Using excessive oil 120k using 2 qt every 2,300 miles with no visable leaks
2005 Honda Pilot engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 90, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Loss of power on highway even when accelerator engaged. Had to pull over the shoulder. Vehicle could not be driven. Smoke was coming from the rear of vehicle but sent away after engine was shut off. Vehicle had to be towed. Service department at nearest honda dealer cited a radiator leak that likely got into the transmission line.
On 9-9-15, our 2005 honda pilot abruptly stopped on emerald parkway - police assisted. Leaking fluid was clumpy red/brown and vehicle hot. Shop today says radiator and transmission and possibly engine need replaced and instructed us to contact a honda dealer. This is our second safety complaint on this vehicle - 1st was dangerous "phantom braking" or inadvertant application on brakes in 2012, which honda subsequently recalled in 2013. After reading thru complaints, I see the exact same problem - transmission line in radiator suddenly came loose and transmission fluid leaked into radiator and coolant leaked into transmission, ruining both has occurred numerous times. We anticipate a very expensive repair.... We are thankful this did not occur on the highway, during rush hour or with any of our 3 kids in the vehicle, and are angered at honda's failure to recall this as well - as some said they did for 2003 and 2004 models?
Car was hard shifting until I get home. Pulled up driveway, could not get into "park". Very hard shifting between other gears, unable to put into "I" or first gear at all. Had to put in neutral on flat surface because car would roll even with emegency brake on. Had to unhook battery cable to save on juice. Had the car for 5 years , problems.
I took my vehicle to the dealer today to get the current recalls taken care of and also told them to check the motor mounts. I've read quite a few complaints about the motor mounts failing around 55,000 miles and abrupt/harsh shifting in the transmission is a good indicator of the defect. Dealer just notified me that 2 motor mounts need to be replaced (front and side mounts). They replaced them but at my expense, unfortunately. Not sure when the motor mounts expired since I owned the vehicle, I'm the second owner. The current mileage on my pilot is 159,000 so I entered 159,000 miles for the vehicle incident. But the 3 years I've owned it, I have always noticed an abrupt or harsh shift from park to drive/reverse. I feel with a lot of honda pilot owners complaining about this defect, there should be a recall. Thank you, [xxx] ps, here's a couple of forums/blogs about this issue. Http://www.piloteers.org/forums/18-maintenance/22774-anyone-changed-motor-mount.html http://www.carcomplaints.com/honda/pilot/2005/engine/motor_mounts_broken.shtml http://honda-tech.com/honda-accord-1990-2002-2/how-much-replace-motor-mount-95083/ information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Car shudders occasionally around speeds 30 while accelerating, the shudder lasts few seconds and stops. This could happen only once or several times if you continue to drive around speeds 30 MPH. From honda forums it looks like a common problem with same year honda pilots and accura rdx. Driving with such an condition shakes the driver for an unknown vehicular behaviour that may cause an accident/ fatality. It is suggested honda corp may be asked to put a recall for all vehicles in this manuafcture year.
On our way home to nj from a family trip to canada we stopped for a bathroom break in the "middle of nowhere" maine. The car hesitated to go when stepping on the gas. I managed to drive down the road, the "temp" light went on, then I pulled over. I checked the fluids....the transmission fluid was milky red. We were lucky to have cell phone service to call for a tow. I had my family, wife and two younger kids in the car. We waited for over 30 minutes for the tow truck to arrive, he had to call for transport for my family. We managed to find a service center that was willing stay open to fix our car. The car needed a new radiator and have the transmission flushed ($800), a valve broke sending coolant into the transmission. We learned that other 2005 pilots had the same problem of which there was a recall for this issue on the 2004 pilots, honda would not do anything! (as a side note, I had some seat leather replaced and the color match was that of a 2004 pilot). Since the day of the repair the transmission is very rough/bucking while shifting gears. To date, besides routine maintenance, oil changes and small parts, I have replaced the timing belt, starter, water pump, and the radiator. To have the transmission replaced would be a very costly repair. This was our family travel car and I now will only take the car around town for fear that the transmission will go. I was not in the market for a new car but due to this situation I need to get rid of this car!
