general problems of the 2005 Honda Pilot - part 2

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph and engaged the brakes. The vehicle came to a abrupt stop and then began to accelerate uncontrollably. The contact was unable to maneuver the uncontrollable vehicle and crashed into two cement barriers. The contact sustained minor back injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage facility. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number:13v092000 (service brakes, hydraulic: antilock: control) and stated that the recall notification was received after the consequence of the recall had been experienced. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

While exiting a driveway at approximately 5 miles per hour the brakes locked without the driver applying pressure. The driver was able to get the vehicle to the center painted median with extra gas and still under unwanted braking. Once the car came to a complete stop for 30 seconds or so the brakes released. The driver then drove the vehicle at a slow speed along the curb to our house within 2 miles. It's now parked as we are afraid to drive it. A call to metro Honda in montclair was of no assistance. They said my vehicle was not effected by the recent Honda recall on the issue. The vsa light remains illuminated as well as the system warning light.

Brakes went to floor when applied to slow down forward motion in driveway/garage. Took vehicle out for test drive and could not replicate.

First incident, my wife was driving approximately 45 mph when 2005 Honda Pilot began to vibrate and make a "groaning" noise or a noise almost like when you drive on a gravel road. 2005 Honda Pilot was also (while vibrating and making noise) abruptly slowing down/ stopping without depressing the brake pedal. It would also do this while applying the accelerator. Second incident was later that same day. I picked the 2005 Honda Pilot up from my wife as she was now to afraid to drive it. After about 10 mins of driving, I was doing about 55 mph and the 2005 Honda Pilot made the same noise and vibration as described above and also slowed down abruptly as if I hit the brakes(which I didn't). About another half mile was a traffic light as I began to slow down for light I applied the brakes gently and as I applied the brakes the brake pedal left my foot and the 2005 Honda Pilot came to an abrupt stop. This happened two more times so I pulled into a parking lot because I did not feel safe driving at that point. When I stopped in the parking lot I noticed my vsa indicator light was on. It would not turn off until I turned the 2005 Honda Pilot off. Same day I took my 2005 Honda Pilot to the local Honda dealership and they have not been able to reproduce the symptom.

While driving a short distance away from my home the car's brakes locked up on their own. The next 1/4 mile while trying to reach a safe place to pull over the brakes would lock and unlock without warning. Once pulled over and noticed the vsa light was illuminated. After then reading the owners manual I followed the instructions to turn the vehicle off and then back on. At this point the vsa light was off and I was able to drive back home without another incident. Very concerned to drive vehicle again since if this were to happen on the highway or major road an accident would be likely. I have two children 2 and 4 years of age and this is the vehicle we use to get them around. Thank you for your time and review of this issue.

Driving on the highway at approximately 45 mph, my Honda Pilot abruptly pulled to the left. It felt like the anti lock brakes actuated. The vsa and triangle light illuminated. The Pilot was pulled off the highway where it stopped. The ignition was turned off and on an the condition cleared.

I was driving under slightly wet conditions at a fairly low speed (approx. 25 - 30 mph) and the car seemed, momentarily, as if the left front tire had gone flat and an indicator light with a triangle and an exclamation point and the vsa light simultaneously came on. I pulled over, checked the tire, turned the car off, restarted it and everything was fine for the rest of that day. The next morning, I experienced the same thing after the car had sat all night. After turning it off and back on, the indicator and vsa lights were out, but then came back on less than 30 minutes later while idling. The weather conditions this day were cold, but dry. I made an appointment and took the car to leith Honda. I experienced the same condition while driving it to the dealer. The service advisor told me that there was no indication of a problem and the car's computer didn't indicate that the vsa had even been on. I picked the car up that night, after they had closed, and experienced the problem less than 15 minutes after I left the dealer. I then experienced it again the next day, after a cold start, and then again today, also after a cold start, but this time while idling. This is a scary and potentially dangerous situation and there are lots of reports about this problem floating around the internet. My particular experiences haven't been as bad (yet) as others have described, but the symptoms are the same (front brakes momentarily locking and steering pulling, in my case, to the left).

