Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

arob1

I am in Southern New Jersey. My Pilot was in the parking lot for 10 hours at below zero temparature and no problem starting at first try.

 

P.S: It has only 360 miles on odometer though..

toca

I have an '03 and had this issue early on as well. My wife didn't do much highway driving so it wasn't really a problem for her. Since I believe the tires were at fault I should point out the vibration disappeared over time as the tires started to wear. I'm going to guess the vibration dissipated around the 5k - 7k mile range. If you frequently travel at speeds over 70/75MPH, I'd get the tires replaced.

rich94061

I own a 2004 Honda Pilot EXL and asked the same question. When I spoke to the lead mechanic he informed me that the Pilot is shipped with a synthetic oil for break-in purposes and that it should not be changed until you have your 7,500 mile service. I've asked 3 people about this and received the same answer so I presume it is correct.

imidazol97

Why would the Accord hybrid get lower than its rated city EPA of 29??? They got 21 over a week of driving in Detroit...

 

http://info.detnews.com/autosconsumer/autoreviews/index.cfm?id=18- 112

rob24

I'm tryin' to replace the cabin air filter on my 2003 Pilot. I have the glove box out and the steel horizpntal steel support from behind it as well, but there is a plastic horizontal piece keeping the filter in, which goes from the center console thru the right door side panel. Anybody know how to get the filter out and new one in? thanx Rob

silverpiloto5

page 21-46 of the shop manual states "cut the plastic cross brace in the glove box opening with diagonal cutters in the area shown and discard it."

 

area shown looks like the far right and left of that brace

 

good luck

cccompson

I simply don't comprehend why manufacturers build cars that must be physically altered to perform ordinary service.

zhscar

Hello,

 

I bought a 05 Pilot EXL this past weekend and have noticed a weird wind noise from driver’s window: it is like a small piece of paper stuck in the top of the window making a flapping sound. It is not constant, but quite frequently sort of like a flag on a windy day. This happens both on freeway and local roads and is quite noticeable. I heard the same noise from both Pilots I test drove.

 

Any experience? Opinions?

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

slockwoo

Hello! I just purchased a brand new Pilot w/ 8 miles on it, drove it home and noticed transmission fluid leaking. We took it to the dealer, where it has been for the last 3 days!!! FIrst, it was a seal, now it is the transfer case. Waiting for more bad news! Has anyone ever heard of Honda swapping out a vehicle, especially because this was obviously a factory defect?

qbrozen

I haven't heard of it ... not that I recall, anyway, but there's is a first for everything. There are only so many places tranny fluid can come from, so I'm not sure what the big holdup is. I wouldn't be so worried about it, though. I'd rather have it happen when brand new than later down the line. Its much tougher to explain to a potential buyer when you go to resell that the tranny is younger than the rest of the car. If it gets replaced NOW, you wouldn't even need to mention it since it would be a new tranny in a new car ... same as from the factory.

crawfish

Since this is a lemon car, you can just return it back to the dealer instead of getting fixed.

 

I remember when I purchased my Pilot, I signed a lemon law agreement with the dealer (in NJ, by law).

qbrozen

Its not a lemon, yet. Only if they try to fix it 3 times and fail, IIRC.

crawfish

I didn't read the fine print of lemon agreement. Can you give us some details? Thanks.

qbrozen

here's some good info for us jersey folk:

http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/

slockwoo

Well, an update. The transmission leak has turned into a complete replacement of the transmission. In FL, it is not considered a "lemon" until they keep it 13 consecutive days or try to fix the same thing 3 times. I consider it a LEMON, when we drove it off the lot! I don't trust this particular car at all! I am working with Honda Corp to get a new one, I am obviously NOT SATISFIED with my current one. The dealer isn't doing anything, "we will fix it". We bought a Honda because of their reputation!!

crawfish

Good luck and keep us updated. We feel your pain.

tran

I just have a 05 Pilot EX-L few weeks ago. Love the car except there was one big noise that scare the hell of of me. It was a cold morning, and I was trying to turn off the AC when I have AUTO on to save some gas. As soon as I turn the AC off, one brief big noise occurs. To confirm that the noise is repeatable, I keep turn AC on and off couple of times, and the noise is not there anymore. Just wonder, if any body has the same observation.

isellhondas

Of course, you have every right to be unhappy, but I'm sure your Pilot will be just fine.

