general problems of the 2004 Honda Pilot

Transmission locks up when vehicle has been driven for a short time.

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the transmission was shifted into drive(d) and the vehicle shuddered. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission fluid was flushed 3 times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure recurred while the vehicle is shifted into drive(d) and d3. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

I was approaching a stop sign and slowing down to < 10 miles and the engine continued to slow down and the car started to push forward while I was totally pressing on the brake - it did not want to stop and kept pushing forward. I wasn't sure what was happening and quickly put it in neutral. My daughter who drives the car to school was sitting in the passenger seat and was completely shocked. I have been driving for 30+ years and at that moment felt things were totally out of my control. Extremely off to see a car keep going when you are trying to stop. I could 100% have hit someone if there was a car in front of me as I went two car lengths before realizing what was happening. I turned the car off. Started again and it was fine. This happened on Saturday, March 26th, 2022. I have not taken the car to the dealer. There were no lights or anything indicating any warning.

Transmission locked up while driving and wont drive after I stored the vehicle iam glad no one was behind me on the freeway there is a extremely huge problem with this transmissions the government needs to get this kind of vehicles checked out at Honda before someone loses his life.

Was on highway and started jerking real hard where I almost hit a car head on was going 55 for sure scared me to dead and pulled over and called my boyfriend he came to me and got in it and it wouldn't go forwards backwards nothing so he went and got trailer and hauled to his house could of been my life along with my kids.

Car would not. Move in any gear, let sit over nite started car and made it home with no problem.

Seems to shudder . . Light acceleration shudders, leaves then comes back again .

Okay I've only owned this vehicle about 5 or 6 months when I first got it didn't have any trouble after about 2 weeks I noticed when I would back up and made like a growling sound but no trouble with the transmission drove it no trouble except for some electrical trouble for some reason my battery kept going dead at night it had a garage check it out and they said there's a short somewhere and we started pulling bulbs and fuses didn't find anything so I had to unhook the battery each night so I don't have to get a jump in the morning okay on to the next issue is no problems until this past Sunday the 7th of October and I had pulled into a country exxon station left it running ran inside the door for 2 seconds back out my car was gone hear it had jumped gear roll backwards and thank god it didn't hit anybody or hit the pump is stop within inches so I got in it put it back in park it was still running and try to put it in drive it when go so I shut it off waited 325 minutes started it up again it went into drive drove only about a thousand feet and then it would move and had to be towed home now I don't have any documents but I can but I can get them for murphy's garage but I can get them for murphy's garage and my.

I am a former american Honda motor company automotive engineering research technician . I was one of the research technicians involved in the discovery with the failure of the 2003 and 2004 Pilot transmissions that resulted in overheated 2nd gears with potential gear tooth cracking , transmission lock up, and potential crashes. The Honda recall with retrofit atf lines to drip fluid onto the 2nd gear by a newly designed fill plug was not made to correct the problem, it was intended to make the 2nd gear last long enough until the vehicle went out of warranty and then repair costs would fall on the responsibility of the owner. I received a 2004 Honda Pilot from my mother and this morning the vehicle began to slip gears going over a local bridge. The transmission lost all forward and reverse gears in the parking lot at work. I have yet to pull and examine the transmission, but as a law enforcement officer , I believe that the thousands of consumers that were duped into believing that the Honda recall would repair and engineering design flaw should receive compensation for their transmission problems that continued to occur out of warranty. Believing that a criminal intent voids non-disclosure of manufacturing technology or information privy to only company employees of a manufacturer, after looking at the below web link, I had to come forward with the information. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. While driving various speeds, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral without warning and the engine stalled. When the key was inserted in the ignition, it was able to be easily removed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (colonial Honda of dartmouth, 225 state road, dartmouth, MA, 02747), but could not be diagnosed because no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was persistent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. When the gear was shifted into park, while releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle would attempt to roll backwards. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle rolled backwards or forward regardless if it were uphill or downhill. The failure recurred numerous times and each time the brake pedal was being released. The vehicle was taken to genesis Honda (located on 8931 highway 92 woodstock, GA 30189) where a preliminary diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the issue could be the shifter, and that further diagnostic testing was needed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the diagnostic fees. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 188,523.