Beginning 12/06 the car would slam it's brakes on, independently, when making a left turn. It happened a couple times and the dealer could find nothing. After having it happen yet again, and after detailing how this problem nearly took my life, Honda agreed to take the car and the service rep. Would drive it. I was fortunate and it happened to him very quickly. Under warranty, 1/25/07, a abs/tcs/vsa modulator was replaced. Now five years later the car has decided that if it can't independently slam it's breaks on, well, it will just independently speed up instead. Again, when making left hand turns. Guess what, now we are out of warranty and Honda is out of caring. I would be very curious to know how many people Honda has hurt or killed, just no one figured out why in the world the driver sped up or suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Driving along a two lane highway on a 20 degree morning and coasting around a gently curving corner to the right at 45 mph when an unexpected jarring and pulling to the left occurred coupled with a loss of speed and the vsa letters and a triangle indicator lights lit on the dash board. . Needless to say this got my attention and luckily nothing was coming from the other direction. I had not touched the brake pedal until after the initial problem occurred and when I saw the lights and went along maybe 200 to 300 yds it did it again which got me very worried. I pulled over and turned the engine off and tried to reset the car but to no joy so I drove the remainder of my commute to work with the very same lights left on. The remainder of my drive was fine but not sure if I am safe driving with this anomaly and especially the sudden self braking, when will it happen next?.

Driving along and my vsa light comes on, the brakes grab and the vehicle swerves as if I have suddenly slammed on brakes. My foot is on accelerator at the time not the brakes. Live on an icy, winding road with lots of semi truck traffic. Very scary. Happening every single time I drive now. Once the vsa light comes on and the brakes lock momentarily the vsa light and warning light stays on till vehicle turned off. First time the vsa light came on there was no locking of brakes. Just the light. Now the brakes lock up momentarily every time I drive. Extremely concerned for my safety.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 to 40 mph, the brakes suddenly engaged. The driver noticed that the vsa warning light illuminated. The driver was unable to move the vehicle which was later towed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The vehicle was never diagnosed due to the contact seeing an investigation opened in regards to NHTSA action number pe12028 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock:control unit/module). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 155,000.

While driving on the highway at approximately 60 mph the brakes suddenly activated and the vehicle rapidly decelerated. Tires actually screeched due to the rapid deceleration. The brakes pulsed off and on until the vehicle came to a complete stop. Pressing and releasing the brake pedal had no effect. I turned off the car then re-started it and continued on with no further problem. If a car would have been behind me it certainly would have caused an accident as my vehicle stopped so abruptly I surely would have been rear-ended. I have owned this vehicle for 5 yrs and this has happened 5-6 times, the first time about 6 mos after I purchased the vehicle. The date here is the most recent incident. It has occurred at different speeds and happens when the brake pedal has not been touched. It is random and I have gone as long as a year between incidents. I have not yet taken it to a dealer because it is such a random occurrence and not possible to duplicate, and numerous accounts of this problem on-line indicate that Honda does not have a fix and does not acknowledge the problem. My experience is exactly as described in NHTSA action number dp12002 and pe12028.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while traveling 40 mph and the vehicle suddendly began to decelerate and became hard to steer. The contact stated that the engine continue running, but the vehicle would not accelerate since the brakes had engaged and failed to release. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 154,000.

Brakes actuated on their own several times. Car came to abrupt stop momentarily but then the brakes released on their own. Starting happening today and occurred six times during a couple mile car ride. Only happened sporadically. Not sure what to do at this point.

Vehicle being driven on highway at approximate 50mph and brakes randomly apply without pedal being depressed. Vehicle comes to dangerous and violent stop. Same thing happens when vehicle is driven at lower speeds between 25mph to 35mph. Violent braking happens both when pedal is applied and also randomly without pedal being depressed. Vehicle is not safe and Honda claims it has no real solution. Honda dealership/service center has duplicated exact malfunction and requires Honda to assist them with finding a solution. Now being held hostage by Honda on how or if they can repair issue, which leaves vehicle safety in question.

Long story but I believe it is all related. Based on my understanding the anti-lock brake system and vsa are all part of the same system in a 2005 Honda Pilot. We were having a "noise" that was believed to be caused by a random anti-lock brake system self check. This would happen at any speed and appeared to be activated by any small bump in the road. This was more of a nuisance than anything but we thought we would have the dealership look into it. More on this later. In addition we also had the vehicle stability assist (vsa) engage once and the results were a little scary or violent at best. The problem occurred when travelling at approximately 70 mph under windy conditions. The vsa system engaged, the brakes were heavily applied, and the vehicle was put into a control mode that pulled the vehicle left and right. We had very limited control of the vehicle when all of this was happening. We were able to pull the vehicle over without incident and deactivate the vsa to finish our trip. What our dealership found was a cracked electrical connector on the main engine wiring harness where it connects to the anti-lock brake and vsa module. The connector is located under the engine shroud in an area that isn't accessible during normal or routine maintenance and we have never had any service done on anything in this area. Our guess is that it was cracked during the original installation or it fatigued over time. The Honda technician thought the root cause of the problem was moisture entering the control module via the damaged connector. This in turn caused damage to the printed circuit board that controls the braking and vsa system. We stopped investigating the repair at this point because of cost. It was over $2000. 00 to get the harness and control module replaced. I wanted to share this because of all the recent news on 2005 Pilots.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the brakes engaged independently as the abs and vehicle stability warning lights illuminated. The vehicle spun in full circle three times before stopping. The contact had to disconnect and reconnect the battery in order to release the brakes. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that every code for the brake system showed up when performing a diagnostic test. The dealer could not determine what caused the failure, but suggested they replaced the vehicle stability and abs modules. The dealer could not guarantee that the repair would remedy the failure. The failure and the current mileages were 170,000. Kmj.