 

Things happen to the best of cars and they will replace the transmission.

 

Hopefully, the rest of your experience will be wonderful.

qbrozen

Sorry, I don't have an answer for your problem .... ummmm.... well ... I was going to post a tasteless joke about the title of your post .... I'm resisting, though.

steelerboy

Has anyone in this forum experienced an annoying rattle right above the CD player. When you press down the plastic piece surrounding the CD player, it goes away. I've sent in my car 3 times since I bought in Dec 2004. I am planning on calling Honda customer service to complain because this is absolutely unacceptable for a new car. I know employees of Honda who have purchased or leased this car that have this exact problem. But according to the dealership, this is a rare occurence.

qbrozen

run a search for "cd player noise" and you'll find a few posts about it.

paviaboy

i had the same problem with my pilot'04 less than 3,000 miles. Brought it to the honda dealer, they tighten the bolt , 2 times and the third time,
they replace the transmission . i decided to trade-in to another pilot w/ nav and this one is ok. i'm satisfied with this one. after one month
i got a call from honda company, about a recall
on my first honda pilot ex -l.
they fix the problem.

triggs

I have a 2004 Pilot EXL with Navigation, and ever since we've owned it the heater blower occasionally puts out a high pitched chatter on the lower settings. It's random and it took a long time for us to get it to happen in front of the dealer. It finally did and they replaced the blower, but the new one is as bad as or worse than the original. Does anyone else have this problem, or more importantly, a good solution?

triggs

This is often due to cross winds breaking the seal between the side window and its weatherstripping. It happens on mine too, but only on windier days. If it happens all the time, there's a chance that the weatherstripping is defective. If it's under warranty and you can convince the service department that it happens too often you might get them to replace the weatherstripping in that door.

ckshubin

Well....awhile ago I talked about my Pilot that has a door that locks/unlocks whenever it feels like it. Doesn't matter if the key is in the ignition or not, whether the cars running or not.

They have replaced the multi-plex unit and the left front and rear actuators. The door still locks/unlocks at will. WHAT NOW??? ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SUCH???

I have been treated EXTREMELY well by my service dept. They have rented me a car each and every time and this last time they paid for a luxury SUV for me to drive for the week (an Infiniti FX35). I have been very patient and even joking and laughing about it with the head service manager - a reason that I think they are treating me well also. They have assured me that since this is a noted and seen problem by the service manager/technician that Honda will have to fix the problem (also a safety issue as well). I'm just thinking that all of you out there can offer some advice as to what it could be or if someone else out there is having the problem.

Also....what is the lemon law in California? I'll be calling and talking with him again on Monday (I just picked up the car today - Saturday) and this will be the 4th or 5th time it will be in for this same problem.....

jack19

I drove a number of new Honda Pilots. They all have the steering wheel vibration, some more than others. Honda needs to address the issue. They bought back my 2003 pilot & replaced it with a 2005. The new Pilot vibrates less (between 70-80mph) but it is still there. I'm a master technician for the last 20 yrs.(not for Honda.) If the vibration you have is unacceptable, pursue the issue.
It seems like a drivetrain problem, usually comes in around 70-80mph under light acceleration and goes away when you back off the throttle at times. Good Luck.

patricemq

I just got the noise problem fixed it seems the cross bars were put on wrong by the dealer. Its very quiet now what a difference.

laurheis

I live in California, and I just had Chrysler buy back a 2004 Pacifica under the Lemon Law. You really need to consult with a lemon law attorney to discuss your car's problem. With the law firm that we used, the consultation was free - I faxed them all of the requested documentation, and they took it from there. I'm not sure that I am allowed to name names here, but the firm that we used is in Rancho Bernardo - he takes cases from all over the state, though. I found him through an internet search for lemon law attorneys.

meyervilla

Jim -

My wife and I have the same problem with our '04 Pilot. While going over Hoover Dam I tried to downshift but the shifter got stuck on my knee. The ergonomics on the Pilot is very poor when compared to GM vehicles. We love our Pilot but may trade it on something more comfortable.

crawfish

Just curious, you must be a big guy ;-)

Moving up a level would be nice and comfy...

chuminthewater

Had a suburban, no longer needed what it could do for me.

I fit fine, can see the odometer/speedometer, the feel is great, vision is great.

If I can fit, anyone should fit.

