Bought used 2003 honda pilot in march 2009. Had to replace transmission in april 2009. Purchased a new transmission for over $4,000 to get a 3-yr, 36,000 mile warranty. Previously owned a 2003 honda accord (bought new) that had the transmission replaced under warranty in 2006. Didn't think about pilot having the same transmission, or I would never have purchased the pilot. Now at 166,000 miles my drive light is blinking again, but of course the warranty is out on the transmission!!
2003 Honda Pilot transmission complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 224, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Transmission locked wheels, shifted to several different gears while at moderate speed (appx 45 MPH).
My car is experiencing a weird slipping on the transmission, it doesnt seem to change gear sometimes. Its always the 2nd gear going to 3rd gear when it starts slipping. But when I stop and pull over for a minute and drive the car, the problems goes away. Also the airbag warning turns on and off for some reason. I called honda a few months ago and asked if my car is included in the recall but I was surprised they said no. I just dont know whats going on with this car.
Vehicle almost stalled in a busy intersection,check engine light came on and vehicle engine was revving at a high RPM. Had a friend check the code with a scanner which came back with code po740 -torque converter solenoid circuit. I think this is a safety issue and should be covered by the manufacturer. It's just a matter of time before someone gets killed because of this issue. Called american honda and said there were no recalls on this issue and did not offer any suggestions. Did a search on the internet and found I was not the only person having this issue. Very disappointed with honda - will not be buying any honda product in the future.
Vehicle transmission would not shift properly in lower gears; vehicle would not downshift to first gear, but would remain in neutral. Intermittently, vehicle would shift from first gear to second gear, then slips into neutral (engine would continue to rev, but vehicle would not move). Intermittent 'clunk' as transmission moves from one gear to another. When vehicle does not shift, poses a safety hazard as you cannot merge into traffic; or vehicle would not accelerate when attempting to merge, and would remain in neutral, holding up traffic behind. Highly dangerous condition, as driver cannot depend on vehicle to accelerate when required.
Same issue as every other pilot owner with the 2nd gear not wanting to shift up around 30-40 MPH, a delay and RPM's go up causing safety issues.
Our transmission keeps slipping around 2 or 3 gear.. There was a recall about this part that was supposedly fixed on our car. Our car only has $116k miles on it, and it seems kind of fishy that it is the same part that was recalled and "supposedly" fixed. Transmissions usually last a lot longer than this before they fail. They need to take responsibility for their faulty vehicle parts!
I inadvertently turned the ignition switch off with the transmission still in drive, and I was able to remove the key from the ignition. I then exited the car. The car started to roll backward as I was passing behind it, so I had to unlock the door and climb back into the moving vehicle and apply the brake. This same failure warranted recalls for 2003 accords, civics, and elements, but so far not for pilots. I wonder if the interlock mechanism is common among all these different models, and if so, why honda wasn't required to issue a recall for the pilot, also? The designs must be very similar for so many models to be experiencing the same failure.
At about 80,0000 miles on my pilot a vibration and noise while traveling at a steady speed anywhere between 30 - 50 miles per hour. The dealer says that it could be a problem with the torque converter but he is not sure. At times the sound is faint and often times it is quite loud. The dealer is quoting around $4000 to fix it. When I also researched on the internet, I found quite a few people with the same complaint. I agree that honda needs to issue a recall.
The transmission initially started to shudder when the vehicle operated within the 40-60 MPH zone. Now the shudder seems to occur in the range of 30 to 60 MPH. The transmission is also erratically shifting up and down within the drive range causing for uneven performance. I now operate the vehicle while driving on city streets in the "d3" gear. Although it wastes gas, the car operates smoother and does not have the shuddering that was being experience while in the "d" gear. Given an emergency situation, I bought the car from a family member. Otherwise, I would have had time to research the car and would have found that the transmission is a very serious failure on this vehicle. It is in fact a latent defect that has occurred with continued regularity. Given the history of this issue, and the way honda has responded, I will not be looking at honda when I buy a new car.
Transmission going bad. Dealer says it is a bad torque converter and could be a safety issue if it locks up while moving. It appears that there are a lot of these issues with the honda pilot.
Having difficulties puting car into gear from park to drive especially if vehicle is on a hill. Various friends who have the same car have the same issue. One friend had to replace transmission when it failed on the highway.
As I was driving down a busy highway this morning my transmission started violently jerking in and out of gears so hard it was throwing me forward and my seatbelt was locking. After the jerking the RPM's went to 5,000 at 55 MPH and the malfunction indicator lamp came on. I pulled over and had my vehicle towed home. The jerking was so bad the people behind me slowed down to avoid a collision. I do have two small children that ride in this vehicle and seeing that I am not the only person with this issue, why hasn't honda owned up to this problem. I could have been seriously injured from this not to mention how scared I was while it was happening. This is a safety concern! Honda obviously did not fix the original problem. I have notified honda motor corporation and have filed a complaint, my vehicle is being towed to the dealership to have a diagnostics done and sent to the "case worker", who should contact me in 24-48 hours. If honda does not fix this problem and someone dies as a result of the transmission locking up, they are going to be in serious trouble. Why don't these corporations fix the problems before a life is taken. I expect way more than 107,000 miles out of my pilot transmission.
