2013 Honda Pilot

THE VCM (VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT) SYSTEM CAUSES JERKING AND VIBRATIONS, PERIODICALLY, DURING THE CHANGE FROM "ECO" MODE TO FULL CYLINDER OPERATION. I HAD THE SERVICE MANAGER DRIVE WITH ME AND ON THAT TRIP, THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE SALES AND SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT BEING A PROBLEM. I NOW SEE THAT HONDA HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE COMPANY REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND FIX THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM.

ONGOING DISTURBING SHUDDER OR VIBRATION APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE VCM/ECO FEATURE. THE RELATIONSHIP SEEMS TO CORRELATE WITH THE VISUAL ECO DISPLAY ON THE DASHBOARD. THE ISSUE CAN BE CATEGORIZED BY PROGRESSING THROUGH THREE STAGES OR MODES AS SPEED AND DRIVING CONDITIONS VARY. THE FIRST MODE CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS A HOWLING (SIGNIFICANT AUDIBLE TONE CHANGE) FROM THE ENGINE RIGHT BEFORE THE VIBRATION BEGINS, WHICH IS THE SECOND MODE. THE SECOND MODE IS THE VIBRATION/SHUDDER MOST PREDOMINATELY AROUND 44 MPH, BUT CAN OCCUR AT OTHER SPEEDS - DEPENDING ON THE "LOAD" ON THE ENGINE. THE SHUDDER/VIBRATION CAN VARY FROM A HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION (LIKE GOING OVER SMALL NARROW RUMBLE STRIPS) TO A MORE PRONOUNCED SHUDDER, BOTH OF WHICH IS CAN BE FELT BY PASSENGERS AND/OR DRIVER. IN GENERAL, THE PILOT WILL VIBRATE/SHUDDER CONSISTENTLY, APPARENTLY WHEN THE VCM FEATURE IS IN TRANSITION. HOWEVER, ON TWO OCCASIONS, A THIRD MODE OCCURRED: VERY SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH OR SO, BY SURPRISE, THE PILOT SHOOK (FRONT END AREA) TO SUCH A INTENSE DEGREE THAT IT IMPULSIVELY CAUSED THE DRIVER OF THE PILOT TO PULL-OVER AND STOP. NOT KNOWING WHAT REALLY IS GOING ON IS CAUSING SOME TREPIDATION ABOUT WHETHER TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR. TOOK PILOT INTO THE DEALER AND EXPLAINED THESE MODES. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE VCM RELATED VIBRATIONS AND SAYS THAT IS THE WAY IT WORKS AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO. BUT, TO ME THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. A BRAND NEW (RATHER COSTLY) CAR SHOULD NOT BEHAVE THIS WAY. MOREOVER, IT SEEMS SUCH REGULAR ONGOING VIBRATION/SHUDDERING CAN QUICKLY NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE INTEGRITY OR LONGEVITY OF THE ENGINE/DRIVE TRAIN, ETC., AS MOST MECHANICAL THINGS GENERALLY DO NOT LIKE VIBRATIONS WHICH QUITE OFTEN IS A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF WEAR AND TEAR. AS THE OWNER ONE MUST ASK THINGS LIKE: WILL THE ENGINE EVEN "SURVIVE" THIS IN THE LONG RUN? WILL THIS CAUSE MORE FREQUENT REPAIRS?

WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, VEHICLE EMITTED AUDIBLE NOISE FROM WITHIN CABIN AND OUTSIDE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A CLUSTER OF FAST METALLIC CLAPPING/SNAPPING NOISES. THE NOISE WAS ACCOMPANIED AND FOLLOWED BY AN OBSERVED SHAKE AND HESITATION TO ENGAGE THE VEHICLE. EVENTUALLY, THE MOTION TO TRANSITION INTO A ZERO GAS COASTING SPEED, WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A LURCH TO VEHICLES DEFAULT DRIVE WHEN PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. THE FIRST NOTICEABLE INCIDENT OF THIS BEHAVIOR WAS EXPERIENCED IN THE NOVEMBER 2013 TIME FRAME, WHILE IN A DRIVE-THRU AT A RESTAURANT, WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, AND AFTER ORDERING, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WHILE PERFORMING THIS TRANSMISSION SHIFT. THE VEHICLE IS WITH THE DEALER FOR A REPEAT SERVICE CALL TO OBSERVE THIS PATTERN OF SHIFT CHANGE BEHAVIOR. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A FEW MORE INCIDENTS OF THIS HAPPENING, BUT THESE TWO ARE THE MOST NOTICEABLE THAT CAN BE RECOLLECTED AT THIS TIME. *TR

