This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The heating element on the driver side seat gets so hot you have to turn it off to keep from getting burnt. It gets so hot you can't stand it. It happens on both the hi and lo settings. It doesn't happen all of the time but when it does it continues until the heater is turned off. As many people who have had this problem, I'd think something should be done to fix the problem before it cause a more serious problem. When it happens it gets hot fast. One time when I noticed it was getting hot before I could get it turned of it got so hot I could hardly stand it. Fortunately I was not in heavy traffic or the reaction to it could have caused an accident. This has happened both while the vehicle was stationary and while driving down the road. It has happened in all sorts of weather conditions.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. While the contact was seated in the driver seat, an abnormal sound emitted from the vehicle without warning. The contact discovered that the seat bolt was fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the bolt between the seat and seat frame assembly was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 210,000.
I am the original owner of my 2004 Honda Pilot. Overall, good vehicle but has always been a problem with the driver side heated seat. It gets too hot and felt like a burn to your skin. I mentioned to the dealer early on and was told to decrease the use. So, I have decreased the use of the heated seats or used on low for a short time until the SUV was warm and completely turned off. The seat is not heating at all now. It has approx. 175,000miles and has been well maintained. I feel that there has been too many complaints and this issue never addressed or a recall done.
The driver's seat popped and now tilts backwards from the left. Upon investigation I found the exact problem others have reported to NHTSA regarding this year model: The left side bracket that holds the motor for the power seat back broke along the rivet line. This holds the seat bottom to body of the seat. This was perfectly described in a complaint lodged 4/25/2015 from tampa, fl. This appears
While driving to work this morning (cold morning, on city street) I turned my driver seat heater on high. The driver side seat heater was on for about 20 minutes when suddenly the back became very hot. It started to smell and my back was slightly scalded before I realized what was happening. I quickly turned my seat heater off and soon after turned my car off to investigate. The back portion of the seat (middle spot) was still very hot to touch and remained that way for at least 15 minutes in 35 degree weather! my car and especially the driver side seat has a burnt rubber odor. I truly feel that if I had not turned my seat heater off when I did, that it would have caught fire with me driving! no I'm afraid to utilize the seat heater. Honda needs to do something about this via replacement of faulty wiring or element before something more serious happens to someone!
- Indian Trail, NC, USA
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Left front bracket on driver seat has broken on its own without any outside influence. Wife parked in drive way leaned back to exit vehicle and the bracket broke.
The seat began moving earlier today and then when my husband was getting out of the car there was a loud pop and the seat started rocking. It seems to have become detached from the car on the front left. When accelerating it rocks back and when breaking it rocks forward. My husband looked and the metal bracket has broken completely. It seems very unsafe and would be extremly worried that in an accident the air bag would cause serious injury when you are thrust even farther into it or if the other side were to break and you be thrown out regardless of having a seatbelt.
We noticed that the plastic panel covering the driver's seat controls came detached. Shortly after the seat began rocking slightly. Finally, there was a loud pop and the seat now rocks freely. It is scary and dangerous to have to drive a vehicle while the seat responds to all movement. It will no longer allow you to increase the incline of it, so it's reclined at the same time. What started as two screws breaking free from the decorative lever cover quickly turned into a major structural issue.
When sitting down in my vehicle this morning, there was a snapping noise and the seat rocked back toward the right rear. Removing the plastic cover, it was plainly visible that a metal part that holds the upper seat to the lower seat assembly has snapped where it attaches with two industrial rivets. Seat now tips backward rather easily, and does so when I climb in or out of the vehicle, and upon acceleration. Clearly the structural integrity of this seat is destroyed until I can have it fixed/replaced. I am fearful that if I were to have an accident, the seat will come completely detached. In a 5 min web search I have found dozens of other instances of this occurring; this is not a rare problem and needs to be fixed! compounding my problem, I am in the usaf stationed in the uk, and getting this fixed will be difficult to say the least, as this vehicle is not sold here.
Front left structural bracket on driver's seat failed, allowing seat to tip backward. Bracket failed along a line with two rivet/fasteners, detaching seat tray from power fore/aft positioner rails. Apparently design defect, as there are 12 other essentially identical NHTSA complaints on file for this make/model/year.
The drivers side seat bracket, 81630-S3V-A30, has broken at a weak point in the metal where the seat motor attaches. The break caused the seat to rock back and forth freely. This is the second time this bracket has broken. The first time was in July, 2011; most recently February 2015. Each time I purchased a new bracket arm at the expense of almost $300. Both brackets broke at the same spot, where the seat motor mounts. The sudden metal break almost caused us to have an accident on two separate occasions. In each case, norm reeves Honda in huntington beach refused to replace the defective bracket at their cost but offered, instead, to order the part and install it for a cost of $1200.
Noticed an extreme hot spot on drivers side lower seat cushion when heated seats are on hi or lo. Spot is so hot that you cannot let it touch your pants without burning you. I have read many accounts of this same issue with other Honda owners that ultimately resulted in a fire. Now drivers side lower seat cushion heating element no longer works. Drivers side back and passenger side heating elements still work.
While stopped at a stop sign, I began to accelerate when I heard a 'pop' and the seat tilted back, startling me. A metal bracket on the front-left side of the driver's seat has broken and the seat now shifts back and forth!
When we turn on the seat warmer in the front passenger seat of our Honda Pilot 2004, we smell a strong odor of rubber or foam burning. Now our seat warmer will not work at all. We've stopped using the seat warmer due to concerns of a fire starting.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the drivers side seat warmer was activated and became extremely hot. In addition, there was a burning odor throughout the vehicle. As a result, the driver sustained a burn. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available.
Husband parked car leaned forward to get wifi off dash and left front of driver seat detached from the adjuster. Seat now leans to front left and rocks around. Updated 2/27/2015
When the driver side heated seat is turned on the seat gets so hot that it literally burns the skin on anyone sitting in the seat. It happens on both low or high setting. The seat then begins to emit smoke.
We were on another summer trip and the airbag warning light came on. This is the big red light to the far left of the panel. Calling Honda in franklin tn they had no idea what could happen while continuing to drive the vehicle. Calling another dealership they assured me that it was most likely a sensor and the airbags would simply not deploy. Honda as recalls now for bad airbags. 1- our 2004 does not fall into the recall period 2 - Honda should pay for any issue related to bad airbag technology regardless of how old the car is, just like they do with seat belts. If we would have been in a wreck during the time that light was on, the airbag would not have deployed. 3- any part of the airbag/sensor/ seatbelt system should not be merely covered under a limited warranty. It should be covered for the life of the car. This is a safety issue. If they cannot stand behind the safety of the car they need to get out of the business.
Lower seat support/bracket on front left of drivers side seat has broken, making seat loose, unsafe. Same problem can be seen repeatedly in 2004 Honda Pilot and apparently 2003-2006 models. Other NHTSA complaint case numbers with exactly the same problem in 2004 Honda Pilot models are 10583003, 10578612, 10567737, 10541789, 10505250, 10489089, 10488805, 10466947, 10455702
A bracket that connects the drivers set to the seat adjuster assembly failed catastrophically. This bracket is on the front left side approximately behind the power seat controls. The seat is now unattached from the adjuster assembly and quite unsafe. This happened while getting in the vehicle. The broken bracket may be part of adjuster assy., L. reclining, 81630-S3V-A30, but it is hard for me to tell since the exploded parts diagram that I have access to does not seem to match, quite, what I see. Based on parts and labor, I estimate the cost to repair this defect to be in the $800-1200 range.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Bern, NC, USA