Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

kipk

Our 03 4WD Pilot does that for a couple of miles on "cold" mornings. First road we hit outside the "Home" street is very smooth so it is noticeable. If we turn the other direction the other street is not as smooth and the vibration is hardly noticeable.

I'm thinking it is just sleepy tires.

Kip

joga37

Got the "Check Fuel Cap" scroll message yesterday,cap was tight but re-tightened it.Message stayed on,tried what the quick start chart said "start engine,press down on Outside Temp switch until message clears". No luck. I shut the engine down. Vehicle is 06 Pilot ex 2wd 1300 miles.

An hour later went to use the vehicle,turned the key in the ignition and the radio made a loud pop and shut down and the vehicle would not start.A loud clicking sound was all that I could get.Jump start worked.Any suggestions to what is wrong??. Thanks

jamesmils

Interesting....my 2004 Pilot has 35,000 miles on it now. After much rain last Spring, I noticed that the carpeting under the front floor mats was wet. Turns out it was a problem with the "body seam spot welds" on the passenger side. The dealer fixed it after much complaining about the time it took to find the problem. Now, with the warranty running out, there is water again; this time on the driver's side carpet. It's going in again next week...hope they fix it before time runs out. What's going on on the assembly line? I wonder how many Pilots have this problem and the owners don't even realize it?

slb4

Be very careful on the repair. My dealer also mentioned
the amount of time they spent looking for the leak on my Pilot. They did say that they had several bulletins on this type of leak concerning these welds. They were all on the passenger side. Mine was on the drivers side which they did not expect. I got my Pilot back last week and it still had an odor. It turns out that instead of replacing the entire mat they cut out the part that had visable mold and patched it. I took it back and insisted the entire mat be replaced. Fair is fair. I have only had the car since September 5th. They did make a point to tell me how much work is involved in replacing the entire mat, but they also had promised me my car would be just like new. Well when my car was new it did not have mold. After researching mold in cars and the problems it can cause I think it only fair the matting be replaced. Best of luck with your problem.

lanthony

Did you resolve this problem? If so, what did you do? My "04" which we just purchased started doing the same thing.
Thanks

lanthony

Can you tell me if you resolved this problem?? We just bought an "04" and we are having the same problem. The honda dealer can't find anything wrong...thanks for any help you can give!!!

ksayers

My wife is driving down the road in her PILOT and an entire cable harness falls out from underneath the dash onto her left foot.

Large cable, multiple large connectors, two fuses, etc. Likely... something for the NAV system as we have the entertainment system.

When she gets home I look up underneath the dash. The wiring looks like it was put in by a 3rd grader. Loose cables everywhere. JUNK CRAFTMANSHIP. Perhaps there is some panel that was left off of our vehicle that was supposed to hide this sloppy work so the unsuspecting customer would never see it.

Everything seems to function. Luckily the cable (by chance) did not come between my wifes foot and the brake or emergency break.

Pathetic.

hhh2

I have a honda pilot(2006). I found there is some water dripping under the fron passenegr side while parking there. It last for 20 minutes, then it's gone. I didn't have the AC on, but I do have the defrost on. Is it normal?

bdyment

When the defrost is on, so is the AC compressor. This is done to remove excess humidity from the vehicle and defrost the windows more effectively. What you are seeing is condensation from the compressor.

Bruce

guest

Thanks Bruce. I'm not the original poster but was awaiting an answer to the question! I have to say, I'm loving our new Pilot, esp the Navigation system.

hhh2

Thanks, Bruce. My Odyssey will have the A/C indicator on when I turn defrost on. But somehow, pilot doesn't. I also tried without defrost, but turn the air for the backseat on, it also drips. When I turn off both the air for front and back, the dripping stops. I love the pilot, it's more powerful than the odyssey.

blackexv6

I don't think dynamat on the floor will help. My'06 Odyssey has awful tire noise on concrete roads - I think it is radiating through the wheel wells.

I am looking for a soundproof material that is waterproof to apply in the wheel wells.

