Transmission cooling portion of radiator failed causing transmission fluid to leak into the radiator and mix with coolant. Transmission drained and caused car to stop. Introduction of antifreeze into the transmission caused damage to the transmission resulting in need to replace transmission.
2005 Honda Pilot transmission complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 176, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving in a residential area, my 2005 honda pilot slipped out of gear multiple times and finally would not drive at all. I pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and shifted it into park. I waited a few minutes and tried to shift back into drive. The vehicle shifted into drive, but was unable to drive more than approximately 15 MPH. I drove the vehicle in this manner for approximate half a mile to my destination. From there I had the honda pilot towed to an repair facility. The mechanic inspected the 2005 honda pilot and informed me that the vehicle's radiator had failed internally. This allowed the engine coolant and transmission fluid to mix. Subsequently the coolant was circulated through the transmission and had caused damage to it. This is what had caused the vehicle to slip out of gear and ultimately render it unable drive.
I had to replace my radiator at 37228 mileage and 85031 on 2005 honda pilot. The radiators are failing at the transmission fittings attached to the bottom of the radiators. There are several thousand complaints about this issue and honda is denying there is a problem. The problem is the transmission cooler is built into the bottom of the radiator. The cooler sits in the bottom of the radiator. There are two transmission fittings on the out side of the radiator that attach to the transmission. This brings transmission fluid in the radiator cooler, cools the fluid and returns it to the transmission. Now inside the bottom radiator sits the transmission cooler which is just a small pipe witch is attached to the transmission fittings. When the fluid enters the radiator cooler it gets instantly cooled and returned to transmission because the cooler is submerged in radiator fluid. This is because the bottom of the radiator is the coolest at the bottom. What's happening is the transmission fittings are rusting away and failing allowing radiator fluid to enter the return line to the transmission. When radiator fluid enters the transmission the transmission is done. You need a replacement. These problem is happening to several hondas and nissan. The two car company's use the same manufacturing for the radiator. The company is dense. The failing on hondas and nissan. If you look into this matter you will see how many people are affected by this. I replaced two radiators for this truck so far. Please look into this problem for $1400 so far. There is a defect with this radiator and honda refuse to do anything about it. People are spending thousands of dollars for something that could be fixed by honda and nissan. Please issue a recall with this issue. Thank you
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contacted was driving 30 MPH when the vehicle started shaking as the gears were shifted into a higher gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and advised that the torque converter was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised the contact to take the vehicle toa second dealer for further inspection. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 122,000.
Traveled ~15 miles at highway speed. Exited highway onto secondary roads thru a busy town. Traveling approx 30 MPH. Car shuddered and speed dropped to about 10 MPH. Transmission wouldn't shift out of low with RPM approaching 4000 RPM. Stopped at light, car stalled all sensor lights came on and flashed. Got it restarted, had to put in low to move...got it moving at ~3500 RPM, went a block to get off the main road into parking lot. Cooling fan running, but temp gauge showed no issue. Puddle of brown fluid formed under passenger side front of engine. Looked like fluid sprayed through front passenger side of engine compartment no indication on sensor lights or temp gauge that anything wrong prior to stall and all sensor lights came on. Had car towed to honda...they diagnosed as 2 transmission cooling lines burst mixing the transmission and cooling fluid. Fix options...1) flush cooling & tranny system 5-7 times, replace radiator, filter, and lines for $1600-1800 but won't know if transmission needs replacing. 2) full replacement of radiator, lines and transmission $3800 or if option 1 chosen and subsequently transmission needs to be replaced it would cost the initial $1600-1800 plus an additional $4000 for a total of approx $5800. No indicator from dealer of the problem history for this vehicle. Had previously complained about shudder and the dealer replaced a wheel bearing first, then when kept complaining they replaced my rotors saying the rotors had warped ...after being resurfaced only ~3600k miles prior. Learned lesson....investigate any problems on -line before you accept the dealer explanation.
My husband and I notice a shudder when you reach a speed of 35-40 MPH. We in turn took it into honda to have it checked several times and to test drive, I even drove the honda while the service man was in the car and it would not shudder. It is still having the shudder problems, I am taking it in for the 4th time for service and oil change and maybe the service department can tell me what is wrong and why it shudders. From research we have found out that we are not the only honda pilot owners with this same problem. There are 98 total discussions on this website ( http://www.edmunds.com/honda/pilot/2005/consumer-discussions.html) discussing the same problems we are having, I truly hope that honda is going to stand good on taking care of this problem or we will no longer purchase another honda. We have been told that it is the torque converter.
