2017 Honda Pilot: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Mar 6, 2025 · Driver assistance, Transmission · TN

While driving got 3 messages. Transmission Error, Emission Error and Blind Spot Error and the vehicle would not go into Drive mode. Looking at all the information online there is plenty of reports on issue with the transmission on the 2005-2019 Pilots 9 Speed transmission including loss of power when driving which luckily did not happen to me. It is a safety concern that Honda needs to address.

Filed Feb 28, 2025 · Fuel system · OK

To whom it may concern, I own a 2017 Honda Pilot which recently stalled while I was driving on the highway, forcing me to pull over. There was no indication that anything was wrong with the vehicle at the time - no check engine lights, no warning indicators, no alerts - this happened suddenly and unexpectedly. My car felt like it lost power, the steering wheel became jerky, and I was concerned for my safety. All the warning lights on the dashboard then lit up, and I believe the car entered limp mode. Had I not been on an empty highway, I believe that it could have easily led to an accident. Fortunately, I was able to slowly drive towards a Honda Service Center nearby, who ran diagnostics and told me that the fuel pump had failed. The error code that their diagnostics reported was p0087: fuel rail pressure too low. Upon looking online, it appears Honda released a statement recalling 2017-2020 Honda and Acura vehicles in the US to replace the fuel pumps: [XXX] . This appears to be associated with the federal safety agency recall no. 23V‑858. Based on the description in the notice, where an inoperative fuel pump can cause the engine to not start or stall while driving, I believe that my car experienced the exact same issue. My 2017 Honda Pilot appears that it would be included in this recall; however, when I check my VIN on the Honda Recall Lookup website, it claimed that my car has no active recalls. I believe this is a serious safety concern, and Honda should be expanding the recall to include the production batch when my 2017 Honda Pilot was manufactured. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 13, 2024 · Driver assistance · AL

The front facing camera was working intermittently. When it wasn’t working all the advanced driving features would not work. After several months the car would intermittently go into limp mode per the dealership due to electrical confusion with all the codes/lights from the camera malfunction and shift while driving into neutral nearly causing me to have an accident while making a left hand turn. The camera had to be replaced at a large cost and they said it was not able to be repaired despite the fact that it worked perfectly 10% of engine starts

Filed Jun 29, 2024 · Transmission · AZ

Without any indication of a problem, the check engine light came on after turning off the car briefly. The car would not shift and the dash reads transmission problem. We had the car towed and we’re told we need a new transmission. There was 68,000 miles on the car and it has always been maintained.

Filed Jan 27, 2024 · Acceleration, Transmission · GA

driving down the highway at 65mph the car started bucking and losing acceleration leaving almost no control to the driver to maneuver effectively and avoid other cars. after a terrifying experience of losing control of the car my wife and children stranded on the side of the road for hours in sub 32 degree weather. the vehicle goes into limp home mode on the highway causing her to pull off with little to no acceleration control. barely avoiding other commuters she was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. once stopped the vehicle locks itself in park and will not go into gear or neutral so the vehicle cannot be pushed when needed. had to have the vehicle towed. after diagnosis and thorough investigations the following information was collected. The 9 speed automatic transmissions are "lifetime" meaning there is no dipstick for fluid checks. no external sensors or actuators can be replaced when they fail. the transmission failed internally (p0841) because all solenoids sensors and switches are internal non serviceable parts. no electronic part lasts forever understandably. however this means when one small item fails the entire transmission is to be replaced with the same part number and no new fixes or remedies. they seem to all fail right around 60,000 miles or after. seems to be a very common issue with no recall or fixes listed. meaning even with a new transmission installation the transmission is still a ticking time bomb. leaving the customer on the hook for several thousand dollar repairs every 60k. a class action lawsuit has been filed in California for these exact reasons and i would hope that honda makes and effort to have a redesign, fix, or full recall.

Filed Dec 30, 2023 · CA

While driving at normal speed car suddenly is unresponsive (will not accelerate, looses power, and is jumpy). The computer triggers a limp mode and alerts every code possible on the dash screen, even though all mechanical parts are fine. This computer/electric failure is a risk that is so unpredictable may cause life threatening accident. The certified repair shop has reviewed, reproduced, and is scratching their heads why Honda hasn’t recalled this because several other Pilots are doing the same.