My wife was driving to work when suddenly she heard like a whirring sound and the car just suddenly shut down. She pulled on the side and noticed fluid was leaking underneath the front side of engine. We have the vehicle towed to dealership. Talking to the agent, they told us that transmission fluid leaked into radiator and radiator coolant/trans fluid leaked into transmission. Cost of repairs: $1130 to flush out the fluids and 5000 to fix transmission. My problem is that we're upto date with the service check-up and upset that this was not prevented from happening.
This is a 2005 honda pilot we bought in 2009. The dealer called me to say that the radiator burst and the antifreeze got mixed in with the transmission fluid causing the transmission to fail. He is now quoting a $5,000 bill to replace the radiator and the transmission.
The transmission line that goes into the radiator was dislodged and all the transmission fluid leaked out as well as coolant. The car had been driven about 4 miles and was parked at the time of the incident. There was no visible damage to the transmission line or the radiator but both had to be replaced according to the honda dealer.the cost of replacement was $641.55 and none of this was covered by honda. We believe that this is a serious defect in the honda pilot and is a major problem in both the honda pilot and odyssey van. This connection was not damaged and simply let loose. It has occurred in many other vehicles at different amounts of mileage from my vehicle. This connection should never come loose under normal driving conditions and is a serious defect with significant safety concerns. The repair person at the dealer told me that they are seeing a lot of these problems and that the line simply blows out under the pressure from inside the radiator (he said about 110 psi) honda should be held responsible for this defect and all honda pilots and odyssey vans should be recalled and the defect corrected before serious injuries occur. We believe you should investigate this further and have honda take corrective action. As I investigated this I determined that in some cases the coolant and radiator fluid mix together and cause serious damage to the transmission. This is caused by the same problem but the repair cost go into the thousands $ because of the damage to the transmission.
I was driving my honda RPM started going up and down vehicle started violently started to shake. I luckily made it home. The transmission fluid and coolant had mixed. I bought a new radiator, extensive transmission flush 15 qts. Now 2 months later the vehicle is shifting hard, shaking at 35-40 MPH and have been informed I need a new transmission. I have read numerous comments and reports of this honda should be notified and a recall put in place.
On october 4, 2014 while my son was driving the accelerator became stuck luckily he was driving and we were traveling 30 miles per hour. The car was shifted to neutral and stopped. Yesterday, after cutting the car off and removing the key the engine was sill running. The key was reinserted and removed. Today on 10/102014 once again, I pulled in the garage tried to turn off the car and remove the key but the engine was still running with the key removed. I reinserted the key as I did the day before, as I removed the key the car accelerated became stuck again, fortunately the car was in park. I did not step on the gas or accelerate since I was merely reinserting and removing the key. In any event the car pedal was stuck. I am concerned and hope this does not happen again so I am reporting for my safety.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 137000.
I had been driving for about 15 minutes when car suddenly failed to maintain speed and slowed from 45 MPH to 30-35 MPH. I could not get car to accelerate, engine was audibly strained and smoke was shortly evident from under hood. I put on my emergency flashers and pulled off the road as soon as it was safe to do so. No warning lights were illuminated. Smoke ceased when I turned the engine off. Upon exiting the car I observed a heavy stream of brown oily liquid draining from hood and additional blue oily fluid following shortly thereafter. I checked the fluid levels to find totally depleted transmission fluid and rapidly diminishing engine coolant. I called my honda dealer service dept. And was advised not to drive the car and to have it towed to the service dept. Which I did. It was determined that a hose had disconnected and the radiator would need replacement. He could offer no explanation as to what caused the problem stating it had not seen it before. Total cost: $825.00. Given the many internet complaints of this identical problem unreported to official agencies combined with those reported to honda corporate and the federal safety agency I am unconvinced that all honda dealerships are unaware of this issue. I am, however, totally convinced that serious injury or death would have resulted had I been driving on a crowded highway at 70 MPH when this hose disconnected causing an instantaneous loss of speed with impending engine failure. I am equally convinced that honda corp. Is negligent in not admitting this to be a manufacturing defect worthy of a voluntary recall and financial reimbursement to it's customers. The federal safety agency is negligent in it's lack of attention to the serious nature of this problem and failure to mandate a recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle exhibited a reduction in power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.updated 06/10/14 ma 07/24/17
Transmission cooler line inside radiator failed combining fluids and causing the transmission to malfunction. Loss of ability to drive/move vehicle with family in the vehicle. This is a common failure and requires a new radiator and replace / rebuild the transmission. A recommendation from honda to replace the radiator every 100,000 miles would have prevented having to replace / rebuild the transmission. Subsequent to repair, oil remains in the coolant system and has caused failure of a coolant line due to over-pressurization. The vehicle, with multiple children in it, has been stranded two more times due to coolant system failure.
