Power Train Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph up a ramp with an incline in the rain and merging onto the freeway, the accelerator pedal was depressed down to the floorboard, but the vehicle hesitated while responding and slowly accelerated. It was unknown whether a warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that it felt like the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,435.

My car "lurches" when increasing speed sometimes acting like it does not want to go at all. I am constantly on edge that I am going to get rear ended or hit. Especially when my children are with me. Occasionally the brake light will light up and my car will slow down and then accelerate again. Which also makes me worry about getting hit. Both of these things have happened multiple times and we've done our research. It's a major issue.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My battery died while the vehicle was parked. I needed to physically move the vehicle but could not because the electronic button shifter would not allow me to put the transmission in neutral. The only way to move it out of park is a lengthy process requiring tools, engine component removals and a manual shifting of the linkage using a long wrench. My solution, was I had to leave the vehicle unattended, call a friend, get tools and replace the battery while blocking traffic. Safety concerns were that the vehicle was blocking traffic at a business and no documentation by Honda of how to fix or even shift the vehicle into neutral. Now consider if someone has to try and manually tow the vehicle while in park! I replaced the battery myself, but this is a well documented issue with electronic shifters, that will never make a dealership or service departments records or statistics! there was no warning of the failure, or battery light illuminating. Previous vehicle inspections at the dealership gave no indication that the battery was failing.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The torque converter has a shutter and has had a shutter since the day I bought it. All they want to do is flush the transmission fluid they didn't want to change the torque converter or whatever it's causing the shutter when it was under warranty. They just wanted to continue to keep flushing the transmission to give the torque converter thinner fluid so that way it would continue to run properly instead of actually changing the problem. The started to happen when I had 60,000 mi on the car cuz I had them their way of fixing the transmission first. Then it happened again at approximately 80,000 mi. Have them fix it again. Then it happened again at 115,000, mi the transmission will slam into gear around 19 mph and then it will fluctuate and slam into gear around 30 to 40 mph as well and then once you get past those two spots the transmission seems to run normal.

Transmission shuddering 55,000 miles and 3 months beyond warranty. Quoted a $221 diagnostic fee to “maybe tell me it needs a software update. ” dealer also said when transmission was serviced at 30k it should have been drained and filled 3 times not once as the book calls for. They are doing their damndest to hide a major problem.

While driving my car braked, would not drive and a warning for transmission presented on warning board. The vehicle would not shift into park, reverse, neutral, or drive. I could not move it from impeding traffic. It nice I factory reset the vehicle was fine again.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My Honda Pilot experiences a serious safety issue with the auto idle stop feature. When the system engages at a stop (such as a red light), the vehicle sometimes fails to restart, leaving me stalled in traffic. This creates a dangerous situation for myself and other drivers. The problem appears to be related to the auto idle stop system and/or the auxiliary battery. Many other Honda owners are reporting similar issues, which suggests this may be a widespread defect that needs investigation. I just dropped the car at Honda dealership for further inspection.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My 2021 Honda Pilot awd (40,200 miles) shifting from drive to neutral at intersections by itself, then engine dies. It happened multiple times. If you need more information, pls contact me at [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The auto stop/start idle function does not re-engage after stopping the engine. This has happened at least 4 times in the last 3weeks with my vehicle. When stopped in traffic or at a light and stop sign the engine idle engages and stops running the engine, when releasing the brake pedal the engine does not turn on as it should and the car stalls. This requires the operator to engage hazard lights, shift into park and repeatedly try the push start button to turn on the vehicle to proceed. The passenger safety of myself and children are of concern. While having to wait on a car function, that is the core operation of the vehicle, it is dangerous to shut off a vehicle while in operation. Having other vehicles honking and trying to pass or even stopping at a highway entrance ramp then trying to engage the car to meet highway speeds is a dangerous time for an engine to stall and not re-engage. Yes, the issue has been reproduced and a dealer has already addressed the issue with a software update. This update has not resolved the issue. There are no current recalls on my vehicle. There are no warning signs or messages or the ability to turn off the function permanently. In addition, there a times during the operation of the vehicle where the engine stop/start function works after many stops but then randomly does not start. It is an inconsistent feature.

While accelerating to merge onto the highway at 40-50 mph, the ~50k mile engine lost power and began to abruptly decelerate. All warning lights came on. The car was taken to the dealership where we were informed that the camshaft broke. Fortunately we were not struck or involved in an accident because of this but it was very dangerous and we were very lucky. There were not any warning indicators before this incident, but the car was taken to the dealership recently for a torque converter replacement per a recall. I am unsure if this repair contributed to excessive play that could have caused the camshaft failure.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Rear differential unit failed at about 66,000 miles without warning. During normal driving, the dashboard warning light came on indicating awd warning. It was raining at the time the warning came on. The Pilot onboard computer did disable the awd and place the vehicle in front wheel drive only mode. The next morning again the awd warning came on when put into drive and was raining again. Driving again in the afternoon the awd warning did not come on and there was no rain. I could not see any physical signs of an issue. The Pilot was just in for two recalls: one for backup camera wiring harness on 8/27/2025 and fuel pump on 9/8/2025. About two weeks later on 9/24/2025 was when the first warning came on. The Pilot was taken to the dealer and was reported that the differential pump, sub harness, and differential all needed to be replaced. I informed the dealer that the two recalls were performed and the warning coming on during wet weather. The dealer stated the failure was not caused by the recalls. In order to make to Pilot safe to drive again, I had the dealer replace the parts.

