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2003 Honda Pilot transmission complaints

Page 2 of 9: complaints 11 to 40 of 224, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2003 Honda Pilot transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Dec 16, 2019 · Transmission · 189,000 miles · WA · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle would not immediately shift out of gear. Also, while driving, the transmission indicator erroneously changed from the drive position to the drive 3 position. While the vehicle was parked in the garage with the engine idling and the transmission in the park position, the owner exited the vehicle. Moments later, the vehicle erroneously began to move forward, pushed against the owner, and pinned her against a storage rack located in the garage. During the incident, the owner sustained a left leg injury that required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. A police report was filed. The manufacturer and local dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 189,000.

Filed Dec 3, 2019 · Transmission · 36,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle experienced gear slippage. The contact stated that the transmission shifted erratically at times while the RPM's revved without forward momentum. The vehicle was taken to esserman largo honda (554 ne 1st ave, florida city, fl 33034, (844) 329-6036) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

Filed Nov 14, 2019 · Airbags, Brakes · 200,000 miles · NJ

The gear shifter will not gauge is stuck in one position

Filed Aug 22, 2019 · Transmission · 147,000 miles · WI

While driving on the interstate the d indicator starts blinking. The next exit is still 10 miles away..I stop the car at a gas station for about 5 minutes. I then get back on the interstate to get home without getting in an accident or fatally injuring myself or others ! This has happened a few times whenever I go over 55-60 MPH. So it seems to be when the transmission is changing from 3rd to 4th gear.?? Why haven't I received a recall for this transmission/powertrain problem ?? Possibly campaign # 04v176000 and recall # p30. I only have 147,000 miles on my pilot !! How many people have to get injured or even killed for this matter to be taken care of by someone or honda ???

Filed Apr 14, 2019 · Transmission · 150,000 miles · AR

Takata recall I was merging onto the highway and experienced total engine power loss. Rpms revved high and car lurched forward. I had already merged into 60mph traffic when my car stalled. Forced the cars behind me to slam on their brakes. Thankfully I was able to pull off to the side of the road and avoid having a major accident. There was no check engine light on or any other indication of failure.

Filed Mar 12, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 284,469 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. Upon starting the vehicle and shifting into drive, it failed to move. In addition, while the vehicle was at a stop light or while making turns, the vehicle continued idling. The check engine indicator was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to jeff wyler honda of colerain (8950 colerain ave, cincinnati, oh 45251, 513‑741‑3700) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle misfired and the transmission and gasket needed to be cleaned and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 284,469.

Filed Feb 17, 2019 · Airbags, Transmission · TX

03 honda pilot transmission is slipping in between gears talked to honda dont want to take care of problem even wen they hav recall on it ive seen hundreds of same exact issue all over internet with exact same problem and honda is still trying to charge fior there own recall

Filed Oct 4, 2018 · Transmission · 164,000 miles · HI

I just bought a 2003 honda pilot with 164,000 miles on it a few days ago and noticed the transmission wasn't shifting correctly. It seemed like it would sometimes over rev before shifting but thought nothing of it. Last night I picked my grandchildren up from town and was heading back up the highway going about 55mph, all of a sudden it jerked back and downshifted to 2nd gear, luckily no one was behind or they would've hit us. I noticed the engine light came on at that time also.

Filed Aug 24, 2017 · Transmission · 180,000 miles · WI

When driving between 30-50 MPH the vehicle will shudder/judder upon light acceleration and the rpms will rev briefly. This appears to be a common issue with the torque converters among early honda pilots

Filed Aug 4, 2017 · Transmission · 163,420 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving 30 MPH through a residential area, the vehicle failed to accelerate. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road turn, turned off the engine, restarted the vehicle, and continued driving. However, the vehicle still failed to accelerate and would not shift out of gear. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who stated that the transmission failed. The failure recurred three to four times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 163,420.

