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.
Without any indication of a problem, the check engine light came on after turning off the car briefly. The car would not shift and the dash reads transmission problem. We had the car towed and we-??re told we need a new transmission. There was 68,000 miles on the car and it has always been maintained.
The vehicle was driven from my house with a plan to reach destination about 30 miles away. 1st half was on back roads, the 2nd half was on highway. Once the vehicle reached the highway, the pilot started to overrev, loud bang, a bit of smoke from hood. Vehicle was pulled over on closest shoulder which was the left shoulder on highway. I had my 2 twin 4 year olds in the car and had to call someone to come get us safely off the highway with cars passing at high rates of speed while shuffling car seats and children off the highway. I then had it towed to a honda service center. They tried to crank the engine over and couldn't and stated it was seized. Since I was out of warranty by time and mileage (6.5 years and 61K miles), they wanted to charge me $1K for diagnostics and provided the quote for a used and new engine. Since they didn't diagnose first, I had it towed to another mechanic and he took the bottom splash guards off and there was oil all over and a hole in the lower engine block, which appeared to be caused by a broken rod.
I was driving on [XXX] and I suddenly started seeing that my vehicle gearshifting was a bit and I got a notification that there was a transmission problem. I immediately pulled over and turned off the vehicle for a few mins and then restarted it and the alert icon went away. Then as I was driving, I stopped at the signal and then tried to accelerate when the signal turned green, the gear shifting wasnt working correctly. I eventually took this to a mechanic and he told its a transmission problem. Then I took it to a transmission expert and he said that its something which I should take to a honda service technician since they would have advanced equipment for it. I took it to a dealership and they now said that I have to replace the transmission for the vehicle. Looking up online, there has been plenty of reports of issues with the 9 speed transmission in Honda but there hasnt been a recall for the 2017 Honda Pilot. Here are a few links [XXX] [XXX] https://www.google.com/search? [XXX] Now the dealership is asking me to pay close to $9000 to fix this issue. I tried to reach out to Honda customer support online and they didnt help either. I dont know how I should approach this and hence reaching out to NHTSA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Regular issues with Fuel injection system, had to change the fuel injectors multiple times. Severe vibrations in the car between 2nd and 3rd gear, had changes transmission fluid including full flush but made no change. Several complaints online on this model. NHTSA/DOT need to investigate the lemon issues. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
driving down the highway at 65mph the car started bucking and losing acceleration leaving almost no control to the driver to maneuver effectively and avoid other cars. after a terrifying experience of losing control of the car my wife and children stranded on the side of the road for hours in sub 32 degree weather. the vehicle goes into limp home mode on the highway causing her to pull off with little to no acceleration control. barely avoiding other commuters she was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. once stopped the vehicle locks itself in park and will not go into gear or neutral so the vehicle cannot be pushed when needed. had to have the vehicle towed. after diagnosis and thorough investigations the following information was collected. The 9 speed automatic transmissions are "lifetime" meaning there is no dipstick for fluid checks. no external sensors or actuators can be replaced when they fail. the transmission failed internally (p0841) because all solenoids sensors and switches are internal non serviceable parts. no electronic part lasts forever understandably. however this means when one small item fails the entire transmission is to be replaced with the same part number and no new fixes or remedies. they seem to all fail right around 60,000 miles or after. seems to be a very common issue with no recall or fixes listed. meaning even with a new transmission installation the transmission is still a ticking time bomb. leaving the customer on the hook for several thousand dollar repairs every 60k. a class action lawsuit has been filed in California for these exact reasons and i would hope that honda makes and effort to have a redesign, fix, or full recall.
- Trenton, GA, USA
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When traveling at highway speeds, I push the gas pedal and the vehicle makes a clicking noise, it loses all acceleration power until RPMs go down to 1,000. Then the gas pedal works again. After several months of this, and multiple attempts from the Honda Dealership to fix the problem (clean the throttle body, software updates, etc) the transmission quit on the interstate. During a 100 mile trip the vehicle all of a sudden would not go above 3,000 RMP. I pulled to the shoulder thinking a car restart might fix the issue but the vehicle would not leave Park. Towed to dealership with transmission warning light active. Very surprised as the vehicle only has 79,900 miles on the odometer.
