2013 Honda Pilot: check engine light

Filed Jun 29, 2026 · Engine · MD

Recalls without notification; 1) Engine- recurring problem piston seal leak - continual replacement of coils & spark plugs. Engine light on VTM-4, traction bar symbol on, engine missing. [XXX] 2025: [XXX] ][XXX] Oil change 7 days later wrench & engine light gone [XXX] * 2 days later it came on again. I let it sit for a 1½ days, and the sway light went off. 5-29-25. Glendale Service Center Chase checked - engine light on Misfire of #2 cylinder again. [XXX]. HONDA DEALER Brown Stafford Honda Body Shop Mike Gerdes. 410‑553‑8661 712 Crain Hwy N Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Diagnostic fee. $185 ..Total $220.33 Diagnosis: One day repair Piston rings $6987.70 tax & shop fee $51. 51 Sway bar. $ 418.58 Power steering 1511.37 Flush. $178.29 Estimate Total = $9147.45 (not done) 3-11-25. Glendale Service Center Chase checked - engine light on Misfire of #2 cylinder again. *Glendale Service David/ Chase Replacing all 6 plugs and 1 coil Plugs $25 each = $125 10-2-24 Honda - trying to cut off Engine light on, VTM, Swerve lines Dash panel by music dim Once trouble starting Cell phone charger - losing charge on phone while charging Engine - slow, missing, Noise, smell, dash radio light dimmed, phone charger weak, Radio needs code often, switches from cell phone Blue tooth to radio, sway bar noise. 4-23-24 Safford Brown Honda dealer Glen Burnie. Md. Mike Gerdes. 8:30 DONE open at 7:30. $185 diagnostic Service fee $51.51? Replaced O² sensor and spark plug #2 410‑553‑8661 Total paid $753.95 😡 not replaced! (local mechanic checked) Phil. - service, John Kim in charge Dan 4-21-24 Engine light, VTM-4, traction bars came on AFTER repair 4-16-24 Strange rasping sounds from blower. Destiny Auto Sales 3/07/22. Again. $220 2/8/22 Coil & spark plug $220 2) White Paint peeling 2021 7-2-21 White paint peeling around Sunroof. Rain storm. Soaked inside of car. Repair white paint on roof. Mold inside car INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C

Filed Jan 10, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · OH

Repeatedly there has been a cylinder 1 misfire causing the check engine light to activate. The vehicle starts to shake and idling is rough. It has happened repeatedly over the past 3-4 years. In 2025 it happened in August, October and December despite repeated maintenance. Error codes that have popped up due to the issue primarily include cylinder 1 misfires a known and documented issue related to the faulty VCM system. The problem has repeatedly been identified by multiple mechanics. I use my vehicle primarily to transport my children to and from school. We have all been in the car during these misfires endangering their safety. At many of the times when the misfires have happened my children have been in the car and any engine failure while operating the vehicle puts them in danger. My children are ADHD/autistic and during the times the vehicle has broken down while driving it has caused them extreme distress. The vehicle is available for inspection at any time. I have reached out to Honda repeatedly to have the issue resolved however despite repeated promises the vehicle would be fixed due to recalls and extended warranties Honda officials have repeatedly made erroneous claims and insist my vehicle's vin needs to be approved for any repairs. This is a well documented known issue for this make and model due to the faulty VCM system causing oil to get into the cylinders leading to the misfires and piston ring wear and corroded spark plugs. All I am requesting is for Honda to make the necessary repairs so my vehicle is safe to transport my children. I have kept up with the maintenance of the vehicle. The problems we have experienced are directly caused by the known VCM/MIL failures. Also we have consistently had codes come up for the ABS as well. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Honda is responsible for making the repairs.

Filed Nov 15, 2024 · Fuel system, Transmission · FL

The lights(traction control light, check engine,) in the dash come on and go off intermittently and vehicle display reads check emissions system and check VSA (vehicle stability assist) I got the vehicle scanned for the codes it throws and the print out was for the power train control module the piston rings all of them failed emission test! The dash lights come on for two to three weeks at a time and than just go off while the lights are illuminated I have no traction control no eco mode and the car doesn’t get the correct power while accelerating speed sometimes it gets too much power and accelerates too high causing the vehicle to take off and without any kind of traction

Filed Nov 15, 2024 · Engine · 150,000 miles · TX

The contact owned a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 45- 50 MPH, the engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Action Number:Â RQ24013 (Engine). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that rod bearings and piston ring replacements were needed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case and assisted with the repair fees. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed May 2, 2024 · Engine · 86,680 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that oil was seeping through the piston rings and was leaking onto the spark plugs. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that cylinder #1 was misfiring. The dealer determined that the piston rings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V382000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 86,680.