While driving with my two small children in the car, the vehicle failed to shift to third, and instead shifted to first gear. This gave a serious jolt to the car, and nearly caused an accident. On review by a transmission shop, it was determined that the clutch pack was completely deteriorated and would need to be replaced. Honda of north america s unwilling to admit that there is a design flaw in the transmission. There were no warning lights, no flashing "d" symbol on the dash, nothing. Just a complete transmission failure on a busy road, driving normally. Please investigate.
Automatic transmission began failing at 89,000 miles then finally failed around 94,000. When I took the vehicle into the honda dealer he did not mention any recalls and he failed to mention that there were any problems. All he was interested in is selling me a brand new honda or a new transmission. I had to get it rebuilt and now at 101,000 the shudder between 40-50mph is starting again so I know it is a matter of time. I feel the transmissions on these vehicles are defective and honda needs to make good on their defective product.
My 2003 honda pilot with 76000 miles has started to make a vibration and noise while traveling at a steady speed anywhere between 30 - 50 miles per hour. The dealer says that it could be a problem with the torque converter but he is not sure. At times the sound is faint and often times it is quite loud. The dealer is quoting around $2100 to fix it. When I researched on the internet, I found quite a few people with the same complaint. Honda needs to issue a recall.
2003 honda pilot started to sometimes drop out of gear. Feels like car is in neutral. I step on gas, can hear engine rev, but feels like transmission has disengaged. I have to coast over to side of road, place car in park and then in drive again to correct problem. When tranny is not acting up, I also have noticed the car shakes around 50-60mph. D was flashing and engine light on first time tranny disengaged, so I took car to me mechanic, who told me diagnostics were telling him car needed new sensors, which he replaced. Went upstate, thinking prob solved, well, I almost caused a pile up on gwb in new york with car dropping out of drive again at about 45mph, nowhere there to pull over, so I had to stop car in middle of road, drop it into park, then move it into drive. This time no flashing d or check engine light came on.I brought it to honda. They told me they would check the tranny. The only thing they found wrong was tranny fluid was slightly overfilled, so they drained some fluid. They did tell me if problem persisted I would need a new tranny and also needed new engine mounts on my 8 year old car with 103,000miles. Next day problem was still there! Meanwhile I had dealer check on the price of new tranny..4,700.00! Was very upset to find all of the other complaints on this and many websites. I called honda dealer, told them I felt honda should issue a recall on this ongoing problem with the 2003 pilots, and other models. They asked me what I would be willing to pay for the repairs.I told the man, if they are negotiating a price on a new tranny, then honda knows there is a problem with the transmissions in these cars.I explained to him I've already spent 700.00 on sensors at my mechanic, and another 250.00 with his service station on this tranny, and would not pay any more than 500.00. Next day got call telling me they wouldn't give me anything toward new tranny.very unhappy honda not making good on an obvious defect in these trannys! No more hondas for me.
This vehicle make has a serious safety issue. Many times I have been in heavy traffic and had to make an emergency negotiation of the roadway to avoid being involved in a major collision. The honda pilot's automatic transmission slips out of drive, into neutral, with no warning and at varying speeds. This problem has been ongoing for two years. It happens at slow speeds (I.e. 25 MPH and also at highway speeds 65-70 MPH). Transmission fluid has been power flushed and filled by an ase certified dealer. Fluid was noticeably dark. Mechanic thought the problem is a combination torque converter lock-up issue as well as a transmission issue. Honda states that this vehicle was serviced for a factory transmission problem recall, however, this was prior to me purchasing the vehicle.
Twice had transmission failure in 2003 pilot. First at approximately 68,000 miles and second at approximately 120,000 miles (approx 60,000 per transmission). So much for honda reliability! Tranmission replaced first time by dealer at the cost of extended warranty payment. Second replacement dealer would not assist and had to fight to get honda to assist. After a lot of effort and follow up on our part, honda agreed to cover half of cost. A simple search of the internet will result in a multitude of complaints on multiple websites...clearly honda does not want to admit to problems with this transmission due to cost involved if they cover the repairs.
Consumer owns a 2003 honda pilot. Transmission is shot. Will not go into 2nd gear. Car reaches very high RPM's then will jerk. This happens when car is heated. When car is finally in 2nd gear, it will slip and fall out. Soon after, car will not reverse. Very scary and could of been fatal. Transmission is completey shot. Took very good care of this car, original owner. Honda will do nothing to cover the cost even though my car has a recall on the transmission and the symptoms are exactly what the recall is about. Honda is not caring about their customers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated the air bag light remained illuminated and the transmission would not shift into second gear. The manufacturer advised that the air bag and the transmission recall were performed on the vehicle and the vehicle should be taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 149,000.
