Power Train Problems of Honda Pilot - part 1

I received a letter from Honda regarding a warranty extension on the torque converter of my 2017 Honda Pilot. When I took the vehicle into the dealership, their senior technician confirmed the mechanical issues happening with the vehicle are aligned with the description of the concerns outlined in the warranty extension. The only element of the extension condition that was not happening was a code popping up on the screen. When I asked what conditions would need to take place for the code to pop up, they stated the torque converter would seize up while driving and cause the vehicle to be a hazard to those in the vehicle. When I explained this to Honda, they continued to deny the repair since the code did not populate. I am asking the NHTSA to look into this matter as I assume the purpose of the warranty extension was to repair an issue that could cause serious injury to the inhabitants of the vehicle, and not to rely on an electronic error code to pop up. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Pilot 🔎.

While my husband was taking our daughter to school on 01/05/2026 around 6:00am, a warning message flashed on the radio screen: "emissions system problem: the engine is not operating properly. Avoid high speeds and visit your dealer as soon as possible. If the indicator is blinking, stop in a safe place where there are no flammable objects. Turn off the engine for 10 minutes or more to let it cool. Restart the engine. If the indicator continues to blink, immediately have your vehicle checked by the dealer. " this was a safety at risk for my husband, my child, and the public - anyone driving near the vehicle. My husband pulled over and called me to let me know what was happening. He called aaa to have the car towed to the dealer. And called the dealer to let them know we were having the vehicle towed to them. They diagnosed it with "a unit in need of engine replacement. " the car was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle in 12/2021. It is a 2021 Honda Pilot and had a few hundred miles over 8000 at the time of purchase. The dealer is not taking responsibility as the miles 62,007 are just over the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. And over the 5 years by weeks - 11/2020 to 01/05/2026. I was advised to contact american Honda. They basically told me I was not eligible for a goodwill assist as because: 1. ) I was not the original owner 2. )I did not have my service done at Honda. However, I did have documents of all of the service that had been done and sent those receipts to the Honda dealer. The engine failed. The dealer confirmed engine failure. The vehicle did stall out - at a stop light and took several minutes to start back up around October or November 2025. There were also some engine noises, including loud noises while accelerating, especially in sport mode.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

The 9 speed transmission suddenly lost power while accelerating onto an interstate from an on ramp. It is available for inspection at the auto shop as it is not driveable and had to be towed. The vehicle did not give any indication in the moment. My safety and the safety of other drivers were at risk due to the posted speed limit of 65 mph and my car had no ability to accelerate and get to a shoulder with three lanes of traffic. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer. I've reported this issue numerous times and they always state they don't find anything defective with the vehicle. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or other entities. There has never been any warning lamps or messages prior to the sudden loss of power on this occassion. In the past when I have lost power, it's been momentarily and no signs have illuminated. It has gained power within seconds of me stepping on the gas. On this occassion, it never got power back and the signs came on. Once I got to the side of the road, I tried turning the vehicle off and back on but once I try to put it in drive, it goes back to neutral automatically on its own. Prior to this incident, other than losing power momentarily at times, when stopped at a red light or stop sign, the car would automatically put itself in neutral and I was unable to drive when the light turned green/my turn at stop sign. I had to turn the car off (in the middle of the road) and turn it back on to get it to go in drive and accelerate again.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Pilot 🔎.

My car stalled at a red light due to auto idle-stop failure. It failed to restart, shifted itself to neutral/park, and the car was completely unresponsive for a minute. This is a huge safety hazard.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Repeatedly there has been a cylinder 1 misfire causing the check engine light to activate. The vehicle starts to shake and idling is rough. It has happened repeatedly over the past 3-4 years. In 2025 it happened in August, October and December despite repeated maintenance. Error codes that have popped up due to the issue primarily include cylinder 1 misfires a known and documented issue related to the faulty vcm system. The problem has repeatedly been identified by multiple mechanics. I use my vehicle primarily to transport my children to and from school. We have all been in the car during these misfires endangering their safety. At many of the times when the misfires have happened my children have been in the car and any engine failure while operating the vehicle puts them in danger. My children are adhd/autistic and during the times the vehicle has broken down while driving it has caused them extreme distress. The vehicle is available for inspection at any time. I have reached out to Honda repeatedly to have the issue resolved however despite repeated promises the vehicle would be fixed due to recalls and extended warranties Honda officials have repeatedly made erroneous claims and insist my vehicle's VIN needs to be approved for any repairs. This is a well documented known issue for this make and model due to the faulty vcm system causing oil to get into the cylinders leading to the misfires and piston ring wear and corroded spark plugs. All I am requesting is for Honda to make the necessary repairs so my vehicle is safe to transport my children. I have kept up with the maintenance of the vehicle. The problems we have experienced are directly caused by the known vcm/mil failures. Also we have consistently had codes come up for the abs as well. Under the magnuson-moss warranty act Honda is responsible for making the repairs.