Mine is an 05, does that make a difference?

qbrozen

and my knee doesn't come anywhere NEAR the shifter. So I'm not sure how someone would have to be positioned to have that happen.

dep

I am 6'4'' and if I shift to 2 or 1 the shifter will hit my knee. I have never had a need to shift to the lower gears except to see the VTM-4 light go on when I was in the dealer lot so I don't see it as a major issue.

-D

qbrozen

just curious. is this an LX or EX?

chuminthewater

EX cloth. No fancy sunroof.

hganurs

We have a 2005 EX with DVD... Our first honda... loved it until day 2 when i noticed a sloshing sound ( i have read some say gas tank... but i filled mine all the way, and still had the sound).. you can hear it coming from under the car.. especially when you stop. Then, I went to start the car this afternoon, turned the ignition once, nothiing, then again and it took... Then, I notice that the car seems to sort of jump from 1st to 2nd gear, but i also noticed that when i was slowing to turn, accelerated to cross over the intersection.. it sort of felt like it hesitated then jumped in gear. I don't know if i am looking for things to be wrong, because i want a perfect car, or if these are real issues. I got rid of my 98 grand caravan with 142, 000 miles ... did alot of reading about the pilot and spent so many hours on this site.. I was SO looking forward to the pilot, but now i am not sure : - (

qbrozen

Well, I can't think of anything else that would slosh except the gas tank.

You might go to the dealer and ask them to check the transmission. There is a very slight chance the 2 are connected (maybe the tranny is sloshing?? unlikely, but not impossible).

ayalakay

Hi everyone:

My '05 Pilot EX (cloth interior) is just 4 weeks new to me, and the last two tanks of gas have earned me only 13 MPG. (1st two tanks didn't keep track.) I have about 750 miles on it now. Might this mileage improve with age? Is it because my husband "jackrabbits" starts at all stop signs and signal lights on the weekend? Should I switch to higher octane gas, even though Honda recommends the 87 I've been using?

P.S. I notice all the clunking, sloshing, and brake-pedal clicking, but for me, the sheer joy of driving in the snow for a change overrides any of those little annoyances!

Thanks for your feedback.

ckshubin

I will look into contacting a lemon law lawyer eventually if 1) They can never get this problem fixed or 2) they say they've done everything they can and refuse to work on it anymore. I'm a very patient person and am being treated with respect by my dealer so i'm willing to give them a chance to make it right first. I've also done this before. I had a Volvo 850 that was a first year car, first off the lot and for the first 6 months it was in and out of the dealer with 2 problems that I thought would never get fixed! They finally figured them out and it turned out to be the BEST car we've owned. In fact, that's the car we replaced with the Honda. It's over 12 years old, over 120,000 miles on it and it's still going VERY STRONG - in fact, my mom bought the car and loves it. I think this problem I'm having, though annoying, is minor. I had a Sienna minivan on a lease that we were ready to drive off a cliff because of brake and rotor problems and was told "don't come back to us to fix this again - we cannot do anything else". So....considering everything i'll wait it out and use a lawyer as a very last resort. I don't have any other problems i.e. - vibration at high speeds etc that i've noticed on this board so i'm not very willing right now to jump into another new pilot only to exchange a minor annoyance with something worse. I'll wait it out.

Re: sloshing sound. I have that as well. Figured out it's only when I first put in a full tank of gas and by the time my tank hits 3/4 it leaves. No biggie.

Re: mileage - I'm also only getting 13 or less at times. Was told it could go up but also my driving is a lot of back and forth, short jaunt type driving to the kids' school and such and rarely do any highway driving around here so i've settled into the fact that this could be my gas mileage on the car.

qbrozen

please refer back to around message 730, and let us know how you make out.

ayalakay

Thank you - I'll give it a try and report back after my next fill-up!

meyervilla

Our '04 Pilot is the best performing vehicle we ever owned. That's why we put up with it's dorky interior ergonomics. The Acura MDX has a much more user friendly interior. The seats have longer bottoms (I measured them) and the shifter is on the center console rather than on the steering column. We'd buy an MDX tomorrow if it was not for the fact that it requires premium fuel.

meyervilla

It's a LX with leather. I drive with the seat as far back as it goes and as high as it goes plus the steering wheel as low as it goes. That's the only way I'm comfortable. MDX has an upgraded interior but runs on premium fuel.

cccompson

While I agree that the seat cushions could be longer in the Pilot, we've found its center console to be the best thing about the interior as it is able to easily hold all of my wife's stuff (heaven only knows why she needs all of it!).

