28 complaints reported

2005 Honda Pilot Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
28
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2021

The Honda Pilots Engine Mounts are constantly having to be replaced prematurely than any other vehicle I have ever owned. This is an extremely dangerous part failure and an expensive cost to have. This dealership explained this is a known issue with these Hondas, yet no help or solutions from the manufacturer. There has to be some form of help or accountability for this type of negligence.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2021
Dec 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2015
Apr 2016

USING EXCESSIVE OIL 120K USING 2 QT EVERY 2,300 MILES WITH NO VISABLE LEAKS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2016
Oct 2015

LOSS OF POWER ON HIGHWAY EVEN WHEN ACCELERATOR ENGAGED. HAD TO PULL OVER THE SHOULDER. VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE BUT SENT AWAY AFTER ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT NEAREST HONDA DEALER CITED A RADIATOR LEAK THAT LIKELY GOT INTO THE TRANSMISSION LINE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2015
Jul 2015

CAR WAS HARD SHIFTING UNTIL I GET HOME. PULLED UP DRIVEWAY, COULD NOT GET INTO "PARK". VERY HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN OTHER GEARS, UNABLE TO PUT INTO "I" OR FIRST GEAR AT ALL. HAD TO PUT IN NEUTRAL ON FLAT SURFACE BECAUSE CAR WOULD ROLL EVEN WITH EMEGENCY BRAKE ON. HAD TO UNHOOK BATTERY CABLE TO SAVE ON JUICE. HAD THE CAR FOR 5 YEARS , PROBLEMS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2015
Apr 2015

I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TODAY TO GET THE CURRENT RECALLS TAKEN CARE OF AND ALSO TOLD THEM TO CHECK THE MOTOR MOUNTS. I'VE READ QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MOTOR MOUNTS FAILING AROUND 55,000 MILES AND ABRUPT/HARSH SHIFTING IN THE TRANSMISSION IS A GOOD INDICATOR OF THE DEFECT. DEALER JUST NOTIFIED ME THAT 2 MOTOR MOUNTS NEED TO BE REPLACED (FRONT AND SIDE MOUNTS). THEY REPLACED THEM BUT AT MY EXPENSE, UNFORTUNATELY. NOT SURE WHEN THE MOTOR MOUNTS EXPIRED SINCE I OWNED THE VEHICLE, I'M THE SECOND OWNER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE ON MY PILOT IS 159,000 SO I ENTERED 159,000 MILES FOR THE VEHICLE INCIDENT. BUT THE 3 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT, I HAVE ALWAYS NOTICED AN ABRUPT OR HARSH SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE/REVERSE. I FEEL WITH A LOT OF HONDA PILOT OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS DEFECT, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THANK YOU, [XXX] PS, HERE'S A COUPLE OF FORUMS/BLOGS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. HTTP://WWW.PILOTEERS.ORG/FORUMS/18-MAINTENANCE/22774-ANYONE-CHANGED-MOTOR-MOUNT.HTML HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/HONDA/PILOT/2005/ENGINE/MOTOR_MOUNTS_BROKEN.SHTML HTTP://HONDA-TECH.COM/HONDA-ACCORD-1990-2002-2/HOW-MUCH-REPLACE-MOTOR-MOUNT-95083/ INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2015
Aug 2013

1 FRONT MOTOR MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2013
Aug 2013

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 45 MPH, THE ENGINE BLEW OUT THE MIDDLE FRONT SPARK PLUG (I BELIEVE IT'S #5) AND COIL PACK DAMAGING THE RADIATOR AND STALLING THE VEHICLE. THE SPARK PLUG WAS ORIGINAL AND HAD NEVER BEEN TOUCHED. THE SPARK PLUG THREADS WERE STRIPPED REQUIRING AN INSERT TO REPAIR THE HEAD. THE COIL PACK WAS BROKEN AND THE TWISTED WIRES BLEW THE IGNITION COIL FUSE. THE EXPELLED COIL PACK AND/OR SPARK PLUG (I NEVER DID FIND THE SPARK PLUG) ALSO PUT A HOLE IN THE RADIATOR REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2013
Jul 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER FOR A STABILITY CONTROL REPAIR, THE DEALER ADVISED HIM THAT THE ENGINE MOTOR MOUNT ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER DID NOT SPECIFY IF THE MOTOR MOUNT WAS FRACTURED OR WORN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2013
Jun 2013

FRONT AND RIGHT SIDE MOTOR MOUNTS ARE BROKEN ACCORDING TO VA INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69K MILES AND BEING SERVICED REGULARLY, HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN? NEED TO PAY OVER $500.00 TO REPLACE IN ORDER TO PASS VA SAFETY INSPECTION. NOTICED MANY OWNERS HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2013
Feb 2013

VEHICLE DIAGNOSED AT DEALER SERVICE CENTER AS HAVING 2 CRACKED / BROKEN ENGINE MOUNTS. AFFECTED MOUNTS ARE RIGHT (PASSENGER) SIDE AND FRONT MOUNT. BASED ON SIMILAR ANECDOTAL REPORTS ON INTERNET FORUMS (PILOTEERS.ORG AND OTHERS) THIS APPEARS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE ON HONDA PILOTS AND ODYSSEYS OF THIS VINTAGE. THEY SHARE THE SAME CHASSIS. IT ALSO APPEARS THE RIGHT AND FRONT MOUNTS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED. *JS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2013
Feb 2013

AT 30-40 MPH THE PILOT SHUDDERS SIGNIFICANTLY AND DOES SO FOR ABOUT .5-3 SECONDS. THERE IS APPARENTLY A DESIGN OR OTHER FLAW IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER (WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO A FAILED TRANSMISSION). DESPITE WHAT APPEARS TO BE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS NATIONWIDE, HONDA WILL APPARENTLY NOT NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. THE DRIVING DANGERS ARE OBVIOUS, AND CONSUMERS ARE LEFT WITH REPAIR BILLS OF $3,000.00 - $5000.00. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS NHTSA. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2012
Jan 2013

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2013
Oct 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED OIL AND COOLANT FLUID LEAKING ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADIATOR HAD BECOME CORRODED INTERNALLY, ALLOWING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND COOLANT TO MESH. AS A RESULT, THE FLUID ENTERED THE TRANSMISSION AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT BOTH THE TRANSMISSION AND THE RADIATOR WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2012
May 2012

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. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2012
Sep 2011

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 HONDA DEALER 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. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2011
Sep 2011

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. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2011
Jul 2011

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. *TT

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2011
Jul 2011

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20-35 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD SWAY FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THE CONTACT HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO KEEP IT FROM SWAYING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVERYDAY SINCE SEPTEMBER 2010. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE YAW RATE SENSOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 115,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 122,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2010
Mar 2011

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. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2011
Nov 2010

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Nov 2010
Sep 2009

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2009
Sep 2009

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2009
May 2009

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2009
Nov 2008

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2005 HONDA PILOT, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2008

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2005 Honda Pilot has 28 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.