Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

bbouch57

18 to 19 mpg.

bbouch57

You do have electronic brake force distribution which is different than grade logic control. Grade logic just helps the transmission on hills to avoid hunting gears for more efficient use of the transmission.

nuga

The seats ARE too short in the pilot. The sad part is that they could have been made 2 or 3 inches longer with no effect on the interior of the vehicle. (you will note, however, that they are longer than the seats in the highlander). The contour and texture of the seats leave something to be desired also with the bolstered style on the front of the seat. if the seat were level out to the extent of the bolstered front, they would be much more comfortable. You don't notice the short seats that much on a short test drive, and other (good) factors about the pilot color your decision making. I would advise anyone who is considering buying a pilot to check the comfort of the seats very carefully before you buy. Of course, I am 5' 10" and weigh 225 pounds. A smaller person might find the seats just peachy. I made this post a year ago, and I make it again. Forewarned is forearmed. Check the seats before you buy

grove4

I find the seats roomy and very comfortable.I'm 6foot3 and 230lbs.We have taken 7 hour trips and I still like the seats more than most cars.I have heard this complaint before though.

jshen

Recently my battery died. After I recharge the battery, the Power window did not go all the way down/up by just press the button.
I remember there is a sequence to reset the Power Window to work again.
Could some one tell me what it is or where to find the answer ?

Thanks.

qbrozen

well then that explains why you think the idle learn procedure is nonsense. You are already within the EPA mileage numbers. Were you expecting more than what is written on the sticker?

Yeah, we get 20, and are darned happy with that, but that's when my wife does most of the driving. If I go through a full tank with just myself at the wheel, I get much closer to 18. And I don't think I push it that hard at all. Obviously, though, its harder than my wife pushes it.

I'm not sure what folks are expecting. My last truck-type vehicle was a Dodge Dakota that got 14 mpg. My mom's Trooper gets 17. My '87 4Runner with the 4-cyl got 22 on the highway. So given the size and performance of the Pilot, it is very impressive in its fuel economy, from my perspective.

abis

I am using micor fiber towel to clean my new Pilot. Not applying any soap or vax. With water I am able to clean the car. But does the micro fiber cloth affect the car shine or paint on a long run.

Please advice.

Abis.

meyervilla

I can see why. The seat belts used in the Pilot and in the Civic are completely different. I ordered mine from an internet source recommended by the NHTSA. It didn't fit either vehicle. I'm in the process of machining the buckle to fit the vehicle receptacle.

The seat belt on the passenger side ratchets tight and chokes me. I can't use it. The driver's side is OK.

bell

i have my pilot at the dealership right now waiting the outcome from this same problem as gdiep had with column shifter lockup in park and brake lights fuse blowing. were the two related? Any other info on this matter would be great. the dealership said they are having problems finding the fault. already costing at least 210.00 for labor.

meyervilla

The Pilot OEM seats are very uncomfortable. Can anyone recommend replacements for the front seats? What about MDX seats? They're much more substantial with a 2" longer bottom cushion.

niblick45

The 2005 Honda Pilot Owner's Manual does indeed state that the vehicle requires 91 octane fuel. However, the Pilot "Quick Start Guide" fuel recommendation states "Use only unleaded gasoline of 86 octane or higher"
I purchased a 2005 Pilot yesterday and noted the 91 octane requirement in the manual. When I pointed it out to the salesman he stated that Honda had changed the fuel requirement in the 2005. It has been my experience that most salesmen often pull answers to less common questions out of a dark places so I don't place much trust in his response. This was after several Honda salesmen at different dealerships had touted the Honda "regular gas" advantage over Toyota's 4 Runner.
My intention is to resolve this with the dealership or Honda CS tommorrow. I'll post the correct 2005 Pilot fuel recommendation here.
BTW - The Pilot owners manual also says "return the vehicle to your Accura dealer" so a typo is probably correct. I suspect that the MDX/Pilot share manual origins.

neednewcar1

Have an '04 EX-L, manufactured late in model year from the Alabama plant (I heard some are made in Canada?).

Two problems I'm having trouble getting resolved, want to see if anyone else has the same.

Driver rear door - When it rains, or I wash the car, I seem to get an excessive amount of water holding up on the door bottom, and on the door frame. Not enough that I get any on the carpet, but very annoying.

Passenger rear door - Seems to shut different than all others and at 700 miles already tore apart the interior/exterior door seals (replaced).

