The rear axle is almost detaching from the frame of the vehicle due to severe rusting of the chassis, and the axle may completely fell through.
2003 Honda Pilot body complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 47, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. Over time, both plastic headlight covers became very opaque, which caused the headlights to appear dim and made visibility difficult. The contact's wife called a honda dealer who stated that they were familiar with the issue, but could not assist. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that they could not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Had to replace water pump and belt payed for it at homda dealer then noticed it had a recall on it dealership didnt notify me of the recall. Now I'm having problems with the transmition dealership said they couldn't find the problem but it also has a recall. But when I searched my VIN it said no recalls were found. The transmition periodically comes out of gear if I stop quickly or 1st thing in the morning or if I go over a speed bump slowly or sometimes randomly in the middle of driving in traffic. I can switch it into 1st 2nd or 3rd and get it moving again. It hasn't happend at high speeds yet. And the the metal under the seats is all rusted. At this rate the transmition will cause me to have an accident and the seats will come off and the airbags that have also been recalled will kill us im highly dissapointed in this vehicle.
Of the four posts where the complete rear axle mounts to the under body of the chassis, two of the posts have rusted away from the frame, leaving the rear axle only half attached to the main body of the car. The vehicle has very limited rust anywhere, so for the under body to rust to a point of separation from the rear wheel assembly is disconcerting. We had no warning and had the vehicle properly/routinely maintained. If the rear axle assembly had completely broken away, the resulting crash would have been disastrous. Certified mechanics confirm that they had never seen such a serious deterioration of a significant structural component.
Owner driver was stopped on red light along with 20 other cars , the driver was last in the lane and other driver did not applied brakes, this vehicle was banged from the back. Body damage was repaired by westminster honda in costa mesa . California, body repair cost of $ 3,500 was paid by insurance company of the person who was at fault, the auto transmission replacement cost of $ 6,500 was recovered from the me who was not at fault. The question is at that time the air bag was not deployed because of fault? After that I got recall notice from american honda for two air bags driver side and passenger side, the notice came in the month of january 2015, first they delayed the repair task by making an excuse that they are very busy and first appointment is available on february 28 th at auto nation honda in gilbert az then I got an e mail and a call from dealer that the parts are on back order, and they would not know when part will be available. After that I called american honda, they have intervened and assured me that auto nation honda will call me to schedule appointment again. Then I gave 4 - 5 calls to auto nation honda, till today as of april 19th this repair is not fixed even though all parties know that this is critical to the life of drivers and passengers in this vehicle. Now I am in round rock texas, so I will need to see new dealer will somebody control these auto companies and dealer for compliance? Thanks
Interior door handle has metallic tape coating. Tape is peeling off. 2 of my children were cut by the metal. Kids cannot open interior passenger door without being injured. They are now scared, and may be reluctant to open door in an emergency.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. During inclement weather, water traveled through the engine compartment onto the floorboards. The failure created mold in the vehicle and electrical wiring damage. The failure recurred multiple times. The dealer stated that water was traveling through the windshield. The windshield was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 250,000. The VIN was unavailable...updated 02/11/15 *bf .
The car was moved into location, turned off, and the key removed leading to the driver thinking the car was in park, however the car was still in drive. The car was on a slight incline which caused the car to roll backwards down the driveway, across the street, roll over a tree, and crash into another tree causing significant damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while examining the vehicle, the rear end appeared to be lower than normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the rear axle had detached from the frame of the vehicle due to severe rusting of the sub frame. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but solution was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Clear coat began coming off of many horizontal surfaces. Has continued for years. Now the actual paint is coming off and this is unacceptable.
During normal acceleration from stop I felt my driver's side seat snap and give allowing my body to lean back and to the right. Visual inspection under seat show fatigued metal bracket at forward outbound position of seat base/bracket just above rails. I would assume integrity/safety of seat is compromised. I also believe that this should not happen during normal acceleration/use.
Honda pilot '03 started leaking water into the front cabin after the rains. The floor gets wet and the water needs to be vacuumed out after the rain. Not sure what else is being affected because of this water leak.. I already see rust showing up and mold smell coming out because of the water leak. I called in northamerican honda and lodged a complaint.
While on my wayback on i95 from richmond, va to silver spring maryland, I suddenly heard a noise from my back window and I saw my honda pilot spoiler fly away and land in front of the upcoming traffic and almost causing an accident. Today, I still have not replaced this back spoiler and I have seen many other honda pilots on the highway or in the city without this back spoiler.
The chrome finish on the door handles from the inside, this chrome finish is a think later of material almost like flex metal - it's very sharp and easily creates cuts in hand when opening the car doors. Approx 3 days ago, I was moving my hand as I was driving and my finger touched the pealing chrome finish creating a deep cut causing pain and bleeding. I have kids and they may get hurt by this.
My vehicle is leaking water to the interior, like a number of other honda owners. Honda is not doing anything about it...and it will eventually lead to electrical failure because of moisture on critical electrical parts in the steering column.
Over the last few months, I have noticed the driver side floor mats are soaked with water on my 2003 honda pilot. Attempts to find and repair the leak have failed. I see multiple examples of this on-line where consumers like me are getting no help from honda corp. I am constantly pulling up the carpet to allow it to dry out but the risk of mold, mildew, and rust are high. I already have a musky small in the car which is not good for the health of my family. Additionally, I just pulled up a cover plate on the driver-side floorboard to discover more water pooled around the e-brake cables. This pool of water covered the e-brake components and could have rusted out the cables making it useless.