Driving to work on the freeway, all of a sudden acceleration stopped. Pulled over as warning lights came on due to transmission. Additionally, the check engine light appears randomly due to emission and also the “awd” light comes on. Within a few days or even weeks it turns off. This has been on and off since we purchased the vehicle from carmax.

I own a 2016 Honda Pilot awd with approximately 160,000 miles. Within a week of purchase, the engine suffered a crankshaft/rod bearing failure. While driving, the engine suddenly began knocking, lost power, and stalled in traffic. I had to quickly turn onto a side street to get out of traffic, and smoke started coming from the engine bay. The vehicle is now not driveable. I already went to a Honda dealer, and when they checked my VIN, their system only showed warranty extensions for the fuel injectors and the start/stop switch. No recall or campaign appeared for the known rod bearing defect. However, my vehicle experienced the exact failure described in recall 23v-751 and the current NHTSA investigation into Honda v6 engines. I also contacted Honda corporate recall center directly, and they opened a case under my VIN. I have the case number available if needed this poses a serious safety risk since the engine can stall without warning while driving. I request that NHTSA investigate and expand the recall to cover additional vehicles including mine, that have experienced this same dangerous defect.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle violently jolted forward with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The failure had occurred while driving on a major highway. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced technical service bulletin: 04-021; however, the contact was informed that the repair had been performed on the vehicle in 2004. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

See all problems of the 2003 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I am filing this complaint because Honda has acknowledged a torque converter defect in service bulletin 23-078 (dated August 31, 2023), which applies to 2017–2019 Pilots and ridgelines equipped with the 6-speed automatic transmission. The bulletin states that certain torque converters may have been manufactured outside proper specifications, causing cracks in the lock-up piston, pressure bleed-down, and eventual loss of clutch capacity. This failure is associated with diagnostic trouble code p0741 (“torque converter clutch circuit performance / stuck off”) and can result in shuddering, hesitation, loss of power during acceleration, or sudden and irregular transmission behavior — all of which create safety risks in traffic, merging, or highway conditions. My 2018 Honda Pilot meets all the published eligibility criteria: it is within 8 years of the original service date, has fewer than 150,000 miles, and has stored the dtc p0741. Despite this, both my dealership and Honda America have denied coverage, claiming my VIN “does not qualify. ” while a goodwill request was filed on my behalf, I was informed that even if approved, I could still be expected to pay part of the repair. This denial is unacceptable given Honda’s recognition of the defect and effectively requires me to cover a repair of a faulty product that is necessary for safe operation of the vehicle. Because Honda has already issued a service bulletin acknowledging this defect and created a warranty extension for some vehicles, I urge NHTSA to investigate whether the defect is broader than Honda admits, and whether a recall or expanded coverage is warranted to ensure drivers like myself are not forced to operate unsafe vehicles due to VIN restrictions.

After driving over a railroad crossing, all driver safety systems disabled, brake system error, awd torque distribution stopped and stated only fwd worked, and power steering stopped working. Was unable to manuever vehicle and had to ease vehicle over. Was able to stop the vehicle and shut it off. Restarted vehicle and power steering came back but other lights remained. Another few minutes went by and systems all returned to normal. This issue caused driver to lose all control of vehicle and thankfully didn't crash since vehicle was only traveling roughly 20 mph. If this happened at highway speed, there would be no way to safely stop the vehicle.

I came to a stop at a red light on a busy street. Vehicle turned off due to autorignite feature. When light turned green it no longer would turn the engine on in order to go. All my lights turned on, I couldn't put the car in drive. I couldn't put in neutral, reverse or any feature. It wouldn't allow me to do anything but put the hazards on. It had happened to me 3 times since the same exact way. Only way to get it to go in drive is by turning the vehicle off completely, if it let's you. Then once it is off, starting it and going about your day. Codes do not register as I have taken to dealership before and they say it would note it but it doesn't and have refused to repair under the warranty. It also has an acceleration and deceleration issue that has been documented on my visits that has yet to be fixed as well and is a known problem but because it is is not the correct year and model it won't get fixed. I have had someone take video since then to show what happens on the other occasions as my proof since Honda corporation themselves wouldn't doing anything either.

My 2019 Honda Pilot was surging when it went up a hill or was at a steady speed on the highway. I was concerned that the car would stall. The dealer confirmed/reproduced the problem and called it a torque converter shudder. Per Honda's instructions they changed the transmission fluid 3 times and did a software update. There were no warning lights. This is a known problem with a very specific fix that is recommended by Honda. It should be a recall and the repair covered by Honda. It costs me over $400. 00 to get the repair done at my dealer-washington PA Honda.

