Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

master1

I do not understand why people do not bring issues that they believe are safety related, and occuring on many vehicles to the attention of the American Honda headquarters. If a lot of people are complaining about the stereo giving off smoke, it may be a defect on many Honda Pilots. You should contact the Honda headquarters. Go to www.honda.com then click honda automobiles, then customer relations, and you can call them. Please do not just complain to regular people likes us since we cannot help you with a issue like this. Instead, please bring it to the attention of the appropiate party. I am not trying to be rude, but we cannot help you with this.

master1

Its not really the tires. The main reason is for not enough insulation. The Pilots tires do not have so much tread that they are noisy - its just that the car does not have enough insulation. For $45 you can put some Dynamat on your tire wells inside the car to reduce road noise.

djv

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS

I have a 2005 Pilot and it vibrates at speeds between 70 and 75. 4 new tires, special alignment, 8,000 miles and it still vibrates. I test drove many 2006 models and ALL vibrate at this speed. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - before you buy this car - make sure you have test driven at highway speeds. There is definitely a design flaw that HONDA is not fessing up to.

djv

You sound like you work for Honda. If a vibration is distracting a driver - is this a safety issue? Use common sense.

jaireddy

Thanks for cautioning us all kabill. Unfortunately, I didn't test drive the 2006 Pilot at highway speeds and now am stuck with this problem on my Pilot which I bought 3 months ago. Already went through one re-balance but the vibration exists.

You say you replaced your tires..which brand did you buy? What were the original tires on your Pilot?

djv

The dealer replaced the tires with what was on the car - GoodYear Integrity tires. Unfortunately, if your not happy you will have to go the Lemon Law route - which will cover if a car operates in a manner that distracts the driver. Good luck and don't give in. The only way this will get resolved is if Honda takes this seriously and makes a recall notice.

PS: Document everything.

markjenn

Who I work for has nothing to do with this issue.

If the glove box door has a squeak that distracts the driver, does that make it a safety issue? How about a radio with too much static? Be reasonable. The minor steering vibration problem we're talking about here can certainly be annoying and Honda should fix it. But if you make this a "safety issue" then you can make ANY car problem a safety issue.

- Mark

djv

Again - common sense must rule.

master1

It may, or may not be a safety issue. If the steering wheel is vibrating when driving, there is a high possibility that something is mis-aligned. If something is misaligned, there is a POSSIBLITY that something may go wrong if you go at even faster speeds. Honestly, Pilot owners who are having this problem, the best recomendation I have to you is to call the American Honda headquarters and let them know about this problem. This way, they will investigate the problem. Compalaining to regular people who don't have anything to do with the car will not solve the problem. If you are concerned, the smart thing to do would be to contact Honda, as this is a problem on many models.

kabill

Comparing annoying noises to an actual physical vibration of the steering wheel is not comparing apples to apples.The specific noises you mention--glove box rattle and radio static--while distracting, would not "worry" most drivers. The "vibration" which many people here have experienced-- and nobody here has described it as "minor", as you did-- is disconcerting because so few owners discussing it here have been able to get the problem fixed, safety issue or not.
Will

djv

Will - I agree with your response. Are you aware of any Pilot owners that have gotten the vibration fixed? I can't find one.

master1

This problem is also occuring on the Acura MDX. Something is wrong. Again, I encourage any Pilot/MDX owners to contact the Honda headquarters about this.

kabill

djv--There may be more, but I'm only aware of one post here (message# 1474) where the vibration problem was easily fixed-- by a simple tire rotation. Key in "vibration" or "steering wheel vibration" as a search term here and you may find more examples of fixes, but I'm afraid you'll get mostly tales of frustration. Good Luck.
Will

master1

Just to make sure - you have a 2006 Pilot and it vibrates at highway speeds?

chic_cebuana

Our car is a 2006 pilot - 3 wks old, to be exact. The other day, when it was raining hard, the alarm started going off in the middle of the night waking up all our neighbors. We starting shutting off the alarm through the remote, but initially, the car wouldn't respond. But on repeated pressing, finally, (it seemed) that the car responded. So we went back to bed, however 5 minutes later, it started off again. We did the same thing. And then, it went off one more time. Then we noticed that the car wouldn't arm itself anymore, so we decided to leave the door unlocked, went back to bed. Thankfully, it didn't happen againfor the rest of the night. But next day came, and in the afternoon, the security alarm started going off again. This time is worse because it would go off every 5 minutes. It's been so embarrassing, not to mention frustrating and annoying for me and my hubby.

