2005 Honda Pilot ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST SYSTEM BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND PULLED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 199,000.
WHILE DRIVING, OFTEN THE VSA WILL APPLY RANDOMLY WHEN THERE IS NO NEED TO. MOST OFTEN IT IS WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, BUT THE VSA WILL ENGAGE DURING CITY DRIVING, WHEN BREAKING, AS WELL AS WHEN TURNING. IT CAUSES MY WHOLE VEHICLE TO SEIZE UP AND PULL TO THE SIDE. BECAUSE IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM, IT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE REPLICATED WHEN I HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC. THERE IS A VSA OFF BUTTON THAT I ENGAGE BEFORE DRIVING WHICH WAS SUGGESTED TO ME TO DO BUT EVEN WITH THE VSA TURNED OFF, THE VSA WILL (HOWEVER LESS FREQUENTLY), STILL ENGAGE AT RANDOM. IT IS SCARY FOR ME AS A DRIVER TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN AS I AM OFTEN DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY IN TOW.
WHILE DRIVING ON A LONG ROAD TRIP, THE CAR SPONTANEOUSLY ENGAGED THE ABS IN AN INTERMITTENT MANNER. VSA LIGHT CAME ON. STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR. EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED AFTER A LITTLE WHILE. STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR WITH THE VSA SYSTEM MANUALLY TURNED OFF. EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED AFTER AN HOUR OR SO. ENGAGEMENT OF ABS WAS INTERMITTENT. AS DETAILED IN THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT, WE HAVE TAKE THIS TO NUMEROUS HONDA REPAIR CENTERS AND THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SPONTANEOUS AND INTERMITTENT ENGAGEMENT OF ABS ONLY DURING LONG HIGHWAY DRIVING. IN-BETWEEN EACH REPAIR, WE HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR IN THE CITY NEARLY EVERY DAY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, EACH TIME WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR FOR A LONG TRIP, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AFTER A FEW HOURS OF NORMAL DRIVING. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS DURING PERFECTLY NORMAL (NOT RAINING OR SLIPPERY) CONDITIONS.
THE VSA LIGHT IS COMING ON AND STAYING ON
PILOT RUNS FINE. BUT CHECK ENGINE AND VTM4 LIGHT MAY GO AWAY AND COME BACK ANYTIME. STUPID CODES SHOW UP AND GO AWAY. REP.LOT OF SENSORS ETC STILL SAME PROBLEM. ALSO WHEN DRIVING THE D DRIVING LIGHT STARTS FLASHING.VERY ANNOYING. CALLED HONDA CORPORATION, STUPID WE DEAL CASE SEPARATELY..VERY UPSET WITH THE WAY OF DEALING THE PROBLEM. IF CUSTOMER IS COMPLAINING, MATCH TO SIMILAR OTHER PROBLEM AND HANDLE THE CASE MATCHING WAY SO CUSTOMER KNOWS IF CAN GET RECALL OR NOT.
WHILE THE PILOT IS IN MOTION, THE VSA BRAKING SYSTEM INTERMITTENTLY APPLIES BRAKES EVEN WHEN NOT TOUCHED BY THE DRIVER. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY ON CITY STREETS AT LOW SPEED (25-30MPH); NOT WILLING TO TEST THIS ON OPEN HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEED DUE TO RISK OF CRASH.
WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY IN ANY CONDITION THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY WARNING WILL MAKE A BANG NOISE, SHUDDER AND BRAKE WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VSA LIGHT COMES ON AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY UNTIL AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. THE VSA RECALL WAS DONE YET THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES.
VSA SYSTEM ACTIVATES BRAKES WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM DRIVER UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES. VSA LIGHT CAME ON, CAR BRAKED ON ITS OWN ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH, CAR PULLED TO THE RIGHT; SAME THING HAPPENED DURING GENTLE LEFT TURN AT 15MPH. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A DEFECTIVE YAW RATE SENSOR. MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL IN 2013, #13V092000. LOCAL DEALER REPLACED BATTERY STATING THAT FAILING A LOAD TEST COULD CAUSE VSA CODE. PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN, NOW LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOUND YAW RATE SENSOR ERROR CODE.
