2004 Honda Pilot Blown engine at 35K miles

dfp1955

I have a 2004 Honda Pilot with 35K miles with a blown engine as a result of an oil system failure! The vehicle has been carefully maintained with oil and filter changes at shorter then the recommended intervals.

The engine oil light came on and 20 seconds later there was a loud clanking noise from under the car. The vehicle was towed to a Honda dealership where I was informed that the engine was blown and faced with a $8,700 bill. The car was bought in June of 2004, so it is off warranty by 8 months.

Knowing a bit about the subject as I have rebuilt engines in an MGB and BMW 2002, something mechanical must have failed related to the oil pump system or some kind of a complete blockage.

This should not have happened so I contacted Honda of North America to file a claim and request that an investigation take place and warranty extended.

Anybody have some experience with this?

dfp1955

So I have head back from American Honda and they have basically told me that there is nothing they can do and I am stuck with paying for it on my own. I bought a Honda based on their reliability and reputation....I guess I was wrong!

I will be appealing this to the President of American Honda.

PS....somehow I have been blocked form the Hondapilot.org web site. Hmmmmm!

joeyjoejoe

Sorry to hear about the problem. A blown engine within warranty should definitely be replaced. It sounds like they're trying to blame something other than a main component of the engine then, huh? Something like if a fan belt not covered under the warranty breaks, which leads to an entire engine failure, you are S.O.L. I think you should be able to get something from your appeal. Otherwise it would appear the Honda organization of yesterday has changed. Good luck!

parviz

"...A blown engine within warranty should definitely be replaced...."
I sure would expect that. Unfortunately for him, his post indicates he is out of warranty (by months, not miles). I also hope his appeal gets somewhere since although he is out of warranty but the fact remains that the car has only 35000 miles.

mercara

find this surprising since Honda has been great about providing extended warranties for the failure of the 5 speed transmission.

stever

And the A/C compressor. (Honda CR-V AC Compressor Issues)

dfp1955

Thanks for your replies. I still don't understand why they are not interested in finding out what failed. I am very disappointed in their position not to provide some goodwill assistance. I decided on a Honda thinking that if a failure such as what happened did occur within a reasonable time after the warranty expired, their reputation for quality and brand loyalty would back me up.

Looks like I was wrong! I am writing to the president of American Honda asking my case be reviewed,

dfp1955

After writing to the President and CEO of American Honda, requesting a review of my case, I finally heard from them that they are unwilling to provide any kind of goodwill assistance. This is very dissapointing given Honda's reputation for quality and customer satisfaction.

So I am faced with paying $4,700 for a used engine. I will borrow the money, pay the bill, sell the car and repay the loan. I will never buy a Honda again and will dissuade anyone I know from buying a Honda.

minnesnowta1

If you are truly interested in finding out what happened to the engine, I would get a second opinion from a garage other then Honda dealership. It might cost you a few dollars to have it towed but at least you would get the whole story. That just does not sound right that you have a blown engine on a Honda with 35k. Did you buy the Pilot new? Honda's are extremely reliable vehicles with millions of miles log on them. They are rated as one of the most dependable, reliable, long lasting automobiles on the road. If it is something ordinary that failed, you must have got the 1 in a million that went bad. Sorry.

dfp1955

Thanks for your note and concern. I agree that Honda makes an extremely reliable product. This is the reason I bought it. And yes, I bought it new and ensured regular maintenance was carried out. I also understand that even with extremely reliable products, they can fail. My experience with other companies is that they stand behind their products even if they are reasonably beyond their warranty period.

What I experienced with Honda is that they do not stand behind their products, at least in my case. I will not buy a Honda again for this reason. I am sure they make a good product, but I not only buy the product, I buy the company. In this case I only received 50% of what I paid for.

minnesnowta1

Sorry that you had such a bad experience. For whatever reason, mine has been the exact opposite Honda has stood by us. We have taken or Pilot in a few time for items no longer covered under warranty and never paid a dime. Honda felt that these items should not have gone bad under normal use and replaced them free of charge.

Your case is somewhat different in that you had a major failure. Did you have an independent garage check it out to find the cause of the failure???

parviz

What are the items that you are referring to regarding your Pilot after warranty period?

wucka

bjader

One reason why engine overheat because the oil is not properly circulating that will cause the problem. Possibly that you got defective oil pressure switch/sensor or oil pump. If your engine is overheating the problem is your thermostat and coolant temperature sensor.