Honda Passport jerking problems

Filed Oct 15, 2026 · Body, Driver assistance · KY

My mother bought this new 2025 Honda passport Ex+L with 5 miles brand new in dec 2024. Since owning it I have put only 10650 miles on it. Less than 5k a year and mostly drove highway miles in that first year. Was told during purchase that Honda link would be available so that I can get help, see maintainer reminders, and even use to towing, and repair services. But they had stopped Honda link earlier this year. This was a major factor for my elderly mother so that she had these options for her if needed. Also, I have been trying to get Honda to fix both top rear seals, there are 2in+ gaps in the top rear, where dirt, Debree, and water are accumulating which I am worried that it will cause rust, due to poor paint quality. I took it to the dealership where the service manager even said it looked defective but would need to get same model to compare. It's now been over a year with no resolution. This is my mother's first new vehicle ever and would be her last vehicle. Also, I have noticed that the front collision waring just appear out of nowhere at times. This has been another ongoing issue. Then just recently been feeling transmission lurching and not engaging. She and I do no use this offroad, towing, or even carry heavy loads. Honda used to make great vehicles and customer service was great and quick to respond and resolve issues. Not no more. I feel that these and other issue with same model that are now having major engine problems will cause her to crash or get involved in an accident. I can only drive her when i have time to and just simply very aggravated with Honda. Ive owned over 9 Honda and Acura vehicles over the decades and never had any issues such as this. The dealership even sold her a 3rd party extended warranty as she was led to believe it was with Honda Care mostly to cover new tech. I will continue to contact Honda and Don Jacobs Honda about these issues, but from the level of non, feel like they had sold her a defective SUV. Thanks

Filed Sep 21, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · IL

The car in question is a 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport Elite that I purchased in August of 2026 -- and that I'm now thinking of selling! Occasionally when accelerating from a stopped position the acceleration will hesitate for a full second, followed by a slight herky jerky motion. This presents a dangerous situation --- particularly when turning left with oncoming traffic barrelling down. This does not happen all the time but its scary and I end up just waiting to turn rather than risking getting t-boned. I notice on Reddit and the Honda forum that this is a known issue! Nobody has offered a reason. I feel like selling the car it's so bad.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Transmission · GA

The 9-speed transmission in my vehicle has been acting very strange after owning it since March 2026.These issues did not start until May 2026. When driving the vehicle at low speeds (under 30mph) the transmission is very jumpy and jerky. When you let off the gas the vehicle rocks back and forth and the rpms drop dramatically. It often feels like the transmission is skipping gears. I took my vehicle to the honda dealership to address the issue and they said there was nothing they could do to fix or look into my issue. I am very upset and I feel like I’ve been cheated out of my hard earned money. Honda needs to address this issue and provide relief for all of the owners who are in the same predicament. Be accountable Honda!

Filed Sep 6, 2026 · Transmission · VA

10 speed transmission at times down shifts harshly at low speed coming to a stop. you have to feather the brake pedal to come to a smooth stop without the head jerking. At times can hear and feel the gears downshift coming to a stop and occasional jolt right before the car comes to a complete stop. I've never had to think about braking to a smooth stop ever before this 10 speed transmission. This is coming from a similar Honda SUV with 6 speed transmission (2012 pilot). Resetting the transmission's adaptive learning values did not resolve the issue. I request that Honda investigate this defect, provide a software reprogram, or issue a recall to fix the shift quality.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Transmission · 190 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Passport. The contact stated that the wheel alignment was required due to an off-center steering wheel. The contact stated that on the second day of ownership, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, lurched, and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated during the transmission failure. Additionally, the multi-view camera system malfunctioned while driving, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that the transmission and the camera system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the transmission failure recurred within five minutes of retrieving the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. A district manager informed the contact that the transmission function was related to the adaptive learning and might be resolved with continued driving. The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to accept responsibility for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190.

