2003 Honda Pilot Power Train Problems
- 105
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 105 stored complaint records:
- 6 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- needed replaced · 12 records
- torque converter · 10 records
- failure mileage · 10 records
- check engine · 9 records
- engine light · 8 records
- replaced repaired · 8 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 45 |
| 150–400k mi | 35 |
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the transmission failed without warning. On a separate occasion, the passenger side relay speaker caught on fire. The fire was contained by the contact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised that the wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The…
Fire reported
ODI 10515035
Power Train
I parked my car outside a local store with a nearly zero decline. After entering the store and beginning to shop - a fellow shopper came in to tell me that my car had rolled backwards and hit another vehicle. Luckily there was no major damage to either vehicle. When i entered my vehicle the gear shift was in fact in park but the car had rolled back anyways and stopped only because it hit another vehicle in the…
Crash reported
ODI 10493361
Power Train
Sudden downshifting and shuddering, check engine light came on and difficulty in shifting. Engine light remained on and occasional shifting problems for a few weeks until checked by dealer - po740 and po730 needs transmission replacement and engine mount. Same problem as a 100 of others. Original owner fully dealer maintained for 10+ years, even with fairly high miles well maintained transmission should not fail.…
ODI 10503457
Body · Engine · Power Train
Owner driver was stopped on red light along with 20 other cars , the driver was last in the lane and other driver did not applied brakes, this vehicle was banged from the back. Body damage was repaired by westminster honda in costa mesa . California, body repair cost of $ 3,500 was paid by insurance company of the person who was at fault, the auto transmission replacement cost of $ 6,500 was recovered from the me…
Crash reported
ODI 10706483
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. While parked, the contact noticed that the vehicle began to roll backward. The contact was able to enter the vehicle, place her foot on the brake pedal and shift the vehicle into park. The contact noticed that she had removed the key from the ignition prior to shifting into park. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
ODI 10486100
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
The transmission suddenly starting slipping without any warning and struggled to get over a viaduct with no power to accelerate. The transmission started slipping without any warning and the engine light came on. Drove the pilot slowly home and took to shop. The transmission fluid had been changed at 90k. The pressure switches were changed but did not work for slippage. The transmission was broke and needed…
ODI 10475567
Power Train
The transmission of my 2003 honda pilot died. When i went to a message board at edmunds.com i found that there have been a lot of other people that have had the same problem with their 2003 pilots beginning with 90,000 miles. Honda checked my second gear that they did recall but claim that the problem is not with that gear. A reputable transmission mechanic that rebuilds transmissions, recommended by two mechanic…
ODI 10476593
Engine · Power Train
I recently bought a used 2003 honda pilot from [xxx] of colerain in ohio. The car has 137,000 approximate miles on it. They wanted me to pay over 15,000 for the car and finally after debating for hours over 4. They sold me the car out the door with no warranty offered for 10,500. I was very happy and i have 2 children and one on the way. I bought the car on august 5, 2012 less than two week go by and i am driving…
ODI 10471481
Power Train
Have had this vehicle since new. Had the 2nd gear recall done as required at about 30,000. At 96,000 that tranny went out and had a "rebuilt" installed by sunset honda slo, ca. Under warranty. At about 150000, d indicator flashed meaning sensors on tranny needed replacement.now experiencing loss of drive, sometimes when coming out of stop, engine just revving but no drive, also, as happened to my wife yesterday,…
ODI 10466408
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the transmission would not shift into any gear. The vehicle was taken previously to the dealer in 2004 for a recall repair under the nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for this most recent failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage…
ODI 10475797
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Shuddering and jerking while shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Also does the same in reverse. Car would not accelerate on highway on-ramp. While at high highway speeds, car felt like it fell out of gear and lost power, until the gear engaged again. *tr
ODI 10460805
Power Train
Transmission slipping, not shifting as it should. *jb
ODI 10544520
Power Train