Take a look at the Acura TL wheel wells - they have a fuzzy material lining the wheel wells. Also Mercedes Benz has it. Maybe Lexus?

cia

HI,I'M A NEW MEMBER.I PURCHASED MY 2003 PILOT EXL IN JUNE OF 2006.IT HAD 35,000 MILES ON IT AND NOW HAS 42,000 MILES AND RUNS LIKE A CHARM.I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THIS SUV.I'VE PRETTY MUCH FIGURED OUT ALL OF THE CONTROLS EXCEPT THE REAR A/C CONTROL. IT JUST WON'T WORK.I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S BROKEN.I PUSH THE BUTTON THAT STATES RR A/C.THE LIGHT COMES ON AND SO DOES THE LIGHT ON THE REAR CONTROL SWITCH BETWEEN THE VENTS,BUT NO AIR EXITS FROM THE VENTS.WHAT AM I DOING THAT'S NOT RIGHT?IS THERE ANOTHER STEP TO FOLLOW?
I DID EXPERIENCE ONE PROBLEM A MONTH AGO.WHEN I TURNED TO MY LEFT,IT FELT LIKE THE 4X4 WOULD KICK IN.A GRINDING SOUND WAS ALSO COMING FROM THE REAR RIGHT SIDE OF THE SUV.I BROUGHT IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP THAT MY FRIEND OWNS AND TOLD ME THAT MAYBE THE REAR CLUTCHES MAY BE STICKING.HE PUT IT ON A LIFT AND DID A TEST BY TURNING THE REAR WHEELS ONE BY ONE.THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF CLUTCH STICKING.BOTH WHEELS SPUN FREE WITHOUT THE DRIVESHAFT KICKING IN.WE THEN CHECKED THE OIL AND THE LEVEL WAS FINE.SO,HE SAID LET'S CHANGE THE OIL.HE REPLACED THE OIL WITH HONDA VTM-4 DIFF OIL.I HAVEN'T HEARD A NOISE SINCE AND I NEVER FELT THE 4X4 KICK IN AGAIN.SINCE THAT INCIDENT,I CALLED HONDA AND ASKED THEM HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY DIF OIL?THEY TOLD ME EVERY 20,000 MILES.I'M ASSUMING THAT THE OIL MUST HAVE AN ADDITIVE IN IT FOR THE POSI TRACTION AND IN TIME IT WEARS OUT.I HAVE THE SERVICE RECORDS FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND HE DID CHANGE THE DIF. OIL ONCE ALREADY AT 21,OOO MILES.SO,IF ANYONE HAS THIS SIMILAR PROBLEM,START BY CHANGING YOUR OIL IN THE DIF AND ONLY USE VTM-4 HONDA DIFF OIL. :shades:

stever

Welcome Cia - all caps posts are hard to read and many people skip over them so we recommend you use mixed case.

While waiting for responses, you can check out the service intervals recommended by Honda in the Edmunds Maintenance Guide.

mgol4

Make sure that "mode" arrow is set to head (only), not feet or head/feet combo.

kipk

I had a similar experience with our '03 Pilot.

The noise was more of a moan when moving slowly forward or rearward with the steering wheel turned fairly sharp. That was at 18K. Honda changed the rear end dope and all was again well in Camelot!

Kip

pratzert

Kip,

"rear end dope" ???? What's that ?

Thanks, Tim

cia

thanks for the TIP steve......later cia

nate14

Hi, I just took delivery of 2007 Pilot, very pleased but for one thing. Salesman said both rows of rear seats folded flat to form flat cargo area. Now that I've tried, the third row seats go flat, but it appears the second row seats don't go flat, stay pitched at a slope with a couple of inches gap in the cargo floor. The seat backs are smashed down on the seat surface so I can't see how they can go any flatter. Headrests are not causing the problem. No way a flat-bottomed cargo, say a large sheet of glass or the large dog crate that I bought this for will keep from sliding backward or at least taking some vibration where it's pitched and not in contact with the floor. Did I get bad information and this is as good as it gets or am I missing something?

