2013 Honda Pilot

WE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE DAY ONE (JANUARY 18, 2013) WITH OUR 2013 HONDA PILOT EX 4WD. THE PROBLEM IS A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION WHEN THE ENGINE DROPS DOWN FROM HIGH ECO MODE (4 CYLINDERS) TO LOW ECO MODE (3 CYLINDERS - IF I UNDERSTAND THE ECO CYLINDER REDUCTION SYSTEM CORRECTLY). IT IS SMOOTH IN HIGH ECO MODE BUT AS SOON AS IT DROPS DOWN, THE VEHICLE VIBRATES/RUMBLES SIGNIFICANTLY. IT IS MY WIFE'S PRIMARY VEHICLE AND I DO NOT LIKE TO DRIVE IT FOR THAT REASON. I DO NOT HAVE AN INDEPENDENT AUDIBLE VIBRATION ALTHOUGH WHEN IN LOW ECO MODE IT MAKES A SOUND AS WELL AS A VIBRATION WITH THE VIBRATION BEING THE MOST PRONOUNCED. IT IS ODD THAT ONE PART OF THE ECO MODE IS SMOOTH AND THE OTHER PART IS ROUGH. I CAN PREDICT WHEN THE ROUGHNESS WILL OCCUR WHEN TRAVELING ON A RELATIVELY FLAT ROAD WITH GRADUAL INCLINES AND DECLINES. WHEN THE ROAD DECLINES, THE LOW ECO MODE ENGAGES AND THE VIBRATION INITIATES AND CONTINUES UNTIL THE ROAD BEGINS TO INCLINE AT WHICH TIME THE ECO MODE TRANSFERS FROM ITS LOW MODE TO ITS HIGH MODE AND THE VIBRATION STOPS IMMEDIATELY. THE VIBRATION IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH AND IS COMPARABLE TO RIDING ON SMOOTH ASPHALT AND THEN THE SURFACE CHANGING ABRUPTLY TO A ROUGH OIL AND CHIP ROAD SURFACE. WE HAD A 2009 HONDA PILOT LX 4WD WITH THE SAME ECO SYSTEM AND THERE WAS NO VIBRATION IN LOW ECO MODE. HAS ANYONE HAD A SUCCESSFUL FIX/REPAIR OF THIS ISSUE? IT IS VERY ANNOYING TO ME AND THIS CANNOT BE NORMAL BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION. IF NOTHING CAN FIX THIS PROBLEM, IS THERE A METHOD TO SHUT OFF THE LOW ECO SYSTEM FROM ACTIVATING BUT STILL HAVE THE HIGH ECO SYSTEM OPERABLE. I WOULD RATHER HAVE A SMOOTH RIDE AND SACRIFICE SOME GAS MILEAGE THAN BE TORMENTED BY THIS VIBRATION. THE VIBRATION IS SO OBVIOUS THAT IT CANNOT BE IGNORED ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE DRIVING IT. IT VIBRATES IN THE STEERING WHEEL AS WELL AS THE VEHICLE IN GENERAL. THANK YOU. *TR

LETTER FROM CONSTITUENT REGARDING HONDA'S 2013 PILOT RECALL (NHTSA RECALL 13V-382/CAMPAIGN#JB5/SERVICE BULLETIN #13-075); HE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM FROM AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. OR UNIVERSITY MOTORS; REQUESTING ASSISTANCE FROM NHTSA. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE LONG BLOCK AND SHORT BLOCK REPLACED. HE STATED HE TALKED TO THREE DIFFERENT AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS, AND IT WAS IN THEIR OPINION THAT REPLACING ONLY THE SHORT BLOCK OF THE ENGINE WAS NOT A TRUSTWORTHY FIX. THE SHORT BLOCK REPAIR PERFORMED UNDER NON-FACTORY CONDITIONS, WHICH COULD LEAD TO CONTAMINATION OF THE ENGINE, THAT WOULD CAUSE SERIOUS ISSUES AND ENGINE FAILURE IN THE FUTURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER WOULD NOT RETURN HIS CALLS. ALSO, THE CONSUMER WAS NOT GETTING THE PROPER GAS MILEAGE AS ADVERTISED. THE VEHICLE WAS RATED BETWEEN 16 AND 17 MPG, AND HE WAS GETTING 13 MPG. THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARD ON A SLIGHT INCLINE, WHILE IN DRIVE, THERE WAS A VIBRATION/SHUDDER COMING THROUGH THE VEHICLE, WHEN MAINTAINING A CONSTANT SPEED.

I HAVE A 2013 HONDA PILOT, LESS THAN 1 MONTH SINCE PURCHASE. AT SPEEDS FROM 20 MPH TO 70 MPH MY ENGINE AND CAR WILL, VIBRATE, SHUDDER. THERE IS ALSO A LOW FREQUENCY NOISE THAT SEEMS TO VIBRATE IN MY EAR WHICH IS ALSO QUITE A DISTRACTION. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MOST WHEN I AM ON A FLAT OR SLIGHT INCLINE. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO STOP IS TO EITHER SPEED UP OR LET OFF THE GAS. THIS IS VERY DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND VERY FRUSTRATING SINCE IT IS A NEW VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY FEEL THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY SAID THAT AMERICAN HONDA STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD BE NORMAL. A ROUGH FEELING, VIBRATING CABIN AND SHUDDERING ENGINE IS NOT A NORMAL OPERATING CAR. IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING WILL BREAK OR COME LOOSE, WHICH MAKES ME VERY NERVOUS AS MY CHILDREN COMMUTE WITH ME EVERY DAY. *TR

