Power Train Problems of Honda Pilot - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2019 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.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Pilot 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2025 Honda Pilot 🔎.

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.

Needed a steering rack. Needed a new transmission due to a torque converter failure. Now awd is intermittently faulty needing fuel injectors. All within 1 year.

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 check transmission light comes and goes. Ive had the transmission flushed with no issues. It pulls codes for the torque converter as its supposedly getting stuck per mechanic or is over heating and throwing the code. It does not drive rough and I believe it is a faulty code that needs to be addressed and updated and cleared. Ive had it cleared out once and it stayed off for a whole month. The light and blinking d doesn't come on all the time or in patterns so that also tells me it isn't a transmission issue or it would be on more frequently and consistently. To where when mine comes on and then I shut my car off for an hour it stays off for quite some time. This really needs to be addressed instead of causing car owners unnecessary costs for diagnostic purposes through a Honda dealer which costs 100. 00 or more or even them putting in a complete new transmission.

See all problems of the 2012 Honda Pilot 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Pilot 🔎.

Complete engine failure on highway.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot 🔎.

2020 Honda Pilot will sporadically turn off at highway speeds and at stop lights and will not turn back on until placed in park with foot on the brake. This is not to be confused with the start/stop feature used to save fuel. Additionally the 2020 Pilot will lurch forward (like stuck in drive) while still in park.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Pilot 🔎.

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.

Transmission temperate too hot warning came on in summer of 2023. Ended up needing to replace the engine. Fast forward to 6/25/25 and the light came on again. We take very good care of this vehicle and do all scheduled maintenance so this is very disappointing.

Ticking noise and check engine light. Taken to dealer. Dealer replaced tensioner, timing belt, water pump, did oil change and engine flush. Did not fix the problem. Dealer took the engine apart and discovered damaged rocker arm assembly which caused valve spring break which caused a problem with the cylinder. Honda is denying a warranty claim as the vehicle is just outside of the 5 year power train warranty period even though it only has 48 thousand mile on it and has been serviced regularly and kept in good condition.

All listed problems act sporadically. Dangerously defected 2023 Honda Pilot. Numerous problems with vehicle over several months. Kept taking it back to charlie's Honda and was told they could not reproduce the problems I was stating. The vehicle will bog, hesitate and jerk while driving. Charlie finds nothing wrong. Actually all items that are functioning incorrectly, charlie's tell me they cannot repair anything when they can not reproduce the problem. They tell me that the 10 gears are so close that they skip? sorry, that's ridiculous! finally I called previous owners, (which charlie's Honda refused to give me until I had to show them the chapter 10 s1475 I had with me. ) [xxx] from herman, me. Ph # [xxx]. They told me to tell you to please call them because they are very upset. After several times taking the Honda back to charlie’s with no repairs done they went to get a different vehicle at charlie's Toyota and the Toyota manager told them that the Honda Pilot was a very dangerous vehicle and will not be put out on the lot for resale. The [xxx] stated that they almost crashed while taking a left at an intersection with their children in the vehicle because it almost came to a complete stop. This serious problem is doing it to me now and this is why I’m taking this action. The [xxx] left the Pilot at charlie's Honda for several days but charlie's said they could not reproduce the problem. Just a few of numerous defects stated below and reported to charlie's Honda but received no repairs, just excuses : the airbag says off when a 175 lb person sitting in the front passenger seat. Rear camera does not register an object. I was told it didn't work because it was 1 inch from rear side camera and it was too narrow. Nothing done. Speed said I was doing 85mph. I was doing 40 mph. Mechanic said he sees them register 100 mph. Nothing done. The tech screen goes black. Cannot shut radio off. After trying 3 times. Much more to report! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 55.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Pilot 🔎.

There is a popping noise when turning and hitting bumps and a slight clicking noise when driving. I am very unsure as to where the issue is coming from (cb axle, steering rack, ball joints, bushings, some say welds or loose bolts). I see many people online talking about this issue online. It needs to be addressed.

Engine failure due to connecting rod bearing manufacturing defect (NHTSA pe25008). Component: engine; available for inspection upon request (replaced; documentation available). Warning symptoms: at 94,000 miles during routine maintenance while under warranty, I reported engine knocking to the dealer. The advisor dismissed it as "normal valve noise" and did not document the complaint. Knocking progressively worsened over thousands of miles. Failure: at 100,750 miles the engine required immediate replacement. Dealer diagnosed rod bearing failure; bearing was worn and failing. Engine was replaced before catastrophic seizure. I had just returned from a family trip — seizure at highway speed would have caused loss of power, power steering, and braking assistance, creating serious crash risk. Confirmed: dealer diagnosed and performed engine replacement. Honda provided partial goodwill coverage but refused to disclose the percentage or provide written documentation. When I formally requested full coverage for this defect under federal investigation, Honda stated the case was closed and refused to put the decision in writing. Honda recall 23v-751 addresses this defect but excluded this vehicle despite identical failure. Vehicle was maintained per Honda maintenance minder at dealerships.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle shifted into park independently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to restart for approximately 90-seconds, and then operated as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where was it diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the the front camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the failure was not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 12 mph, the vehicle shifted into park independently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to restart for 90-seconds and then the vehicle operated as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where was it diagnosed and determined that the front camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the failure was not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

Last time I changed my oil I had bronze colored flakes of metal in my oil. It looked like parts of the main connecting rod bearing material. No running problems yet, but will likely fail soon. I've kept up on oil changes every 5-7k. 89k on vehicle. Please do something about a full recall on this issue and include this report into the affected vins.

Case 11655023 hello, I need your help. I spoke with Honda and was told they would buy back my truck and someone would contact me. Mrs. Briana called and said I had to keep taking the truck to the mechanic as many times as needed. I explained I had already taken it 8–9 times, but she said it didn’t matter and that I should take it to another dealer. I had already gone to the mission valley dealership, showed the mechanic photos and videos, and he agreed something was wrong. I left the truck for 3–4 days, but they only changed the start button. I asked about the brakes, which were making noise, and was told it was “normal. ” I insisted on getting them fixed, but they said if parts weren’t broken, Honda wouldn’t replace them. I spoke to the manager, who drove the truck with me and said they would adjust the brakes and fix the faulty fuel sensor. I brought it back on Wednesday, received a service receipt, but when I tried to leave, the truck wouldn’t start. I showed the manager a video of the issue, and he said they would fix it. I returned on Wednesday, left the truck again, and on Thursday a worker called saying the truck had no issues. I reminded them the manager had promised repairs, and they said he would call me. On Friday, I was told the truck had “bad luck,” nothing was wrong, and I should pick it up — or go to another Honda if I wasn’t satisfied.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Pilot 🔎.