I was on the highway doing about 60. I put on my blinker and was about to change to the left lane next to me. A car in the left lane sped up as I started to move left. I turned back slightly to the right and tapped my brakes. The brakes locked up and I had a hard time controlling the vehicle. Luckily there were no cars next to me or behind me, because I went into the right lane next to me and then onto the birm lane. The car stopped suddenly. The road was dry- there was no reason for this to happen. Thank god my children were not with me and that the only cars on the highway were ahead of me.

Starting about a month ago, when our Honda Pilot 2005 reached a little over 100k miles, the antilock braking system started freaking out. When going approximately 35-45 mph on straight dry roads the brakes will suddenly apply themselves with no pressing of the brake pedal! luckily it has lasted only a second and they are suddenly released, but it is very frightening and if I were not looking straight ahead and holding tight to the wheel the car easily could have pulled off the road (it seems to be predominantly the front driver side brake - I think the left side only did it once. ) this has happened 5 times on different days in the past month. It usually happens within the first couple minutes of starting the car. Also, when driving at slow speeds 5-15mph while turning we have started to hear a "clunking/scrapping" sound of the antilock brakes "adjusting" - is how I'd describe it? the brake pedal is not being pressed, but they seem to be confused. The sound is similar to how it would sound if we actually hit an ice patch while driving and applied the brakes - kind of a clunking or bracing sound to prevent skidding, but the road is dry. And finally just yesterday the brakes seem to have become permanently stuck in the slightest/teeniest level of application - they just sound like they are applied while driving. The car kind of humms. This didn't stop until I stopped the car completely and turned it off, waited 5 minutes and started again? this time the roads were very wet and possibly it started when we hit a slightly slick spot? but then didn't let up till the car was turned off? the brakes have a sensation like they will suddenly go off without warning or maybe even not apply if I need them to?! we drive a 7,6 and 4 year old in this car every day. Please require Honda to recall and fix this ASAP! thank you.

We recently purchased this car used from anderson Honda of palo alto. On several occasions the vsa has engaged for no apparent reason at speeds ranging from 10-35 mph. The vsa engaged at slow speeds when turning and at the faster speeds on the straight-a-way. When the vsa engages the vsa light and warning light turn on. The lights do go off after the car has been turned off and at rest for a few minutes. Most often when the vsa engages the car shudders slightly, both the brake and the gas pedal shudder and vibrate. The car feels like it is slowing momentarily. In the most recent episode on Nov. 27. The car was traveling 35 mph down hill and the steering pulled slightly to the left.

I saw on the news that the NHTSA was investigating a brake issue on the Honda Pilot 2005. I experienced a similar issue but thought it was a glitch as it only happened one day (although it happened twice that day). I've finally gotten around to filing an official report both with Honda and NHTSA to hopefully aid in the investigation. The braking issue happened on two separate occasions on the same day, roughly 2 months ago. The first incident happened on the freeway. I was going the speed limit when all of a sudden I felt like the car completely lost power. The lights on the dashboard flashed, my speed decreased suddenly although I still had my foot on the gas. It only last a few seconds and then I regained control of the vehicle. An hour later, when I was off the freeway, it happened again, but this time I was going 25 miles an hour driving on city streets. Same exact issue where it felt like the car computer shut down with no power for a few seconds. It hasn't happened since, but I'm very scared that it may happen at any time again. We only have one car and have a 1 year old. I hope Honda and the NHTSA make progress into identifying the issue. Please let me know if I can contribute any more information. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the brakes suddenly engaged and the abs warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 167,000.

Approximate date I put was today, but this has happened several times to my spouse within the last few years. Today is the first time I had been able to duplicate it. I just started the car, pulled out of the driveway on my way to work. About 300 yards down the road at approximately 25 miles per hour the car braked on its own twice and stopped the car. I had to get to work so I continued on. It occured two more times on my way to work. I was never going faster than 40 miles per hour. It happened once while I was braking and two times while I was at a coast. My wife just told me that it happened again to her as recently as 3 days ago. I am concerned obviously because of the safety aspect of this. I have 3 children and god forbid this happen on the freeway or at high speeds. I have seen multiple complaints on the internet of this same occurence with the 2005 Honda Pilot and they all said to file a complaint with this site.

