CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012-2013 Honda Pilot have a small complaint trend of owners reporting the engine hesitates sometimes when accelerating.
While it's not a widespread trend with the Pilot, it's a little concerning because of the possibly safety ramifications. While it's certainly something to keep in mind, most Pilot owners are not experiencing this problem.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,187 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.
Front brake rotors are extremely poor for this vehicle - I have re-surfaced two different sets of rotors 3 times each now and they continue to warp. The oem ones lasted 12K miles before warping then needing resurfaced. I then bought an aftermarket set from advance auto parts and they warp at less than 10K miles before having them re-surfaced. They seem to warp the easiest when traveling at highway speeds and just braking normally at an off ramp when exiting the highway, the steering wheel starts to wobble and the brakes vibrate badly. The brakes are way worse after the rotors warp. 3 times I have had those sets of rotors re-surfaced 3 times.
When traveling at high speeds (over 60 mph) and applying the brakes, the steering wheel begins to vibrate violently. Most likely, the rotors are warped. I contacted the dealership to see if the rotors were still covered under warranty, they said they were not covered, but a lot of people were having the same issue as me. This could be very dangerous if the brakes are compromised.
Brake pedal is soft, goes down several inches before the brakes engage. Took car to right Honda in scottsdale, AZ. They said all Honda Pilot do that. This is not safe and should be fixed. Website chat rooms have complaint after complaint on this very topic.
Purchased a new 2013 Honda Pilot - within 7-8 months brakes were vibrating and catching. Took to Honda dealer for repair. Dealer stated yes they were aware of this problem and it had been occurring on their vehicles. Within another 8-9 months same thing happens. Dealer stated that rotors become warped. They repaired but I had to pressure them to repair with no charge. Pilot is now just over 2 years old - has 34,450 miles and it is happening again. When I mentioned this to customer service rep he stated "yes vehicle weights too much - is too heavy". if Honda is aware of this problem why are they not fixing it / having better design, etc? I will not purchase another Honda.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated when the brakes were applied, the vehicle vibrated and the steering shimmied. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rotors needed to be replaced. The failure had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000. The VIN was unavailable.
At various speeds there was a severe pulsation. This also occured upon breaking. The vehicle was brought to findlay Honda in las vegas, nv. This occured on 25 July 2014. The milage was 31025. On October 16, 2014 I returned my vehicle to the same location and had the identical work completed. A resurfacimg of both front and rear break discs. Milage 35128. Four thousand miles later and the same conditiion happens again! my concern is that this problem will continue and I do not know how many times these defective discs can be resurfaced before I need to have them replaced. This will result in a huge expence, I'm sure. I expect a much better product than what I currently own'. my son is currently driving my 2004 Pilot and have had almost no problem with that vehicle which currently has 136K.miles. My rememdy should be the replacement of the both the front and rear wheels without charge, because this problem does not appear to be getting better. I expect the same problem to occur at 40K which, of course is out of warranty.
The brakes started to vibrate when applied. This happened with only 16000 miles. It was very frightening to my wife. Now the car has 35000 miles and the brakes are bad again.
My daughter was backing out of the garage onto a sloped driveway, applied the brake, shifted into park gear selector, exited auto to retrieve something from garage. Noticed the car rolling, attempted to get in the car, as her two children were in the rear (ages 6 &9).car rolled over her leg, resulting in major compound fracture, resulting in extensive surgery, metal rod and screws in her leg. Car rolled backwards crossing street into ditch. Police report indicates engine was still running with gear in reverse. Honda case #[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). Updated 10/21/2014
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that a loud metal noise emitted from the front driver's side when the brake pedal was engaged, which also caused the vehicle to vibrate. The dealer replaced the front brakes however the failure was not corrected. The loud metal noise was heard each time the brake was engaged. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle did not exhibit a brake failure because they were unable to hear the noise that the contact was referencing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 10,000.
When applying the brakes at low speed during an emergency stop, the brake pedal depressed and continued to depress further to a point where the location of the accelerator pedal was higher than the brake pedal. This position interferes with the proper application of the brake by allowing a close proximity to the higher accelerator pedal, thus the driver pushing both pedals at the same time and forward motion was not stopped until I released and reapplied the brake, paying particular attention to where my foot was located. Very unsafe ! I have a size 10 w mans shoe. I can't imagine someone with a larger foot size being safe in this vehicle. When I returned to the Honda dealer, I was told that it was just the nature of the vehicle and I need to basically retrain my brain as to the position of the pedals. I've driven for over 55 years and have never experienced such a problem with a vehicle. And to be told that an obvious defect as being acceptable and safe by the manufacturer, is unacceptable to me.
I have a 2013 Pilot and I'm finding my brake pedal goes to the floor while stopped at a light. I have 5,000 miles on the vehicle and I'm being told this is normal by the dealership. My thinking is having a brake pedal going to the floor is not normal for any vehicle. I believe the dealer is not addressing the concern and pushing away from the real solution.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the brakes failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the master cylinder needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 2,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that every time the brakes were engaged, that the brakes would shutter and that there was a vibration on the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the rotors failed and needed to be re-finished. The repair was made however, the remedy failed to correct the problem. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then replaced the rotors. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 23,000 and the current mileage was 37,000. The VIN was not available.
Upon applying the brake in an avoidance situation, I noticed the spongy feel to the brakes. What concerns me more, is that during the process of the event, the brake pedal settles down to below the height of the accelerator and if your foot isn't square on the brake pedal, you wind up hitting the gas while trying to stop the vehicle.. I need to talk with someone. This is most certainly a defect in design.
Brake pedal was spongy and seemed to go down too far. While stopped with the brake pedal pressed and maintaining a constant pressure on the pedal it would slowly go all the way to the floor. Dealer checked it out and said master cylinder was defective and replaced same. Approximately 4 weeks later while driving at approximately 65 mph a loud roaring sound was noticed and then a very noticeable vibration began. Pulled over and checked tires and noticed a smell that was almost like something burning. The Honda dealer was close by so I drove it to the dealer and left it there again. After checking the vehicle, they decided the problem was caused by caliper slide pins not releasing. The master cylinder was adjusted along with the brake pedal height and free play. It is now 1 week since that work was performed and once again the brake pedal goes to the floor with constant pressure applied while stopped at a traffic light.
Purchased new 2013 Honda Pilot approximately 5/15/13. Noticed over next week that brake pedal has excessive travel- requires pedal to be pushed much farther down than should be expected before the brakes begin to engage, resulting in longer stopping time/length. Took in for service at dealership on 5/28/13. Dealership returned on 5/30/13 stating they were unable to find a problem. Vehicle has not been repaired. Called another dealership- service person stated that this is a known complaint for recent Honda Pilot, caused by brake booster, and is neither adjustable nor fixable. Vehicle odometer currently 600 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the brake failed to engage at normal stopping distance and the brake pedal felt soft. When depressed, the brake pedal would travel partially to the floorboard accompanied by an abnormal vibration occurred when driving 65 mph. The failure would occur when traveling over a flat surface or when the cylinder was in third. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a diagnostic was performed that was unable to locate a failure code for the vibration or the brake failure. The dealer loosened the engine and the transmission bolts however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3 and the current mileage was 2,400.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Valrico, FL, USA