Thanks,
Nate

gmwalters

That is as good as it gets. At least it is on my 2004 EX-L. They will not fold completely flat.

nate14

Thanks alot for reply, much appreciated. That's what I was afraid of, wish the sales guy had been straight with me or that I had tried it out myself instead of just dumbly believing. Now I have to break the news to wife that 90-pound four-legged child will have to be crumpled at the bottom of a very expensive dog crate that is now going to be an uphill slide. Not looking good for a peaceful weekend enjoying new vehicle.

Nate

davidd3

Like you, I also heard/assumed that the second row folded flat, but never got a demonstration or tried it myself. Also like you, I'm disappointed to realize that it does not fold perfectly flat. How much of a slope is there? Gues I could go out the garage to try it myself and see. Would groceries bags, boxes, etc., not stay put and slide toward the rear? Sounds like you intend to use that configuration on a regular basis. For me, it will pretty much be limited to hauling my kids duffles, etc. to and from camp. I'll manage even with a slope, but of course flat is what I wanted and what I expected. Is your dog so big that the crate won't fit in the fairly large flat space behind the second row (i.e., folding only the 3rd row)?

odie6l

The rear seats do have a slight angle to them, but I've heard the redesign coming up for the '08 MY will have flip / fold seat (seat bottom flips up, seat back folds flat).

Odie
Odie's Carspace

slore

I'm not a car person but we bought a 2006 2 wheel drive Honda pilot. I love my car except when the roads are just slightly damp, we have problems with the wheels/traction (and or transmission?). Is this because we got the @WD instead of a 4WD? We have become very leery about driving it in bad or even marginal weather. Does anyone have any suggestions for why the car is doing this-- is it the 2wd? Thanks for any anwers you may have.

pem3

I seem to have the same issue with my '03 Pilot. Did you have the propeller shaft replaced and did that solve the problem?

nate14

davidd3 wrote:
"Like you, I also heard/assumed that the second row folded flat, but never got a demonstration or tried it myself. Also like you, I'm disappointed to realize that it does not fold perfectly flat. How much of a slope is there?"

I'd say about a 30 degree slope and at the bottom of it is a crevice about 2-3 inches wide, perfect sized gap for a dog to step in and mangle a foot or leg. We always crate dogs in the car but even if we didn't, the crack would make it necessary.

"Guess I could go out the garage to try it myself and see. Would groceries bags, boxes, etc., not stay put and slide toward the rear?"

Bags would tip over (and stuff would fall down in the rather large crevice), boxes would probably slide a bit when the car moved or hit a bump unless they were blocked from behind by something else. The cheese would slide off the hot pizza. I don't think the crate would actually go anywhere, but the blanket and water bowl (and dog) would slide around. I was taken in by the ads that you can haul 4x8 plywood sheets in the cargo area. At the time I saw one of those I had just finished moving a full leng sticking out of the back of a borrowed old 9-passenger station wagon that worked like a charm. It never occurred to me that the great new Pilot wouldn't have a similarly flat surface.

"Sounds like you intend to use that configuration on a regular basis."

Yes, one of the big reasons we chose it.

"For me, it will pretty much be limited to hauling my kids duffles, etc. to and from camp. I'll manage even with a slope, but of course flat is what I wanted and what I expected. Is your dog so big that the crate won't fit in the fairly large flat space behind the second row (i.e., folding only the 3rd row)?

Yes, crate too large, has to go in the long way. We need to keep the single seat from the second row in use for our daughter and figured on sliding the crate in alongside it over the folded-down double seat, had it all planned out, even measured, just never thought to challenge the salesman's assurance that it all went nice and flat. You don't like to be crawling in the rear of the display vehicle on the showroom floor and knocking all the seats down. It's my own fault for not checking it myself, but a major disappointment. Like it alot otherwise but wouldn't have bought it if we knew about this issue. I'll have to rig some kind of carved foam or styrofoam slab to level it out and that will be a pain in the neck to load in there every time.