Are these unique 'features' of my Pilot, or has anyone else experienced this?

isellhondas

It's 86 octane or higher. Some of the Owner's Manuals were incorrect. Your salesperson should have known this.

bbug1

We had an 03 Pilot and while I don't recall if we had the water problem---we did have to have the rear pass door seal replaced.
We also had a missing clip (?) in the rear hatch and that was fixed.

silverpiloto5

My 03 Pilot EX Cloth has some significant play in the seat back/lower seat bottom pivot. The service writer had performed a TSB that shimmed something (they usually won't let me read the TSBs) and a few months later did replace the lower seat track. The looseness is now worse. They now claim that most Pilots and Accords have this problem and they can't do anything else. My next stop is the regional service rep for Honda. Does anyone have experience with this problem? If so, how was it resolved.

Thanks in advance for help.

igop71

I have a '03 pilot that started to vibrate at around ~50 mph / 1500 rpm. I really don't recall how this started but I had a flat tire (passenger side, front) which was taken cared of by the dealership. I had to use the donut temporarily for about 30 miles driving. This vibration would only be present if you start to slow down or when you maintain your speed around 50 mph / 1500 rpm. I took it back to the dealership and they said that my tire was off and so they had to balance it and at the same time replaced the weight that was missing! Needless to say, the problem persisted! So, thinking that it was a messed up tire (i still had the stock Integrity) I went ahead and upgraded to the Michelin CTs and Sears Auto Center did a 4 wheel alignment as they were also off. Unfortunately, my Pilot is still vibrating and doing the same thing. I have ~21000 miles and never used it for towing. Could this vibration be a sign of rotor warping? Any ideas about this problem?

casha

From what I was told, it is to be used in extreme environment only. 4 wheel drive is on all time and if you get stuck then use VTM-4 button on dashboard.

Hope it helps.

casha

Hi all,

Good that i found this forum. I just bought a 2005 pilot EX-L. I have notices some unusual things about it. Maybe some one can help me with that
----------------------------------------------
1---
When I start the car, it vibrates a little.
Vibration is enough to actually fill it. I am not sure what is causing this and if this is normal.
-----------------------------------------------
2---
About two weeks after i bought my pilot, i hav transmission fluid leaking. I took it to dealer and they said that the test ports were loose so the fluid was leaking. Anyone had that happen to them
------------------------------------------------
3---
I still get very minor vibration when driving on highway. I haven't driven about 70 yet.
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4--- Shifting is not smooth at all. One can actually feel the gears shifting and i am not sure if it is normal.
-------------------------------------------------
5---
How do you check the transmission fluid?

Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks.

niblick45

Im have a 2 week old Pilot EX-L. It has no noticeable vibration on startup or at highway speeds. Shifting is very smooth, the only time I am aware of shifting is on hills. The owners manual has a diagram of the engine compartment locating the dipstick. There are also instructions on how to check the fluid level.

casha

I would love to find out what the actual requirement is. I currently fill 91 octane and the gas bill is high.

Thanks

niblick45

I called Honda customer service. Their answer is - "The Honda Pilot owners manual has a misprint. The correct octane is 86 or higher"

wally3

I have been having a couple front end problems. I had to have both front struts replaced because they were leaking at 19,502 miles in May 04. Now I just got my car back from a inner tie rod replacement on the right at 27,000 miles. Anyone else experience these problems or should I expect more front end problems. I drive only on decent paved roads.

toca

Ours is a '03 EX-L w/ over 30k miles. Vehicle driven daily on a bumpy dirt road and haven't had any issue with front end.

You are under warranty, so I'd make sure the dealer fixes all issues related to this problem.

ken15

I have a 05 PILOT EX and I notice no vibration when starting, starts fine. Gas mileage at breakin right around 17.5 mpg, using 87 octane gas, no ping, no problems noted with anything. Only difficulty I have experience is learning the controls, I don't like the wiper combo front and rear confusing, it would be better to put the rear wiper controls separate, design engineers!

ken15

I respect the sales person word but verbal instructions don't carry the weight of the written words in the owners manual.

The Honda Company should of printed up a card snd a correction sticker to put both in the car and in the manual to correct this oversight.

How do I know I not dealing with a sales person that is new on the job and doesn't know very much about the model I am buying?

My sales person told me that regular would be fine, but I had my doubts when I read the manual. I felt better using regular after reading these columns.

toca

Why didn't you go talk to the service department? Salemen/women are just what their titles indicate. Some are more knowlegeable than others, but their job is to sell. The best place to go for information on your vehicle at a dealership is the service guys and girls - and sometimes they have official supporting documentation (ie., TSB's) that backs up what you were told.

voreek

Hi,

I've been looking to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've got a 2003 Pilot and on two occasions (@ 20,000 miles and 26,000 miles), I was traveling at 75 MPH or so down a bit of a grade and when I had to brake pretty hard I got a shimmy in the steering wheel that seemed more than the normal you might feel when the anti-lock brakes are working. The shaking definitely felt more severe and almost felt as if the rotor is warped possibly. I've had the brakes checked out twice by the dealer and they can't explain it. The condition of the brakes is fine according to them. Anyone else experienced this issue?