My wife was smashed between an opened driver's door and a pole because the the car rolled backward. The safety's problem in this car that you can remove the key from the ignition while the car's engine is still running, remove the keys from the ignition when the gear in other than park gear, or engine shuts off and vehicle not in park. My wife was injured yesterday because the car was not in park and the vehicle squeezed her between an open door and a pole outside. That happened because in this car the engine shuts off and she was able to remove the key from ignition while the car in neutral. . . This is a major safety issue when the key can be removed while the engine is still running or in any other gear other than the park status. . . . . This is all happened in a parking lot. Stationary and right after she parked the car .

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle shifted into gears independently without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 201,000.

Driving around town transmission locked up. Avoided crash. Recall on my vehicle was never performed. Now my transmission needs to be rebuilt and I have to pay for Hondas negligence? we purchase this new in 2004 the recall was in the same year. Always dealer maintained. This is unacceptable!! my family could have been seriously hurt in a serious crash!! now my vehicle is at aamco for the repairs. Honda will not cover the repairs because the recall was never done? Honda never repaired it !! I my family will never buy another Honda product again, sorry buy my family's well being is more important than their profits.

I was due for my yearly vehicle inspection. Prior to getting the vehicle inspected the check engine light came on. I took the vehicle to the dealer for the inspection and told them the engine light came on. I was then told that the code that came up was for the transmission and that it needs to be replaced. The vehicle did not pass inspection because of this and I was issued a piece of paper to place in the window that gives me 10 days to have the vehicle repaired. The car is a 2004 Honda Pilot with 158470 miles. It has shown no signs of transmission problems.

At a traffic stop everything wa normal, when I accelerated the vehicle I noticed that the d indicator started to flash. Before contacting the dealership I did a search on line and found that many other Pilot owners are having the same issue. When I contacted the dealer they wanted to charge me 150. 00 for them to hook the vehicle up to their computers. I now found out that the problem is a switch for the fourth gear. My vehicle runs great and shifts very smoothly. My wife and daughter use this vehicle to go back and forth to school. It appears that Honda has had over nine years to fix and address this problem, weather you are the first owner or not, and if you purchased it from a Honda dealer should not be a consideration. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving on freeway transmission completely dis-engaged ( as if I shifted into neutral ). While "coasting" I was attempting to safely pull off to the side of the freeway. After approximately five seconds the transmission re-engaged and was performing normally again. I took surface streets for the ten mile trip home and the problem occurred four additional times.

Went to dealer for a recall service and maintenance, also ask dealer to check for an issue about car makes a clunking sound some where in front engine when turn right. They found the front/right engine mount was broken, need to be replaced both of them and cost $820. I found a lot of Pilot owners has same issue. I think Honda should issue a recall for this.

I was parked in the driveway on a completely flat surface. I put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. I touched the accelerator pedal lightly to get the car moving, the car accelerated wildly. I stomped on the brake, which went to the floor. I had time to look down and see that my foot was on the brake pedal and to stomp on the emergency brake. The car did not slow down at all. The vehicle continued accelerating until it smashed into a tree going approximately 30 mph (estimated). A couple hours before the wreck a previously unseen brake error light came on the dash. The shop it was taken to refused to look into the brakes, accelerator, master cylinder or the transmission. They stated there were no codes triggered, though they could provide no proof that they even had the necessary equipment to read the codes. State farm insurance refuses to investigate because the vehicle was a total loss. This from a stand still on a flat surface. It was horrific. I would like the vehicle inspected to determine if there was a mechanical failure.

Apparently I did not place the car in park but was able to take the keys out of the ignition. Left the car and when I came back to the car, the car had rolled backward and crashed into bushes which stopped the car. This has happened to me twice. I now make sure I engage the parking brake to make sure the car does not roll.

