Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
20502/16/200510015294Timesert 14mm drain plug thread repair kit. *tt07/13/2005
20502/16/200510015292Timesert 12mm head bolt thread repair kit. *tt07/13/2005
20502/16/200510015300Dealer request visit for any adverse engine condition with the alternator (no or low output) that is the root cause. *tt07/13/2005
0116200501/16/200510014754Alternator condtion. *eh05/09/2005
1116200411/16/200410014527Alternator condition no or low output. *eh05/04/2005
9001200409/01/200410013344Tpms valve stem nut torque screwdriver. *eh04/14/2005
1101200411/01/200410010928This is the root cause of any adverse engine condition this includes a customer contention of the battery light on or flashing engine not running or dim lights. request for visit. *eh12/16/2004
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
SB-06-04807/21/201110040404Honda: malfunction light comes on with trouble code stored. software concern. *rm08/31/2011
SB-06-04807/21/201110040404Ready08/31/2011
06010506/16/200510018178Engine oil leaks. *jb12/16/2005
0701200507/01/200510018015Engine won't start at all; engine intermittently starts. check immobilizer system status with the hds. honda. servicenews. *tt12/13/2005
80508/16/200510016778Engine oil leak(s) - dealer visit request. *tt10/05/2005
0516200505/16/200510016305Engine-alternator/no or low output. *sc09/06/2005
0516200505/16/200510016295Engine-cranks won't start, immobilizer light flashes. *sc09/06/2005
1113200311/13/200310010614Engine oil leak at the head cover, the rear seal, or the oil pan dated 11/13/2003. engine oil leak at the oil pump or spool valve only dated 10/26/04. to also include honda element 2005. *tt12/02/2004

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
01/04/2013980001
 Temperature gauge started to rise. i stopped the car and found the radiator had failed internally. the coolant was mixing with the atf. all the atf fittings to the radiator showed signs of rusting. in my opinion the radiator design and manufacturing are faulty. *tr
05/08/2012139000
 Transmission cooling portion of radiator failed causing transmission fluid to leak into the radiator and mix with coolant. transmission drained and caused car to stop. introduction of antifreeze into the transmission caused damage to the transmission resulting in need to replace transmission.
01/03/201145000
 My husband and i notice a shudder when you reach a speed of 35-40 mph. we in turn took it into honda to have it checked several times and to test drive, i even drove the honda while the service man was in the car and it would not shudder. it is still having the shudder problems, i am taking it in for the 4th time for service and oil change and maybe the service department can tell me what is wrong and why it shudders. from research we have found out that we are not the only honda pilot owners with this same problem. there are 98 total discussions on this website ( http://www.edmunds.com/honda/pilot/2005/consumer-discussions.html) discussing the same problems we are having, i truly hope that honda is going to stand good on taking care of this problem or we will no longer purchase another honda. we have been told that it is the torque converter.
03/02/201260000
 2005 honda pilot --- 60,000 miles -- garage kept. internal transmission hose inside radiator burst while sitting in my garage allowing transmission and radiator coolant to mix and leak. numerous other people have experienced same issue with same vehicle. please investigate. radiator and transmission failure.
02/18/2012132000
 Our 2005 honda pilot has been pretty good for last seven years and 132,000 miles, although we wanted to keep it to 200,000 miles. last saturday, out of nowhere, it started to leak thick, pink liquid on our driveway. it appeared to me, and after looking at the owner's manual, that the issue was the radiator. it was a cold day so i started to drive to the dealer, watching the engine temperature light on the way. the car only went two miles before transmission stopped working. the car has now been at a local repair shop for a week and three days while i rent another vehicle. it is my understanding that this is a common issue in pilot's after going over 100,000 miles (catastrophic radiator failure that leads to transmission failure). honda should make certain that owners replace the radiator components that lead to this catastrophic failure before the owner has to replace both the radiator and the transmission. i would have certainly bought a new car if i had known this was coming up on the horizon, but now my investment in this vehicle will be too high to get rid of it. it seems that with some preventive maintenance, $5000 to $7000 of repairs could have been avoided, and i bet the honda dealer does not offer me $5k to $7k in trade in.
12/11/2011106700
 Tl- the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that the cooling line that lead to the transmission burst, causing the vehicle to stall. the dealer diagnosed that the lines and the transmission would need to be replaced. the manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. the dealer was in the process of repairing the vehicle. the failure and the current mileage was 106,700. kmj
12/11/2011106700
 Tl- the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that the cooling line that lead to the transmission burst, causing the vehicle to stall on the highway. the dealer diagnosed that the lines and transmission would need to be replaced. the manufacturer denied any assistance with repair to the failure. the vehicle was in the process of repairing the vehicle. the failure and current mileage was 106,700. nw
11/19/2011
 Noticed vehicle left a large puddle in the driveway. checked under hood and it appeared something had leaked/sprayed in the engine compartment towards the passengers side. took to mechanic. diagnosis of problem (paraphrased as best as i can recall)- transmission cooling part failed and leaked into radiator causing trans fluid and antifreeze to mix, flow through engine and spray out. mechanic stated it's something he doesn't see often and it's a major repair (think 1k). a quick search of the internet shows this is an issue with 05 honda pilots and that honda is not taking responsibility for it. this is obviously a design flaw or defect and they are doing nothing. hopefully the problem was caught/addressed in time to repair without having caused additional major damage to my engine. unacceptable.