 

Thanks in advance,

Steve

toca

Your dealer ruled out warped rotors? We have a '03 and that symptom occured more frequently than your two episodes, but was resolved by replacing the front rotors - under warranty.

reichowjr

Steve,

 

I too had the same problem. At approximately 25,000 miles I noticed the same sensation when braking from freeway speed. I never noticed it under 50mph in town. Dealer resurfaced rotors and no longer have the problem.

 

You most likely have a warped rotor that needs replacement or resurfacing

sevenwaysham

I have a problem with the alarm on my '04 Pilot. Sometimes it will just go off for no reason and the horn honks and the lights flash. Starting the car does not turn off the alarm. It just goes for about 3-4 minutes than stops. If you open the door or lock/unlock the doors the alarm will go off again. I finally pulled the fuse for the horn to stop the incredibly loud honking, but the lights still flash for 3 minutes or so and then stops. But again, as soon as I open the door the lights will start flashing. At some point, the whole thing stops happening and everything is back to normal. Has anyone experienced this before or heard anything like this? It is incredibly annoying!!

sid1

Hello:

 

Has anyone heard or experienced this issue. I purchased an 04 Pilot in October, noticed that the car leans to the left, driver side lower than passenger's side. Took it in to the dealer and they were originally perplexed. The rear ride height is lower on the driver side by a half an inch. They called Honda's tech line. Honda's stance is that it is within spec and referred me to a service news article that states that a lean to the left is normal for most of the right side drive Honda models 98 and later to lean.

 

I think this is bogus and they sold me a lemon and do not want to take responsibility of a problem. Has anyone else had this problem or noticed that there Honda Pilot leans to the left?

 

Thanks for any response.

njtom

I had to do a second test drive of 05 Pilot to find out if the vibration is an issue as i read at various forums. I felt the vibration around 65/70 on highway. Is there any solution to this yet?

gliff1

I have the Pilot for a week now, and found out that the headrest is poorly designed- uncomfortable, and NOT ADJUSTABLE! Not so in ALL other Honda cars. Is there a fix for this?

ckshubin

I have a 2005 EX-L with navigation. I have had a couple of minor things - the homelink didn't work and the auto window wasn't working - both of which got fixed. However, my third, and interesting problem is that one of my doors lock when it's being driven or parked or basically whenever it feels like it. None of the other doors do this and it only does it when my 8 year old son is sitting on that side. It did it twice for the service writer when I took it into the dealer but after that they could not get it to duplicate the problem so it didn't get fixed. Anyone else have this happen?

 

BTW: I'm getting 11-13 mpg with 91 octane. only 700 miles on the car so i'm hoping it will increase as the engine breaks in.

johnw3

I recently hit 60,000 miles in my 2003 Pilot and the transmission is getting bad! I've had regular dealer service and the recall updates since I purchased it new in the Fall of 2002. Lately, it's trying to downshift while almost trying to speed up with a hard jolt (almost like the transmission is going to lock up). It's done it mostly between 40-50 mph, but it has also given a hard jolt and no gear grab while trying to downshift over 60 mph up an incline. it has also done this in slow reverse and at speeds of 20 mph. The jolt of the transmission is pretty wicked and throws you a little. Honda built a horrible transmission..and mine's become dangerous. It goes in the shop next week. Till then, I'm gonna break out the old 87 Accord 5-speed. Curious if others are having tranny problems?

qbrozen

you're going to have a hard time finding people with that many miles on their vehicles. Good grief! 30K miles a year? Time to either move or get a job closer to home.

 

let us know how you make out with the Tranny problem. Do you have an extended warranty? Just curious what they do about your situation since the factory warranty just expired for you. Given the recall, I'm sure they will pick up the bill, but you never know.

johnw3

A day after posting my transmission problem, it went crazy! It was trying to downshift and lockup on the highway, even at speeds of 60 mph. Very dangerous!

It was popping in and out of gear. It wasn't even grabbing when you shifted in reverse. I tried to put it in D3, 2, and 1. It wouldn't even shift. I called the dealership immediately and moved my appointment up to "now". The next day they informed me it had major problems and Honda was going to replace it for free since they've done all my service regularly. Probably also because they know their trannys got problems and mine has fallen into that catagory of "the reason they were recalled"! I was given a loaner and I'm very happy that the company is handling my problem in a very responsible manner.

PS-got the vehicle in August 2002..and most miles are highway miles.

forum

I think the 2005 EXL w/NAVI has on-dash 6-CD changer.