There is an obvious shudder when my honda pilot reaches 35-40 MPH, I have 107,000 miles on the pilot. We just started feeling the shudder so I decided to go online to see what could possibly cause this before I shell out tons of cash on a bunch of "well this should fix it" and it doesn't. I binged "my 2005 honda pilot is shaking when I drive" and about the 5th site down I found a site that contained complaints about my issue only they called it a shudder, now I'm terrified because the individuals on this site have had complete transmission failure and I now know that the little shudder that I feel is the only warning and I still don't know how long I have and I can get a rebuilt transmission but that is doomed to fail also. Honda is in denial about the situation even though several have called and asked for assistance with repairs and complaints about how much the repairs are and how people are placed in danger because of the failure, I am afraid to let my newly licensed 16 and 17 yr old drive the car because drivers education didn't teach them how to handle transmission failure and I don't want them hurting themselves or anyone else. This is a safety issue that requires a new transmission replacement, not a patch or code or a rebuild that's going to breakdown after a few ten thousand miles. Clearly this is a problem and some investigating on behalf of the consumer needs to be done to keep us safe.
The first incident occurred while traveling at highway speeds. The car violently jerked forward 3 times and came to a complete sudden stop on the interstate. Luckily no one was following too close or we would have been rear ended. My foot was on the accelerator maintaining a steady speed, and it was like I stomped on the break rapidly three times and then the car came to a complete stop. We took the car to the honda dealership and they could not repeat the issue but said that the battery wasn't putting out the proper amount of amps and was likely resulting in the computer sending faulty messages. They replaced the battery. The car seemed to be fixed when the battery was replaced, but then the issue recurred about two months later at the end of february 2012. While accelerating at about 30 MPH, the car violently came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road. Again, we were lucky to not be not rear ended. We took the car to another auto shop, but they weren't able to duplicate the issue. They assessed the computer and noted a faulty egr valve and replaced it. The car drove fine for two weeks after that, then the issue recurred for a third time, again at about 30 MPH. The same thing occurred; the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road after the sensation of stomping on the breaks several times. The car is in the shop again, and they can't recreate the problem. Their assessment is leading them to believe there is a faulty ABS switch or brake booster. After several failed repair attempts, we aren't confident that anyone knows what the problem is. However, if you read the forums online, this is a problem that has been reported by dozens of people with my year, make/model and at the approximate mileage as my car. If we continue driving the car, we are scared we may injure ourselves or others.
Driving along and close to home felt a pop and noted the temp gauge in hot range of my 2005 honda pilot. I have 77,565 miles on it. In my driveway noted a gray liquid under front right side of vehicle. On inspecting in engine area noted the gray liquid overflowing from rad overflow container. Oil level ok but noted no tranny fluid in it. Towed to service station. It was determined that the transmission cooler located in the radiator had failed, mixing up the fluids. Total cost $1900 with multi flush. I had coverage of transmission in effect but honda said not part of transmission. I have attorney now working on this case for me. The transmission has been shifting poorly before and now worse. Took to honda dealer to check out. They said no problem that they noticed. With only a few weeks left on the warranty I took it to a professional tranny center and paid $50 for a diagnostic. The report noted an internal failed in the transmission and a need to replace or rebuild unit. Back to the honda dealer with the report. They looked more closely and agreed that the transmission needs replacement. Under honda care they replaced with a rebuilt unit. My case with honda paying me back for the initial repair is still being handled by my attorney. I feel that the transmission cooler is an important part of the transmission unit. No one at honda is able to tell me if my rebuilt is under any kind of extended coverage. Still waiting to hear from the dealer.
I began to experience a slight shudder when vehicle speed reached 35 MPH. Not sure cause at the time so had tires and wheels checked and had mechanic try and replicate. No indication of a problem was noted and frequency at first was occasional but began to increase in frequency and duration. Problem has become worse but always between 35-45 MPH and disappears as speed increases. I have contacted dealer and was informed that there had not been any unusual increase in problems like this and would have to check it out. Also informed no existing recalls or notices were on file. Contacted my transmission service rep. And was informed the transmission was very likely failing and would probably need to be replaced. His estimate to replace $4000-$4500 ! 55,000 miles on vehicle??????