08/25/201194500
 The accident occurred with my honda pilot ex 2005 at 01:00 am on 08/25/2011. i traveled from houston to dallas, texas, the sparkplug number 5 blew off during driving at 65 mph ( 99 miles from dallas ). my honda pilot was repaired at mckinney honda dealer 601 s central expressway, mckinney, tx 75070 ( tel 1-972-569-4281 ) on next day. total cost was $3,325.14. the sparkplug ( that blew off ) was oringinal from honda and all sparkplugs were never been replaced before the accident. my honda pilot only has 94,500 miles. i thought that this problem was a manufacture defect. i sent this problem to honda customer service but they ignored my report.
08/13/201158970
 Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. when asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. i asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. here comes the alabama shim-sham. i was informed to call honda of n america. honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,i said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. a few days later honda called back offering 400, i asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. i informed honda i needed an offer of 600, they agreed, i'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after i took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. informed dealer i should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. here comes the alabama shim-sham again. dealer & honda would pay $2500, i was to pay remaining cost $2700. i informed them that the offer is unacceptable. dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, i informed both i need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, i accepted that offer. honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. they know it but won't admit it. transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. something needs to be look at for the reason why
06/03/201194000
 I had complained about a shuttering noise when traveling low speeds of between 30-40 mph. no else heard this but me. had another problem with a window switch (which was covered under warranty) asked the honda mechanic if he hears a noise in the engine. he said he heard nothing. kept driving my vehicle and now the noise is louder and took it back to the dealer and they said its the torque converter and now the warranty has expired. after some research online,other honda pilot owners have had this problem and had to get a new transmission due to honda installation of a bad or faulty torque converter. so now i am forced to dig deep into my pockets to fix this transmission. since finding so many others who have or are experiencing this same problem, i think this issue should be investigated. thank you.
08/13/201158970
 Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. when asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. i asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. here comes the alabama shim-sham. i was informed to call honda of n america. honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,i said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. a few days later honda called back offering 400, i asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. i informed honda i needed an offer of 600, they agreed, i'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after i took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. informed dealer i should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. here comes the alabama shim-sham again. dealer & honda would pay $2500, i was to pay remaining cost $2700. i informed them that the offer is unacceptable. dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, i informed both i need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, i accepted that offer. honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. they know it but won't admit it. transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. something needs to be look at for the reason why
06/03/201194000
 I had complained about a shuttering noise when traveling low speeds of between 30-40 mph. no else heard this but me. had another problem with a window switch (which was covered under warranty) asked the honda mechanic if he hears a noise in the engine. he said he heard nothing. kept driving my vehicle and now the noise is louder and took it back to the dealer and they said its the torque converter and now the warranty has expired. after some research online,other honda pilot owners have had this problem and had to get a new transmission due to honda installation of a bad or faulty torque converter. so now i am forced to dig deep into my pockets to fix this transmission. since finding so many others who have or are experiencing this same problem, i think this issue should be investigated. thank you.
08/13/201158970
 Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. when asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. i asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. here comes the alabama shim-sham. i was informed to call honda of n america. honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,i said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. a few days later honda called back offering 400, i asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. i informed honda i needed an offer of 600, they agreed, i'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after i took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. informed dealer i should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. here comes the alabama shim-sham again. dealer & honda would pay $2500, i was to pay remaining cost $2700. i informed them that the offer is unacceptable. dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, i informed both i need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, i accepted that offer. honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. they know it but won't admit it. transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. something needs to be look at for the reason why
06/03/201194000
 I had complained about a shuttering noise when traveling low speeds of between 30-40 mph. no else heard this but me. had another problem with a window switch (which was covered under warranty) asked the honda mechanic if he hears a noise in the engine. he said he heard nothing. kept driving my vehicle and now the noise is louder and took it back to the dealer and they said its the torque converter and now the warranty has expired. after some research online,other honda pilot owners have had this problem and had to get a new transmission due to honda installation of a bad or faulty torque converter. so now i am forced to dig deep into my pockets to fix this transmission. since finding so many others who have or are experiencing this same problem, i think this issue should be investigated. thank you.