Nate

guest

"at the bottom of it is a crevice about 2-3 inches wide, perfect sized gap for a dog to step in and mangle a foot or leg"

You get the gap when you slide the seat forward before folding them. If you leave the seats in the farther back position, you will not have any gap.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

rekh

have a look at this photo
http://www.worldcarfans.com/photos.cfm/photoid/3050912.001/pageview/photo/photo/- 1011/page/1/size/regular/country/jcf/honda/honda-pilot

davidd3

From the photo someone attached, it looks possible to fold the seats in such a way that there is only a slight slope and no crevice. I'm much relieved. I hope that it will be good enough for your purpose.

We are enjoying our new Pilot so far. It's a nice change after 10 years of Odysseys.

nate14

I have checked and second row seat is definitely pushed all the way back and clicked in, but there is still the crevice when seat backs are folded down. And the slope in my vehicle is greater than what the photo seems to shoe (thanks, rekh). Maybe the push-back track is defective. There is nothing obstructing the seats from folding further, belts and headrests are clear, it is the actual seat padding pressed down on itself that stops them from flattening any further. Where the photo shows the level up to a certain point on the back of the driver's seat, in my Pilot that point is higher, obscures the entire bottom web pocket of the back of the driver's seat, so a more pronounced slope.

Looks like I'll be making my first trip back to the dealer to see what they say. Whatever it is, I can live with it, but it seems my Pilot may have a problem beyond the usual slope. I will let you know what happens in case anyone has similar issue. Thanks.

Nate

kipk

The crack in our '03 is less than 1/2 inch. The slope, while there, has not caused any kind of catastrophic problem.

Does your second row seat actually slide? Could there be some type of packing material keeping it in the forward position?

odie6l

"There is nothing obstructing the seats from folding further, belts and headrests are clear, it is the actual seat padding pressed down on itself that stops them from flattening any further."

This is gonna sound bad, but are the belt anchors (where you click the seat belt) in thier little pockets and held down with their little bungie straps. I can see them stopping the seat from folding correctly. As for the floor gap, the 3rd row and 2nd row should almost be flush when both are folded.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

davidd3

I've only driven my new 2007 Pilot EXL AWD a few times so far, but I'm noticing on longer drives that I'm having difficulty getting my left foot into a comfortable resting position. I'm only a size 10, but the padded service does not seem to be flat enough for long enough. I've never experienced this problem before. My Accord is just fine. Has anyone else noticed this about the Pilot?

My only other complaint so far has to do with the controls for the sunroof. They are in an unconventional location and they lack one-touch capability.

Other than the above, I'm enjoying my Pilot so far. It's a nice change after driving Odysseys for 10 years. Not as much space, but hopefully enough space.

nate14

>by kipk The crack in our '03 is less than 1/2 inch. The slope, while there, has not caused any kind of catastrophic problem. Does your second row seat actually slide? Could there be some type of packing material keeping it in the forward position? by odie6l

Replying to: nate14 (Nov 12, 2006 9:58 pm)
"There is nothing obstructing the seats from folding further, belts and headrests are clear, it is the actual seat padding pressed down on itself that stops them from flattening any further."

> This is gonna sound bad, but are the belt anchors (where you click the seat belt) in thier little pockets and held down with their little bungie straps. I can see them stopping the seat from folding correctly. As for the floor gap, the 3rd row and 2nd row should almost be flush when both are folded. <

The belt receptacles are tucked into the pockets, nothing obstructing there. The seat backs are definitely pressed all the way down onto the sitting area, leather mashed against leather, nothing keeping them from coming together. At the hinges where it folds there's nothing impeding it. Just seems like the whole unit doesn't want to lower properly, and it's both sides of the 60/40 split with the problem. It's with the dealer right now. When I brought it in, I had the service manager look and he tried it a few times, felt around, tried banging on it, but no improvement. He says there's something definitely not right but will have to take it apart to see what the problem is. He speculated that maybe the seat backs are affixed too low on the hinge which would explain the excessive slope but not the crevice where the edges don't come close enough to the floor behind it. So I guess I'll learn more when they call. I will share the result when I hear. Great group here and good to know there's people out there to share experiences. This is our first Honda, except for this problem we like it alot.

Thanks.