Filed Jun 28, 2017 · Transmission · 206,000 miles · FL

I am encountering the same recall issues as other 2003 pilots. Transmission locks up and will not re-engage while driving. I need to turn engine off while in traffic and restart in order to get back into gear. The VIN search shows no recall, but the same safety issue has caused issues when I get out and push the vehicle off the road. Most of the issue happen when starting from a slow start. The engine revs but will not move, both at traffic lights, during stop and go commutes. Once it goes, it has not slipped out of gear.

Filed Jun 16, 2017 · Transmission · 185,000 miles · NY

In a trip to the park (20 minutes highway trip) the d indicator start blinking, park the car and turn off, turn it back on, and the light keep blinking all the way back home. It never happened before.

Filed May 12, 2017 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · IA

The transmission slips in and out of upper and lower gears involuntarily causing the driver to be propelled roughly forward and backward causing a dangerous driving situation.

Filed Apr 1, 2017 · Transmission · 35,000 miles · NJ

While driving between 35-50 MPH, my 2003 honda pilot begins to shudder and rev rpms. I have to let off the throttle and then accelerate again. This happens when the speed is constant or during light acceleration.

Filed Feb 20, 2017 · Transmission · 151,000 miles · IN

I was driving on the interstate and all the sudden it seem as if the transmission locked up, the tires squeeled and dropped 20 MPH almost immediately. This happened twice in a 40 mile stretch, I'm scared to drive it.

Filed Jan 14, 2017 · Transmission · WI

After vehicle has been driving for a little while when I accelerate from a dead stop transmission slips seems like it happens when it goes into second gear watch the tach move but no acceleration so I know it's slipping. I've done the transmission flush 3 times with honda transmission fluid at $8 a quart and it seemed to help it dosent do it as much but every now and then it still slips. Only on acceleration, around 20-30 miles an hour.

Filed Nov 18, 2016 · Transmission · 200,000 miles · WA

On may 26, 2015, I was traveling north on I-5 at 60 MPH when the wheels of my car seized. At which point the car began a rigorous slide, black smoke billowed as the tread of my tires peeled off. The force of the slide eventually jammed the tires sideways causing the car to hop as it propelled forward, finally coming to a stop about a mile from the starting point. Needless to say it was a horrific ride, which still causes me some stress. The car was towed to bill's tech trans where they informed me that the transmission was faulty. Bill's sent the faulty transmission to the maker. At that time I was unaware of the recall on honda pilot 2003 transmissions. After hearing of the recall a couple of months later, I informed american honda of my incident. They requested receipts pertaining to the incident which I provided in full 3 times. One of the four customer service representatives had lost some or all of the paperwork that I had sent. It has been a year and a half of dealing with american honda and they continue to put me off, even closing the claim at one point; they sent a letter which stated, "we have attempted to contact you in regards to your request, but have not been successful in reaching you." I called immediately and they informed me they had closed the claim due to my lack of responding to their phone calls. I told them that both my home phone and cell phone keep logs of who calls and that they are not on either one. American honda reopened the case. Since then I have been rebuffed repeatedly. About a month ago I was told someone was reviewing the case for possible reimbursement and have heard nothing since. It seems as if they do not want to honor the recall on the 2003 honda pilot transmission. Is there anything you can do to help? American honda recall case no. 04263486

Filed Oct 21, 2016 · Steering, Transmission · WA

I drive between 20-40mph and my honda shakes and shudders for 8 seconds then goes away. Any idea what can that be.

Filed Oct 19, 2016 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 134,000 miles · WI

My honda pilot is having difficulty shifting gears in the city and on the highway. I will be moving in a few weeks and traveling about 40 miles on the highway everyday. A few days ago I called honda after looking up recalls and there was a transmission recall number 04v176000. I was told to take it to the honda dealer and if it is a problem with the transmission it will be replaced at no charge. I took it to the dealer and told them what honda told me and they said it is probably the torque converter. (code p0740) the supervisor was going to call honda and get back to me. I feel very frightened to travel on the highway when my check engine light is still on and having trouble with the transmission. I just can't believe that a 2003 honda pilot with only 130,000 miles would have issues with the transmission and/or torque converter !! If it is causing gears to chip or break I don't want to be driving on the highway and possibly be injured or even killed ! Or causing injury to others.