My wife and I have had multiple incidences with our vsa system in our 2005 Pilot over the last several months. While driving anywhere from 5-40mph, the car has locked the brakes and steering. It seems to happen randomly with no prior indications. I did a bit of research online and found no solution to my problem. I saw that the NHTSA was looking into the issue as of October, and I am hoping to find a solution soon. This is a serious issue that has the potential to cause a fatal accident if it happens at the wrong time.

Vsa system malfunction. Front left brake engages while vehicle is in motion.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the vsa warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle began to brake independently. The failure recurred sporadically when the contact was traveling at various speeds or when attempting a turn. The vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA campaign id number 13v092000 (service brakes, hydraulic, traction control system). The failure recurred numerous times after the recall service was performed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Braking and steering problems happened several times in a 11 or 12 month time frame took it to dealer 4 times and they could not get problem to duplicate and no repairs done. Accident occurred due to these problems a month ago Honda will not take ownership of problem.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph the brakes engaged independently without any warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the fourth year pressure switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 79,450 and the current mileage was 88,450.

My Pilot has a very bad shake in the steering wheel whenever I reach speeds of 70mph. I've had three wheel balances (one road force balance), two alignments, rotors and brakes checked with no issues with those items. I've had to of the motor mounts replaced on the vehicle since I purchased it which I never had to do on any other vehicles I've ever owned. I told the Honda dealer that I think Honda corporation should do a recall on the motor mounts because all Pilot owners are complaining about the same issues. I still have the shaking in the steering wheel and I'm afraid that I might have to replace the third motor mount to resolve the shaking in the steering wheel. This is another expense that I can't afford but it doesn't seem Honda cares about their customers so I guess we have no other options since it seems we (Honda owners) can't get through to Honda corporation to help us!.

The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while traveling 30 mph with the brake pedal engaged to slow down, the brakes became stuck and the vehicle started to shutter for approximately one minute. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated they could not find the problem. The failure mileage was 110,236 updated 04/10/lj updated 04/23/12.

The vsa light and warning light come on within a minute of the first movement of the vehicle. When the light comes on there is a loud clunk noise and the front brake and steering locks for a fraction of a second. It has happened more than once on the highway nearly causing me to be hit from behind.

The first incident occurred while traveling at highway speeds. The car violently jerked forward 3 times and came to a complete sudden stop on the interstate. Luckily no one was following too close or we would have been rear ended. My foot was on the accelerator maintaining a steady speed, and it was like I stomped on the break rapidly three times and then the car came to a complete stop. We took the car to the Honda dealership and they could not repeat the issue but said that the battery wasn't putting out the proper amount of amps and was likely resulting in the computer sending faulty messages. They replaced the battery. The car seemed to be fixed when the battery was replaced, but then the issue recurred about two months later at the end of February 2012. While accelerating at about 30 mph, the car violently came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road. Again, we were lucky to not be not rear ended. We took the car to another auto shop, but they weren't able to duplicate the issue. They assessed the computer and noted a faulty egr valve and replaced it. The car drove fine for two weeks after that, then the issue recurred for a third time, again at about 30 mph. The same thing occurred; the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road after the sensation of stomping on the breaks several times. The car is in the shop again, and they can't recreate the problem. Their assessment is leading them to believe there is a faulty abs switch or brake booster. After several failed repair attempts, we aren't confident that anyone knows what the problem is. However, if you read the forums online, this is a problem that has been reported by dozens of people with my year, make/model and at the approximate mileage as my car. If we continue driving the car, we are scared we may injure ourselves or others.

It was night, and my girlfriend and I just exited the freeway, we just turned onto a side street and made it 100 yards when all of the sudden it felt like my left front tire went flat or I hit something and it dragged, I immediately pulled over to inspect, and found nothing. I did notice the vsa and vsa activation indicators on, turning the car off and then on again reset the indicators. Oddly concerned we circled back to check for anything in the road, there was nothing. It happened again just a few minutes later, and the indicators came back on. It repeated itself a third time, and I drove home very worried it would happen on the freeway. Each instance was momentary and it pulled hard left each time with a load antilock brake type jarring vibration. From reading other stories I can see that this problem isn't one of a kind, and I haven't seen anyone post a fix for it.

Tl - the contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the brakes would engage independently. The contact mentioned that the vehicle stability control, vsa and the vsa activation indicator warning lamps were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 115,000. Kmj.

Tl - the contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after the vehicle received repairs for NHTSA campaign number: 13v092000 (service brakes, hydraulic , traction control system) every time the ignition was turned on all of the warning lamps in the instrument panel illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 160,000. Pm.