Nate

gmwalters

Same with my 04. I have more leg room in my Explorer XLT. The left foot position is definately something you have to get use to and try to adjust as best as you can.

davidd3

I have one other initial annoyance which I forgot to mention in my previous post. I hope I'm wrong and someone will tell me how to activate the feature, but it seems that the steering wheel audio and other controls are not illuminated. Even my Accord, in a lower trim level, has illuminated steering wheel controls. I'll eventually get used to knowing where they are by feel, but I'd much prefer illumination and I'm surprised that this $34,000 vehicle does not seem to have it.

odie6l

Lighted Controls and Telescoping Wheel are upgrades for the 2008 model. I asked about that when we bought 'The Beast' at the end of July.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

cwoody

Well my guess is the tires. Does your Pilot have the Goodyear Integerity's on it? I have a '04 pilot w/ the Goodyears and they wear good (have 45,000 miles so far) and will easily last to 60k. BUT they suck! The pilot needs a tire that has better wet traction. My Pilot spins easy in wet conditions, but what you really notice is that the anti-lock brakes kick in. Once when pulling a trailer, on a wet road, I couldn't get it to stop at a stopsign because the anti locks allowed the brake to go to the floor. The road wasn't that slick, but to the goodyears it was. Scared the %^&*^ outta me. I'm a LOT more careful now and hope to replace them soon.

odie6l

I looked at replacing the Integrety's with the Wrangler Silent Armor tires ($115 per tire). They have a better grip in snow, ice, rain, dry and even dirt.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

ralph9

I've had good luck with the Goodyear Forenza triple treds replacing the "lack of Integrities" at only 9500 miles and two hydroplaning incidents (no accidents) on the highway. I just felt the need for my child bride and me to feel more safe when taking cross-country trips to visit the grandkids (and their parents). I ordered the tires from tirerack.com and had them sent directly to an installer who had the Hunter 9700 balance machine, so that they could be road force balanced, which is important on the Pilots. I used the buyer survey ratings to evaluate the tires, particularly how they performed in wet and snowy conditions. Take care. Ralph

nate14

> It's with the dealer right now. When I brought it in, I had the service manager look and he tried it a few times, felt around, tried banging on it, but no improvement. He says there's something definitely not right but will have to take it apart to see what the problem is.<

I said I would report back after dealer service with my improperly folding second row seats on just delivered Pilot. We have it back now and the second row seats are folded down farther than they were and the crevice in the floor is reduced to a mere half-inch or so which I am told is normal. It seems there was a flaw in the mounting of the second row seats and even when pushed all the way back before folding, they weren't going back far enough. Something about one of the mounting tracks was installed too far forward and holding up the seats. They are now the way they are supposed to be, not flat as I was told originally by the saleman but the slope is now less than what it was and a big improvement.

I have another question that I forgot to ask the service people and I was reminded of it on the long drive home from the dealer yesterday. It is about acceleration but I will put in another message with proper title.

Thanks for all the input on the seats that convinced me to go have it looked at it to an improved outcome.

Nate

nate14

Hi again. When turning corners in the new Pilot, the dang thing nearly stops in the middle of the turn, no matter how fast I enter the corner. This is my first AWD vehicle so I don't know if maybe this is normal? (very annoying) Even if I stay on the gas in the turn, as it gets around, it slows dramatically, like a hard downshift. It does not sputter or threaten to stall, just doesn't want to keep going in the turn. I have to remember to stomp on the gas as soon as I go into the turn if I don't want cars behind me running up my rear as my vehicle suddenly grinds down and nearly stops. And then when I do gas it, there is a couple of second delay before it moves forward. Is this some (annoying) safety feature or do I need some kind of adjustment (to the car or to my expectations)?

Thanks,
Nate

kipk

Sounds like another trip back to the dealer is in order.
Be sure to "RIDE" with the technician. Otherwise he may not know what you are talking about.