DRIVING 35 MPH IN RIGHT TURN BREAKS BEING APPLIED BY THEMSELVES VERY DANGEROUS VSA LIGHT COMING ON AFTER EVENT
DRIVING 65 MPH BRAKES APPLIED BY THEMSELVES, VEHICLE SWERVED AND ALMOST LOST CONTROL VSA LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO DEALER ON JAN. 17/18 . VSA NEEDED REPLACED. REPAIR DONE ON 3/6/18, WE DID NOT DRIVE UNTIL REPAIR DONE. THEN ON 3/31/18 IT OCCURRED AGAIN, SAME PROBLEM, BRAKES APPLIED BY THEMSELVES AND VEHICLE SWERVED AND AGAIN A STRUGGLE TO CONTROL IT. CALLED DEALER, THEY WILL HAVE TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC TO DETERMINE IF THE PROBLEM IS UNDER WARRANTY? THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE FOR WHICH I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA AMERICA AND THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS AN ISSUE THAT THEY NEED TO ADDRESS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS PROPERLY ADDRESS IN THE HONDA RECALL OF 2013.
HONDA PERFORMED A VSA RECALL BUT TODAY WHEN I RECEIVED THE VEHICLE FROM HONDA DEALERSHIP AFTER SERVICE, I RECEIVED THE VEHICLE WITH VSA WARNING LIGHT. I NEVER HAD THAT WARNING LIGHT. THE DEFECT OCCURED IN HONDA SERVICE CENTRE. THEY WERE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. AFTER GREAT PURSUATION THEY TOLD THAT THEY WILL INVESTIGATE AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. AFTER INVESTIGATION THEY INFORMED THAT 3 TPMS SENSORS WERE REQUIRED. I AGREED TO DO THE REPAIRS. AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY STILL RETURNED THE VEHICLE WITH VSA LIGHT NOW ASKING TO REPLACE ABS MODULATOR AT A COST OF $1528.03 PLUS TAXES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH HONDA'S VSA SYSTEM AND HONDA FELL SHORT OF THE DESIRED CORRECTIVE ACTION IN THE 2013 CLASS ACTION SUITE. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND HONDA SHOULD DO A RECALL TO COMPLETED RECTIFY THE DEFECT. REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. INTERNET FORUMS ARE FLOODED WITH MANY PEOPLE FACING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I HAVE NECESSARY PAPER WORK FROM HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THE SAME CAN BE FURNISHED ON DEMAND
VSA MALFUNCTION CAUSES VEHICLE TO APPLY BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY AT RANDOM TIMES. WAS DRIVING DOWN A 2 LANE ROAD AND THE VSA SYSTEM APPLIED THE BRAKES CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER INTO THE OTHER LANE (ONCOMING TRAFFIC) - FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE BACK IN TO THE CORRECT LANE WITHOUT INCIDENT! THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME EITHER. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT HONDA HAS RECALLED SOME 2005 PILOTS FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT WHEN I ENTER MY VIN NUMBER, MINE IS NOT INCLUDED. I AM HAVING THE VERY SAME PROBLEM THAT THE RECALLED PILOTS ARE HAVING DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WONT FIX MINE?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. WHILE THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST ACTIVATED UNNECESSARILY, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PIAZZA HONDA OF SPRINGFIELD (780 BALTIMORE PIKE, SPRINGFIELD, PA 19064) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED.THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
VEHICLE STEERING WILL RANDOMLY LOCK UP AND SWERVE TO ONE SIDE OF ROADWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS BRAKES ACTUATE AND VSA ACTIVATION INDICATOR AND SYSTEM INDICATOR LIGHTS COME ON. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HONDA ON 02/29/2017 WHERE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT VSA WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED IN 2013. TECH CHECKED THE SYSTEM FOR CODES AND FOUND: 25-1 YAW RATE SENSOR FAILURE, 61-1 BATTERY VOLTAGE FAILURE, 83-1 ECM/PCM RELATION FAILURE, 108-1 VSA SYSTEM CONTROL STATUS FAILURE. TECH RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE BATTERY. BATTERY WAS REPLACED BY OWNER THAT SAME DAY. VEHICLE EXHIBITED SAME RANDOM BRAKING AND STEERING ISSUES NOTED EARLIER ON 05/03/2017 WHICH NEARLY RESULTED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. VEHICLE WILL NOT BE DRIVEN AGAIN UNTIL YAW RATE SENSOR IS REPLACED. VEHICLE HAS 194,000 MILES ON IT.
VSA SYSTEM COMES ON WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, THEY REPLACED YAW RATE SENSOR, BUT I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM. UNSAFE TO DRIVE
VSA WARNING LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON. CAR WILL APPLY BRAKES WITHOUT DRIVER HITTING THE BRAKE PEDAL. CAR WILL SWERVE TO ONE SIDE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED BY VSA MECHANISM. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. VERY DANGEROUS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL BUT HONDA DOES NOT SHOW ONE FOR THIS VIN, BUT OTHER PILOTS IN THIS YEAR HAVE RECALLS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE AND HONDA NEEDS TO FIX THIS.
