The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle violently jolted forward with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The failure had occurred while driving on a major highway. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced Technical Service Bulletin: 04-021; however, the contact was informed that the repair had been performed on the vehicle in 2004. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
2003 Honda Pilot: complete transmission failure
72 of the 720 complaints about the 2003 Honda Pilot describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 72
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,700
- typical mileage
- 125,000
- recalls
- 1
Complete transmission failure by model year
What owners say
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.
Transmission failure at 150k car became difficult to drive and was unsafe. Happened quickly.
Transmission was included in recall but we were never notified. Experienced catastrophic failure at 168,000 miles. Lost power on the freeway going 65 MPH with no warning. Honda refusing to replace transmission because of the age and mileage of my car, despite the known defect in the transmission.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that the transmission failed. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2004 for the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The dealer repaired the oil cooler, but did not replace the transmission. The transmission failed and the manufacturer refused to replace it. The vehicle was never fully repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 185,000.
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
This is a 2003 honda pilot that I had never had any problems until I had to travel almost 2 hours--one way--for my job. On the way home of my 4 hour trip my pilot like got hot and then just stopped pulling. Honda of richmond kentucky put one transmission in already, buy the 2nd or 3rd oil change after the transmission was replaced, we had to have it replaced again. Not its about 1 thousand miles from another oil change and the transmission is slipping again. Help what do I do??
Anywhere between 35-50 MPH I get a shudder that sounds like driving over a rumble strip on the freeway. The problem started out to where it sounded like a gush of air was flowing underneath the car for about 15 seconds, then progressed to a rumble strip noise. At that point, I had it looked at. Mechanic says failed torque converter and will have to replace transmission. I have 132,000 miles on the car. Haven't contacted honda as I'm the second owner and have read in many different places on the internet that honda won't acknowledge the problem. Mechanic warned that the transmission will go at any time now and the car isn't safe to drive. I've decided if the transmission is going to fail at 132,000 miles, I'm not taking the chance of putting more money into it, only to fail again (several complaints about people ending up with several transmissions installed by honda with subsequent failures). I've owned three hondas. The lack of response from honda on this issue across the board means they lost me as a customer.
2003 honda pilot transmission started slipping in low gear after engine warmed up. Whenever vehicle is going from a stop to movement, such as red lights, stop signs and traffic, vehicle doe not click into gear right away. Took vehicle to honda dealer who stated transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $4100 + 12 hrs labor for installation. Vehicle only has @78,00 miles on it. Luckily my transmission has not seized as many others have on the highway causing grave safety concern.
We purchased our 2003 honda pilot ex-l new at danbury honda on february 20, 2003. We have had ongoing issues with the "d" or drive light flashing intermittently since the car was new and had it checked at the dealer each time, with a report back that there was nothing wrong and it would go away. The dealer has done almost all of the preventative maintenance to our vehicle and we also do proactive care to our vehicle. Most recently we spent a good amount of money on repairs to the transmission through honda dealerships in delray beach, florida (disaster there) and danbury, ct. We are now being told we need a new transmission, only months after putting a lot of money into the car. Had we known we would be spending this kind of money (about $5k), we would have traded the car in. However, we are now caught in a financial burden with having to put a new transmission in the 2003 pilot, which we think should be part of a recall based upon all the on-line research we've done. Can anyone please assist?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the transmission failed without warning. On a separate occasion, the passenger side relay speaker caught on fire. The fire was contained by the contact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised that the wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
While driving at 40-45 MPH with shift lever in "d" the vehicle began to shift down a gear very hard and then back into the previous gear. It does this repeatedly. Was told by a honda dealer repair shop that the transmission needs to be replaced. The car has been well maintained. The transmission on a vehicle like this with 160k miles should not be failing.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Case v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. BC 424169 (Third Clutch Transmission Settlement
- Noise and judder from the rear when turning
- Pilot- knowngood PCM swap with sidewinder key
- Replacing a canon A75 digital camera to take inspection photos for s/b 04-021, safety recall: a/t 2ND gear...
- Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) leaks
- Hissing between 30 and 50 mph
- Safety recall: automatic transmission second gear inspection
- Buzzing or clicking noise on hard acceleration
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
- Risk
- Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. Owners should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009 or acura at 1‑800‑382‑2238.
Recall number 04V176000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Honda Pilot transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
72 of 720 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Pilot (10%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,700 (median of 21 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
There is 1 recall and 31 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Honda Pilot
Slipping 46Check engine light 40Airbag light 39Headlights 29Jerking 25Shudder 23Door locks 15Hesitation 14Won't shift 14Stalling 13No deployment 11Won't start 11Grinding brakes 10Fire or smoke 10Loss of power 9Harsh shifting 8Seat belt 6Sudden acceleration 6Engine failure 5
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