See all problems of the 2013 Honda Pilot 🔎.

This 2018 Honda Pilot has been taken to mechanic after a number of check engine and other dash lights came on while trying to accelerate to merge with freeway traffic. Mechanic pulled a p0369 code and I paid for replacement of the cam shaft sensor. Problems continued shortly after work and mechanic conducted further inspections and determined the sensor had been worn by a walking camshaft. There are hundreds of these same complaints posted on the web by angry customers dating back over 5 years yet no recall. The car will unexpectedly lose power at any time and shudder and will not accelerate with difficulty steering when all the engine lights start flashing. With luck, you can pull over to side of road. Repair is over $3500 after spending a lot of money already replacing the camshaft sensor which didn't fix the problem.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

I have taken this vehicle into the Honda dealership on five separate occasions to report a power transfer problem. I first visited the Honda dealership to report this problem on 9/2024. It hasn't been until my most recent visit on 12/18/25, that a customer service representative told me that my vehicle needed a new torque converter. It is available for inspection upon request. The first occasion when the vehicle caused a safety issue, we were preparing to make a left hand turn and the car jerked, the dash lights flashed, and the vehicle completely turned off. This was in the summer of 2024. We have had many smaller incidents leading up to this first occurrence but they haven't resulted in the vehicle completely shutting off. Most of the power transfer problems occur when we first back out of the driveway, put the car into drive, press down on the gas pedal, and there is no propulsion forward. This has occurred on a regular basis since the purchase of the vehicle. After two to three seconds the car jerks forward and then drives. This will also occasionally occur when we are stopped at a stop sign or at a traffic light waiting to propel forward or make a turn. Many of the safety issues occur when trying to make a turn with traffic, and there is no power to propel the vehicle forward. We have been fortunate to have the other vehicles slow to allow the Pilot to pause before moving forward. We now have to ensure there is a large distance before making a turn. We have had the dealership, continental Honda of anchorage, reproduce the lag problem, July 2025. Recently, we had a transmission system problem warning light come on the vehicle. We have also had a flashing p, r, d indicator light when the vehicle was in those gears. The transmission system problem light appeared on December 9th, then it reappeared on the 17th.

When driving and wanting to accelerate at 65mph car just because limp, won’t go when accelerating for a few seconds, speed drops, then you press back on the accelerator and after a few times the car goes back to normal. So, you loose control of the accelerator for a few seconds and you cant go faster, it just freezes and speed drops. This has been happen g for awhile. I even called Honda corporate to advise them. It’s been happening for over 2 years. It comes and goes. We are starting to hear a clunk noise now.

The contact owns a 2024 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph, the brakes inadvertently activated after passing a truck on the highway. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly slowed down to 40 mph. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from under the floorboard. The contact pulled over and checked the vehicle, and saw a puddle of transmission fluid on the ground. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the inadvertent braking had occurred once before, but it was not as severe, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. During the first failure, there was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

I took my vehicle (2017 Honda Pilot) to a Honda dealer in selma, TX to have a pre-road trip checkup. They performed mileage related maintenance and assured me the vehicle was ready for my 2200 mile road trip. 600 miles into the trip, I stopped for gas. As I put the car in park, I received multiple errors on the driver's info panel. "1. Emissions system problem. 2. Transmission system problem. 3. Stop driving when safe. Transmission problem. See manual. " without any warning there was complete and sudden failure of the transmission. The car is available for inspection at a Honda dealer in little rock, ar where they ran diagnostics and found a list of problems. Apparently the Honda dealer in TX saw at least one of the errors and deleted it without informing me. If the transmission had failed while I was driving on the highway, average speeds of 70 mph, it could have caused a fatal accident. Right now the failed transmission has only been inspected by the Honda service dept in little rock, ar. There were no warnings from the vehicle to the driver prior to the complete and sudden failure whatsoever. After the failure the power train was locked in park. Drive, reverse, and neutral could not be engaged. I understand the mileage on the vehicle is high, but it is a grave safety concern when a major component of a vehicle can fail without reason or warning.