BRAKES ENGAGED ON THEIR OWN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND VEHICLE CONTROL WAS LOST AND VEHICLE SLID AND SKIDDED INTO OPPOSITE LANE OF TRAFFIC. WARNING LIGHTS VSA CAME ON AND VEHICLE DROVE LIKE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. CLEARED AFTER ENGINE TURNED OFF, THEN HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME WHEN GETTING ON INTERSTATE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO TURN TOWARDS DITCH TO AVOID COLLISION AS I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY VEHICLE. DROVE TO NEAREST DEALER AND THEY IMMEDIATELY SAW THE VSA LIGHT AND WARNING SYMBOL AND SAID IT WAS RELATED TO RECALL. LATER CHANGED THEIR MINDS AND SAID YAW RATE SENSOR NEEDS REPLACED AT A TOTAL COST OF $1150. ENCOURAGED ME TO WRITE TO HONDA FOR SOME RELIEF IN COSTS HOWEVER THAT COMPLAINT FELL ON DEAF EARS. I HAVE OWNED 5 HONDA'S AND CURRENTLY OWN 3 . THEY CLAIM IF THEY ARE NOT PURCHASED NEW NO CUSTOMER HAS ANY LOYALTY BASED ON THEIR CRITERIA. SERIOUSLY....HOW DO THEY THINK THE HONDA RESALE VALUE IS ESTABLISHED AND IS SO GOOD !!!! VERY DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE RUDE WOMAN NAME CAROLINE REGIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REP IN OUR AREA. SHE CLAIMED ALL CAR PROBLEMS ARE LIFE THREATENING. MAYBE CONSIDER TOYOTA NEXT TIME.
THE CAR'S VSA (VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM) WILL ENGAGE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY YAW RATE SENSOR. UPON INVESTIGATION, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 2005 MODEL. MY CAR'S VSA (BRAKES) WERE ENGAGED ON MULTIPLE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR NO REASON. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO RAPIDLY DECELERATE AND I NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IF I MANUALLY DISENGAGED THE VSA SYSTEM (THE PILOT HAS AN ON/OFF SWITCH), I EXPERIENCE NO SUCH ERRONEOUS BRAKING INCIDENTS. YOU CAN SEE THE INCIDENT SUMMARY HERE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: DP12002 HTTPS://GOO.GL/RF5YIN OR DISCUSSION THREADS HERE: HTTP://GOO.GL/6HBQEX
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE, IT BRAKES SUDDENLY, SWERVES, AND MAKES A CLUNKING NOISE AS IF YOU JUST HIT SOMETHING IN THE ROAD. THE VSA LIGHTS BOTH COME ON IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME MY YAW SENSOR HAS FAILED SINCE THE INITIAL VSA RECALL IN 2013, WHICH I COMPLETED. . WHEN GOOGLING THIS ISSUE, IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH OTHER HONDA PILOT DRIVERS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND ALMOST CAUSED A WRECK WITH EACH INSTANCE.
VSA LIGHT RANDOMLY COMES ON WHEN GOING AROUND CORNERS AT LOW SPEEDS AND HAS A GRINDING NOISE, OR WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE CAR PULLS SHARPLY. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THE LAST TIME THEY SAID THE VSA MODULATOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $2000.
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED SOMETIMES MY VEH BRAKE ON FOR ABOUT SECOND, AND THE WARNING LIGHT OF VSA APPEARS, I TOOK MY VEH 3 TIMES TO BRAMAN HONDA AT CORAL WAYI WAS TOLD NOTHING THEY CAN DO, THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS WITH THE YAW RATE SENSOR AND THAT IS NOT COVERAGE WITH THE RECALL.