I HAVE HAD THIS PILOT FOR A YEAR AND ITS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN GOING DOWNHILL. WHEN THE ECO ENGAGES, THE CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER AND SOUND LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL. I NEED TO PRESS ON THE GAS TO GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS AT ANY MPH AS IT OCCURS WHEN THE ECO LIGHT TURNS ON. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND STATES ITS A FLAW OF THE 2013 PILOT AND CANNOT BE FIXED. THEY ALSO CALL IT NORMAL. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE AND I DO NOT CONSIDER IT NORMAL FOR THE CAR I AM DRIVING TO SOUND LIKE IT IS GOING TO TURN OFF. PIAZZA HONDA OF LIMERICK STATES THEY CAN HOOK THIS CAR UP TO A COMPUTER TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM BUT TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE THAT IT WAS A KNOW ISSUE, BASICALLY TELLING ME I AM WASTING MY TIME. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE FIXED, OR RECALLED AS IT IS UNSAFE. *TR

EVER SINCE I PULLED OFF THE NEW CAR LOT,,,,, VEHICLE HAS VIBRATION AT 1500 TO 2000 RPM. IT IS SLIGHT BUT VIBRATES THROUGHOUT VEHICLE. ANNOYING IS THE PERFECT DESCRIPTION. GOES AWAY WITH SLIGHT ACCELERATION. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO ECO BEING IN OPERATION. I SEE SAME COMPLAINT IN OTHER POSTS. I BELIEVE IT IS A ROOKIE DESIGN FLAW IN POWER TRAIN. A $40,000 VEHICLE SHOULD BE WITHOUT THIS DEFECT. I ALSO OWN A 2010 PILOT THAT OPERATES WITHOUT ANY VIBRATION AT ANY SPEED OR LOAD UPON ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN. THIS IS MY SECOND "HONDA" COMPANY VEHICLE. I WISH I HAD THE 1ST ONE BACK. YOU CAN IMAGINE MY FRUSTRATION WITH MY 2013 HONDA PILOT. HONDA..... CAN YOU OWN UP TO THIS FLAW AND FIX? *TR

WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, AS I START THE TURN THE ENGINE HESITATES AND THERE IS NO RESPONSE. THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE NO POWER AND COASTS 4 OR 5 SECONDS BEFORE RESPONDING NORMALLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN HIGH TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALSO OCCASIONALLY OCCURRED STARTING OFF FROM A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, AND MAKING RIGHT TURNS. *TR

EVERYTIME I REACHED A CERTAIN SPEED THEN TRY TO MAINTAIN IT BY SLIGHTLY PRESSING ON THE GAS, THE ENGINE STARTS TO SHUDDER/VIBRATE. IT IS REALLY ANNOYING AND IT CONCERN ME A LOT. THE ISSUE HAPPENS IN DIFFERENT SPEED. I BROUGHT THIS COMPLAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY SAID THAT EVERYTHING IS WORKING NORMAL WITH THE CAR. SO, I JUST GET A LONG WITH IT. THEN AFTER A FEW MORE MONTHS, THE VIBRATION IS GETTING WORSE AND IT IS GETTING IN MY NERVES. I BROUGHT IT BACK YO THEM BUT THE SAME THEY ONLY GAVE ME THE SAME REASON. MY SISTER AND SOME FRIENDS HAVE HONDA CARS WITH ECO MODE ALSO. HOW COME THAT THEY DON'T EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING WITH THEIR VEHICLES. I AGREE WITH SOME COMPLAINANTS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. IT BOTHERS THE DRIVER WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE THAT VIBRATION FROM THE ENGINE. IS HONDA JUST WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DIE FROM A CAR CRASH WITH THE PILOT BEFORE THEY MAKE A MOVE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. I JUST HOPE THAT THEY BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE HIGHER OP OF HONDA BEFORE SOMEONE'S LIFE WILL BE TAKEN. *TR

THE VEHICLE STARTS TO SHUDDER AND VIBRATE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. YOU MUST SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP TO GET IT TO STOP VIBRATING. WE BOUGHT THIS HONDA PILOT BECAUSE WE DRIVE ON A LOT OF SLICK ROADS. I FEEL THIS MAKES IT VERY UNSAFE FOR MY FAMILY. ALONG WITH BEING UNSAFE, IT IS VERY ANNOYING AND WITH IT BEING A NEW VEHICLE, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THIS. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS A NORMAL OPERATION OF VCM. AMERICAN HONDA TELLS ME THE SAME THING. I DON'T AGREE. *TR