VIBRATION, HUMMING NOISE WHILE IN ECO MODE. AT SLOWER SPEEDS WHILE FEATHER GAS, ECO CAN SOMETIMES SEEMS TO GET CONFUSED ABRUPTLY TURN OFF CAUSING A JOLT LIKE FEELING. AT TIMES, ECO SEEMS CONFUSED WHETHER TO FIRE ON 2, 4, OR 6 CYLINDERS AND CAN BECOME IN ALMOST WHAT I CALL AN ARRHYTHMIA TYPE FEELING, WITH THE VIBRATION JUMPING AROUND UNTIL IT FINDS WHAT IT WANTS TO DO. NOTICED THE ISSUE SINCE I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT. AS EXPECTED, DEALER SAYS THEY CAN'T FIND ANY ISSUE. VIBRATION CAN BE SO BAD THAT I SOMETIMES THINK IT IS THE ROAD, BUT IT IS NOT. WOULD DUMP CAR BUT WOULD LOOSE MONEY. VERY UNFORTUNATE AND WILL NOT BE BUYING A HONDA AGAIN. IF YOU ARE LOOKING INTO ONE, PLEASE BE SURE TO TEST DRIVE AT ALL SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY CRUISING AT SLOW AND FASTER SPEEDS. CRUISING AND FEATHERING THE GAS IS WHEN YOU NOTICE IT MOST. *TR

MY 2013 HONDA PILOT JERKS AND SURGES WHEN ECO LIGHT ENGAGES. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TWICE, WITH A THIRD TRIP SCHEDULED AND AM TOLD, "WE CAN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM." BUT, IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME WHEN I AM DRIVING, AND APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM BASED ON OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ONLINE. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNACCEPTABLE AND HONDA NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, AS WELL AS PROVIDE ADEQUATE REPAIR. THIS IMPACTS THE VALUE AND MARKETABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. I WOULD GET RID OF IT TODAY IF IT WOULDN'T HAVE SUCH A NEGATIVE MONETARY IMPACT. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 2013 HONDA PILOT EX-L ON JUNE 15. I NOTICED ON MY FIRST TRIP ON THE INTERSTATE THAT THE CAR HESITATES WHEN DRIVING IN ECO MODE. THIS IS VERY ANNOYING AS IT FEELS LIKE THE ENGINE ISN'T GETTING ENOUGH GAS. HAD IT CHECKED OUT AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD OTHERS HAD COMPLAINED TOO, BUT THIS WAS A NORMAL FUNCTION, NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I FEEL LIKE I'M JERKING DOWN THE ROAD. I TRADED A HONDA ODYSSEY, WHICH ALSO HAD ECO DRIVE, AND I NEVER HAD THESE ISSUES WITH THE VAN. I HATE TO DRIVE THIS CAR! *TR

THIS REPORT IS FOR A NEW, 2013 HONDA PILOT TOURING MODEL WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAS CONTINUED SINCE. AFTER THE CAR IS WARMED UP, AND WHEN THE ECO LIGHT ILLUMINATES, THERE IS A SHUDDER OR A LOW FREQUENCY, RUMBLING VIBRATION THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. THIS WAS FIRST NOTICED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET, BUT HAS SINCE BEEN OBSERVED AT MULTIPLE SPEEDS WITH OR WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL. THE VIBRATION STARTS WHEN BACKING OFF THE ACCELERATOR AFTER REACHING A CONSTANT SPEED AND CONTINUES UNTIL THE ENGINE LOADS DOWN DUE TO A HILL OR FURTHER ACCELERATION. THIS ALSO COINCIDES WITH THE ECO LIGHT TURNING OFF. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO A SHIFT POINT, BECAUSE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE VIBRATION STOPS AND THE ENGINE RPMS STAY CONSTANT. THE LEVEL OF VIBRATION IS NOT AS INTENSE AS THAT OF RIDING OVER RUMBLE-STRIPS, BUT THE FREQUENCY IS SIMILAR. THE LEVEL OF VIBRATION APPEARS WORSE AT HIGHER ENGINE RPMS. *TR

2013 HONDA PILOT BRAND NEW AS I WAS DRIVING HOME NOTICED A VIBRATION COMING FROM FRONT END. MORE PRONOUNCED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. NOTIFIED DEALER AND BROUGHT IN TOO CHECK OUT. DEALER STARTED THE DIAGNOSTICS PROCESS BY SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND WE WENT FOR A RIDE. HONDA TECH ACKNOWLEDGE THE VIBRATIONS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. STEERING WHEEL SHAKE, BANGS, SHUTTERING AND LOW PITCHED HUMMING NOISES. TECH AND DEALER DOCUMENT MY CONCERNS AND SAY " WE ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS UP WITH HONDA. " THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. CONTACTED HONDA AFTER A WEEK OF CALLING DAILY. WHICH HONDA'S RESPONSE IS "YES WE STARTING TO GET A LOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR TOO REACT. THIS IS NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION. ". THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE, I CANNOT WAIT FOR SOMETHING TRAGIC TO HAPPEN BEFORE HONDA REACTS. *TR