Purchased 2023 Honda Pilot Touring 2WD on Aug 26, 2023 new. A week before its 1st year while driving to work in the AM, brake signal flashes through the dash board and a sudden loss of power. Exited the freeway and try to asses the situation. All warning started to show one after the other. Steering wheel issue, take to the dealer; the stability system, take to the dealer; traction control, ABS, brakes, Lane Departure, and speedometer warning lights were illuminated. The "Anti-lock Brake System, Brake Performance Reduced", "Parking Sensor Failure", "All-Wheel Drive System Failure", "Electric Power Steering System Failure - Steering Assist Reduced", and "Vehicle Stability Assist System Failure - Reduced Traction and Handling" messages were all coming up.
Tried to drive to a safer place but the Pilot will only go 12 mph. Turn off the engine hoping that ir will reset, but as I re started the Pilot, same warnings still coming up one after the other. Even the navigation screen was off. Took the car to the dealer only to be told the the car won't be diagnose until afternoon.
Got a call from the service department and I was told that the issue was the ECU which has 45 pages of diagnostics that they have to go through one by one. Then and only then they can tell me what's the specific issue, Ii it requires parts or something else.
What's frustrating is:
1. I was driving on a freeway which could have cause an accident or great bodily injury.
2. I chose Honda over Toyota based on my previous 2008 Honda Accord EXL 4 cyl which logged 350,000 ++ miles with no issues. 3. I paid good money for this vehicle and when the car gave up in less than a year, Honda doesn't have loaner or car rental offer. 4. Honda's offer for a free oil change for two years doesn't mean squat. It states that the oil life has to be 15% or the engine light turns on before you can avail of the free oil change. It will take 10,000 miles or more before you hit 15% oil life which NO MECHANIC will ever tell you to change oil every 10,000 miles.
As of this writing, I am still waiting for what the dealer has to say about the ECU problem.
Update from Aug 23, 2024: 2023 Honda Pilot Update: After the dealer did diagnostic testing on multi codes, 68 diagnostic trouble shooting recommended to smoke the intake system to find
any leaks. It turned out that by replacing the air filter with K&N performance filter, the air filter compartment didn't latch properly thereby creating air to scape from the compartment. The K&N filter's rubber sidings are too thick for the air compartment cover to latch properly. By replacing with Honda's original air filter, the issue was resolve.
I changed the air filer with K&N days after I got the Pilot. How come it took almost a year and 15,000 miles later for the problem to surface? I was advice to keep driving the Pilot and see if the problem comes back. Otherwise, the issue was indeed the K&N air filter. and if it does come back, to take it back to the dealer.
This was also explained to me: I have a K type engine. It was engineered and built as it is, It has a lot of censors after censors and sensors monitoring sensors. Any slight "modifications" will trigger a problem. (such as, K&N air filter). The vehicle is meant to be"as is" and not to be changed or modified. Sensors after sensors are necessary to comply with "emission" requirements.
Hope this helps and if something comes up, I will post again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Purchased 2023 Honda Pilot Touring 2WD on Aug 26, 2023 new. A week before its 1st year while driving to work in the AM, brake signal flashes through the dash board and a sudden loss of power. Exited the freeway and try to asses the situation. All warning started to show one after the other. Steering wheel issue, take to the dealer; the stability system, take to the dealer; traction control, ABS, brakes, Lane Departure, and speedometer warning lights were illuminated. The "Anti-lock Brake System, Brake Performance Reduced", "Parking Sensor Failure", "All-Wheel Drive System Failure", "Electric Power Steering System Failure - Steering Assist Reduced", and "Vehicle Stability Assist System Failure - Reduced Traction and Handling" messages were all coming up.
Tried to drive to a safer place but the Pilot will only go 12 mph. Turn off the engine hoping that ir will reset, but as I re started the Pilot, same warnings still coming up one after the other. Even the navigation screen was off. Took the car to the dealer only to be told the the car won't be diagnose until afternoon.
Got a call from the service department and I was told that the issue was the ECU which has 45 pages of diagnostics that they have to go through one by one. Then and only then they can tell me what's the specific issue, Ii it requires parts or something else.
What's frustrating is: 1. I was driving on a freeway which could have cause an accident or great bodily injury.
2. I chose Honda over Toyota based on my previous 2008 Honda Accord EXL 4 cyl which logged 350,000 ++ miles with no issues. 3. I paid good money for this vehicle and when the car gave up in less than a year, Honda doesn't have loaner or car rental offer. 4. Honda's offer for a free oil change for two years doesn't mean squat. It states that the oil life has to be 15% or the engine light turns on before you can avail of the free oil change. It will take 10,000 miles or more before you hit 15% oil life which NO MECHANIC will ever tell you to change oil every 10,000 miles.
As of this writing, I am still waiting for what the dealer has to say about the ECU problem.
Update from Aug 23, 2024: 2023 Honda Pilot Update: After the dealer did diagnostic testing on multi codes, 68 diagnostic trouble shooting recommended to smoke the intake system to find
any leaks. It turned out that by replacing the air filter with K&N performance filter, the air filter compartment didn't latch properly thereby creating air to scape from the compartment. The K&N filter's rubber sidings are too thick for the air compartment cover to latch properly. By replacing with Honda's original air filter, the issue was resolve.
I changed the air filer with K&N days after I got the Pilot. How come it took almost a year and 15,000 miles later for the problem to surface? I was advice to keep driving the Pilot and see if the problem comes back. Otherwise, the issue was indeed the K&N air filter. and if it does come back, to take it back to the dealer.
This was also explained to me: I have a K type engine. It was engineered and built as it is, It has a lot of censors after censors and sensors monitoring sensors. Any slight "modifications" will trigger a problem. (such as, K&N air filter). The vehicle is meant to be"as is" and not to be changed or modified. Sensors after sensors are necessary to comply with "emission" requirements.
Hope this helps and if something comes up, I will post again.
- jir399, Fontana, CA, US