Honda Pilot 2006

ettamarna · December 2005

I purchased my 2006 Amazon Green EXL-Nav 4WD in early November. As of late December, it is dead (with less than 1,500 miles).

Overall, I really like the design and features of the 06 Pilot. However, I have been extremely dissapointed with the build quality.

Since picking up the new car, I began to notice a number of creaks and rattles in the interior. Not what I expected from a Honda (I also have a 2003 S2000 that has been flawless for 18,000 miles). After being worked on for 6 service hours, mainly applying silicone grease, most of the rattles disappeared. Several weeks later, they started to return.

I also noticed that the front passanger door rubs the quarter panel, resulting in a spot (below the hinge) where the paint has been rubbed off. This has not yet been fixed. Not sure what the fix would be, either...

My wife has noticed the audio (both nav and stereo) has gone off. This lasted for about 20 minutes, with no apparent cause. There was a loud "popping" sound, and the audio mysteriously returned. Sounds like some sort of electrical gremlin.

Then the biggest issue occurred on Tuesday before Christmas. The Pilot died, leaving my pregnant wife stranded in a snow storm. We had to have the car towed to our dealership the next day. According to the service tech, the "third bearing" was "contaminated at the factory" and "disintegrated" in the engine. This caused metal flakes to circulate in the oil, and eventually clog up somewhere in the engine, resulting in the lack of oil pressure.

Long story short, the recommended fix is to now replace every engine part that has oil going through it ("short block, cylinder heads," etc...).

My wife is now driving around in a lovely, powder puff blue 4 cyl Toyota Camry loaner. It is a perfectly fine vehicle, just not an eight passanger, AWD SUV. Sure made for a fun drive from Cleveland to Boston for Christmas...

Now I am thinking that my Pilot is a :lemon: . Certainly not what I was expecting from Honda, given my favorable S2000 experience. Maybe this has something to do with vehicles being assembled in Alabama around/following Katrina. Who knows?

I have filed a case with Honda of NA requesting that they replace my vehicle with a new one (hopefully one made in the Ontario plant). If they do, I'll just consider this a "mulligan." If not, well, I think I'll switch to being a Toyota guy (4Runner, not light blue Camry).

Will update this posting when I hear from Honda of NA.

eduardo613 · December 2005

I picked up a 2006 Steel Blue EX-L Navi a month ago. I got an "I owe You" for the back-Up sensors (which are supposed to be color-coded)... As of yet, the back up sensors have not come in. Has anyone had the same experience? Are the sensors really not available (so readily)? :confuse:

ettamarna · December 2005

I talked to American Honda yesterday. No luck with my request to have my Pilot replaced with a new one. If I want to go the buy-back route, I have to go through arbitration. I'd lose, of course, because I'm not (yet) at the Ohio lemon law threshold of pain.

I pushed back, saying that it was my hope to remain a loyal Honda customer. My confidence in the car and company has been shaken, and in good faith, I'm not able to recommend Honda to friends and collegues.

The Honda rep recommended replacing the engine (which will likely take another week). He said the car would be "good as new." Maybe so, but I'm still spooked about this car. Too many issues on a new vehicle...

At the very least, I'm going to press American Honda to provide an extended Honda Care warranty gratis, for my troubles. The Honda rep said that would be on table for discussion, but that their first priority was getting my vehicle back in service.

Will update...

fapel · December 2005

Thank you for your post. I am about to purchase a 2006 EX-L RES (literally within days), but I'm a bit concerned about Honda's response to your request for a new vehicle. Having worked in an auto shop for many years, I can assure you that replacing the engine parts will NOT make the car "as good as new". I personally would find this totally unacceptable! Also, when you go to trade/sell it, it will be worth less simply because it has a major engine work put in it. I know I'd be wary of buying it. I'm not sure how hard you pressed them or how high up you went, but you can let them know that there is at least one person you know seriously reconsidering their purchase. The only reason I buy a honda (over Ford, or Toyota, or whatever) is their attention to quality. That includes fixing their mistakes completely to the customer's satisfaction. I'm not telling you what to do, but there is no way I'd be satisfied with a new (a 2 month old vehicle is NEW!) vehicle needing major repairs.