Pilot rolled away while it was parked, I had key in my hand, it hit a concrete flower pot. Damaging my right fender bumper mirror. Policeman got inside Pilot took key in and out of ignition several times,while it was in gear. I drove the car to Honda dealership told them what happened. They admitted it should not do that, but did nothing to help. After hearing of recall in Jan. I contacted Honda about the incident telling them they should fix my Pilot since it was there fault this accident happened. They had me send them information about what happened. The police report ect. They had me take the Pilot to dealership and leave it 5 hours. When Honda called me back a week later they refused to take responsibility for accident because the key does not come out of ignition when dealership had it, it does not do this all of the time , but it did happen in July 2012 long before I knew about recall and I have police report and witness to prove it did. My insurance has gone up because of accident plus I have to pay deductible, when this was not my fault. Honda has recall on Honda so how could they not be responsible? could you please help me with this?.

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact was driving 70 mph when the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the failure and advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. There was a previous recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). The vehicle was repaired under the recall previously bu the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted who advised that they would file a complaint on the contact's behalf and have a representative give him a return call. The failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 99,104.

While driving normal and slowly accelerating, at the speed of 35-45 mph a "shuddering vibration" occurs.

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the check engine light was reset several times, but the failure was not corrected. The check engine light remained illuminated and the contact took the vehicle to two different mechanics for diagnosis. Both diagnostics located the failure at the transmission torque and the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 122,000.

At 30-40 mph while slightly accelerating, the engine vibrates or shudders. The symptom stops if I let off the gas or if I increase the acceleration. Does not seem to have other problems associated with this.

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. While driving approximately 60 mph up an incline, the transmission down shift into second gear while the engine warning indicator was illuminated. The failure occurred continuously. The contact was unable to drive beyond 30 mph. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). The VIN was ineligible under the recall defect. The vehicle was diagnosed by a certified mechanic who stated the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The car stalled while driving in the freeway. I paid $4500 for rebuilt transmission.

Front engine mounts are bad.

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stated that the gear shift would not illuminate when shifted from park to drive position causing the vehicle to hesitate when the accelerator was depressed. The contact would have to restart the vehicle several times to stop the failure from recurring. The vehicle was at the dealership and had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Ne.

The shift interlock allowed the key to be removed without the Pilot being in park. This caused the Pilot to roll backwards in a parking lot. Luckily the lot was fairly flat, so it didn't roll far or hit anything (or anybody!). A Honda dealer confirmed the issue, and contacted Honda about it. Honda said they wouldn't fix the issue due to the mileage, and the fact that I purchased the vehicle used (from carmax).

Began to hear "rumble strip" noise. Hasn't obviously affected vehicle performance and mechanic could not find problem, but noise continues between 35 and 50 mph.

I have a 2004 Honda Pilot and I am having the same problem that a lot of the Honda cars are getting recalled for but my vehicle is not listed. You can remove the key while the gear selector is not in park. My wife rolled forward and hit a safety pole. She is always afraid of doing it again with our kids in the car. I called Honda about the repair and they said it was not a recall. I don't understand how some Honda cars can get recalled but mine will not. I called Honda and asked about the cost of the repair and they told me it was going to be expensive.

Our Pilot drive light started flashing one day, we pulled over, shut off the vehicle, then restarted it and the light went out. This has happened about 5 times over the past 3 years. Now our engine light came on and we found out that we need a new transmission! we have less than 100,000 mi. Also, our gas pedal sticks, to accelerate we take off extremely fast from a dead stop. I am afraid that this will cause an accident!!! it started out a little sticky and is now very bad.

I am first owner of my Pilot (my first Honda) and I too am suffering from the 35-45mph shudder from the known transmission problem. It's worse than just shuddering, it is grinding to shift down and sounds like a semi truck gearing down on the interstate. I have had to drive it this way for nearly 2 years. I stay on the interstate as much as possible and speed through town to keep it above 40mph where it happens the worst. Honda corporate insists I pay the local dealer for review (another $90 bill) before talking to me but insists there is no recall beyond what was done in 04v176000 , but the problem still exists and I don't have $5000 to spend on rebuilding the transmission. Even private party it's $3k. It is getting worse.