Sudden downshifting and shuddering, check engine light came on and difficulty in shifting. Engine light remained on and occasional shifting problems for a few weeks until checked by dealer - po740 and po730 needs transmission replacement and engine mount. Same problem as a 100 of others. Original owner fully dealer maintained for 10+ years, even with fairly high miles well maintained transmission should not fail. Honda dealer quoted $5500 for honda rebuilt transmission with no mention of any assistance or of the well known and frequent occurrence of this issue. A definite safety issue as simple luck this didn't occur on the highway at greater speed in high traffic I frequently drive.
2003 Honda Pilot transmission complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 224, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My honda pilot is now at 75,000 miles. I obviously don't drive it a lot. Thank goodness because it has had so many issues. For the last 25,000 miles and 3 years, it revs up and down when stopped anywhere like a light or stop sign or in the pickup line at my child's school. I have to put it into park and press the brake while in park to be sure it doesn't leap forward into another vehicle. I've had this looked at on three different occasions and they fix it for about a day. I've been told its an ongoing known issue with this car. So, why has it not been addressed?
I parked my car outside a local store with a nearly zero decline. After entering the store and beginning to shop - a fellow shopper came in to tell me that my car had rolled backwards and hit another vehicle. Luckily there was no major damage to either vehicle. When I entered my vehicle the gear shift was in fact in park but the car had rolled back anyways and stopped only because it hit another vehicle in the parking lot.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While parked, the contact noticed that the vehicle began to roll backward. The contact was able to enter the vehicle, place her foot on the brake pedal and shift the vehicle into park. The contact noticed that she had removed the key from the ignition prior to shifting into park. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that he parked the vehicle in a residential carport. Approximately thirty minutes later, the contact went back to the vehicle and noticed that the vehicle was no longer parked in the carport but had rolled away and crashed into a tree. The vehicle was placed in park and the keys were removed from the ignition when the contact exited the vehicle. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash scene. The police were not contacted. The vehicle was later taken to a local mechanic for repairs to the external damages of the hatch back door and rear bumper. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not inspected for the roll away failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. The current mileage was approximately 102,000. Updated 12/06/12 *bf updated 12/06/12
I pulled the vehicle into a parking space and turned the key off. I got out of the car and the car began rolling backwards. It rolled down a small hill and smashed into a vehicle in the lot below. *tr it appears the steering column allowed me to remove the key without putting the vehicle in park
I have the same problem with the transmission and being able to remove my key even when it is not in park that has been reported by others. Its LED to an accident and a near one.
The transmission of my 2003 honda pilot died. When I went to a message board at edmunds.com I found that there have been a lot of other people that have had the same problem with their 2003 pilots beginning with 90,000 miles. Honda checked my second gear that they did recall but claim that the problem is not with that gear. A reputable transmission mechanic that rebuilds transmissions, recommended by two mechanic friends of mine, agrees with honda, that it has failed completely. For a company that prides itself for a supposed excellent mechanical maintenance reputation, I and a lot of other honda owners are sorely disappointed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission would not shift into any gear. The vehicle was taken previously to the dealer in 2004 for a recall repair under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for this most recent failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 220,000.
The transmission suddenly starting slipping without any warning and struggled to get over a viaduct with no power to accelerate. The transmission started slipping without any warning and the engine light came on. Drove the pilot slowly home and took to shop. The transmission fluid had been changed at 90k. The pressure switches were changed but did not work for slippage. The transmission was broke and needed replacing. This vehicle had all recalls completed.
I recently bought a used 2003 honda pilot from [xxx] of colerain in ohio. The car has 137,000 approximate miles on it. They wanted me to pay over 15,000 for the car and finally after debating for hours over 4. They sold me the car out the door with no warranty offered for 10,500. I was very happy and I have 2 children and one on the way. I bought the car on august 5, 2012 less than two week go by and I am driving home going 65mph on 71 and the car jerks down gears to 30 miles an hour in a split second. My neck and my back are both hurting and I do not want to sue nor try to get rich off of this. My complaint is, I took the car to[xxx] of colerain the next morning they said the transmission was bad and they could do nothing for me. So basically they said I will have to pay for a $7,000 dollar repair. I left the car there and came home did all kinds of research found that car is up for recall on the transmission and thousands of people have the same issue. They even have a facebook page dedicated to fixing this problem! How can honda keep these vehicle's on the road? If my 17 month old would have been in the car with me she would have maybe broke her neck. Go drive 65mph and throw the car in reverse that is what happened to me! And they said I bought a certified used honda? So what do I do ? Who do I call? And why can they sell me a car in such a state? With over 4 recalls on parts and one being potentially fatal. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Car "shudders" at 40-45 MPH. Honda has had transmission problems with the 2003 pilot and odyssey. When this happens the car shakes like it is falling apart. Approx. Cost to repair $4,000.00.