Filed Jun 11, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · NM

Our 2026 Honda Passport TSE suddenly stalled twice in active traffic intersections in Albuquerque, NM under acceleration and during a left turn, causing a sudden loss of motive power and a severe safety hazard and a potentially life threatening situation. Telemetry logs from an aftermarket GPS device installed in my vehicle captured a catastrophic voltage drop down to 10.886V during the incident, which electrically blinded the ECU and prevented the vehicle from storing a diagnostic trouble code. The vehicle was taken to Garcia Honda in Albuquerque, NM who documented the symptoms ('loss of power on accel,' 'hesitates and jerks') but released the vehicle unfixed because no digital codes were present. The vehicle is currently grounded as unsafe to drive. American Honda Corporate Case Number: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 21, 2026 · Driver assistance · MD

Driving to work in normal speeds and conditions. The emergency braking enabled and slammed on the brakes to my car - despite there being no threat or need. The brake was with such force that I jerked forward. This is the third time this has happened with this car in the past week. Car is available for inspection if needed. The car has not yet been inspected by Honda for this situation.

Filed Mar 19, 2026 · Transmission · MD

Problem started at 11,000 miles as very minor and has become progressively worse up to the now 32,000. Vehicle has been to dealerships 5 times with no repair performed. THE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE: Hesitation and gear searching on acceleration. Intermittent acuity. 3 times I needed to accelerate quickly in order to merge with 40 mph traffic from a stop sign. I stepped on the throttle and the vehicle lurched into traffic then lost power and gear searched for 3 seconds creating a potentially very serious incident. Once the gear engaged, the vehicle took off at a high rate of acceleration and speed causing yet another unsafe condition and making me look like a maniac. THE OTHER SYMPTOMS: 1) Hard Starting, sometimes vehicle seems to sputter, sometimes it revs hard on startup 2) Vehicle sometimes enters some kind of error state similar to the vehicle not being in park when the engine is shut down. An audible alarm sounds, like when the lights are left on or a key is left in the car, and the vehicle refuses to lock the doors on its own as usual. Visual inspection by the driver reveals nothing appears to be wrong. Lights are off, no key left, vehicle is in park. Powering back on, checking park indicator and turning back off seems to reset this condition. 3) Inconsistent accelerator pedal input. Sometimes the vehicle goes much harder or seems to be held back by something at other times. 4) Erratic torque distribution for AWD. Viewed from dash torque distribution readout. AWD engages 100% at all wheels at times of very light throttle on dry pavement. 5) Engine just sounds terrible at idle and at times of hard acceleration. 6) Rough acceleration. Choppy gear shifts. 7) Vehicle continues to push forward under power when throttle is lifted and brakes are applied causing harder than usual brake pedal pressure to be necessary and inconsistent vehicle slowing. 8) No CEL is on. 9) Constant minor weaving due to inconsistent AWD torque delivery. PROBLEM IS ONGOING

Filed Oct 15, 2025 · Driver assistance · GA

I was in my 2026 Honda Passport with ~450 miles driven at time of incident, 1445EST on 14 October 2025. I was driving ~58MPH down a road in Columbia County, GA. I was on a straightaway with no bends/turns. There were no obstructions on the road, no oncoming traffic, and no vehicle in visible sight in front of me. The weather was sunny, no clouds in the sky and no shadows across the road. My Passport braked suddenly, causing me to sharply decelerate, jerking my head and body quickly. If anyone were behind me at the time, they may have potentially struck my vehicle due to the sharp deceleration.

Filed Sep 21, 2025 · Transmission · UT

My 2026 Passport has severe transmission issues that the dealership and Honda North America are not acknowledging. The shifts are harsh at any speed. The downshifts (especially from 40-0 mph) are consistently violent and jerky. I cannot drive this car smoothly enough to keep my newborn baby in it because the car rocks and lunges enough to disturb him. I have driven two other brand new Passports and have been able to replicate the same issues. I have also driven with a Honda tech in the car and he has said the transmission is way too harsh although he can’t do anything about it because Honda North America has to send software updates to fix the issue. I have 3,600 miles on the odometer.