Filed Dec 5, 2023 · MD

Auto idle had been turning off and not re-starting quickly for past 6 months. I asked them to look at it last service. They didn't find anything wrong and said to turn off the auto idle. I did turn off the auto idle most of the time and never had a problem when it was off. Sometimes I forgot to turn off the autoidle. On Dec 5 2023, I was at a red light and had forgotten to turn off auto idle. The car would not turn back on and it was stuck in park. I had it towed and the mechanics said they needed to use a special tool to get it into neutral since the usual protocol had not worked. My car was stuck at a light and I directed traffic to go around me for about 30mins before the tow tuck came. There was no way to push the car out of the way because the wheels were locked due to it being stuck in Park. My safety and the safety of other cars was at risk because the cars went into the incoming traffic lane to go around me. If this had happened on a busy road or in traffic on a highway, it would have been more dangerous. A previous time they replaced the battery and this time they are replacing the starter. I am concerned that the problem will persist since the mechanics say there is nothing wrong with the auto idle. I do see that there is a class action suit and over 200 complaints to the federal safety agency on the autoidle for Honda Pilots. This is a serious safety concern to have a car stop that will not re-start and then cannot be put into neutral to be towed or pushed to the side.

Filed Jun 8, 2022 · Engine · IN

Malfunction with the auto start/stop function on my 2017 Honda Pilot. When the car was in the first 40K miles, sometimes I would notice a longer than normal pause for the car to restart and engage the engine. It happened occasionally and I noticed it most often when pulling into traffic and needing to do a fast acceleration. This felt unsafe because I didn't feel like I could reliably pull out into traffic with speed and immediate timing. At approximately 40K miles I started having issues when my engine would die when pausing at a stoplight, a stop sign, or a round a bout. One particular time I had my children in the car, was in rush hour traffic turning left (so was in the intersection). As I tried to make the left turn at the yellow, the engine went into neutral and my car was unsponsive and would not shift into drive or re- engage. I tried to restart the engine a couple of times. Finally I waited approx 10 seconds and tried again. The engine turned on at that point and I was able to pull out of the intersection. It was a really horrible and scary experience for my children and for me. For the past 20K miles, I try to consistently turn OFF the auto start/stop, because I feel it is too dangerous. I don't always remember, so still have had issues with the engine dying. There is not a way, to my knowledge, to engage a setting where it is always disabled. It is very frustrating to have to remember to manually turn it off every time I start the engine. I estimate, even with regularly turning off the auto start/stop, my car has died 10 additional times....at traffic lights, stop signs, and round-a-bouts. It always moves to neutral in those cases. A few times it will start right back up after I shut my car down (in the middle of the road with traffic behind me). Other times it takes several attempts, or a long pause where I count to 10 and try again. When I talked to the dealer, they said they had no knowledge of the issue, which was also frustrating.

Filed Dec 27, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 5 miles · NY

The car would not go into reverse and when it finally did and we pulled out we received a transmission problem warning

Filed Mar 4, 2020 · Transmission · 43,045 miles · ND

While stopped, then starting again (eg at a stop sign), vehicle sometimes will not shift into motion, acts "sluggish". The first time I thought perhaps a shoe stuck, or a floor mat was in the way, but that was not the case. Dealership said just turn off eco mode. The vehicle still occasionally does this and is now very jerky to drive at all times. The vehicle has also prevented acceleration while changing lanes or overtaking on multiple occasions, happening to both drivers of the vehicle. This has primarily been interstate driving, therefore high speeds, but happened again today on a city street, very nearly causing an accident with my child in the vehicle! This is not acceptable for a vehicle, particularly a newer one, and yet it appears to be a commonly-reported problem that is not being addressed! Are we waiting for someone to be killed? This vehicle also has occasional trouble with the audio system, but that's an inconvenience while the transmission is potentially life threatening!

Filed Feb 26, 2020 · Transmission · 63,000 miles · IN

Car lurches forward on downshift and revs high. Prior to powertrain train warranty ending, called honda clarksville (since I am a large distance away from any honda dealer) and was told the lurching was a honda transmission item and nothing can be done. Fast forward 5k miles (now just outside warranty) car would not go into gear. Emission and transmission warning lights on dash. Towed vehicle to force honda where dealer noted transmission needed to be replaced at 63,000 miles. Transmission is not supposed to be serviced until 100k miles, but honda questioned my oil changes and having the trans fluid replaced...this appears to be a systemic issue with the 9 speed auto trans. Can nothing be done about this?

Filed Oct 6, 2018 · Electrical · 19,280 miles · FL

My wife was driving the vehicle on 09-27-18 and the vehicle lost power, the dash lit up orange, and several warning lights cane on and started beeping. As she attempted to pull over to the side of the road, the issue reset itself, and the vehicle resumed power again. The vehicle was taken to honda for a final repair for transmission issues the following day. It is 9 days later and the vehicle is still not repaired. Per the service advisor, the dealership has replaced 3 wiring harnesses under the dash that they say were defective from the factory, along with 2 modules. The vehicle is unsafe to drive in its current state, as it itermittently loses power. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership in august due to the push button transmission going into neutral while driving, and losing forward power. The vehicle would not go into park or neutral.