The transmission would not go in reverse and early was slipping when I was on the high way.
2003 honda pilot exl transmission problems, requiring replacement at 101,950 miles in june of 2012. The problem started with a single transmission slip and severe hard (shift) engagement while accelerating between 40 and 45 MPH. This problem happened intermittently for about two weeks and progressively increased in occurrence. Then reverse gear selection started slipping and failing to engage. From that point on, the pilot transmission began consistently slipping and slamming (hard shifting) all gears (including while in d1,d2 and d3) and the longer it was driven, the worse it got, even slipping and slamming the downshift gear changes making the car unsafe to merge into traffic and drive on the road. The hard shifting was becoming so severe that it felt like transmission gear tooth failure was eminent. No check engine lights, no flashing 'd' or trouble codes on the PCM were found, even with all of problems. The honda dealership where the car was regularly serviced recommended replacing the transmission with a 'remanufactured honda transmission' at a cost of over $6400, with no assistance from honda corporate. Filing a complaint with honda corporate only added to my disappointment, where the honda representatives I dealt with appeared to be more concerned about trying to turn a profit on replacing the defective transmission rather than being concerned about treating their customer fairly and or losing customer loyalty. Note, this pilot had the transmission 2nd/3rd gear oil-jet kit recall performed in 2004 and apparently, it only postponed failure of the transmission. Also, this pilot was never abused, always driven on paved roads, never towed anything and never had to use the vtm-4 wheel drive lockup mode. The transmission and differential fluids were replaced every 30,000 miles with honda fluids per the recommended maintenance schedule.
Vehicle shudder/shake starting at 50 MPH. Advised needed new transmission. Called honda to check if recall or would be reimbursed. Told no and said wanted problem on record. Replaced transmission at own expense $3045. Drive light periodically flashes. Have not repaired as >$300.
The pilot shudders going at slower rates of speed at pretty regular instances. My mechanic informed me that the torque converter, possibly the whole transmission needs to be replaced. I was also informed that this is a very common problem with 2003 honda pilots.
Have had this vehicle since new. Had the 2nd gear recall done as required at about 30,000. At 96,000 that tranny went out and had a "rebuilt" installed by sunset honda slo, ca. Under warranty. At about 150000, d indicator flashed meaning sensors on tranny needed replacement.now experiencing loss of drive, sometimes when coming out of stop, engine just revving but no drive, also, as happened to my wife yesterday, when going at about 35, loss of power/drive occurred. This could show that I need an actual decent new tranny put in! I have yet to visit my well qualified and non honda dealer mechanic! I have been a honda owner since 1992 and this will be my last honda ever! The reliability is over with and they are way overpriced.
The transmission would not change to a higher gear causing the engine rpms to increase dramatically. I was almost rear-ended by the automobile behind me. Eventually the transmission did find 3rd gear. This situation has happened numerous times since the initial episode. The transmission problem always occurs with the second gear. Once the gear wouldn't change while I was merging into interstate traffic. I could have easily been killed. I took my vehicle to my dealer, crown honda of durham, nc, because I had purchased by pilot from them as a new vehicle, had the 2004 transmission 2nd gear recall "fix" performed by them, and had them perform all regularly schedule maintenance for the first 5 years. I also had maintenance records showing that I had performed all maintenance as required by honda for the past 9.5 years, including having the transmission fluid replaced. Although they didn't deny knowing of the many transmission failures of honda vehicles, they refused to replace my transmission at no cost or at a discounted cost.
Shuddering and jerking while shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Also does the same in reverse. Car would not accelerate on highway on-ramp. While at high highway speeds, car felt like it fell out of gear and lost power, until the gear engaged again.
I originally had the 45-50 MPH horrible shudder, but honda did fix that issue and they said the hubs were defective. At 117,000, the transmission started to skip and jerk horribly and the revs spiked. I drove to honda and they said the trans needed to be replaced for $5,000. I had it rebuilt by aamco for $2,700. Within 15,000 miles, the flashing d and vtm-4 light would start coming on. I drove it to aamco while the flashing d was ocuring and they could not find a problem and no error codes. I have preceeded to drive and replace the trans fluid every 20,000 just in case, to be safe. The flashing d is annoying. I have started to sense the shifting at 2 and 3rd gear to be getting rougher over time. I foresee number 3 transmission coming soon. Honda america corp would not help saying the car is out of warranty. The funny thing is that I mentioned all the people on-line complaining about trans issues, the reply: "honda does not see an increased amount of claims on any transmission issues on the pilot". What liars! I've owned 4 hondas before and the quality is gone. I won't buy honda again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that she arrived at home and forget to shift the vehicle into park. The contact was able to successfully shut the vehicle off and remove the key from the ignition, even though it was not shifted into park. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there were no recalls addressing the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 124,000.