Hope everything works out for you. Keep up on posting your experiences here, I'll be watching to see what happens next.

brihaga · December 2005

Does anyone have a infant (rear facing) seat that will fit in the 2nd row seat and allow the front seat to come back to accomodate a 6 foot passenger? 06 pilot, leather. Seat was on left, moved it to right side but the front seat passenger is really cramped (5 foot 6 wife with knees in dash). Thinking of putting it in the middle, but it might hit both seats. Any thoughts? NO LATCH IN MIDDLE. Maybe someone has a brand seat that fits better......

brihaga · December 2005

Did you find out if there is a neat way to play the ipod? Just purchased 06 pilot exl/nav. Also, will nav dvd player under seat play a DVD? Curious.

markjenn · December 2005

Yes, keep us in the loop on this.

I do think there are two sides to these issues. A small percentage of even the most reliable cars are going to have major problems, and Honda is meeting it's obligations under the warranty. I don't think Honda is behaving any differently than any other mfg - I have not heard of a car company simply replacing a vehicle in this situation.

I also think there is a good chance the car will be "good as new" if the work is performed competently. While there might be a slight resale hit if the car was sold in the near term, it won't be much of a factor once the car has 50K miles of good service - I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy a new car that had it's engine replaced early in it's life if it has a good service record following the repair.

It does sound like Honda is willing to go with a free extended warranty. If you have a warranty to 120K miles on the new engine, that seems like a fairly good assurance that any problems with the engine will be Honda's problems, not yours, for as long as you own the car.

I know it is attractive to think the a car company should just step in and provide a new car whenever an owner has a major problem with a recently purchased vehicle. But if all the car mfgs did this, they'd have to raise the price of cars accordingly and we'd all pay, one way or the other. It's a zero-sum game.

Like I said, two sides to this issue. Good luck getting satisfactory resolution regardless.

- Mark

steroid · December 2005

We have Evenflo Titan 5 rear facing infant seat, which also converts to a toddler seat. It fits well in the middle. There are latches you can use for securing the seat in the middle of 2nd row. That is also the safest place to put a child seat (see Honda manual, seat manufacturer, consumer reports etc.). We have used it behind the driver seat and I was relatively comfortable (I'm 5'9"), though I usually sit closer to the steering wheel when I drive. I don't think Evenflo produces titan5 anymore, but their other convertible seats look essentially identical in size, so you may want to try a couple in your car. Good luck and let us know if you find a better fit (can use the info for the second child in the future!!).

tsy · December 2005

I had my back up sensors installed right away. They were in stock from the dealer. I think it's the same as the '05 ones though.

Just bug them more. A month is way too long.

Good luck

tom

okra · December 2005

Just wondering why you want back up sensors when the nav actually lets you see whats behind you on the screen? Save the money for something else.

brihaga · December 2005

The latches on my vehicle are for theh outside two seats. I think my straps might reach to grab one of each. The manual says the only latch positons are the two outside 2nd row seats. Thanks for your reply.

mjansen1 · January 2006

OK, after almost purchasing a LT Tahoe a few years ago, I'm back doing research for a vehicle that can carry 8 passengers but is not a minivan. So far our Outback has done a great job but with a new child, it is getting a little small. I like getting decent gas mileage and will never tow anything. Therefore, I have narrowed it down to the 2006 Honda Pilot and now the 2007 Tahoe with it's "cylinder deactivation thang". Any comments?

eduardo613 · January 2006

Were the back-up sensors "Color-Coded" (to match vehicle color) in 2005? :confuse: That was the excuse from the dealer..

Thank you Tom!