Like so very many other honda pilot owners of the timeframe, I have experienced a transmission leak and failure from a radiator failure - and though honda had settled a class-action suit about these problems with a minor warranty extension... My failure, of course, happened shortly after that extension. I am out nearly $5,000 and nearly got killed when my car died because honda has failed to properly recall these transmissions. Shame on honda - and shame on you for not holding them to task even after they settled a lawsuit (with such a lame and still unsafe response).
Radiator failed causing the transmission fluid to mix with the coolant. My wife was stranded with my four children. We had the radiator changed and coolant and transmission fluid flushed. The transmission has not functioned properly since the problem happened.
Transmission cooler line inside radiator failed combining fluids and causing the transmission to malfunction. Loss of ability to drive/move vehicle while on a rural road between cities during a snowstorm with my family in the vehicle. This is a common failure and requires a new radiator and replace / rebuild the transmission. A recommendation from honda to replace the radiator every 100,000 miles for a marginal fee(similar to the timing belt) would have prevented having to replace / rebuild the transmission.
I was driving up a hill when my vehicle started to lose power and high rpms upon acceleration. Was not able to climb hill so I pulled over and turned the car off. Restarted and made it a short distance before it stopped. I was fortunate to get out of harm's way prior to the car giving out completely.the vehicle had to be towed. A mechanic took a look at the vehicle and explained that transmission and radiator were both ruined and would both need to be replaced. He indicated that transmission fluid and radiator fluid mixed causing the malfunction and it also has caused the need for flushing of the engine. I have noticed that several other owners have made internet posts about the same problem. This issue should be under consideration for a recall by honda as it sounds like a common occurrence that is the result of a design flaw. It is potentially very dangerous as this happens with no warning and causes the vehicle to stop functioning. Obviously, this would be very dangerous if it occurs at highway speeds. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
While driving along a rural 2 lane highway with no one behind me, the transmission appeared to slip and the engine RPM went way up. The truck slowed down. This lasted 3 or 4 seconds and then went back to normal. In a few minutes, I stopped at the light entering the village of saranac lake, ny. The 2005 honda pilot stopped running. I tried to restart and nothing happened at all. I put my flashers on and opened the hood. I saw a liquid that looked like chocolate milk leaking under the engine. After it was towed to a garage, the mechanic said he thought the radiator leaked and allowed the antifreeze to mix with the transmission fluid. The truck would need a new radiator and maybe a new trans and or engine. If someone had been behind me when this happened, it could have caused an accident because it caused the vehicle to slow down and the brake lights did not come on. I read that over 1 million 2003 and 2004 honda pilots were recalled for the same problem.
Transmission cooler line inside radiator failed commingled fluids and causing transmission to malfunction. Loss of ability to drive/move vehicle while in middle of multi-lane highway.
Had a sudden failure of the transmission cooling portion of the radiator causing a loss of power to the rear wheels while driving on the highway at 70 MPH. If this had happened on a busy freeway it would have been very dangerous. Upon doing an internet search I see that hundreds of 2005 honda pilots have suffered the same sudden failure of the exact same part causing the same condition. This usually results in damaging the transmission and costing thousands to repair. This is absolutely a safety hazard. Honda refuses to acknowledge that any problem exists. It is plainly evident that a manufacturing defect of this part exists. Any engineer who examines the data of hundreds and hundreds of accounts posted on the internet must come to the same conclusion. This is defective! This is dangerous! Owners should be partially compensated for the expense of repair. Honda should be held accountable for a knowingly defective part.