Kip

davidd3

I took delivery of a new 2007 Pilot EXL AWD last month. It is my first SUV. Winter is coming. The Pilot comes equipped with all-season tires (Goodyear Integrity), which are pretty bad ones by most accounts in wet and wintery conditions. AWD should keep my Pilot moving, but it's the tires that provide the traction for stopping and turning. I am wondering if I should do the winter tire thing, or if that would be overkill for a SUV? The OEM all-seasons are brand new and would be at their best in this my Pilot's first winter. I am inclined to take a wait and see approach before popping for a set of winter tires. In the meantime, I'd like to know what other Pilot owners (or SUV owners in general) do in winter. Do you run your SUVs on the all-season tires they came with, or do you change over to winter tires. I live in NY, in a northern suburb of NYC. Winters are uncertain. Sometimes many snow storms, even an occassional blizzard. Sometimes hardly any. I'm leasing my Pilot for 3 years (3 winters). Comments and advice from contributors to this helpful forum will be most appreciated.

cia

Hi,I posted a message a week ago about my rear a/c not working (MESSAGE #2159).I read one message stating it may be a transistor problem. :sick:

Is there anyone out there that may know where this transistor is located.I called honda and of course they won't tell you. :confuse: I found out the part costs $185.00 can.

Sooo,if anyone knows,IT WOULD BE most appreciated.
THANKS.......CIA.. :shades:

baron64

I got an '06 AWD Pilot a couple of months ago. I live in the Black Hills of SD and we got @6 inches of snow last week. Hearing all of the bad things about the OEM tires, I was anxious to test them out in real conditions. I live on a hill and so, once I back out of my driveway, it is an instant climb. The conditions were both slushy snow and ice. After a very brief slip by the front tires, the AWD kicked in and I didn't have a problem for the rest of the day. In fact I drove around the hills and was quite pleased with the traction control of the vehicle. Now, are the OEM tires the best out there? Probably not, but I would definitely take the wait and see path and test them out first before buying new tires. Just one person's thoughts...

ralph9

I went through one winter season in the foothills of Colorado (6500 ft) with the "lack of Integrities" and on two occasions I felt hydroplaning when driving on the Interstate. I decided to "bite the financial bullet" with about 9700 miles on the odometer and I purchased Goodyear Fortera triple treds from tirerack.com. They perform substantially better in wet and wintery conditions. You might want to read some of the comments about the Integrities on the tirerack site. There are good and bad comments, but the bad comments seem to outweigh the good ones. There were more good comments about the triple treds. I relied on my own experiences and believed that it was a safety issue for myself and my wife. If young children are riding in the car I personally would order the new tires today even if my family budget took a hit. See other comments in my post #2187. Take care. Ralph

sooner_chot

I own a 06 2WD w/ NAV. Does anyone else have a problem with the rubbing noise originating from the top of the driver's side window? It sounds like 2 rubber pieces rubbing. Whats the fix? My dealer has already applied spray to the top of the door, but that didn't help. Its prevalent when I go over bumps.

Also, anyone have the problem w/ no sound coming from the speakers with the radio on? Its intermittent, but its frustrating. I get no sound from the radio or the nav system. But after a bit of driving it comes back.

davidd3

Thanks for your replies, Baron and Ralph. I take some comfort in Baron's reply, while Ralph's reply makes me uneasy.

I have read the reviews and ratings of the Goodyear Integrity at tirerack.com. Seems the tire Honda chose for our Pilots is just about the worst rated/reviewed tire of its kind, especially in wet and wintery conditions. On a scale of 1 to 10, "would you buy this tire again" got a 2.9. Well, it's not as though most of us actually bought this tire in the first place. Rather, we purchased/leased vehicles which happened to come with this tire. Could Honda have made a better tire selection? Seems so. The replacement tires Ralph popped for after not even 10,000 miles sure seem to be superior, an all-season which seems capable enough in winter. Wish our Pilots came with those tires. But they didn't. Now if we want them it's about a $500 proposition. Unless I could send the bill to Honda (ha ha), I'll be taking a wait and see approach.

jerryoster1

I have a '06 4WD Pilot with the std tires as well. My last SUV had Bridgestone tires, one step better than the Blizzacks, and these were great even in ice and snow. I have read all the bad reviews on the Integrities, but so far I am nor finding them bad at all, even in wet weather and driving rain. The real bad stuff is yet to come, but I'll also wait and see. If real bad, I'll go back to the all terrain Bridgestone Revas