BTW my Pilot is Steel Blue

eduardo613 · January 2006

Okra,

I had the Rear Camera on my 2003 Pilot Navi (it was an additional option then) but no back up sensors. I do drive often in reverse

and there were several close calls where the camera did not help. The camera has certain spots that it just can't see. I knew then that my new Pilot would need BU Sensors. The 2006 Navi has the rear view camera included but I do need the sensors.

Now you know!

tsy · January 2006

I'm assuming they were, because I have a silver '06 and the box said '05. My sensors are perfectly matched to my bumper, so I doubt the colors changed for '06. I suppose they just might not have the color for your Pilot, but I can't imagine anything taking a month to get. I've never waited more than a few days for any parts.

I agree with the backup camera and the backup sensors. Each has their advantages (and disadvantages). The Lexus LS 430 I bought my father has both camera and sensors- which makes parking a breeze!

Hope this helps!

tom

tsy · January 2006

Hi Mike

I went through the same thing. I had a Suburban because I needed to carry 8 comfortably which I didn't feel was possible in the old Tahoe. The 'burban was too big, so I bought a Sequoia. The Sequioa was still big and thirsty, so I bought a Nissan Minivan, which was still big (bigger than a Tahoe, actually) and got terrible mileage also.

I ended up buying the Pilot because it will seat 8 comfortably, as long as 3 of them are smaller adults or children. I have not seen the new Tahoe, but I'm sure the 3rd row is bigger than the outgoing model. My wife is very happy driving the Pilot.

In terms of mileage, the Pilot is decent- not great. You'll do better with a Toyota minivan. If you only want a 2wd Pilot, it too has the cylinder deactivation, but this will only help with highway driving, not city (EPA 18/24). I would expect the mileage on the AWD Pilot (EPA 17/22) to still be better than the 4wd Tahoe (EPA 15/21) with cylinder deactivation. Of course, this depends totally upon how you drive.

One final thought, the first year production of GM trucks tends to be much less reliable than the outgoing model. It takes a year or two for build quality to improve. Just something to think about.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

tom

sas1 · January 2006

Mjansen - regarding mileage on the 2wdr pilot, I consistently get better than "advertized" to the point I have asked the dealer if the speedometer could be reading falsely. In surburban driving with trafficlights 0.5 -1.5 mile apart and speedlimits of 40-50 I consistently manage 21-22, this includes a lot of short trips. If I enjoy the powerfull V6 with frequent pedal to the metal applications it will return 18-19 suburban driving. On Highway I average 25 (23lowest/27higest)- only problem sofar (3K miles) is a driverside windowscontrol panel cover that needs a new clip. By the way the VCM works great, very seemless and on 50-70% of the time.

markjenn · January 2006

The new Tahoe is getting favorable reviews. I'd have the following concerns vs. the Pilot:

1. Cylinder deactivation can only go so far to help mileage and the Tahoe is thousand lbs heavier. I'd expect the Pilot to always do noticeably better in mileage, at least a couple mpg. Whether this is significant to you...

2. GM SUVs have historically had a fair to poor reliability record.

3. 2007 is the first year of a re-design and the first year is always more problematic.

If you don't need AWD, then the 2WD Pilot would be a great choice - by far the best mileage in a 8-passenger SUV.

I know you said you don't want a minivan, but honestly, the best people hauler out there is the new Odyssey and it gets better mileage yet. It's a smoother drive than the Pilot and because it's lighter, it's in many ways a sportier drive. Getting people in/out is SO much eaiser. If you haven't driven one, you should. The only way I'd get a Pilot over a Odyssey is if I wanted AWD, off-road, and/or towing.