08/13/201158970
 Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. when asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. i asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. here comes the alabama shim-sham. i was informed to call honda of n america. honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,i said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. a few days later honda called back offering 400, i asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. i informed honda i needed an offer of 600, they agreed, i'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after i took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. informed dealer i should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. here comes the alabama shim-sham again. dealer & honda would pay $2500, i was to pay remaining cost $2700. i informed them that the offer is unacceptable. dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, i informed both i need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, i accepted that offer. honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. they know it but won't admit it. transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. something needs to be look at for the reason why
06/03/201194000
 I had complained about a shuttering noise when traveling low speeds of between 30-40 mph. no else heard this but me. had another problem with a window switch (which was covered under warranty) asked the honda mechanic if he hears a noise in the engine. he said he heard nothing. kept driving my vehicle and now the noise is louder and took it back to the dealer and they said its the torque converter and now the warranty has expired. after some research online,other honda pilot owners have had this problem and had to get a new transmission due to honda installation of a bad or faulty torque converter. so now i am forced to dig deep into my pockets to fix this transmission. since finding so many others who have or are experiencing this same problem, i think this issue should be investigated. thank you.
04/14/201165000
 While driving on city road i heard a loud bang and smoke appeared under the vehicle. the vehicle then started running very rough so i pulled off the side of the road. i got out of vehicle and found a coil laying on the ground along with some other plastic pieces. i had the vehicle towed to my mechanic. my mechanic examined the vehicle and found that a spark plug had blown completely out of the engine block head along with the blown coil that i had picked up. the spark plug was never recovered even though i returned to the scene of the incident.
10/01/2010115000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 to 35 mph the vehicle would loose control and sway from left to left. he has to struggle with the steering wheel in order to keep it from swaying. this occurred on a everyday basis for the last 5 months. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and informed him that the yawrat sensor has failed. the vehicle has not been repaired for the yawrat sensor. the failure mileage was approximately 115,000 and current mileages were approximately 122,000. tb
02/01/201179000
 High engine whining sound. with only 78,00 mi, dealer told me i needed new engine mounts. upon checking the internet i've found many other cases where this happens and it's all around 80,000. sure sounds like a design flaw.
10/01/2010115000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 to 35 mph the vehicle would loose control and sway from left to left. he has to struggle with the steering wheel in order to keep it from swaying. this occurred on a everyday basis for the last 5 months. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and informed him that the yawrat sensor has failed. the vehicle has not been repaired for the yawrat sensor. the failure mileage was approximately 115,000 and current mileages were approximately 122,000. tb
02/01/201179000
 High engine whining sound. with only 78,00 mi, dealer told me i needed new engine mounts. upon checking the internet i've found many other cases where this happens and it's all around 80,000. sure sounds like a design flaw.
11/18/201081000
 2005 honda pilot ex with navigation, 81k miles approx. problem: - no 2 spark plug and thread (coil) blew out during in-town driving, the cylinder head was damaged causing extensive re-condition expense. - all spark plugs are believed to be the originals, we have no re-collection that any spark plug has been replaced since we have not reached the manufacturer's recommended tune up schedule of 105k miles. service history we bought the car new in ca back in dec 2004. we followed all recommended maintenance schedules by honda. all services, except a recent oil change, were done by honda dealerships across the countries. the recent oil change was done by a local garage, and no work has been performed on the spark plugs as confirmed by the garage owner. communications with honda - based on my discussion with honda america on nov 19. 2010, they were willing to open a case in order to track the complaint. however, they will not investigate the matter further since my car is out of warranty. investigation: we believe there may be a latent defect on certain spark plug (or on the engine itself) in certain honda pilot. based on my research, a similar failure happened in ann arbor, mi, in march 2010 to a 2004 honda pilot. in that case, that car had 58k miles on it and the no. 5 spark plug came out causing similar damages to the engine. i have no evidence if the ann arbor incident has the original spark plug or not. however, it is just one case too many for a manufacturer with a very good reliability reputation. like the owner in ann arbor, we are so lucky that we were not involved in a major accident when the failure happened. hope the authority will investigate this matter further and urge honda to resolve the problem before someone get hurt.
03/20/201088000
 I was driving my wife and three kids when our 2005 honda pilot's transmission stopped functioning. we were nearly rear-ended 3 times on a 40 mph speed limit street, before i was able to get the car and my family pushed to a side street. our car was towed to a dealer and we were told that the issue was due to the interior of the radiator disentegrating and then metal parts leaked into the transmission. we've taken meticulous care of the care and had all service performed at the dealer. in fact, we had the radiator flushed just 5 months ago and only 9,500 miles ago.