As the vehicle is stopped in traffic and is about the proceed, the vehicle automatically shifts into park and the emission warning light comes on. The vehicle is unable to be put back into drive unless the vehicle is turned off and then restarted creating a dangerous condition while you are stuck in middle of the roadway.

2019 Honda touring: driving down the highway the windshield would crackle ( electricity) then we started experiencing transmission delays in shifting and the transmission sounded rough and it was delayed. When the car was put in park the whole dashboard lit up with emissions system problem, stop driving when safe. Transmission problem, blind spot info system problem. After this showed up the car was not able to move at all. It would not move to gear. The problem was not reproduced at the Honda dealer. They recommend replacing the transmission. I had it towed to another shop where they tell me all codes that pertain this the initial issues stated and refer back to dealer to reset the tmc system failure and to reset the electrical system. Honda refuses to do work as they want to replace the entire transmission.

Leaking front shock, front differential, and transmission.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into gear properly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,118.

Driving in the woodlands and at a stop sign when the auto-stop feature activated and when light changed to green the car would not automatically restart, I had to physically restart the vehicle by pushing the start button with the brake engaged. Very annoying! and a big safety issue.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic signal, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle then jolted forward into gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but only occurred while stopped at a traffic signal. The contact turned off the engine start/stop feature manually. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted after failing to respond properly. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,100.

While driving on the highway, I heard a loud whirring noise then my vehicle started to decelerate. After continuing to push on the accelerator, an error message appeared that stated something to the effect of "move vehicle from neutral to park". I tried to put the vehicle back into drive but my car had thrown itself into neutral and would not go back into drive. Another error message came up and indicated something about the transmission and that I should pull over to safety and put the car in park (or something of that nature). I was able to pull over but the car was frozen and I could not put the car back into drive, only into park. The vehicle was towed to a dealership where I was told the car needed to have the transmission replaced and that the carfax report showed the transmission fluid had never been changed/replaced. The car is only four years old and I have never received an error or warning on the vehicle that there was an issue with the transmission fluid.

Complete engine failure on highway.

Transmission shift from 2nd to 3rd gear is extremely violent and inconsistent. This is not a normal "transmission slip" but rather a miscalculation of how much rpm to input post shift. This causes the car to "jump" or slow drastically while driving through city. Typically felt between 25 and 35 mph. When I took car in for diagnostic, the dealership said "OH, that's just how these cars a made. I hear about this many times with now problems. " there are no engine lights on as a result of the shifting, but the reported concern has been present on car since first owner.

The transmission surges while accelerating and cruising. Honda issued a service bulletin, 17-014 issued 2/27/2018, to fix the problem for the 2016-2017 models. Mine is a 2019 with the same transmission as the 2016-17 Pilot, the 6at. The solution to the issue was the same as the 2016-17 Pilot, flushing the transmission fluid three times but now Honda will not issue a service bulletin for the same problem on the the 2019 model so I had to pay for it.

Unresponsive and delayed acceleration when pressing the accelerator at highway speed. There is no reaction once the accelerator is pressed, engine does not increase rpm and no increase in speed for 1-2 seconds. This lag in any acceleration has caused multiple dangerous situations and needs to be investigated.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Failure occurred at highway speed. A host is warning light came on and the car lost power. Lights that came on included emissions, traction control, power steering, all wheel drive and towing (I wasn’t towing anything). No lights were on before the incident. The vehicle lost power and could not maintain any speed. I was able to roll into the breakdown lane. The vehicle was brought to a local Honda dealer who preformed the diagnosis and determined the issue to be a failure of the high pressure fuel pump. Seems this has been the source of several recalls including the 2017 Pilot but not my VIN. It seems like the recall my need to be expanded.

The vehicle has started displaying numerous codes/error messages on the display. Vehicle jerks while attempting to accelerate and loses power. Dealership diagnosed the problem as a camshaft, stating the camshaft, timing belt, camshaft thrust cover, and spark plugs would all need to be replaced. They also said this may have caused damage to the converter, which will not be known until other repairs are made. This is apparently a common and widespread issue with these Hondas despite no recall being issued.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently jerked with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 45,480.

I have recently had a traumatizing event with respect to the 2019 Honda Pilot. As you know this vehicle has the 3. 5l v6 engine and transmission. Recently I was in a situation where I needed to accelerate to miss an oncoming tractor trailer that crossed the median. The only course of action was to accelerate. At the time of acceleration the car skipped and slipped gear. We narrowly missed colliding and in my estimates dying. I had the vehicle inspected and diagnosed by a Honda dealership in sanford nc. They determined the torque converter failed and is bad. They also informed me this same power train is in the 2018 and previous Honda Pilots. Which Honda extended the warranty on to address the issue. Why haven’t they included the 2019? this is unacceptable I have reached out to Honda and they will not discuss the issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the transmission warning light illuminated while driving above 70 mph on the highway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the warranty was extended but was declined due to the vehicle having a salvage title and a rebuilt title. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Purchased vehicle 06-25-2025 with 6 miles on the odometer. Now has 78 miles. Whenever applying slight throttle pressure the vehicle lurges back and forth. As you applying accelerator pedal pressure the vehicle hesitates and then lurges forward.