- Mark

sas1 · January 2006

Just a note on the pilot weight:

The pilot 2 wdr lighter than the odyssey

Odyssey EX 4475 PIlot EX 4341 diff 134 lbs
---- LX 4378 ---- LX 4264 dif 114 ---

With a ground clearence of only 4.3 ! the Odyssey even has difficulty with some driveway curbs - my friend has to back out his driveway at an angle otherwise the front bumper will scape the curb..forget even the slightest bumpy dirtroad.

mjansen1 · January 2006

Thanks for the information so far. I guess I didn't mention it, but the AWD is a must.

sunil · January 2006

So I am close to buying a Pilot EX-L, 4WD, with Nav. I will probably have to drive to a dealer 75 miles away to get a good price, and will most likely end up with the Amazon Green. But I have not seen a Amazon Green one on the inside (none at the local dealer). SO I have a question about the olive interior :

- Is everything olive (dash, door panels, etc) ? Or is it only teh seats which are olive, and all the panels etc stay grey ??

mako168 · January 2006

I have had this problem too. I have a 2006 2wd EX Pilot. The speakers go out (and the volume is on) and then the sound comes back on ten minutes later for no reason. I've tried turning the radio off and restarting the car.

Could it be related to the ANC? :confuse:

markjenn · January 2006

Good info, thanks. I was mainly thinking of the weight of the Odyssey vs. the AWD Pilot, but it sounds like they're close enought that it probably isn't a factor. In any event, folks who have owned both a AWD Pilot and an Odyssey, think the Odyssey handles better.

In any event, unless one really needed the extra towing and somewhat better off-road capabilities of the Tahoe, I'd go with the Pilot. And if you did need better towing/off-road, I'd look at a V8 4Runner before a Tahoe, although you'd have a much smaller cabin. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs...

- Mark

floatingcloud · January 2006

No idea. It happed to me at least twice as I noticed. The second time last even longer - 2 days. Please let me know if you discover something.

snorris · January 2006

How good is the Pilot offroad? Anybody taking theirs in the snow, mud gravel etc and to what extent. Thanks

nelsoncm · January 2006

The olive interior is really nice. Not too green, some gray undertones to it. It's everywhere and it is the nicest interior color of the three available in my opinion. I wouldn't do that Amazon Green exterior though, too hard to see -- it's like camoflouge!

laf1 · January 2006

I am trying to buy a Pilot with the Nav system. Apparently Honda produces twice as many EX-L with the rear entertainment than with the nav so apparently they are harder to find. I am also finding that it is next to impossible to find the nav in desert rock metallic. Does Honda make some colors more exclusive? Are dealers allowed to request colors or does Honda just assign them?

sunil · January 2006

Thanks for the note. I got smart & looked inside a White Pilot today (has the same olive interior as the Amazon Green per the Honda web-site). Looks nice. But the carpets & mats remain grey. I think my wife is going to nix it (it will be her car so its her final call), we will see. That probably means we will have to search everywhere for the Sagebrush Pearl, which seems to be in short stock in 4WD EX-L with Nav around the Bay Area. Oh well - I am in no rush, I guess I can wait till one pops up at a decent price...

Sunil

master1 · January 2006

That's what I want to know too. Did anyone drive the Pilot in a real amount of snow - as in more than 3.5 inches. Was it skidding, sliding, or what?? The highlanders 4x4 system is much better .....honestly the pilots is pretty dum because the car is driving itself and its better for the driver to put it on manually permanently, or have 4x4 all the time like the Highlander.

tsy · January 2006

I drove my Pilot in a few inches of snow when I went skiing last week. It did just fine. If you are going to be doing major driving in snow or ice then I'd strongly suggest snow tires. I'd worry more about the driver than the car when it comes to snow- having AWD doesn't mean your car will stop or mean you can drive faster. Every year I see lots of ignorant people who slid off the road in their SUVs because they thought they were invincible! :-)

The AWD system in the Pilot is on demand- it normally runs FWD until the computer notices slipping of the front wheels, then power is redirected rearward. I'd rather be in my Subaru than my Pilot in the snow (Subarus are awesome in snow- better than these huge overweight SUVs- having owned a few) but the Pilot will do just fine. I wouldn't expect it to do more than just easy off roading though. You will need something much more robust, ie jeep, range rover, MB G-wagon, etc.