Did anybody experience a similar thing with their Honda Pilot? We already tried to reset the alarm, but it still wouldnt work. We are not locking the car doors anymore, and still, the security alarm goes off. So last night, my husband unplugged the battery to make sure the alarm doesnt go off in the middle of the night again and wake the neighbors.

I just thought I'd ask here first before we take the car back to the dealership.

Thanks for any/all of the advise you can give us.

master1

I noticed that most people who have the Pilots notice the vibrations at about 2,000 miles -- or when the cars body loosens up and brakes in. It may not be something in the steering, but a lack of materials from stopping the vibrations from the body of the car. It may not have enough reinforcements on the body. It may be from other things too such as the sub-frame, suspension, and other parts that Honda needs to re-inforce.

jaireddy

Yes, 2006 4WD Pilot. Steering wheel vibrates at speeds above 68 MPH.

master1

Hi. I just want to say that there really isn't a solution to the steering wheel vibrations as of now. Rotating the tires does not help unless your tires are beaten up. My best suggestion for you, would to make sure that the Honda headquarters knows about this problem. Some causes of steering wheel vibrations can be from :
a) Misalignment which MAY, or MAY NOT be a safety issue.
b) Lack of re-inforcements on the body/frame of the car.
c) Lack of re-inforcements on different parts of the car.
d) Bad parts / wrong parts

I know that you are probably very annoyed by this issue since it is very uncomfortable to drive with a vibrating steering wheel. It is also unsafe because if you drive on a pot hole, you may not realize it since your steering wheel was already vibrating.
Please PLEASE contact the Honda headquarters to make sure they are aware of this problem people are having with their cars. They will have to investigate this if you let them know. There isn't any other solution to this right now so the best thing would to be to contact them. You wont loose anything from it. They may not even know about this problem. Please repsond. Thanks

donnam316

cannot drive with the windows down at approx. 40 mph due to excessive wind vibration.
Also, airleaks on the driver's side window.
Dealership stated 18 miles per gallon. I'm lucky to get 15 mpg.

markjenn

The vibration problem has been discussed here and elsewhere for years, so Honda certainly knows about it.

Calling it in to Honda is appropriate AFTER you've gone through the process you agreed to under the warranty when you bought that car - work first with the dealer to get it fixed and if you can't get satisfaction, escalate to Honda Corporate. If they can't eventually fix it, then you can start looking at lemon law proceedings.

You'll have better luck getting satisfaction if you follow the prescribed process - it's in the OM. You're just wasting your time if you call Honda as the first step.

- Mark

carolsn

Has anyone had a problem with the steering dying on them while they were driving a 2006 Pilot? I know there was a recall of 2005 Pilots for this problem.

master1

I understand what you mean. But, I am not a owner of a Pilot and I know that you have to first work with the dealer. But the thing is that nobody seems to be taking action to this problem. If everybody who has this problem calls Honda headquarters this week, I bet you thar they will probably fix it. But I don't think that anybody has complained, or tried to issue a recall. Everybody just keeps their mouth shut and they don't seem to do anything about it. So basically I'm saying that people have to actually do something to fix this problem. So people, if you want something done, you have to complain and take action.

markjenn

"I am not a owner of a Pilot"

Then what's your knowledge base on this issue? I AM a long-term owner of a Pilot and have monitored this and other Pilot forums for years. It's probably the #1 Pilot complaint.

"But I don't think that anybody has complained."

Hundreds of Pilot owners have escalated the issue to corporate Honda. Beleve me, they know all about it. Since they haven't made any major design changes, they apparently feel the complaint rates are acceptable and want to deal with the issue by the typical measures - wheel alignment, tire replacement, wheel balance, etc. This may not be acceptable to all owners, but it's how Honda is dealing with it.

While we're solving problems with phone calls, let's all call Chevron and ask that they drop gas prices. It would do just as much good.

- Mark

c_hack

1400 miles on my '06 Pilot EX-L AWD and no vibes at any speeds. So far so good.

shodanusmc

I have an 03 EXL-Nav and have never experienced any wheel or steering vibration. I have 33K miles, and recently replaces my Goodyears with Michelin's. World of Difference. Terrific in snow. Great car.

cwoody

I have a 2004 Pilot and have the ~65-75 MPH Vibration. It has been there all along (+30k miles) but has not been real bad. I had the tires balanced and rotated and aligned at 28k miles which helped for the next 1000 miles then it returned. It still isn't bad enough to insist that the dealer fix it. I did tell the dealer I had the 'dreaded vibration that is common to the pilot' and he acted like it was due to the large (stock) tires and the running gear was more in line with a truck frame and big wheels and tires were like that (BS).