WHILE DRIVING IN NORMAL CONDITIONS AT ANY SPEED AT ANY TIME IT ON ANY TYPE OF ROADWAY FEELS AS IF THE BRAKE IS BEING SLAMMED ON AND PULLS THE CAR SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM THE DRIVER. I HAVE THIS OCCUR DAILY. THE VSA LIGHT AND MANY TIMES THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT IMMUNIMATE JUST PRIOR OR AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT. IT IS AT THE HONDA DEALER WHO FIRST WANTED ME TO REPLACE THE REAR END BUT THEY SAY IT IS A FAULTY SENSOR AND ARE REPLACING IT FOR ABOUT $800 BUT THEY ARE STILL NOT SURE THAT IS THE PROBLEM. I SAW THE RECALL FOR 2013 PART OF THE VSA AND THEY SAY THAT WAS FIXED BACK THEN. SO WHAT IS GOING ON NOW THIS CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND COSTLY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VSA LIGHT AND THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BUT NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKE, AS IT WAS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION AND CONSUMER WAS LOOSING ENGINE POWER AND EVENTUALLY STALLED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE VSA MALFUNCTIONED AND IT WAS A PART THAT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE TIRES AS BEING EQUIPPED FOR THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 03/30/16.*JB
RANDOM, REPEATED AND SUDDEN BREAKS APPLY; CAR SLOWS DOWN DRAMATICALLY. VSA LIGHT MAY COME ON, MAY NOT. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS ON A TRIP TO PA. THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY SLOW BY MORE THAN 20 MPH. WE WERE THROWN HARD INTO OUR SEAT BELTS. WE WENT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP IN PITTSBURGH.THEY WANTED TO SELL ME 4 NEW TIRES STATING THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO TIRES NOT WEARING EVEN. THIS WAS HARD FOR US TO BELIEVE. IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. WE HAD TO VEER OFF THE ROAD MANY TIMES TO AVOID ACCIDENTS! GOOGLE SEARCH ON VSA CAR SUDDENLY BREAKING - FIRST 'HIT' WAS A 2013 RECALL ON THE VSA HARNESS AND SENSOR. WE RECEIVED NO INFORMATION ON THE RECALL. HONDA PITTSBURGH FIXED THE RECALL FREE. THEN 8 WEEKS LATER IN MARYLAND THE CAR BEGAN TO DO THE SAME EXACT THING. WE EMERGENCY STOPPED AT A LOCAL AUTO CENTER. THEIR SYSTEM CODE SHOWED FAULTY "ABS BRAKE SYSTEM" THEY KINDLY RESET THE CODES, BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO EXHIBIT SAME. WE THEN WENT TO SALISBURY, MD. HONDA. THEY SAID WE NEEDED A NEW VSA MODULE DESPITE THE DIAGNOSTIC SHOWING NO CODES STATING WE HAD A FAULTY VSA. THE ONLY VSA MODULE WAS IN OHIO AND WOULD TAKE A WEEK TO GET TO MARYLAND, AND COST US $1,710! ALL OTHER VSA MODULES WERE ON BACK ORDER. WE WERE ON VACATION AND COULD NOT STAY AN ADDITIONAL WEEK. NOR DID IT MAKE SENSE TO US TO REPLACE THE VSA MODULE WHEN SALISBURY HONDA SAID IT WAS "WORKING AS DESIGNED". I HAVE A LEGAL FORMAL COMPLAINT REGISTERED WITH HONDA AMERICA. I URGE YOU TO DO THE SAME. WINSTON SALEM, NC HONDA FEELS IT IS THE YAW SENSOR. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS AND ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR SHOW A CODE. I FEEL A RECALL SHOULD NOW BE MADE FOR A YAW SENSOR. BETTER YET, HONDA AMERICA SHOULD REPLACE ALL VSA MODULES FOR FREE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED!! .
VSA WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND THE CAR SUDDENLY APPLIED BRAKE ITSELF FOR NO REASON. I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR DUE TO PANIC OF UNKNOWING WHAT HAPPEN. I PULLED THE CAR OVER AND TOOK A QUICK PICTURE OF MALFUNCTION VSA WARNING LIGHTS. THEN, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND START AGAIN LATER TO CHECK IF ANYTHING HAS GONE WRONG. VSA LIGHTS WENT OFF AND THE CAR IS DRIVING AS NORMAL. I HAD NOTIFIED THIS VSA WARNING LITE ON IGNITION BEFORE THE COLD START IN THE MORNING TO LOCAL DEALER SINCE LAST YEAR. THEY SAID THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ANY ERROR CODE IN DIAGNOSIS. IN LATELY INCIDENT, THEY FINALLY TOOK THE MATTER SERIOUSLY THEN THEY FOUND YAW SENSOR ERROR CODE BUT THEY STILL CAN'T GUARANTEE THE VSA PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED. I WISH AHC WILL LOOK INTO THIS VSA PROBLEM TO HELP OUT THE OWNERS AND I THINK THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SAME PROBLEM LIKE ME.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2005 Honda Pilot has 40 ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.