At 103,000 miles, the 9 speed transmission failed while driving, resulting in a warning indicator to park the vehicle immediately. Afterwards, it was unable to change gear from Park. There was no accident or prior issues. A trusted mechanic shop went thru the documented diagnostics and found that the entire transmission needed replacing. The total cost to replace it was $8265.
On Dec.04, 2023 I tried to drive vehicle to got to work, and there was no power in D- mode. I pressed the gas padal to gove more power and then the vehicle made a loude sound like as if I was crash into something, and it did not move as usual, there was no power. When I tried to shift the gear back to P, it did not move and the stick was stucked. Later after several tries I was able to drive the car to the dealership and explained what happened. AFter Investgating they concluded there was no problem witht he car. I took it home and drove until Dec, 18, before the vehicle actingd again. It did not move when the gear sh*t to D or L mode. when I pressed the gas pedal vehicle jumps and stated to move at about 5 miles per hour. As I was giving more gas at about 27 miles per hour there was a hard shifit of the gear and vehicle jumped (jerking?). I took it to the dealership and they were able to repeat what I explained to them and quoted $8400 for the transmission repair, and said I donot have warrenty and have to pay for the cost. I explained to them this is not only my vehicle, but there are other hond apolit have the same issue. I have contacted Honda Motor Corp USA regarding this and they told me they donot act based on what is on the web and social media.
Driving vehicle when multiple warning lights illuminated, including check engine and emissions control issue. Vehicle sputtered to a stop and would not accelerate after that. Vehicle was towed to Honda dealership and they said it was a faulty rocker arm oil pressure switch.
The transmission completely broke/ went out. Honda knows this is a recurrent issue with these vehicles. The fuel injectors had already been replaced on this vehicle at 40,000 miles before Honda was admitting a defect. They are well aware there are transmission issues for the Honda Pilot but are not taking responsibility costing car owners thousands. We were left on the side of the road, needing to use insurance to cover towing. Rather than dealing with labor we sold the car at a great loss of money. This is hear say but the towing complaint reports they are towing Honda Pilots consistently these days. Honda should be held responsible.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle jerked significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on the second attempt to reverse. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence, where the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, but the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,877.
Driving on an 4-lane each direction highway at 70 MPH, the Honda Pilot stopped accelerating and a warning light came on stating there is a transmission problem. With my wife and 4 children inside the vehicle, I had to cross 3 lanes of a very busy highway to pull over without having any propulsion from the gas pedal. We were stranded 1/2 mile before the exit for the Charlotte, NC airport. It's an extremely busy exit with trucks and cars constantly passing nearby the vehicle at 70 to 80 MPH. The SUV was towed to a Honda dealership who told us the vehicle needs a new transmission for $8,000. There was absolutely no prior warnings or lights indicating this problem. We filed a claim with Honda corporate, but haven't received a response yet after 1 week.
The transmission temperature to high light came on as I was driving from NY to NC, I had to pull over because I was afraid the car might catch fire as I have never seen or heard of a transmission being to hot. I was on the side of the NJ turnpike and a vehicle could of crashed into me. The light went off and I continued on my journey. Then about another hour or 2 later a transmission system problem light came on. I stopped in VA and went to a Valvoline where they told me I needed transmission fluid. (I had just had an inspection done, so thought maybe there was a leak.) I continued on my way to NC as the light went off after they put fluid in the car. I was about 2 hours away from my destination in NC when the temperature to high transmission light went on again and I had to pull over on 795 again becasue I was scared. I shut the car off for a half hour on the side of the road praying no one would hit into me. I turned the car on, and the light went off and a few minutes later the transmission system problem light came on. I was afraid to get off an exit as I was unfamiliar with the area, so I drove at 55 mph in a 70-mph speed limit. I made it to Wilmington and called the Stevenson Hendrick Honda Dealership there and they could not see the car until Tuesday 7/18 the light was going on 7/15. When I brought it to the dealer the light was off. They told me my Honda Pilot that had only 49,000 miles on it needed a new transmission to the tune of $11,000. I find this to be absurd. I was able to talk them down in price and was without a car for the entire week I was in NC. I opened a case with corporate, but they won't return my phone calls. I could of died pulling off to the side of major highways with the speed the cars were traveling at. This car was just in for a recall with the hood and they did a diagnostics test and nothing showed anything about a transmission problem. It had just had an inspection. This should not have happened with only 49,000 miles.
