2012 Honda Pilot

THE GASKET ON THE SPOOL VALVE ON OLDER HONDA PILOTS IS KNOWN TO FAIL. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN OIL LEAKING ONTO THE ALTERNATOR WHICH FILL CAUSE THE ALTERNATOR TO EVENTUALLY FAIL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THIS RECENTLY TO MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. OIL LEAKING FROM THE SPOOL VALVE FOULED THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE INCLUDING TO THE POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING. THIS ENGINEERING FAILURE CAUSES A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECENTLY SERVICED BY HONDA FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE ISSUE WAS NOT NOTICED. AT MINIMAL, HONDA SHOULD RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF THE GASKET AS PART OF ROUTINE SERVICE AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME OR CERTAIN MILEAGE. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH IDENTIFIED THIS ISSUE WITH OLDER MODEL HONDA PILOTS.

VEHICLE DEVELOPED A VIBRATION AROUND 45000 MILES IN REAR AND THOUGHT TIRES NEEDED REBALANCING. THAT DIDN'T HELP AND AFTER VIBRATING ON A 1600 MILE TRIP HAD DEALER REPLACE TIRES WITH ORIGINAL BRAND AND SIZE AFTER DISCUSSING PROBLEM WITH THEM. $1000 LATER I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALER AND COMPLAINED ABOUT VIBRATION. THEY REBALANCED TIRES ON HI TECH BALANCER. 275 MILES ON NEW TIRES AND STILL VIBRATION IS THERE. WENT BACK TODAY BECAUSE OF VIBRATION AND THEY DID SOFTWARE UPDATE AND REPLACED RIGHT REAR TIRE. SERVICE MANAGER AND THEN GENERAL BOTH RODE WITH ME I VEHICLE AND THEY AGREED THE VIBRATION IS STILL APPARENT. THEY THINK IT'S INHERENT WITH THE HONDA PILOT. IT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS NORMAL. WHO WHAT'S TO DRIVE A CAR VIBRATING ALL THE TIME.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO FIND A FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND OIL WERE CHANGED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10. UPDATED 6/3/15*CN UPDATED 06/09/15*JB

PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A FRANCHISE DEALER AND AM THE SECOND OWNER. THE ENGINE HESITATES AT LOW SPEEDS (APPROX. 10 MPH) WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS BECOMES APPARENT WHEN ATTEMPTING ACCELERATE FROM A STOP LIGHT, ACCELERATING FROM A TURN, MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY, CHANGING LANES, ETC. IT DOES HAPPEN PERIODICALLY AND I AM UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE ON-DEMAND, BUT IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN DAILY WHENEVER THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT. I AM SURPRISED THERE IS NO RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS, AS I HAVE ALREADY HAD A COUPLE OF NEAR MISSING WHEN TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY WITH STEADY FLOWING TRAFFIC AND WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION FROM ONE SIDE OF THE STREET TO THE OTHER. I HAVE YET TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE, SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MY OPTIONS ARE. I'LL BE REACHING OUT TO AMERICAN HONDA SOON. *TR

PROBLEM: WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A RESISTANCE/HESITATION THAT IS FELT IN THE GAS PEDAL AND THE ENGINE HAS TROUBLE INCREASING RPM'S. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE. CASE I: WHILE IN A PARKING LOT, TRYING TO PICK UP A LITTLE SPEED. GAS PEDAL HAS RESISTANCE AND ENGINE WON'T PICK UP SPEED. I KEEP MY FOOT STEADY ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THEN PILOT PICKS UP SPEED IN A UNEXPECTED RUSH. HIGH LEVEL OF DANGER DUE TO PEOPLE PRESENT IN THE AREA; AS THERE WAS AN UNEXPECTED AMOUNT OF SPEED. CASE II: ROAD TYPE: THREE LANE ROAD IN EACH DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC. WHILE IN THE LEGAL U-TURN LANE, I OBSERVE THAT THERE IS ENOUGH DISTANCE TO MAKE A U-TURN. FROM A STOP I TRY TO PICK UP SPEED (I WAS AIMING FOR 5K RPM'S, I KNOW HOW FAR TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO GET THAT RESPONSE). A GREAT RESISTANCE AND LACK OF RESPONSE FROM THE GAS PEDAL WAS FELT. THERE WAS MINIMAL ACCELERATION HAPPENING AND THEN AFTER ABOUT 6 TO 8 SECONDS, THE ENGINE WAS ABLE TO GET TO 6K RPM'S. AS THE CARS APPROACHED FASTER I ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED. AS THERE HAVE BEEN MORE CASES, THESE ARE TO TWO MOST DANGEROUS ONES. *NOTE: THE RESISTANCE/HESITATION OF THE GAS PEDAL HAPPENS UNDER ANY TEMPERATURE IN THE CABIN. *TR

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