2003 honda pilot exl transmission problems, requiring replacement at 101,950 miles in june of 2012. The problem started with a single transmission slip and severe hard (shift) engagement while accelerating between 40 and 45 mph. This problem happened intermittently for about two weeks and progressively increased in occurrence. Then reverse gear selection started slipping and failing to engage. From that point on,…
ODI 10469454
Power Train · Steering
I have the same problem with the transmission and being able to remove my key even when it is not in park that has been reported by others. Its led to an accident and a near one. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10478876
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that she arrived at home and forget to shift the vehicle into park. The contact was able to successfully shut the vehicle off and remove the key from the ignition, even though it was not shifted into park. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there were no recalls addressing the failure. The…
ODI 10457825
Power Train
The transmission would not change to a higher gear causing the engine rpms to increase dramatically. I was almost rear-ended by the automobile behind me. Eventually the transmission did find 3rd gear. This situation has happened numerous times since the initial episode. The transmission problem always occurs with the second gear. Once the gear wouldn't change while i was merging into interstate traffic. I could have…
ODI 10460991
Power Train
I originally had the 45-50 mph horrible shudder, but honda did fix that issue and they said the hubs were defective. At 117,000, the transmission started to skip and jerk horribly and the revs spiked. I drove to honda and they said the trans needed to be replaced for $5,000. I had it rebuilt by aamco for $2,700. Within 15,000 miles, the flashing d and vtm-4 light would start coming on. I drove it to aamco while the…
ODI 10458021
Power Train
I am experiencing shudder or problem changing the gear. The engine lights is on now and not clearing up. I have seen the same problem on line from other people and all pointing to a problem with the transmission with this model. *tr
ODI 10457567
Power Train
Highway driving, vehicle suddenly lurched forward after an engine hesitation (heard a loud noise, passenger thought the vehicle had hit something...felt under passenger side footwell.) drove home, next day there were problems getting the vehicle into reverse. Again, it lurched into reverse and made a loud noise. Immediately taken to dealership with only one "racing" engine noise at 35mph. Diagnosed with code #p0740…
ODI 10452668
Power Train
When the car is accelerating, between either 2nd and 3rd gears, the transmission slips and will not engage. The rpm's go up to about 6000 because it is as if it is in neutral. If the car is shifted into neutral and back to drive, the pilot will begin to drive normally. If the driver lets up off the gas completely and rpm's fall all the way down, it will sometimes re-engage. The pilot has done this 6 times in the…
ODI 10454544
Power Train
I pulled the vehicle into a parking space and turned the key off. I got out of the car and the car began rolling backwards. It rolled down a small hill and smashed into a vehicle in the lot below. *tr it appears the steering column allowed me to remove the key without putting the vehicle in park
Crash reported
ODI 10479695
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train · Suspension
I took my pilot in for a slipping transmission. I was told i had bad motor mounts and that was allowing the transmission to slip. I spent approx. $3600.00 to have the motor mounts fixed, timing belt and water pump, front struts, etc. Fixed. The problem started again, this time, getting a flashing "d" light. Took it back in for failure to fix the problem. Had 4th gear pressure gear replaced for cost. I now have a…
ODI 10453248
Power Train
Just started having transmission problems. 2003 pilot ex with only 150k miles, just started slipping. Going 65mph on the freeway and suddenly it feels like i slammed on the brakes, and engine revs without changing speed, like, i just shifted into neutral. Took the car into honda and they are telling me it will cost $4500 to get a remanufactured transmission, not a new one. Since i bought it from its original owner i…
ODI 10450311
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda pilot. The contact stated that the second gear of the transmission burned out, causing the vehicle to jerk while driving 25 mph uphill. The dealer was notified regarding the transmission failure who advised the contact that there was a recall related to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). The vehicle was repaired under the…
ODI 10453337
Power Train
While driving along a road at about 30 mph, there was a very intense loud vibrating noise under the front console of our 2003 honda pilot. It was very intense and loud and lasted about 10 seconds. We pulled over and looked but couldn't see anything visibly wrong on the outside. Then the next morning, when pulling it out of our parking stall, it did it again. The first time, we had driven it for a week straight(after…
ODI 10449308