I bought by 2019 Honda Touring end of April. Shortly after driving the car I noticed a squeak in engine compartment when I let up on gas or brakes applied. Mileage was less than 1,600. I took it into the Dealer in June. Dealer said it was transmission (FIRST REPAIR ATTEMPT) and ordered new transmission. Early July brought in the car to have transmission replaced. Honda Technical Rep said it wasn’t the transmission. Recommended to replace engine mounts (SECOND REPAIR ATTEMPT). Engine mounts were replaced. Squeak was still present. After extensive test drive, Honda said it was from A/C and Honda Tech said to perform deep A/C vacuum/drying (THIRD REPAIR ATTEMPT). After A/C vacuum/drying the squeak was still there. Honda Tech then said it was A/C expansion valve. But, Honda refused to replace the valve. They stated it “IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE”.

I was told by Dealer that three other customers had complained about same squeak and they also found a new car on lot with same issue.

In July I contacted Honda Customer Care. In August Honda Customer Care told me my claim was denied and that the squeak in the engine – A/C - was a normal characteristic. Customer Care Rep indicated that they were handling other customer complainants with the same issue. My complaint was closed.

Since when is a squeak in a brand-new car a normal characteristic? If Honda really thought it was a normal characteristic why did they continue to try to fix my car. It wasn’t until they couldn’t fix it after three attempts and Honda refused to replace the A/C expansion valve that they decided it was a normal characteristic. I am assuming not all 2019 Honda Pilot Touring cars have this issue.

It is clear that many 2019 Honda Pilots have this noise issue that Honda refuses to acknowledge as a problem to the customer.

What fixes this problem? Any suggestions?

1st issue was a bad motor mount, it had to be replaced only after 200 miles. Then came a recall for a defective timing belt and now AC is making a noise (best I can describe it is like a hiccup noise). The noise is noticeable when AC is on and when the weather gets hot. I brought the Pilot back to the dealer and left it there for 4 days. Initially, the mechanic was unable to hear the noise and I insisted to let them keep the Pilot for several days because the past several days were raining and the weather wasn't that hot. Finally, the Vegas weather went back to normal which is >100F and the noise occurred. The mechanic was able to verify the AC noise but not aware of how to address it. The dealer contacted Honda and per dealer, Honda is aware of the issue and there was a service bulletin for it. Honda calls it "flute" noise and it was caused by an AC expansion valve. Honda advised the dealer to not replace any parts and basically to tell the customer that Honda is aware of the issue. There is no ETA for the fix so the dealer advised contacting Honda directly (800-999-1009) and create a case as a reference - just in case a fix is found and the 36k warranty has passed, so we're not liable for any parts and labor. Per dealer, they will fix the issue even after 36K if its AC expansion valve-related because they have it in their record.

Update from Sep 11, 2019: Update:

My issue progresses to the AC compressor making a rattle noise. I brought it back to the dealer for follow-up diagnosis, and dealer determined it was related to the expansion valve issue previously diagnosed. The service tech again claimed that there is a Technical Service Bulletin for it. This time I demanded to see the TSB and I got the service manager involved. The service manager reached out to his tech and asked for the TSB info to be printed, and when the so-called TSB was handed to me, it was actually a screenshot from a forum where the dealer tech goes to and ask other dealers or tech for advice. There is NO TSB for it. The dealer lied about it.

This is the printed forum thread commented by RyanB. "So there has been an uptick of calls regarding a Hoot/Chrip noise from under the hood on decel. The noise will go away if you turn off the AC. This seems to be affecting 2019 Pilots Touring and Elite because both have a variable compressor, so we are finding out it has characteristic noises. This noise seems to be most noticeable on HOT days 90F plus while in decel 2000-1500 RPM. Engineering is looking into this noise, and there is no suggested parts replacement at this time. There are no AC performance issues from this noise. Most variable compressors make some type of noise, but it is mostly addressed in the development of that system."

I opened a case with Honda Customer Service and was advised to get a 2nd opinion from another dealer. I brought my Pilot to a 2nd dealer and left it there for almost a week, and the dealer was able to duplicate the issue - I had to drive and let a dealer's tech ridealong to point out the origin of the problem because initially, they didn't know what to look for. I was told with the exact info that the problem was from an expansion valve and the variable compressor. They also reference the same info from the forum. I guess all dealers go to this forum for answers (or to BS their way out of addressing an issue).

The tech that ridealong commented that he's willing to replace the part, but it's up to Honda to give him the go-ahead. He also pointed out that the expansion valve is located behind the firewall and he will need to pull the dashboard out to get to it and get it replaced. He's seriously wanted to help and do all the work, but Honda refused to authorize the work. I think this is one of the reasons why Honda doesn't want to address this issue - just the enormity of the job entails of replacing the defective parts. Per the tech, it will take him a day to get the valve replaced.

Honda CS called back to deliver the message that the problem will not be fixed. CS basically relayed the dealer's recommendations. CS also suggested that the noise may be a characteristic of the new variable compressor, which is an absolute BS. What automobile manufacturer produces an SUV with a ridiculous and annoying noise and consider it as a typical characteristic? CS closed the ticket and said they couldn't do anything about it unless they get further instructions from Honda. In other words, Honda gave us the middle finger and said: "deal with it." This will be my last Honda and will never ever consider them on my next vehicle purchase.