Our 2005 honda pilot has been pretty good for last seven years and 132,000 miles, although we wanted to keep it to 200,000 miles. Last saturday, out of nowhere, it started to leak thick, pink liquid on our driveway. It appeared to me, and after looking at the owner's manual, that the issue was the radiator. It was a cold day so I started to drive to the dealer, watching the engine temperature light on the way. The car only went two miles before transmission stopped working. The car has now been at a local repair shop for a week and three days while I rent another vehicle. It is my understanding that this is a common issue in pilot's after going over 100,000 miles (catastrophic radiator failure that leads to transmission failure). Honda should make certain that owners replace the radiator components that lead to this catastrophic failure before the owner has to replace both the radiator and the transmission. I would have certainly bought a new car if I had known this was coming up on the horizon, but now my investment in this vehicle will be too high to get rid of it. It seems that with some preventive maintenance, $5000 to $7000 of repairs could have been avoided, and I bet the honda dealer does not offer me $5k to $7k in trade in.
Intermittent vibration in the front passenger side when accelerating, at about 30-35 MPH. Sometimes just slightly noticeable and sometimes significant enough so that the entire vehicle vibrates for a few seconds. We just purchased it used yesterday and did not notice the vibrations while test driving it.
Bought a 2005 honda pilot based on past historical high reliability reviews of honda vehicles. Very disappointed. Around 75000 miles, vehicle began to shudder like driving over a washboard road when lightly accelerating 30-40 MPH. First thought out of balance tire, rebalanced tires. Still didn't solve problem, bought new tires, rebalanced and aligned. Problem still existed. Began to research online and very disappointed to find this is a very common problem with the tranny, torque converter, and/or transmission coolant failure. Took to dealer, diagnosed as bad torque converter, $2000. Dealer does not plan to cover, I plan on taking up with the federal safety agency and honda america.
I drove up a steep drive way, I heard a grinding noise and my car stopped without me touching the brakes. I didn't know what was going on, so I put the car in neutral and put it back into drive and it seemed to be ok for the moment. I dropped my daughter off at a class and I proceeded to run a couple of errands. About one mile from where the stopping started the car did it again. It is like I slammed on the brakes but, I was not even touching the brakes at all. It proceeded to get worse and worse. The slamming on the brakes would happen every few feet. I was able to drive slowly to a nearby garage. The said I had a rear axel broken. We had the repairs done and the car seemed ok for a couple of months. Yesterday, 1-10-12 as I was taking my daughter to school I drove about .5 of a mile in our neighborhood and after I stopped at a light and started to accelerate the car did it again. This time my vsa light came on. We took it to a nearby garage and they said the vsa module needed to be reset. We picked up the car and it drove around 2 miles and it was fine then later in the day we backed out of the garage and the car started to slam on the brakes again about one house away. It wouldn't stop it did it over and over every few feet. We called a tow truck to come take it back to the garage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from stops with an abnormal increase in engine rpms. The vehicle eventually stopped accelerating completely. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that there was a catastrophic failure of the radiator and transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 112,776. Updated 02/03/12*lj updated 03/21/12
I would be driving in the 30 MPH range and the vehicle would start to shudder when changing gears. The distraction causes me to stop in traffic and suddenly pull over. Pohanka honda in salisbury, md states it is a bad torque converter. There are hundreds of complaint about this issue on the internet about the 2005 honda pilot, but complaints reflect there was no recall. Now I am out of warranty. If I am not contacting the correct entity, please refer me. Thank you.
Car started to slip out of gear with no warning at all on the highway and started to shudder. Got off the highway and suddenly car wouldn't move in the middle of an intersection...just started overheating and then there was a huge puddle of on the ground. Had to have it towed to the honda dealer where we were told the hoses had failed and we needed new hoses and radiator after that is replaced we will find out if we need a new transmission. Total cost will be approx: $6,000. Looked on http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1155f7/299!keywords=#msg299 and see that there are a number of people with this same issue happening. Apparently this is the same trans that is in the 2003 which was recalled.
2005 honda pilot with 58,000 miles has transmission shutter at 25 to 40 MPH under light throttle. Has had all services done with factory fluids and filters since I bought the vehicle new. Looking at the searches some say it's torque converter and other have replaced complete transmission. Dealer told me the other day pilots don't have these problems but the odyssey have the issue. So I asked how much to fix the problem and he said $ 2000.00 . Well I am glad that I bought the factory extended warranty and have a year left of warranty an I am making a appt, to have it repaired before the warranty runs out. Honda should recall the transmissions like they did on the acura mdx since they both have the same power train.