I have the automatic start and stop (idle) feature and it cuts out on me in the middle of intersections and won't allow the car to restart. I took to dealer to have software updated and they charged me and now it is starting again. Someone almost blindsided me in the intersection and I don't want someone to get killed.
Torque Converter clutch slipping due to Honda 3.6L V6 VSC Vibration. Received a "Transmission System Error" warning multiple times while driving at 65MPH highway. Vehicle has less than 47,000 miles but is out of warranty due to the age of the vehicle. Dealership stated the Torque Converter needs to be replaced even though regular maintenance was performed previously. Dealership stated that the Torque Converter could go bad at any time and cause transmission issues requiring the entire thing to require replacement and is charging a lot of money for the replacement. Research shows many 3rd Generation Honda PIlot owners experiencing the same exact issue due to the VSC built into the engine and others are getting hit with costs at around the same mileage. We should not be penalized for a poorly designed or manufactured powertrain component that apparently requires replacement just after the powertrain warranty expires.
The car had problems with automatic start/stop function. During this time the car had a transmission that failed. The automatic start/stop function was fixed by the dealership and the new transmission that was installed failed. The car is currently on its third transmission at 85,000 miles and this transmission is starting to give the car problems where the information system tells the driver there are transmission problems that are present randomly when driving. These are not currently repeatable enough for the dealership to see. The car had 3 transmissions under 88,000 miles, and is probably going to be on its fourth transmission soon. Also the honda information system does not work properly with the phone and only connects 70% of the time.
Transmission randomly makes a juddering jerking sound and hesitates while driving. Honda has flushed my transmission many times under sevice bulletin 17-014, 17-015 and the repair is short lived. Honda stops honoring the extended service bulletin after 80K. They have had this problem at least since 2016 yet the don't fix or address the issue. They merely offer free trans flushes till 80K miles and then your on your own. Many complaints of this problem on the internet yet Honda does nothing meaningful to fix the problem. My car is a 2017 Honda Pilot ex-L
Emission system problem, transmission system problem. Car frequently stops with these error messages and it stopped the acceleration during driving on a freeway. It could have caused a major accident if I had not pulled over safely.
I have a 2017 Honda Pilot EX-L with a mileage of 41010 miles. I have completed all the recommended services in a timely manner by an authorized Honda Dealer. When I was driving the vehicle yesterday (3/25/2023) at a speed of around 65 mph, I got an error message saying "Transmission System Problem". There was no error code associated with it. There was no problem in the driving. But at the end of the drive, in the parking lot when I had to reverse, the backup camera will not turn on. After parking the vehicle and turning off the vehicle and restarting it, the error message went away. And then the backup camera also started to work fine. When I was driving back home, the error message came on again when the speed reached around 65 mph. I came home and searched about this error message and I came across a lot of complaints of the same nature for 2017 Honda Pilot owners. Please refer to the discussions on the following links as samples: https://is.gd/RB78A1, https://is.gd/a84e9h. Since many owners are experiencing this, I am wondering if this is a manufacturing issue. Many owners are talking about the Dealerships asking them to replace Transmission which costs around $8000 or to replace Transmission torque converter which will cost $5000. As of now my vehicle drives fine but I got exactly the same message twice at the speed of about 65 mph. I am scared to take this vehicle on to highways since my vehicle is following exactly the same pattern as that of other owners of 2017 Honda Pilot. I also saw Honda Ridgeline owners in the same year also having similar experience online. All of this make me think that this is more of a design/manufacturing problem impacting many owners and hence may be NHTSA would want to look in to this.
The autostop feature on the car fails to restart the engine. The car completely shuts down and all electrical is dead. This has happened multiple times over the course of many years. Often is takes multiple attempts to restart the vehicle while sitting in dangerous traffic situations (e.g. highway, nighttime with no lights). This is a significant safety issue. Honda has failed to fix the problem despite a new ignition switch and new battery. They don't seem to know how to fix it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gilbert , AZ, USA