I was on a circular on-ramp to a highway. My vehicle started losing power upon acceleration so the engine revved but car slowed down. I made it off the ramp to the highway and was able to pull off to the shoulder. The car has an automatic transmission so I thought maybe it wasn't clicking into place properly but it was. I noticed a puddle of fluid. I had it towed to a mechanic who said that the transmission cooling line blew out & the radiator will have to be replaced along with the adapter because there are no threads left on the radiator to grab the connector. He said it was something that's not supposed to happen. It was a mechanical failure. I have read several posts on line on a number of web sites from owners with this same problem. Most people have also replaced their transmissions because the radiator and transmission fluids ruin both when mixed together. My car is still at the mechanics, so I don't know about the transmission yet, but the posts indicate that the car is never the same. I was lucky that I had enough juice to pull over to safety. Apparently there are no recalls from honda in spite of the numerous complaints that I've seen. Repairs are expensive & this problem seems to occur mostly within the 100,000 mile range, give or take. If I get rid of the car before or after fixing it, it would only be a problem for the next consumer & that's not really fair. I feel that honda should reimburse current owners for transmissions and radiator replacements on those cars that have had the problem and recall/repair the parts on the ones that haven't. I feel that this is an important issue because my car could have come to a complete stop on the highway and caused a serious & potentially fatal accident. Honda needs to take responsibility for this defect before someone gets hurt or killed. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
Vehicle diagnosed at dealer service center as having 2 cracked / broken engine mounts. Affected mounts are right (passenger) side and front mount. Based on similar anecdotal reports on internet forums (piloteers.org and others) this appears to be a fairly common occurrence on honda pilots and odysseys of this vintage. They share the same chassis. It also appears the right and front mounts are most likely to be affected.
1 front motor mounts had to be replaced
Radiator failed, causing loss of transmission fluid, causing loss of motion. The car stopped dead in the road and could not move on its own power. From contact with other honda pilot and honda ridgeline owners, I learned that this type of failure occurs frequently at around 100,000 miles. The single radiator unit cools both the engine and the transmission fluid.
I bought the 2005 pilot ex in 2009. Brought it back to the dealer after 1 month of driving for hesitation in the transmission. Dealer couldn't find the problem. Thought this must be how it shifts. Have always noticed a slight radiator fluid smell. No one could find any leak. About 3 years later at 110,000 miles, transmission fluid and radiator fluid mixed when the radiator gave out. We were out of town and on our way home leaving us on the side of the road to be towed back into town (approx 30 miles) and had to spend an extra night until the repairs were finished. $637.00 repair for the radiator. 2 months later noticed the air conditioner not working. Took it to our local guy who said it wasn't hooked up right when they replaced the radiator. Correct hookup, pressure test and recharge air system was $186.00. A week later after explaining the radiator problem to my local repair guy we had the transmission flushed twice to try to save us from future transmission trouble. $292.00 for the transmission flush related to the radiator failure. Now a month and a half later we have a shudder between 35 and 45 MPH and a noise at about 55 MPH that sound like a piece of metal dropping off the car. Asked the local repair shop and transmission repair shop and they both said the transmission was damaged and needed to be replaced. Went with the transmission place, after reading all the similar stories of other 2005 honda pilots, the dealers will over charge and not even admit to this known issue. The stories of the same problem happening again made us go with the most competent repair shop who does this every day. So it's the fourth of july and we are without the family car today. Should be able to pick it up tomorrow with the rebuilt transmission for $3,915.00. Total bill; $5,031.00 for a failed radiator. This is wrong. Honda should acknowledge this issue and be made to recall it.
Front and right side motor mounts are broken according to va inspection. The vehicle only has 69k miles and being serviced regularly, how could that happen? Need to pay over $500.00 to replace in order to pass va safety inspection. Noticed many owners has the same problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 3 MPH, the temperature gauge spiked as coolant began overflowing from the radiator. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that transmission fluid was found in the radiator and radiator fluid was found in the transmission. As a result, the radiator, transmission cooler, transmission and all of the lines from the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 83,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 Honda Pilot?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history