09/23/2009840001
 The d flashes while driving, indicating something is wrong, but honda can not find the problem. this has happen a few times, highway driving. this does not occur all the time. *tr
09/08/20091095831
 2005 honda pilot heater temperature control motor assembly blows hot air out of vents. no matter if you adjust temperature or put on air conditioner the cold air doesn't come threw vents instead hot air is blowing threw. i had car check at shop and they say the temperature mix motor stays in hot position. *tr
08/04/2007630001
 Since i bought my 2005 honda pilot on 06/25/2007. every time i would drive between 65 and 70 mph my steering wheel would shake. i took my pilot in today for inspection(06/06/2009)and here they tell me my motor mount engine needs repaired. prior to this i had called them on several occasions and told them that my steering wheel shakes when i drive close to 65-70mph. i was told several times that it is just my alignment easy fix. last year for inspection i needed tires got tires,alignment checked asked service people again if the shaking was fixed i was reassured it was to only find out it was not. now today a year later this happens and to find out it is happening to alot of other 2005 honda pilots motor mount is going out. i'm outraged. i owned several hondas through-out my life and never once had this problem with any of them. i use to own a civic and an accord. hondas are great vehicles until now. i believe honda should recall this. and this will be the last honda i own. *tr
10/21/2008700001
 1. normal vehicle usage led to failure 2. the front and right motor mount failed leading to vibration and clunky shifting. 3. vehicle owner purchased and installed new motor mounts. *tr
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM
05/05/2008700001
 I own a 2005 honda pilot. purchased new and chose honda as an ?investment? as the reputation is impeccable for safety. i live in fl and travel 70 miles daily, chose to pay the price for a honda as my purchase was for the long haul. i live in an upscale area, work in the medical comm. in aug 2007 i changed jobs and work near a large hospital construction area. in nov, 2007 my ac unit began making a horrible noise, then a horrific smell ensued. investigation by honda revealed mice infestation in the ac unit. the repair was $8k and took one mo. needless to say, we felt it was an isolated horrific disturbing once in a lifetime disaster! my car was returned to me in jan 08. over the past wk my ac unit began making a rumble, i ret'nd to honda assumed there was a loose fitting. to my surprise, another mice infestation in the ac unit! my ins. has been again notified. i have done some research online. i have located a site wombat nation, interesting that 90% of the vehicle complaints with rodent infestation are honda?s! i contacted your cust service line, spoke with jamal who confirms honda has no knowledge of such a problem. do you really expect this consumer to believe that none of these other honda consumers have contacted honda? they deny the knock sensor problem. they deny the service bulletin 06012004-nhtsa 10014213? shame on honda??forget the fact that my investment in a honda is lost, have they considered the medical complications of hanta virus? do they not realize the seriousness of this condition and the fact that the honda is harboring rodents? being the vehicle is #1 in safety features, it most certainly would appear to be the safest with children! just imagine, mice in your car with your baby!this matter must be investigated further. i am contacting every consumer advocacy service possible to get the word out. just imagine the potential danger of hwy driving and seeing a mouse in your car! please adv your comments. thank you. *tr
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
07/18/200513411111/10/2004
 Radiator failure due to lack of protection, resulting in puncture, loss of coolant and engine over heating. possible engine fire. *jb
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
07/14/2011149200
 The front and side engine mount for my 2005 honda pilot needs/needed to be replaced. i had the side mount replaced 6 months ago and now the front mount needs to be replaced for a vehicle that is only 6 years old. i understand that a damaged engine mount is a safety issue. i have read comments online about this issue from other consumers. i have never known an engine mount to be worn from the several vehicles i've owned and when i mention it to my friends they are shocked to learn of this type of repair. it's analagous to having a bad screw or bolt which is very rare. this issue needs to be investigated. perhaps honda of america installed bad motor mounts on these cars and should have a recall.
01/01/2009431001
 Radiator was apparently struck by rock and cracked. the honda pilot was immediately towed to dealer for factory replacement. within two months the new radiator was severely damaged and cause of crack was undetermined. after searching the internet auto blogs there appear to be numerous complaints regarding cracked radiators in honda pilots from random road debris. this does not appear to be common in the accord or other make and model vehicles suggestive to me that the repeated occurrence of cracked radiators in the honda pilot is a result of faulty design. this could lead to serious engine damage or injury if this continues. *tr
03/20/200716000107/09/2005
 2005 honda pilot ex has only 16,000 miles. i am its original owner. the car has begun to shut off while driving over the last two months. engine quits without warning and immobilizer key icon flashes on instrument panel. engine restarts when placed in park. this obviously is a huge safety and liability issue. took it to the honda dealer and no error codes were found in the ecu. they could not duplicate and returned car to me. in typical corporate style they will not do anything about it until they can duplicate or the unthinkable happens. i will return the car to the dealer every time it happens again and seek whatever remedy available to me by law. american honda has been notified and this potential catastrophe waiting to happen is on record.