If we had gone with an MDX, it would be strewn all over the interior after sliding off the console.

lsorensen

I have a 2005 EX with 1900 miles. My wife and I just got back from a trip to Mammoth Mountain that is in the High Sierras in Central California. We drove 750 miles round trip from Irvine, CA in Southern Calif and got 18.2 MPG.

It was a real pleasure to drive.

ckshubin

Well....it finally happened. I was told to come and pick up my car, that they've replaced everything they could and that there's nothing more that they can do now. I'm picking it up today around 3:30 and apparently the tech working on the car will go on a test drive with me to see if it does it again. What you want to bet Murphy's Law will hit and it will behave perfectly - until the tech gets out of the car at least.

So...what do I do now? Any ideas? Should I contact Honda directly or go to the dealer/salesman that we bought the car from and see if they'll give me a new car? I have a number for a lemon law lawyer but that seems like a HUGE jump without trying the dealer first doesn't it? Plus if I get a lawyer, we'll get our money back minus mileage but then will have to pay the lawyer which leaves us in a worse position - less money to work with than before we initially bought the car in November and now no car. Any guidance would be appreciated.

cccompson

I think it's too early to be considering a lemon law action (which you should be able to handle yourself at the initial stage if it comes to that). As you said in an earlier post, it is a relatively minor problem. If it still isn't fixed, take it to another Honda dealer and have them give it a try.

This is just a wild guess but has anyone considered that the problem might be in the keyless remote? It would be interesting to see if the problem happens when the remote is NOT in range.

This is not the selling dealer's problem - this is between you and Honda.

ckshubin

Yep. considered that. used the valet key instead, left the remote at home. Still does it. It only does it with the back seat occupied so this last time they pulled the seats out and checked to see if there were any wiring harnesses or any wires at all near the seats that might have gotten caught or pinched when it was put together. No wires around the seats.

As far as too early for lemon law? Really? I've had 6 loaner cars - each for a week at a time. It's been in 6 times for the same problem and EVERYTHING that could have been replaced has been replaced. Took the tech out today in it and it happened again. Kept the loaner car I had. The head service guy there said they would be now sending it to Honda since they've done everything they can to try and fix it. On the advice of the service writer I have now filed with Honda Consumer Affairs and am now proceeding on the process of having them replace the vehicle. Although a minor problem it is a safety issue and security issue. Because it locks/unlocks whether or not the key is in the ignition we cannot be sure it's not unlocking itself when we lock the car in a parking lot. For that reason I have had to take out EVERYTHING just in case. Only takes the one time someone checks the door and it's unlocked and the car and/or everything in it is gone. The safety issue has come up as my son has been unable to get out of the car at times. I will unlock it and it will lock immediately making it impossible to even get the door open in time. If there was an emergency and he had to get out of the car fast - and it was acting up he wouldn't be able to. Many times we've all gotten out of the car only to find he can't open his door. Definite safety issue there.

The service manager said that this, of all the cars he's seen, definitely falls under the lemon law. Hm....next decision, do I get another Pilot or do I get the LR3 like I really want????

Taking it to another dealer won't fix it either since they will just call the same tech line that this dealer cal

exoman1

Unless you REALLY want to get intimate with Service Mgrs and Service Techs, I suggest you reverse course on your thinking that an LR3 will solve your problems. You've just identified the company (Land Rover) that probably has more experience in Lemon Laws than all the rest combined! I speak from experience!

ckshubin

Yep. I know. I was kind of tongue in cheek when I wrote that (which doesn't come across very well in typed form) because we figured by buying the Honda Pilot - the basic, safe, RELIABLE, boring suv we wouldn't have problems. Who would have known that most of the mileage on my Pilot was put on driving back and forth to the dealer for this problem? I did drive the LR3 and it's a kick to drive - but not very reliable which is why we bought the Pilot. Now i'm talking about lemon laws and replacements. I've never owned a Honda before and have heard people just rave about how solid and reliable cars they are and then I get one and this happens..... go figure. Murphy's Law at work once again.

On the flip side, i've actually enjoyed driving the Ford Explorer thats the rental car the dealer is paying for. It's not a bad car - it's not my Polly (my Pilot - we name our cars) and I drove her today and really miss her. Just hope something gets done......soon.