it could be a "characteristic of the vehicle". this was not mentioned by the sales person at the time of purchase and I believe it is a defect in the suspension or drivetrain. I found many others have had this complaint. See www.Honda-Pilot.org under forums then sustained vibrations at speeds over 70mph. The service person said this was not a safety issue but I would disagree.
- Pickerington, OH, USA
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- Elkton, MD, USA