Filed Oct 19, 2016 · Transmission · 150,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving various speeds, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact was unsure about what warning lights were illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Sep 9, 2016 · Transmission · 150,000 miles · CA

Transmission failure at 150k car became difficult to drive and was unsafe. Happened quickly.

Filed Jul 29, 2016 · Body, Transmission · 180,000 miles · WA

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.

Filed Jun 23, 2016 · Transmission · MO

This goes with the complaint # 10876282, I just entered. I needed to correct my VIN # by adding the number 2 in the front of the number. On the previous complaint I started the VIN# with h, not 2.

Filed Jun 23, 2016 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · MO

While driving on city streets in traffic and slow to 29 or 39 MPH I feel a shudder or vibration. Also intermittently my "d" light flashes when turn on my pilot but the maintenance light never comes on. This has been happening last 6 months. I have 160,000 miles

Filed Jun 21, 2016 · Electrical, Seats · 174,000 miles · GA

When the vehicle is in motion and I have to press down on the gas to accelerate/ speed up the vehicle quickly the driver seat bounces backwards/moves and it feels like its going to come off the frame its mounted to like some bolts may be broke or something. The car locks are messed up. The both front door locks have to be unlocked with a key. The inside unlock mechanism only unlocks the driver side passenger door and the trunk. In order to unlock the passenger front and the passenger rear locks a window has to be rolled down and you have to reach in and manually unlock it and those also have to be manually locked back when you exit the vehicle. Also, the passenger air unit does work. It does not blow out air even with the rear control on. The inside car lights have to be manually cut on and off and not set to come on when the door opens and closes because it runs the battery down. Sometimes while driving the headlights flicker. And the power port to charge phones, etc. Works but anything plugged into it gets hot real fast. All that points to electrical issues. The air bag lights kept coming on and going off. The transmission light has been flashing d and did not stop until fluid and filter was changed. So far that seems to have helped. And last but not least, the contacts in the ignition switch act defected. The key has to remain in the ignition switch and the spare key has to be used to unlock the car because if the key is removed, it does not want to go back into the switch to crank the car. The switch does not want to accept the key and turn to crank the engine once it has been removed from the switch. Even trying to turn the steering wheel and pressing the brake to release the switch doesn't work. And the gear shift stick/shaft acts almost like it's not park, but it was put in park.

Filed May 9, 2016 · Transmission · 167,400 miles · IN

Second gear failure and shifting issues, 4th gear pressure switch failure, tc clutch failure; all resulting in seizing while driving at highway speeds, unable to shift into the next gear, unexpected shifting into a lower gear causing the vehicle to decelerate. All items were experienced while driving on the highway roads and without warning causing a safety hazard.

Filed Apr 7, 2016 · Transmission · 185,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The failure mileage was 185,000.

Filed Mar 29, 2016 · Brakes, Transmission · 195,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle independently decelerated while driving at an unknown speed. In addition, the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the two front wheel speed sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was confirmed that the speed sensors and the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.the contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.

Filed Mar 15, 2016 · Transmission · 196,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving various speeds, the automatic transmission warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that there was transmission fluid leaking in close proximity to the transmission sensor. The contact stated that the transmission was overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 196,000.

Filed Jan 30, 2016 · Transmission · 137,800 miles · NY

While driving, I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green I made a right hand turn and started to increase my speed. The RPM's increased at a very rapid rate, but the car did not shift. I was unable to accelerate my speed and there was a whirling noise in the engine. I tried manually shifting into a lower gear, but I was still unable to accelerate without the RPM's rising. I eventually had to shift into neutral three times before the car would automatically shift.

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