I had repeated visits to babylon honda in babylon , ny for a rear tailgate spoiler problem. When opening the tailgate (rear door) the spoiler would hit and grind against the roof panel. Babylon honda addressed the issue by tightening the spoiler mounts which worked for awhile, but the problem returned. This past july while driving on interstate 91 at 65mph, the spoiler flew off my car and nearly hit the car behind me. I am waiting for babylon honda's response to repair this problem - the spoiler mounts cracked.
There are several issues: 1. The problem began with the key not fitting properly as it once did, perhaps after several attempts. When I turn the key or put the key in the ignition it won't turn to get the vehicle started. I turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and it doesn't matter. The pilot still won't start. When reading the manual, it's a push sign under the ignition but this isn't addressed in the manual. It doesn't tell you the purpose of the push sign. I've tried everything to get the key to turn and I've let others try also. And it doesn't work for anyone. The steering wheel is turned all the way to the left but the wheels are not and it won't turn to the right it all; it's locked. The vehicle won't go in neutral, so I can roll it or nothing. 2. There is knocking noise that is louder when you accelerate on the left front side perhaps it's coming from the drive-train or axle on that side, almost sounds like something is loose and may fall off. 3. The radio turns off for a few seconds randomly and it may not happen again for a while and suddenly does once again. 4. The lock and handle to the glove compartment broke off and cannot be opened. 5. The wire to control the handles for the rear seats to recline and fold down broke from within the seats. I looked inside it's the piece of plastic to hold the wire in place that broke, there needs to be a better replacement part made of steel not plastic. 6. The floor mat sticks in bunches causing the carpet to soil can be hazardous I.e. Toyota, only remedy is to replace the floor mat for the truck entirely, very, very expensive... 7. When it reaches 30mph it shakes and you can hear a loud noise like you're driving over something ridged it's scary. 8. The button for four wheel drive does not function 9. The chrome on the door handles peeled off tearing the skin causing injuries to the hand, my finger still feels tingly and numb. Please help!!!
2003 honda pilot ex with 101,054 miles front, side and rear motor mounts were cracked and leaked hydraulic fluid. Honda dealer replaced all three motor mounts costing $600.00. Honda dealer states this is a common problem since the motor mounts have hydraulic fluid in them (they are not all rubber).
The floor board of my 2003 honda pilot is very damp to the extent that if you were to leave a paper back on it, the bag would become wet. This was last observed on an 5-hour trip we were taking on june 5th. It rained all day, and we were running the air condition for the entire trip. When we returned home, we had to remove the mats (which were wet on the bottom) to allow the floors to dry out. It still is damp to this day (june 16th). I don't know if it has anything to do with the air conditioning system, or if it is outside water leaking in. This has been an ongoing problem that I first noticed approximately 3 years ago. Dealer was not able to determine cause of problem then. It is hard to attribute the problem to any event because the floor remains damp for an extended period of time that you can't really be sure what condition is causing it - you are operating the vehicle through so many conditions that it's hard to tell. From time to time I have to take out the mats when it becomes extremely damp. I'm concerned about the possibility of mold, though I've been able to prevent the vehicle from becoming too musty.
Honda pilot leaking through and to the front floor boards.
The chrome plating on the passenger side door handle of our 2003 honda pilot is flaking at the front edge. It is a dangerous cut hazard. Our pilot has only 69077 miles. This defect should be a recall, as it is a safety hazard. I purchased a extended warranty from the dealer, but was told that this is not covered. The repair cost is $39.00 labor and $20.00 for handle. The dealer service writer said he has seen this before, and has even experienced it himself.
My 2003 honda pilot was causing lacerations to the hands and fingers when using the door handle from the inside of the vehicle because of the delaminating door handles. The chrome plating on the plastic delaminates and has a very sharp edge that slices the fingers or hands if rub against. All of my family members have had laceration injuries from these defective handles. I have pointed out the defect to honda but they say it is normal wear and tear and not covered. I have older vehicles from other manufacturers that don't have this issue and obviously disagree with honda's assessment.
At 100,000 miles I was informed by the honda dealership that 2 of 3 motor mounts were cracked and should be replaced on my 2003 pilot. This will cost me approx $400. Seems that many honda pilot owners are having this same problem. I have never had this problem with any other "older" car.
Dt*: the contact stated the welds on the firewall broke three times. This caused water to leak onto the floor; driver and passenger side, front and back. The dealership welded the firewall twice, but there have been no repairs this final time. Updated 03/17/06.
Dt: when opening the tailgate the hinge failed, and the hatchback fell down on consumer. It appeared that piston was too small for the weight of the door, and the attachment should be placed in a position where it could support the weight of door. No injuries occurred. Currently, the hinges completely failed.
Honda pilot 2003, very difficult to see what is behind, a back-up sensor should be standard in all cars. *bf safety hazard concern.
When opening the tailgate the consumer noticed that the spoiler hit the rear window and the roof. Consumer notified the dealer about this issue. *ak the sunlight caused heat swelling of the plastic tailgate spoiler. When the tailgate was opened, the spoiler would strike the roof which resulted in scratches and damage to the roof.
While driving 40 MPH spoiler fell off into oncoming traffic. Dealer stated the part was warping and produced one inch gap.
Liftgate glass on 2003 honda pilot essentially "shattered". The vehicle was not hit by any object. Local honda dealer states it is not covered. I don't know whether or not it was defective glass or installed by manufacturer incoorectly.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Honda Pilot?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history