2003 honda pilot ex-l res sudden transmission issue-transmission started slipping, not shifting, revving extremely high and not shifting into the highest gear at all. Car is jerking on major highway and almost stopping itself in its tracks by downshifting from 60mph into 2nd gear. 24hrs later, the car won't even go into reverse. Very scary 2 hour pa turnpike ride when this suddenly started happening. Never had one problem before, at all, but that was scary. The vehicle has 167,000 and has been wonderful up until yesterday. Glad we made it home safely. On to honda tomorrow............
Our honda pilot will shutter while accelerating between speeds of 20 to 50 miles per hour. The shutter will continue if you continue to accelerate, if I let off the gas pedal shutter dissipates and I can resume on accelerating. Occasionally the rear end jumps when accelerating from a stop. It looks to be a problem with multiple pilot/mdx owners. A recall needs to be addressed soon, before serious injury could occur. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Jan, 2011 (odometer ~61000 miles.) check engine light turned while exiting from highway. Feb, 2011 dealer confirmed that 1. Transmission fluid is turning brown, 2. Diagnosed problem with the gear in the transmission. They reset check engine light. April, 2011 experience difficulty with vehicle. Vehicle did not response and wanted to stop while merging into street road and accelerating from around 10 MPH. May, 2011 (odometer ~62500 miles) engine light turned on again while merging into highway at about 30 MPH. Since then we are experiencing sudden stoke while the transmission is changing gear. Called honda customer services and was informed that we have two choices, either complain to ceo of honda america or to better business bureau ----------------- did some research on the internet and noticed that there are many other owners experiencing transmission failure / problem with the honda pilot. Also, there was a recall notice in 2004 on this vehicle regarding insufficient fluid flow in transmission (the federal safety agency reference #04v176000). -------------- I did regular maintenance at the dealer. I suspect that the problem that I am currently experiencing with the vehicle is related to the same recall back in 2004. This vehicle has a design fault in the transmission. -------------- - honda should issue another recall on the vehicle. - honda should replace the transmission free of charge and refund the cost for diagnostics. - in addition, honda needs to have a major change in how they handle the customer complaints, instead of referring us to their ceo or better business bureau.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact smelled a strong burning odor inside of the vehicle. The engine warning indicator illuminated and remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The transmission would not shift into third or fourth gear. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate over 40 MPH. The vehicle was previously repaired in january of 2005 for a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) however, the remedy was insufficient. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 136,000.
2003 honda pilot. Consumer states mechanical problems with the vehicle *tgw the consumer stated the drive light began to flash intermittently from the beginning of ownership. The dealer told the consumer it was related to the gas cap not being secured properly. However, once the transmission was replaced the light no longer flashed. On august 19, 2003 the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to a hesitation issue, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. Four months later, the check engine and SRS lights illuminated. Also, the vtm lights were flashing. On september 8, 2005 the transmission light began flashing. The consumer was informed that a special part had to ordered. The consumer also stated the power steering pump and gear box had to be replaced. Also, the egr, v-tec seals and o-ring were all replaced to rectify the engine light problem. The timing belt and left and right control arm links were replaced. The inner and outer cv boots were replaced. On february 8, 20011 while driving 70 MPH, the transmission suddenly downshifted almost causing a complete loss of control of the vehicle. The next day, the vehicle was taken to the dealership, where the consumer was informed the transmission had failed again.
2003 honda pilot (automatic transmission) has a shudder in the transmission between 29-49 MPH. The shudder was first noticed when the odometer had about 130k miles. We were told to change the transmission fluid, but we had recently had the transmission serviced at honda dealer. If you ease off the gas the shudder will stop. It only lasts for a few seconds, but it is very noticeable shake. We have been told that the transmission needs to be replaced. A well maintained honda vehicle should not be needing its transmission replaced at 130k miles.
While traveling on the highway in 2003 honda pilot, going approximately 60 - 65 MPH, the car violently shook as if the brakes had been applied. Minutes later, it happened again so we exited the freeway and continued slowly. Once home, there was a hesitation when shifting to reverse and it actually rolled forward for a few feet. We could hear it slip into gear after a few seconds with a metallic ping or thud. The next day, we noticed the gears slipping when accelerating around 40 MPH. Took the car to renton honda and they surmised it could be bad gasoline. After paying for a diagnostic test, they determined a new transmission was needed at a cost of $3500 (with a goodwill discount). This car was purchased brand new, has never towed anything, and has had every scheduled maintenance at the dealership. This is why they offered the discount. The car has 117,000 miles and has been pampered. This honda isn't living up to the hype!
2003 honda pilot ex experiences shudder/vibration between 35-40 MPH, lasting in duration of 5 to 10 seconds. Drain of transmission fluid revealed friction material present. Dealer suspects torque converter failure, same as acura mdx.
The 2003 honda pilot I own is on it's second transmission. The vehicle becomes disabled and the "d" light flashes on the dash indicating the transmission has failed. The honda dealer says that the transmission must be replaced again. Two transmissions at only 127, 500 is a sign of problems with the design and manufacture of the transmission itself. I believe honda should recall all 2003 & 2004 honda pilot for transmission replacement for the remainder of the useful life of the vehicle.
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