 

Is that right?

 

If yes, how do I use it.

 

I dont see any LOAD button as mentioned on the manual - could someone please tell me where it is.

 

And also any thing that I should remember to make it work.

 

Thanks.

x5lover

The 2005 EX-L with Nav does NOT have in-dash 6 CD changer. The CD changer is located under the front passenger seat instead. This info is printed on the 2005 Honda Pilot brochure. I porbably gonna buy one next week. BTW, I do have one question. Do you need to load any disk in NAV? If so, where is it?

pchads

On my recent trip to tahoe from bay area.. after doing about 200 miles I parked my Pilot on snowy surface.. to go to snow-park with kids

 

When we came back the three warning lights were lit

I went to nearest gas station and saw air pressure was around 30 on all tires.. I jacked upto 32

but the lights didn't go off..

Then I jacked it upto 38psi

 

Bingo.. they went away

 

On my way back I got better mileage out of my Pilot. When i checked air pressure after return it was 40psi on all tires..

 

Is it safe to keep it at 40.. i would hate to reduce it as I saved approx a gallon on my return trip of 240 miles...

wkroberts

The navigation system uses a DVD that is installed in the unit under the passenger seat. According to the Honda web site, the updated DVD that was to be released in fall of 04 will be out in the spring of 05. You can update for $185.00.

 

I am buying a 05 on Wednesday and had them include the new DVD as part of the deal. Why would I want a new car with outdated software?

mark16

You are a savvy shopper for getting the updated DVD as part of the deal. Any sense yet as to what your OTD price will be? I'm shopping around for the same configuration.

x5lover

Does anyone know how does TPMS in 2005 Pilot work? Does it actually show any specific tire under or over inflated? Where does it show?

I only see a TPMS light go on and off when the car starts. Thanks.

garyh2

We bought an '04 Pilot EX in October. My wife was driving it one day shortly after and had the same problem. We had no resolution and it has not happened since. The only thing I can think of, and this is far fetched, is that she did not have the keyless remote control. She didn't like to carry it due to the size. So, when the alarm went off, she had no way of turning it off. When she got home, she put the remote in her purse and it has not happened since.

garyh2

Yes, I know it is difficult to stop a vehicle on ice. We had an ice storm in Kentucky this past week, and our '04 Pilot (3000 miles) tends to activate the ABS and the vehicle will not stop on the ice. We have the Bridgestone Dueler tires. The first instance I was drive out of a driveway that is slightly downhill to a stop sign. The vehicle was only travelling ~ 3mph. When I applied the brakes to roll to a stop, the ABS activated, and I could not get the vehicle to stop. Fortunately, there was no cross traffic and I slid right into the cross street. Two days later my wife had a similar experience. Are all Pilot's this sensitive to the ice, or is it a function of the tires? If it is a function of the tires, what would be a better brand?

 

Thanks for any help,

Gary

arob1

It's the tire you have. I have the same tire on my 2005 EX. Here is the review/rating from tirerack. The snow traction rating is very low for this tire.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&- tireModel=Dueler+H%2FT+D684&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=37- SR6684&fromCompare1=yes

wkroberts

i picked it up today, it ended up at 31K + tax & reg. this included a cargo cover, wheel locks, cross bars, rear mud flaps, auto mirror, after market security system, cargo tray, all season floor mats & the update on the DVD when it is released. along with the usual full tank of gas and the first oil change.

 

This was in southern California.

debbiehaze

Our new Pilot EX-L with Nav has a problem. The controls on the steering, which are supposed to be lighted, aren't. Any ideas?

cfprince

Bought 2005 honda pilot EX-L ( with navigation )

last Sunday. Later this week i noticed that the

VSA light turns on after 15 minutes ( the vehicle was in the Parking position all the time ). Hitting the VSA ON/OFF switch does not

make the warning light go away.

ckshubin

I have the exact same car - 2005 EX-L with Navigation.

 

The cd changer is under your driver's seat. Reach down to the right and slide cover over to the left. On the bottom of the now opened cd changer is an eject button. You will get a cartridge that you can load 6 cd's into. Put back, slide cover closed and your ready to go. Your cd changer in dash will take 1 cd at a time. To load it just put the cd in and it will automatically take it. To eject it push the button to the right of the loading slot. Now, to switch between the cd in dash and the 6 cd changer under your seat there is a "cd" button. If you have a cd in the dash it will automatically go to that first. Just push the cd button again to go to the changer under your seat.

 

I found I do like this set-up a lot. I was able to have all my Christmas music loaded up and ready to go but was also glad to be able to put in a cd in the dash when I tired of the christmas stuff.