I believe the Highlander is also on demand AWD, as opposed to true 4WD, making it about equivalent to the Pilot.

tom

aec1 · January 2006

I am looking for an EXL-Navi in Taffeta White. I asked my dealer to order one. He told me that because the Civics now have Navi that there are fewer Pilots available w/it as well. Some dealers ask for a refundable deposit of $500 when you ask them to order a specific vehicle. I know the Mgr of my dealership (have sent multiple customers there) and he did not request a deposit. Hope that helps.

podze1 · January 2006

Hi

I just bought 2006 EX-.L Pilot and like you did not notice a noise at first but I now notice a rattling noise from the passenger window area when I hit 40 -45 miles/hour. My engine noise is a littl eloud but tolerable.

I'm taking it back to the dealer and asking them to look into it.

cheers
Mike

ukko · January 2006

Greetings snorris,
I have the Pilot EXL and live in northern Minnesota next to lake Superior. It is hilly and in a recent snow storm there were cars stalled on the hills but the Pilot easily went around them with no problems. I have also driven on narrow forest trails north of Ely, Minnesota with no problems. The Pilot goes in snow.

I have taken the vehicle off road in farm fields with no problem but I think the Pilot is not designed for off road use. It seems folks from snow country learn to drive with the limitations of the conditions and other folks may get into problems by going beyond the limits of the conditions.

In short, I purchased the Pilot because it would and does perform well in snowy, slippery conditions.

Good Luck.

erik_h · January 2006

I've done some off roading at the OBX in NC in my RX and I noticed quite a few Pilots out there too. They appear to handle about the same as my RX on the sand, just remember to air down the tires first and stay out of deep ruts. There are places I wouldn't go without a low range, but for lightly packed sand the pilot should do fine.

master1 · January 2006

The highlanders 4x4 is permanent - always 4 wheels powering the car.

erik_h · January 2006

My RX is "Full-time four-wheel drive is also available with a viscous center coupling that directs torque to the wheels with the most traction whenever slippage occurs." according to edmunds own review. In truth it is front biased and only invokes the back tires when the fronts start to loose traction and only up to a certain amount (say 60%), not much different from the Pilots. It does well enough on Sand and Snow, but it is not even close to a true 4x4 like a Jeep or 4Runner.

dkdriver · January 2006

Sunil - We live in San Jose - I called dealers from Salinas to Tracy, and all were getting new shipments in January, including several Sagebrush Peal, which I was seeking with Nav (last week the only one in CA was in AltaDean Southern CA). We wanted the 2.9% and my husband liked the Steel Blue, so I picked one up in Tracy on Monday, the last day of the financing incentives. I'm not thrilled with this color, but the 2.9 with zero down is good for us. I'd recommend Santa Cruz Honda, Capitol Honda (San Jose), Sunnyvale Honda, and Tracy Honda (loved the buying experience there). The dealers can tell you what is coming in. We paid $400. over invoice, but that might come down given the new inventory coming in. Good luck! :shades:

newpilotboy · January 2006

I recently purchased a new 2006 Pilot 4WD EX-L with Nav. I had the dealer installed an additional alarm - Audiovox Pro9232a (the one they offer), and LoJack Early Warning System.
1. Any experience with this alarm? How does it really differ with the one the Pilot came with?
2. Would I be notified by the Lojack system if a flat bed truck steals the Pilot?
3. Should it have been better to have Ravelco installed instead? (I live in New York City!).
I love the Pilot! Thanks for any input!

kabill · January 2006

Let us know what the dealer says about the window noise. I've heard excess window/windshield noise on all the Pilots I've driven (6-7, at least) at about 60 mph--mostly on the passenger side. The problem is, some are worse than others, so it's not like times past when you could order a Honda and expect it to be exactly like all others of that model/type. I ordered my CRV and have had no problems for over 100000 miles. I still like the Pilot, but I will not order one but will continue to test drive till I find the right combo of features with minimal glass noise. The quietest one I drove was not a color I wanted.
Good Luck,
Will

stever · January 2006

Congrats on the new Pilot. You may want to browse the Security systems (Lojack, alarms, engine immobilizer, etc.) discussion while waiting on responses in here.