I am experiencing shudder or problem changing the gear. The engine lights is on now and not clearing up. I have seen the same problem on line from other people and all pointing to a problem with the transmission with this model.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated the door locks would not lock and the windows sporadically failed to open and close. The contact also mentioned while driving various speeds, the transmission would shift into gear. In addition, the lights within the buttons on the dashboard stopped working and there was an electrical short in the air conditioner fan. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 120,000. Updated 05/15/12 * bf
When the car is accelerating, between either 2nd and 3rd gears, the transmission slips and will not engage. The RPM's go up to about 6000 because it is as if it is in neutral. If the car is shifted into neutral and back to drive, the pilot will begin to drive normally. If the driver lets up off the gas completely and RPM's fall all the way down, it will sometimes re-engage. The pilot has done this 6 times in the last 3 weeks while in traffic. There was a recall on pilot transmissions but honda has no record of it being done and was told ours did not show up in their system although it was on all 2003 pilots. We have only owned the car for 5 months after buying from a local honda dealer. The pilot has been serviced regularly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that the second gear of the transmission burned out, causing the vehicle to jerk while driving 25 MPH uphill. The dealer was notified regarding the transmission failure who advised the contact that there was a recall related to the failure under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). The vehicle was repaired under the recall however, the failure recurred. The dealer advised that the contact would be responsible for any further repairs because the vehicle had already been repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified who confirmed the dealer's statement and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 135,000.
I took my pilot in for a slipping transmission. I was told I had bad motor mounts and that was allowing the transmission to slip. I spent approx. $3600.00 to have the motor mounts fixed, timing belt and water pump, front struts, etc. Fixed. The problem started again, this time, getting a flashing "d" light. Took it back in for failure to fix the problem. Had 4th gear pressure gear replaced for cost. I now have a check engine light on posting a code of p0730, "incorrect gear ratio". I have been into honda 4 times for this issue including today, and I was told I need a new transmission. I am out of warranty of course, but I know there are many, many complaints regarding this particular issue. I do not have the money to replace a faulty transmission that was built poorly. I am worried I might get into a crash because of this. I am contemplating hiring a lawyer to resolve this issue.
Transmission started slipping with only 115,000 miles. Had to replace transmission for $4,000.00. I purchased it for reliability & this is the 4th honda I've owned. Leaves bad taste in my mouth.
Highway driving, vehicle suddenly lurched forward after an engine hesitation (heard a loud noise, passenger thought the vehicle had hit something...felt under passenger side footwell.) drove home, next day there were problems getting the vehicle into reverse. Again, it lurched into reverse and made a loud noise. Immediately taken to dealership with only one "racing" engine noise at 35mph. Diagnosed with code #p0740 (torque converter) requiring complete transmission replacement. Vehicle is original owner/all recommended service at correct time intervals (including a double transmission service done at 60,000 and 77,000) no paperwork indicating 2004 recall service was done, however dealership insists it was completed (they're still looking for paperwork.) only major repair: $1100 repair done 82,400 - leaking transmission fluid (replaced front pump seal, o-ring on converter and rear main) now, 2200 miles later, transmission is out and must be replaced. Dealership quoting $5200 (not including labor), after discussions with honda they have offered to cover 40% of repair price (not including labor). I had a reasonable expectation that the transmission would last longer than 87,000 miles, considering the regular maintenance and safe driving record. Thankfully, I have all repair/service paperwork and will be going to bbb arbitration, as suggested in the honda warranty handbook. Also, extremely thankful there was no accident/injury/death related to this severe transmission issue (had I been at full highway speed, 65mph, the outcome may not have been so positive when the vehicle's transmission hesitated and then surged.)
Just started having transmission problems. 2003 pilot ex with only 150k miles, just started slipping. Going 65mph on the freeway and suddenly it feels like I slammed on the brakes, and engine revs without changing speed, like, I just shifted into neutral. Took the car into honda and they are telling me it will cost $4500 to get a remanufactured transmission, not a new one. Since I bought it from its original owner I asked if the car was brought in on the recall in 2004. The original did not remember, but I called the dealership and they said yes but could not provide me with a date it happened. Now I'm a little worried.
While driving along a road at about 30 MPH, there was a very intense loud vibrating noise under the front console of our 2003 honda pilot. It was very intense and loud and lasted about 10 seconds. We pulled over and looked but couldn't see anything visibly wrong on the outside. Then the next morning, when pulling it out of our parking stall, it did it again. The first time, we had driven it for a week straight(after buying it) without hearing a problem. Then it happened twice. After looking through multiple forums on this issue, it sounds like there are quite a few people who have had the same problem with the acura mdx and with honda pilots. If there are so many issues, obviously it's a factory defect.
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