Issue with power train caused car to go into limp/survival mode. Dealer found issue with power train sensor code, error po 369 cmp sensor interruption cmp sensor damaged. Mileage on care was 73,048. Had to replace power train at approx $ 3,646. 00.

Tonight, 11/8/2025 at 7pm mt, while traveling straight at 25-30 mph, power steering suddenly failed and vehicle reported that awd failed with only front wheels powered. Many other failure warnings simultaneously appeared on dash (collision detection, lkas, parking assist, etc). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My family's safety was put at risk. Sudden loss of power steering is very surprising to the driver, combined with the dash reporting a multitude of failure warnings all at once. If we had been driving on the freeway at speed or in the middle of a turn this would have been a very serious safety issue, easily leading to a collision given the sudden change in steering input needed. If traveling in snow or ice, losing awd suddenly would also have been a serious safety issue. No one has inspected the vehicle since the incident, this just happened tonight. The vehicle has only 5,700 miles on it, was serviced by the dealer within the last couple hundred miles to repair all outstanding recalls, and I have had no other issues with the vehicle. There was no warning about and issues with the vehicle prior to this incident. The only thing out of the ordinary immediately prior to the incident is that my phone wasn't able to pair to the infotainment system (which never happens).

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Honda is awear of thousands of 9 speed transmission failures. But worst of all they tell you that you failed to change trans fluid as scheduled, but there is no schedule printed in their owner's manual, nor in their vehicle service maintenance manual. The service manual only speaks to the quality of fluid required, and that it not be mixed with other brands of trans fluids. It then goes on to say "have a dealer check the fluid level and replace if needed. " I have owned cars with sealed trans that required no maintenance, which is not the case with the Honda's 9speed trans. The Honda 9 speed is a sealed unit. I am currently face with an estimated bill of $10,600 to replace my failed trans. There is a reaccuring problem with the 9 speed, that Honda should pay for. I am requesting an investigation, and a reimburstment of my total cost. Thank you, cliff vaughan.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Transmission failed and car would no longer get into gears. It started when I tried accelerating on the highway and heard a whine the car would not accelerate. I tried again and this time it accelerated just fine. Made it home and the next day the car would turn on but not go into gears. The front panel showed warning of “transmission failed”, and “engine trouble”. The dealership diagnosed that I needed a new transmission for $9,000! the previous day the car was working fine until and after that “whine” noise. I have not paid for repairs yet.

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.

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 🔎.

I have had two major problems with this car. At approximately 84,000 miles, the engine started making a very loud noise, regardless of speed. It was first diagnosed by an independent service center as a control arm bearing failure. I contacted Honda corporate and was told that it had to be diagnosed by a Honda dealer/service center. It was then diagnosed as a failure of the control arm bearing by a Honda dealer/service center. I was told the engine had to be replaced. Honda corporate offered a 50-50 split, leaving me with a bill of $8480. This is completely unfair and unjust for me to have to pay this for a manufacturer's defect. In the second incident shortly thereafter, I was on the highway in traffic when the automatic stop-start function failed, and the car stopped and did not re-start. I had cars backed up behind me, and it was a very unsafe situation. After turning the car off completely, I managed to restart it, and got off the highway. The problem continued afterwards, and I had to turn off the function manually in order to drive the car at all.

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.

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.

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.

Vehicle surges occasionally at 30 to 45 mph. Had a loud engine knock when driving on interstate and vehicle slowed down and multiple warning lighted up on dash like a christmas tree. Was able to get to the shoulder safely. Restarted the vehicle, warning lights gone and was able to drive home. Obd ii scanner read p0369. Took it to dealer for inspection, they confirmed camshaft “walk” and damaged the camshaft position sensor. After the repair, the surging issue still occurs occasionally.

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.