And please report on your deal in the Honda Pilot: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion.

Steve, Host

kabill · January 2006

I've only driven Pilots on pavement so I have no personal experience with their AWD ability, but one of the reasons I got interested in them was that their drivetrain was the same as the Acura MDX which won Motor Trend's "Sport Utility of the Year" award a few years back (2002 maybe?). Knowing the strenuous paces MT puts theses candidates through, and how tough a vehicle has to be to win that award, how could the Pilot be marginal or anything other than stellar in this department, since it shares the MDX AWD system? Opinions please.
Will

markjenn · January 2006

It's a huge strech to infer that the Pilot is a good off-road vehicle from a single all-around SUV award from a magazine four years ago. And MT's awards are widely considered to be the most "fluffy" and influced by ad revenues - several of their "Car of the Year Awards" have been for vehicles that are real dogs.

I've never seen any publication (including MT) say that either the MDX or Pilot is a very good off-road vehicle. Between the unibody, part-time AWD, lack of low-range, lack of diff locks, independent suspension, etc., there just isn't a level of off-road equipment here to compete with a 4Runner, Pathfinder, or Grand Cherokee, let alone a serious off-roader like a Wrangler. The Pilot/MDX are basically jacked-up Odyssey minivans with a light-duty VTM4 system to the rear wheels. They're fine for light-duty off-road and snow but that's it.

- Mark

kabill · January 2006

I do appreciate your response, Mark, and I would never infer that AWD compares to 4WD off-road. I've owned both. The exposed underbody of the Pilot, alone, would suggest that it was not meant for serious duty. I wouldn't use it for that. But, for what it's worth, MT (like 'em or not) DID describe the MDX drivetrain (and hence the Pilot's) as more than capable in it's off-road tests, however long ago that was, which I hope would make the Pilot more than adequate to handle what I would need it for-northern (ND, MN) winter driving.
Thanks,
Will

master1 · January 2006

Ok, but the Highlanders system is permanent, always 4X4. It doesn't just come on when wheels slip, its always on.

tsy · January 2006

The Highlander is always on 50-50 front to rear until it senses slippage in which case it redirects torque to the wheels with more traction. Honda's system is in FWD until it senses slippage and redirects torque to the wheels with more traction.

In real world situations they will both do fine in poor weather and light off roading. In poor conditions the Honda allows you to lock in AWD, kinda like a surrogate 4WD. In situations where traction is a major issue (mud, uneven surfaces, steep inclines) neither SUVs will do well. Their AWD systems weren't designed for it. You will need 4WD as opposed to AWD (if you don't know the difference look it up) and a more (or less, depending how you look at it) suspension.

But since most SUV's never see anything beyond rain and snow on pavement (I've gone offroad a handful of times at most when I had my Suburban and Sequioa), most people don't need more than AWD and would rather have the more comfortable and roomy SUVs (like the Pilot and Highlander) that get better gas mileage.

Hope this helps

tom

kennynmd · January 2006

Can son=meone help me answer this...what type of headlight bulb does the 06 Pilot use? I know before it was an H4 bulb but wondering if it has changed since it has projector lens now. Thanks

master1 · January 2006

If you call a honda dealership they will most likely tell you.

master1 · January 2006

The pilot does have a low range to lock the rear differential. Independent suspensions are not bad for off-roading. But the Pilot is not a off-road vehicle. The 4-Runner is.

markjenn · January 2006

The VTM4 button has nothing to do with low-range gearing; it simply engages the rear clutch packs to transfer some torque to the rear; normally, this occurs only when there is front tire slippage. Honda basicaly says to use it to attempt to extricate yourself if you're already stuck.

- Mark

eduardo613 · January 2006

In using the 2006 Honda Pilot Navigation system, I cannot find out how to get the "Current Elevation" :sick: . My prior Honda Pilot Navi (2003) had this ability and I found it to be very useful. Does anyone know if the new system can display the current elevation? Thanks!

Honda Pilot 2006

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