Wind noise above 40 mph can be solved by installing vent shades on the windows. That is what we did and it really is worth the money.

Gas Mileage was poor for the first 5k miles then got better. We currently get 17 around town and 20-22 highway on trips. So not too bad.

One of my biggest gripes has been the inside door pillers getting beat up by the seat belt buckles. At 2000 miles they looked like they had been there for 80-90k miles. the dealer was good about replacing them (only once) and then I covered them with clear 6" wide packing tape. The tape takes the beating and can be changed. The dealer made it clear that he would only change them under warrenty once.

So far I have not had the smoking CD player, poor door sealing, watyer leaks, alarm going off or other problems I have read about here.

Woody

gmoney2

I have a 2003 EXL and haven't had any major problems with it. I do get an annoying vibration/rattle over the radio about 20% of the time when going 30-50 mph. They've tried to fix it 3 times, and it's come back within a week every time. I see this as only a minor complaint, and otherwise love the Pilot. I haven't had the steering vibration, smoking radio, etc. After reading the posts in this forum, it may seem as if the Pilot is the biggest piece of @!%$ out there. However, forums like this mainly attract people who are going to voice problems about the car (which is fine, and what this forum is here for), and I think most people are very satisfied with their Pilots and haven't had any real problems. Three of my friends bought Pilots after I bought mine, and they all love it.

newcomer

I got a new Pilot 06, only 1000 miles, the check fuel cap indicator recently was alwasy on for no reason, I retighten the cap and restart the engine, it kept on. I tried to push the reset button, it disappeared; but when I start the engine again, it goes back again.

Anyone has the similar problem?

kabill

Woody,
Thanks for the ventshade tip. I was wondering if that would help. I'm trying to cover all the bases before I buy.
I'm curious--do the seat belt buckles beat up the inside door pillars when you unbuckle them, when you close the door on them, or in some other way?
Will

kabill

Woody,
One more thing. After installing the door visors did you find that your field of view or peripheral vision was diminished at all? Also, were they HONDA shades?
Thanks,
Will

cwoody

Kabill,

We bought the Vent Shade brand of shades. They carry 2 models for the Pilot. One style tucks into the weather strip channel and uses double-sided tape to hold it there(this is the one I bought) and the other style uses double-sided tape to tape it to the out side of the door, just above the window channels (my brother-in-law has this type on his pilot). Both seem to work fine. I like the type I have but it did tighten up the weather stripping where the window goes into it.

The vent shades do block a little more view at the windshield piller, noticable but you do get use to it. I dislike the thick windshield pillers on new cars these days, but realize it is for safety so you have to live with it. They do not block the view of the mirrors.

The seatbelts beat up the inside of the door pillers as you un-buckle them and release them. It appears to me that the metal buckle knicks the plastic. The dealer suggested to me to hold on to the buckle as it retracted so that it would not hit the piller hard. This requires a person to change his/her habit of un-buckling the belt and letting it retract by itself. My biggest problem with the seatbelts is that after a few thousand miles the inside of the door pillers looked as if the car had several thousand miles of use, due to the pillers being knicked up all over the place. The tape had really helped and it does not knick up as bad as the plastic.

It just really bothers me that there is these minor problems on a +$30k vehicle. The CR-V we traded in didn't do this. Nor did it have any vibration problems. Heck I have a 68 chevy C-20 truck with big M/S tires and 16" wheels all around and it does not vibrate at 70-80 mph.....

Woody

tmalik

Interesting discussion going on here. I'm in the market for a Pilot and test drove a new '06 a few weeks ago. No problems. Last night I test drove an '03 Pilot with 45k on it. Had the Honda sales rep with me. At about 65mph on the highway I let it cruise and you could hear a loud whirring/vibrating sound. The sales rep noticed it right away. Problem disappeared under gas and I wasn't able to take it over 65mph due to traffic. He said he'ld get their service department to take a look and let me know by the weekend what they find. I'll definately want to do a longer highway test drive before buying.

