2003 honda pilot transmission: my transmission continues to slip in 2nd gear. I have replaced numerous items on the vehicle - steering column, motor mounts, etc. The list is numerous. I have had transmission problems almost since the beginning of purchasing this vehicle in february 2006. The dealer never told me that the 2003 pilot had any type of transmission problems. I know as a consumer, I should have done my own research, but I had always heard excellent things about honda. My transmission continues to slip, after revving. I took it to the dealer and even then they never said anything about problems. I had my repairman look at it because I was concerned. He is the one that told me this vehicle had transmission problems & all dealers were aware of it. I bought the extended warranty when I purchased the car - but of course, it is no longer valid. I am really upset because I drive my 2 children and the transmission will just stall in the middle of traffic - won't leave 2nd-3rd gear. It just revs at about 20-30 miles. It happens quite often and now the check engine light is coming on. The message boards say this is the end of the line. I will attempt to speak with my local dealer. I contacted american honda who basically offered no assistance. Now, I am learning about the horrible things that have happened with the honda 2003 pilot transmissions and am just disappointed that in the effort to make money, no one thought of consumer safety. Obviously, honda recognizes that this is a huge problem and still they are not offering any help to consumers. It is appalling. My car did have the honda repair patch for the transmission in 2004 according to american honda records, as the transmission had a problem even then. Of course, I have the car fax report and it didn't show this information. Is there somewhere else that you can track repairs on used vehicles?
2003 Honda Pilot engine complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 62 of 62, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Driving honda pilot 2003 with 84,000 mil onto expressway on ramp--it started bucking---like it would lurch forward and then stop---finally went forward. Drove it for 1 more week and this happened a few more times. Took to a very good mechanic. They tested the car and nothing came up as wrong. Then yellow lights started flashing--and the car would lose power when going slowly through a subdivision--and then all of a sudden regain power. Sometimes I had to pull over and put the car in park and then in drive to get it to go. Took the car to the honda dealership. They said it was a clogged gas line. They didn't want to hear about transmission problems. Cost was $400 for "clogged gas line" and another 400 for something else leaking. No lights on when leaving the dealership. One day later the yellow light was back on and it sometimes loses power when going slowly. There have been no deaths or accidents yet---but if anyone had been following me onto the on ramp, they would have hit me. The car looked like a bucking bronco. I want your honda dealership in waukesha wi ----wilde honda to put in a new transmission---this is not normal--at your cost. I drive people around for a living---I am a realtor and it was very embarrassing when we swung into the subdivision and I had to pull over because I had no power. Imagine that on a highway with a semi behind me. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
My 2003 honda pilot has cracked engine mounts. It causes the steering wheel to vibrate. The front and back mounts were replaced at 97,000 miles.
Failed iac valve in 2003 honda pilot caused engine surge during parking. This resulted in an auto accident.
2003 honda pilot motor mounts broken. Car only has 77k on it. Owned 5 other hondas never had this issue. No rough driving. Cost is over 500.00 to replace safety issue, could be a serious issue if the mounts fail. Also the key in the ignition is always getting stuck and sometimes takes 20 minutes to get it to turn the car on.
The motor mounts on our 2003 honda pilot broke, and we were alerted by our honda dealers service department. The car has about 79,000 miles on it. The motor mounts help hold the engine in place. A google search revealed online chat boards with dozens and dozens of pilot owners complaining that the motor mounts broke on their cars, at as little as 60,000 miles. This problem appears widespread and potentially very dangerous. We had our broken motor mounts replaced.
The front engine mount is cracked and one of the side mounts is torn and about to crack. My honda pilot was purchased new in february 2003 and has 84,000 miles on it. Honda claims that the engine mounts only last five years. This seems to be a defective part, especially due to the volume of similar complaints found on the web.
I own a 2003 honda pilot. Two of the four engine mounts are bad. From people I have talked to, it seems to be a common problem in many, many honda pilots. It seems to me to be defective for so many people to be having the same costly problem.
2 failures: 1) rear air unit failed at 50,000 miles / 5 years. 2) two motor mount broken (front and side) at 60,000 miles / 6 years.
Had 2003 honda pilot in for service for the timing belt. Service mgr called and stated the front motor mount and side mount were broken. He stated this is a ongoing occurrence with the honda pilots....we had 137,000 miles. I am being informed that this occurs around 60,000 miles all the time.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving approximately 5 MPH on normal road conditions and proceeding from a stop sign, the engine began to rev. There was suddenly a 3-5 second delay before the vehicle was shifted into gear. The check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and it remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v176000 (power train;automatic transmission). On a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for identical failures. The technician recommended that the transmission be replaced. The vehicle is operable and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 105,000.
Driving on the interstate approx 70 MPH for 150 miles. There was a smell similar to an electrical problem, noticed acrid smell and smoke out the rear view mirror. Pulled off the interstate. Lots of smoke for 5 min then stopped completely in 30 min. All levels ok, no leaks, no failures, all wiring cool, no shorts, all instrument ok. Waited approx 45min then drove 150 miles home with no problems. The next morning the car checked out ok. The fire burned approx 18 inches of insulation and scorched the passengers firewall in several places. Why did this happen?
I have a 2003 honda pilot. I had the transmission and egr valve recalls services. Around 30,000 miles, I notice growling noise coming from the transmission. It happens when lightly accelerating from 1300 RPM to 1500 RPM. Once I had car jerking while starting from the start. Dealer has replaced the egr valve twice already due to the code. It happens more frequently now. I have 77,000 miles and has been serviced regularly by the dealer.
Tl*- the contact stated that the 2003 honda pilot ex-l's check engine light turned on along with the variable torque management 4- wheel drive light. She stated that on any given day or at any speed these lights may turn on together or one at a time. The contact stated didn't have any problems with driving the vehicle when this happened. The contact had an appointment with the dealership on 02/28/07. The contact felt thiswas a safety problem, will submit follow up information from the dealership after her appointment. The failure mileage was 45000 and the current mileage was 46000.
Severe engine valve clattering when pulling light loads or accelerating uphill and loud roaring sound from tires after 23000 miles.
The check engine light illuminated on dashboard. There was a loud noise, which came from the front end of the vehicle. Took vehicle to the dealer, who found that the motor mounts broke. Vehicle had never been in an accident.
Found a whinning noise in the area of the power steering pump on our 2003 pilot with 9,000 miles been in the shop for 5 days they have replaced the tension pully on the timing belt did not fix now they are scratching their heads
Damage from defect to timing belt (worn from protruding bolt) caused engine to stop while driving on highway. Engine damaged due to this defect.
2003 honda pilot has intermittent starting problems.
Engine making noise while accelerating vehicle has been in shop for three weeks for repair. Please provide further information.
Thunking noise from gas tank when stopping. It has been identified as the baffles but honda dealer refuses to repair under warranty.
I parked my 2003 honda pilot ex in my garage and found oil stains on the driveway. When I looked under the vehicle, all the oil had drained. I looked at the dipstick and there was less than 1/16th of an inch of oil. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. They found the timing belt was stripped. They also found that two of the valves were bent. All these were replaced but I am concerned that more damage has occured to the engine by driving without oil.
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