Shuddering of vehicle when accelerating. Transmission problems.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. The contact stated that the cooling line that lead to the transmission burst, causing the vehicle to stall. The dealer diagnosed that the lines and the transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. The dealer was in the process of repairing the vehicle. The failure and the current mileage was 106,700.
We went to camping trip and heard some grinding sound while I was driving this vehicle very low speed in camping ground. It has less than 50k at that time. Then felt shudder while I was pressing gas pedal lightly to speed up. I thought it was caused by bumpy camp site road but it happened again on my routine commute road which I knew well there's no bumpy road condition. Most of time, it happens between 35 and 40 MPH or shift gear from 4th to o.d. Now it has appx 63000 miles on it and honda america denied or not acknowledge this problem at all.
Transmission shutters at approx 30 MPH
Noticed vehicle left a large puddle in the driveway. Checked under hood and it appeared something had leaked/sprayed in the engine compartment towards the passengers side. Took to mechanic. Diagnosis of problem (paraphrased as best as I can recall)- transmission cooling part failed and leaked into radiator causing trans fluid and antifreeze to mix, flow through engine and spray out. Mechanic stated it's something he doesn't see often and it's a major repair (think 1k). A quick search of the internet shows this is an issue with 05 honda pilots and that honda is not taking responsibility for it. This is obviously a design flaw or defect and they are doing nothing. Hopefully the problem was caught/addressed in time to repair without having caused additional major damage to my engine. Unacceptable.
Transmission is slipping when you try to accelerate in any speed.
Since purchasing my car ,a 2005 honda pilot, in 2007, I have experienced a shuttering that occurs at around 40 miles per hour. Honda will not accept responsibility for the thousands of owners experiencing the same problem. The problem is coming from the torque converter/transmission, around a $3,000 to $5,000 to fix and honda is not accepting responsibility for it...please do not purchase a honda if your thinking about it...go toyota! At least toyota stands behind their mistakes!
Won't go into second gear.
My 05 pilot shudders during acceleration between 35-40 MPH. This is a widely known problem, honda needs to be held responsible.
I have a shuttering noise when I accelerate between 30-40 MPH. I complained about this to the dealer prior to expiration of the extended warranty, when I took it in for a window switch problem. They told me they did not hear any noise. To my dismay, the problem progressed and became worse, so now after the expiration of the extended warranty (8/8/11), took it back to the dealer and said it was the torque converter on the transmission. They stated they can fix it for over $5000.00 even though I complained about it previously. Their are many complaints about this online, I have since found over 300 complaints about this issue with the honda pilots and honda is aware of the issue but does not want to help fix this problem. Apparently, honda tried to cut costs and put a transmission in that could not accommodate the weight and size of the vehicle - this is coming from 3 different mechanics and a junk yard owner. Also the parts are so hard to come by if you try to get done cheaper by an outside mechanic. The honda dealers are the only ones who are able to get the parts faster. Thus creating a monopoly. I have researched this thoroughly and you too can find a lot of dissatisfied owners that had or having the exact same issue with honda. Please look into this. We should not have to pay for this problem with so many people having the same issue. Thank you.
While driving the vehicle, it lost power even with applying a lot of pressure to the gas pedal. Immediately pulled over. Turned vehicle off and back on - could not shift it into drive. Check transmission fluid - extremely low. Vehicle had just been service at dealer 1-2 weeks prior to this incident. Added transmission fluid - vehicle would shift into drive but not d3, d2, etc. Drove to hotel nearby. Next morning checked fluid - again, extremely low then noticed chocolate milk substance spewing from reservoir near radiator/washer fluid reservoir. Immediate called dealer, had it towed and just learned that the transmission and radiator are both completely ruined. This seems completely unreasonable for under 145,000, especially given the other complaints of this nature that I've seen on line. Thank you.
Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. Had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. Informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. When asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. Recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. I asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. Here comes the alabama shim-sham. I was informed to call honda of n america. Honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,I said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. A few days later honda called back offering 400, I asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. I informed honda I needed an offer of 600, they agreed, I'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after I took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. Dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. Informed dealer I should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. Here comes the alabama shim-sham again. Dealer & honda would pay $2500, I was to pay remaining cost $2700. I informed them that the offer is unacceptable. Dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, I informed both I need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, I accepted that offer. Honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. They know it but won't admit it. Transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. Something needs to be look at for the reason why.
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