Filed Aug 1, 2023 · Engine · MN

Having a VCM system problem on vehicle, tighten gas cap, check engine light, vtm-4 light, misfire in 3. Took to Buerkle Buick after reading about class action lawsuit. They were absolutely no help. Said without a code could not help. Bought new gas cap and replaced purge valve, changed oil. Good for a bit then car went into limp mode. Took to a local mechanic, he adjusted valves, ran great but would not come out of limp mode. Replaced VCM Solenoid, still in limp mode. It is sad that this is a known problem but because they settled they don't have to recall these vehicle in the mean time we all get screwed.

Filed Jul 24, 2023 · Engine · 97,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough idling. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN and the warranty had expired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V382000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

Filed Jun 19, 2023 · Engine · NH

While on the highway with our family of 5 all the check engine light, VCM-4 along with traction control light came on. The car began to slow down and would not accelerate when the gas pedal was pushed. The Vehicle has been towed to Honda who apparently knew that this happens in this year, make and model vehicle because they had offered an extended warranty coverage on this issue which has since expired and no longer covered for us. Why wasn't this a recall? This is a major engine issue that costs thousands of dollars to fix.

Filed Nov 4, 2022 · Engine · 81,250 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light, the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) warning light, and the traction control warning light illuminated. The message "Emission Check" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder #1 was misfiring due to oil leaking onto the spark plugs. The dealer diagnosed that the piston rings were beginning to fail; however, the spark plugs were replaced as a temporary repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V382000 (Engine) as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 81,250.

Filed Oct 14, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · WA

During my commute home from work my vehicle began shaking as if it was going to stall. The orange check engine light began to flash. I used my scanner and it read the code P0303. I took it to a mechanic the following day and they stated the engine is burning excessive oil and misfiring due to Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management system. The oil is soaking the rear three spark plugs from continuously turning on/off while driving causing the engine cylinders to misfire. They stated it is not safe to drive due to possible shut off, power loss, acceleration loss, and damage to the other car systems. I have regular maintenance done to the vehicle but due to the VCM system it will continue to have the same issues. I paid a lot of money for a “reliable” car but the mechanic is saying I need a new motor.

Filed Jul 19, 2022 · Engine · OH

The car stalled on highway while I was driving it . The check engine light went on randomly and it just stopped . Had it towed to our local gas / service station and they replaced #2 cylinder spark plug . They told us it should be seen by a mechanic bc they thought engine was bad. We took it to mechanic , ( took over 10 days to get it in ) and they said the #2 spark plug that had just been replaced was saturated in oil bc the oil was getting past piston rings . This car has only 86k miles on it .

Filed Jun 20, 2021 · Engine · MD

June 20, 2021 This is my third Honda Pilot. I owned a 2004, 2008 and now a 2013 Honda Pilot since September 23, 2019. And YES, both 2004 and 2008 vehicles had recalls, transmission and engine problems. Fast forward to today, my Pilot wasn't being driven on a daily basis due to COVID-19 Pandemic from March 23, 2020 to present (Teleworking from home). However, while driving my vehicle heading home on June 11, 2021, the VSA Indicator, Malfunction Indicator Lamp and the VTM-4 System Indicator lights lit up on the instruction panel. I took my vehicle to Pohanka Honda in Capitol Heights, Maryland on Saturday, June 12, 2021 but they told me that it would cost approximately $160.00 to run Diagnostic test for the lights and that they were booked for the day and to come back on Monday morning, June 14, 2021. Instead, on Monday afternoon, I took my vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed me that the oil is burning and spilling onto the engine and the engine light came on while they were test driving the car. The independent mechanic recommends that the engine and all six spark plugs be replaced. The independent mechanic also told me to researched the issues. And upon further investigation on the federal safety agency website, I found that the issues are linked to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V382000 (ENGINE). However, my VIN number is not under Recall. Even though there are approximately 258 total complaints for the 2013 Honda Pilots and of those, 59 were engine complaints, I am shocked that Honda has not addressed this issue as of June 2021. That is just totally unacceptable and I am so over Hondas period. I will be contacting Honda of America for assistance with this repair. Thanks.