Incidentally, right after that drive, I test drove a 2002 Acura MDX with the same mileage. No such problems. Smoother, quieter. But not worth the extra cost IMO.

wbotenn

Approx. 6,000 miles
twiced at a speed of around 15-20 mph
the suv has almost shut down or come to a complete stop at the same time a lot of grinding or growling sound then the VSI and ! lights come on. This SUV has been to the dealership twiced for this problem. My concern is it's a major safety problem -- pulling in traffic then the SUV would (twiced) bog down - almost stop. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS?
THANKS
WBOTENN

gmoney2

I never really noticed the dinged up pillars until I started reading the posts on this forum a few months ago. I went and checked out mine, and low and behold, mine are all banged up as well. Since I didn't really notice it before, I don't really think this is all that big of a deal. To each his own.

markjenn

VSI? Your probably mean VSA.

If the problem occurs in normal driving, sounds serious, and I'd push the dealer, escalating as necessary. What is the dealer sayiing? Are they fixing anything?

If the problem occurs when you're hammering the gas while turning, it could just be doing its job - it grinds and growls, brakes selective wheels, and chops the throttle to keep you from spinning the car.

- Mark

qbrozen

to add to the above post - if its happening during normal, easy driving, then it could be as simple as a intermittently bad wheel sensor. Suggest to them they swap all the sensors out.

wbotenn

Thanks yes VSA

Turning normal and has happened while going straight

Dealership has had the SUV about a week and can't find the problem

THanks

mikebeltran

We have experienced the same problem on a brand new 2005 Pilot. We have been back four times. The third time the dealer replaced all the shocks and struts. Today the dealer told us all Pilots make this noise. Their fix is to apply heavy, waterproof lube to the bushing cups. They claim this would fix the problem. This is the third time they told me the lube will fix the problem. The must think we are idiots. I have already contacted a lawyer to find out if there is anything he can do to make sure Honda corrects this problem. :mad:

moseral

Yes! About the same frequency I hear a Pop or Knock that sounds like it's coming from the back of the Pilot. The dealer said they couldn't find anything....

amused

The problem is that the rims are out of round. do you have factory have alloy rims

master1

I do not understand what you mean.

mepspop

My 2003 Honda Pilot has a "clunking" problem when I back up. The "clunk" sound only occurs once in reverse and usually after backing up 15 to 20 feet. It seems to only occur when the engine is cold. While parked, if I put the gear in drive and then switch over to reverse, the "clunk" does not occur. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I would especially like to know if it is dangerous to drive or if I should simply avoid backing up for distances greater than 15 feet. Thanks!

markjenn

It's probably normal. Most vehicle brakes make a single clunk when backing up with a cold car - a lot of folks remark that their brakes clunk once backing out of the garage/driveway every morning. I wouldn't think the distance would make any difference though.

- Mark

qbrozen

I agree with markjenn, but, in addition to that, did you ever get the brake shim TSB done? If not, mention it to your dealer. Its a very old TSB that was issued for the '03s (maybe even the '04s, i forget).

mepspop

Thanks for the information! I bought my Pilot used with 40,000 miles (not certified and out of warranty), so I'm not sure if the brake shims TSB has been completed. I will check. However, the "clunk" doesn't occur while braking. Could the "brake assist" be causing the noise? Also, I thought it was a once a morning thing, but was able to reproduce this noise (I can feel it too) 5 out of 6 times while repeatedly backing out of my driveway this morning.

qbrozen

It doesn't occur when braking? So when exactly does it occur? When you first step on the gas? When you are moving in a straight line without touching anything? When you first put it in gear?

mepspop

The "clunk" occurs while pressing the accelerator 15 to 20 feet into a 40 foot uphill climb out of my drive. I have had it happen in a relatively flat parking lot too. It is a straight driveway. I can avoid the noise by completing short 3-point turns and avoiding backing up, but I don't know if in doing so I'm ignore a potential safety issue. I've had a non-Honda transmission shop look at it. He heard it, but could only reproduce the noise a couple of times out of many attempts and didn't think that I should spend the money (>$1000) diagnosing a problem that might not be a problem. That sounded good to me, until I was able to reproduce the noise many times in a row. I've got a call into another transmission shop and will get Honda to diagnose it when I get the brake shim TSB taken care of.

Sorry for long post. It's been quite an ordeal for me.

06pilot

help. I have a pilot that has a leak and every time it rains the floor is soaking wet. I have had to scape ice from the inside of my windshield. I am disgusted with the service I have received and I don" know what to do.

markjenn

It's under warranty so it's just a matter of getting the dealer to fix it. If you're not getting good service, you need to escalate - the process is in the owner's manual.

- Mark

pilot3rd

Just curious. Where was your Pilot built?