2013 Honda Pilot

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT EVERY TIME THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED, THAT THE BRAKES WOULD SHUTTER AND THAT THERE WAS A VIBRATION ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ROTORS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE RE-FINISHED. THE REPAIR WAS MADE HOWEVER, THE REMEDY FAILED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO THEN REPLACED THE ROTORS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

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 HONDA PILOT STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND WITHOUT ANY ENGINE LIGHTS APPEARING WHILE DRIVING ON TWO WAY SIDE ROADS AND ENTERING A HIGHWAY. EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASE HANDLE WAS NOT WORKING OR RELEASING THE BRAKE APPROPRIATELY SAME DAY. HONDA CAN'T REPLICATE THE ISSUE SO THEY SAY THE CAR IS TO GO WITH ME. NO EXPLANATION FOR INCIDENT. MANUFACTURER HAD THEM PUT SOMETHING IN THE COMPUTER TO READ 15 SECOND PRIOR TO AND AFTER A STALL. THIS IS AN UNSAFE VEHICLE TO DRIVE FOR ME, MY FAMILY AND ANYONE AROUND ME IF IT IS UNDIAGNOSED AND UNEXPECTED. POWER STEERING AND BRAKES LOST SO RISKS ARE HIGH. I RUN THE RISK OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, INJURY, AND/OR DEATH TO ANYONE IN THE CAR OR OTHERS. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH HONDA, [XXX] CASE # [XXX] WITHOUT RESOLUTION AND WASTOLD TO PICK THE CAR UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP OR I BE CHARGED A FEE. THE CAR WAS AT BERNARDI HONDA IN NATICK AND THEY DID ALL THEY COULD TO REPLICATE AND WORK WITH HONDA, I WAS TOLD BY THEM TO PICK THE CAR UP OR BE CHARGED A FEE. THEY ARE AWARE THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS INVOLVED. I WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2, AND DISCOVERED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASE CORD IS STILL BROKEN AND THERE WERE SCRATCHES ON MY CAR. I LEFT IT THERE SO THEY COULD ORDER PARTS AND FIX SCRATCHES. PLEASE ASSIST IF ABLE. I READ ABOUT TWO RECALLS BY HONDA FOR THE PILOT AND ODYSSEY REGARDING UNEXPECTED BRAKING AND HOW YOU ASSISTED! THANKS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

OFTEN WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS PETAL THE CAR HESITATES BEFORE ACCELERATING. THE DELAY IN ACCELERATION IS UP TO 3-5 SECONDS. OCCASIONALLY IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL. WHILE IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE SUBURBAN AND RURAL AREAS SINCE WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN LATE AUGUST, THIS WEEK I HAD TO DRIVE INTO AND AROUND THE CITY. WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PETAL DOWN, THE CAR SIMPLY DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD AND THEN, WITHOUT WARNING, IT JUMPS FORWARD AT A RAPID RATE. TO CONTROL THE CAR IT IS NECESSARY TO KEEP ONE FOOT ON THE GAS AND THE OTHER ON THE BRAKE IN CASE IT SURGES FORWARD AFTER THE HESITATION. THE PROBLEM IS WORST IN STOP AND GO DRIVING. IT IS FRIGHTENING , A DANGER TO ME AND MY PASSENGERS AND TO OTHER CARS NEAR ME. IT SHOULD BE REPAIRED. *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

UPON APPLYING THE BRAKE IN AN AVOIDANCE SITUATION, I NOTICED THE SPONGY FEEL TO THE BRAKES. WHAT CONCERNS ME MORE, IS THAT DURING THE PROCESS OF THE EVENT, THE BRAKE PEDAL SETTLES DOWN TO BELOW THE HEIGHT OF THE ACCELERATOR AND IF YOUR FOOT ISN'T SQUARE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, YOU WIND UP HITTING THE GAS WHILE TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE.. I NEED TO TALK WITH SOMEONE. THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY A DEFECT IN DESIGN. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER ACQUIRING MY NEW PILOT IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR I HAD AND INCIDENT WHEREBY AT A LOW SPEED I LOST ALL CONTROL OF SPEED AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING AND THE CAR BEHIND ME NEARLY HIT ME. IT TROUBLED ME, BUT THOUGHT IS WAS JUST SOMETHING ODD.. UNTIL IT HAPPENED AGAIN, AND AGAIN. I HAVE DEVISED A RESPONSE (REMOVE PRESSURE FROM THE ACCELERATOR ENTIRELY AND REAPPLY PRESSURE). THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ANYONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO REACT EVEN THOUGH ONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. I REALIZE I AM NOT ALONE, NOR IS THIS AN ISOLATED INSTANCE TO MY CAR. BROWSE THE FORUM WWW.PILOTEERS.ORG AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS POSTINGS RELATED TO THIS AND IT SEEMS TO AFFECT BOTH 2012 AND 2013 PILOTS. HONDA HAS NEITHER ACKNOWLEDGED NOR ATTEMPTED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR