CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012-2013 Honda Pilot have a small complaint trend of owners reporting the engine hesitates sometimes when accelerating.

While it's not a widespread trend with the Pilot, it's a little concerning because of the possibly safety ramifications. While it's certainly something to keep in mind, most Pilot owners are not experiencing this problem.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,531 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2013 Honda Pilot drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #51

Mar 032023

Pilot

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Excessive vibration, speeds above 50mph vibrates the entire vehicle.

- Holden, MA, USA

problem #50

Nov 072021

Pilot

  • miles
Since purchasing new in 2013, experienced ongoing issues with VCM. Noticable vibration/shudder at all speeds except during heavy acceleration. Taken to dealer mant times. They are able to reproduce but state no fix available. It's how the car was made. In addition to vibration, engine makes a chirping noise when accelerating through vibration. I believe they are related although neither have been able to be fixed. No warning lights illuminate. I purchased this car for the 4wd as I live in snow/ice climate. However, excessive vibration/shudder makes driving in these conditions (any conditions) unsafe due to constant need to fluctuate acceleration/ deceleration to help minimize vibration/shudder to regain sense of control. If you maintain speed while vibrating on snow/ice you feel like you are losing control. This vibration HAS to have a long-term effect on engine/car integrity. It's strong enough that some day I imagine I'll come to a stop and at that very moment, every screw will have come loose/undone from years of vibrating and I'll be left sitting in the seat holding just the steering wheel with the car in parts all around me.

- Bettendorf , IA, USA

problem #49

Sep 012018

Pilot

  • miles
I changed tire, bushing stabilizer, wheel balance alignment, changed the tie rod and cv axle but the car still shaking between the speed of 60mph-70mph..I don't remember when my Honda Pilot 2013 misfired then they fixed it but my timing belt everything was making sound, I spent to my mechanic friend coz the dealer charge me a price of 950$ to do timing belt service.

- Gretna, LA, USA

problem #48

Mar 042019

Pilot

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car is making these horrible noises. The dealership claims everything was find when they sold it to us. We took it back a few days later for them to fix it and they claimed to fix it but never did. We have taken it to multiple mechanics and they can not figure out what it is after have it at least 3 or 4 days. It's like a vibration/grinding noise. The alignment is fine but it still pulls and the steering wheel is off. It always makes a grinding noise and the vibration and grinding starts when you are driving and it hits a constant speed even when you dont use the cruise control.

- Bay Springs, MS, USA

problem #47

Mar 252019

Pilot

  • 2 miles
I was traveling at about 35mph in a city street and slowly approaching an intersection to make a right turn. Out of a sudden, the car accelerated while my foot was on the brake, crashing into another vehicle and running off the road. Both airbags deployed.

- Hoover, AL, USA

problem #46

Mar 072019

Pilot

  • 95,000 miles
I had a check engine light on the dashboard and brought the car to the dealership for service. They diagnosed the car and stated that there is something wrong with the torque converter. I have read a number of reports regarding issues with the torque converter of the Honda Pilot. Significantly, report states that there is shuddering and vibration during shift change. This was addressed to them when I have my car when it was bought brand new. They said it is just the way it was design but honestly, it was really annoying. So now, after about 95,000 miles, an issue came up. I do believe that these two event are related. Please conduct an investigation regarding this matter. The shuddering/vibrations happens when accelerating, deccelerating, at idle, from a stop and accelerates, when making a turn while accelerating slowly.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #45

Apr 282018

Pilot

  • 113,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine mil illuminated. Code P3400 indicated through obd. No low oil pressure indication prior to mil, could lead to engine failure. Replaced both front and rear rocker arm oil switches.

- Lincolnton, NC, USA

problem #44

Jan 052018

Pilot

  • 85,000 miles
Motor lost a cylinder at 85,000 miles driving at 60 mph.

- Baxter, KY, USA

problem #43

Dec 232017

Pilot

  • 46,440 miles
While driving in the freeway with my family, the radiator blew up and spilled the fluids inside the engine compartment or hood there was smoke coming out of the compartment a message popped up on the dashboard saying engine is over heating and it stopped. This car only has around 46000 miles on the car. It seems like Honda issued recall for radiator problems only on 2017 Honda Pilot. But, this problem seems to exist in other older models also. It is safety issue. It is very important that Honda and NHTSA look carefully into this problem, issue recall for other older models and fix the problem to save some life's.

- Murray, UT, USA

problem #42

Mar 312017

Pilot

  • 59,000 miles
On Thursday, March 30, 2017, I had the oil changed and fluids checked in my 2013 Honda Pilot. I drove home 26 miles away and average speed of 65 mph. The next day, I drove from summerville to rome to cave spring ~ 60 miles. Later that day I had to drive back to cave spring and then headed home. About 15 miles out of rome, driving 65 mph on a 4 lane divided hwy, my car just stopped moving. I pumped the accelerator and nothing happened. I managed to coast to a stop and pull onto the side of the hwy. The air conditioning and radio were working, the engine was running, but there was no pull from the motor. I turned the car off and was trying to find someone to come get me. After 15 minutes, I turned the engine on, again, ac and radio working fine, but no acceleration, and could not get it to move forward or in reverse. No dashboard lights came on at all. I had to get a wrecker to haul the car to the dealership. On Monday, I called about the car and the dealership said the mechanics had been out driving the car and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I often have to drive to atlanta on business, and I do not feel safe driving this car. In fact, I told the dealer to keep the car until they fix it.

- Summerville, GA, USA

problem #41

Aug 282016

Pilot

  • 51,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine/piston/ring issue. Rings not aligned properly in one of pistons ( factory/assembly error) resulted in oil leaking and thrown on engine, caused 2 spark plugs to fail, this caused engine light to come on and then the vsa and vtm-4 came on and the eco light stopped working...we were travelling 70 miles an hour on highway. We were really afraid when the vtm-4 light came on! we had to pull off road, for fear of ruining the 4-wheel drive system, we didn't know what was happening.. we couldn't get the lights to go off, finally vtm-4 light went off and on the other lights stayed on...it was confusing.... because the lights were false indicators due to being connected to the engine light. This malfunction caused the vsa and vtm-4 and eco light to come on falsely. Creating panic while travelling 70 miles an hour on interstate. Creating the false impresssion that the 4-wheel drive system had been activated while travelling at a speed of 70 miles an hour. Suggestion:.... engine light should be separate from other warning system lights..this incident occured approximately 300 miles from our home on a Sunday..we took automobile to dealer Monday a.M. and had repair of piston/ring gaskets etc it was determined the other warning lights were false indicators...

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #40

Aug 012015

Pilot

  • 28,000 miles
When my Pilot goes into eco mode there is considerable vibration that can be felt in the steering wheel, gas pedal, interior door panel if your leg is resting against it, also there is enough reverb in the cab that at times it can irritate your inner ear. Its the worst around 45 to 65 but can be felt at most speeds. It doesn't matter whether its city or highway its present whenever eco is on at cruising speed. I took my Pilot to the dealer I purchased it from to give them the opportunity to trouble shoot the issue. Initially I thought it was the transmission but they said it was the engine going into eco mode and that it was normal. I have never had a vehicles engine produce the amount of vibration that this one does and to be told its normal to me is unacceptable. I have since read many threads and complaints about this same issue on the internet. This needs to be addressed with Honda and they need to provide a solution. We bought this vehicle in the summer of 2015, have owned it less that a year and this issue makes it a very undesirable vehicle to own and if Honda doesn't provide a solution for this we will most likely get rid of this vehicle and never buy another Honda again nor recommend this manufacturer.

- Kendall, NY, USA

problem #39

Feb 032016

Pilot

  • miles
I purchased my 2013 Honda certified pre-owned in August 2015. Test drive was short and felt no issues. Felt the shudder on a highway drive the next day. Now I question if the salesperson knew this would be noticed and deliberately made the test ride short to avoid this being noticed. I even asked her about the vibration issue from reports I had read about before the purchase. I was told this was not an valid issue and that she had owned a Pilot and never felt anything. The car was brought back and a software update was done as well as fluid change in trans within the first month. It still had the shudder. After driving for a few weeks to give it a chance to prove itself and it not me "looking" for a problem I called and spoke with the service manager to report this and inform him I would coming back when my schedule allowed. It is getting more frequent and it does not seem to matter whether in eco mode or not. The shudder usually happens around 38-42 mph. But will begin anytime the vehicle cruises in any speed range continually. At higher speeds I can feel my skin shake like one of those fat burning shaking belts from years past. (just so you know I am of average build without excessive body skin.) brought the car back a second time. That was today Feb. 3, 2016. Went for ride with the service manager. Told him it seems to be getting worse. His conclusion was that this "shudder" was a "characteristic" of my $28,000 purchase. My 1999 Suburban that I traded in had a better ride. Very disappointed with Honda. I am going to another dealer to get a second opinion.

- Princeton, NJ, USA

problem #38

Jul 312015

Pilot

  • 33,000 miles
Parked on level paved shoulder of small-town 2-lane road in upstate NY. Placed truck in park, and verified truck shifter in park. Left truck idling in park to keep A/C going during brief stop to walk to rear passenger door to hand item from rear floor back to toddler. As I approaced rear door, truck (without being touched/bumped) engaged and began driving away under power, not rolling. Chased truck and partially jumped in (short legs). Attempted to put truck in park to stop it, but shifter in park already, refocused on trying to turn off keys. Truck had enough torque to drive across 2-lane road, fully/easily drive over curb, then drive down into gully with me only partially inside. When truck got stuck at bottom and stalled, finished climbing inside and turned off truck. Re-verified shifter still in park. Witness and husband also verified shifter still in park. Managed to just avoid hitting big tree and setting off airbag. Toddler uninjured, I didn't appear injured at time, but legs and knees banged up requiring doctor's visit. Vehicle towed out of gully and superficially repaired enough to cautiously drive home to md for full repair.

- Hanover, MD, USA

problem #37

May 122015

Pilot

  • 30,233 miles
This vehicle seems to have a design flaw. Many threads exist online discussing the same. The vehicle exhibits strange behavior when shifting from P to D and lurches forward. In addition shifting between gears is problematic at times. Lots of shuddering and vibrations. I have take. To dealer on 3 separate occasions with no success in getting repaired. Dealer does not acknowledge problems. I beleive this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. Thank you

- Hackettstown , NJ, USA

problem #36

Nov 082014

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 16,750 miles
Purchased vehicle used as a Honda certified vehicle on 10/23/14. During test drive we did not notice vibration in drive train - possibly because fluids were cold. During a road trip 2 weeks after above date, we noticed a vibration in 51, 52, 53 mph range. Felt like transmission or torque converter was trying to shift up or down. Took back to dealership and explained problem, service writer took for a test drive and explained that he felt it was when engine was going into "economy" mode and half the cylinders were shutting down."??" on a later road trip on more open highway, we noticed same vibrations in 61, 62, 63 mph range - I watched the econ. Dash light and it didn't necessarily change when we felt vibrations. Took back to dealership and I drove vehicle while service writer watched, looked, and listened. He said he could feel vibration but until a warning light came on, they might spend many hours/days trying to find problem but not locate it. We are keeping our fingers crossed that nothing serious develops and endangers lives or vehicle!

- Hartford City, IN, USA

problem #35

Oct 262014

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 24,000 miles
Turned on the car and backed out of my driveway, which is sloped so it does not require any acceleration. Shifted into gear on the street and began to roll forward. Applied pressure to the accelerator and noticed that the car was not responding at all - engine was not revving, car was not moving forward despite flooring the gas pedal. Stopped and shifted into reverse and had the same problem. Simultaneously, several warning lights appeared including vehicle stability control among others. Eventually had to leave the car disabled on the side of the road and have it towed to a local Honda dealer, where they were unable to replicate the problem. After 3 days, they "reset all the computers" and told me the car was fixed. Same problem occurred 2.5 wks later. Again, dealer could not replicate the problem. However, they replaced the "box" which the accelerator connects to and told me the problem should be fixed. 3 days after returning the car to me, the same incident occurred a 3rd time. This time the vehicle fluids were also overheating. I left the car running until a Honda technician could come and take a look and see the problem in action. Unfortunately, he shut the car off upon arrival and then was not able to recreate the problem. Honda has now had my vehicle for 8 days with no progress. Their only suggestion is to uninstall the remote starter which came with the car when I purchased it new. They have no evidence that the remote starter is causing the problem and have not offered to compensate me in any way for its removal. Car is only 1.5 yrs old. Updated 12/22/2015

- Norwalk, CT, USA

problem #34

Jul 012013

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 200 miles
Any time eco mode vcm (vehicle cylinder management) engages engine shudders and entire vehicle vibrates until eco mode disengages upon increased acceleration.

- Manchester, ME, USA

problem #33

Mar 082013

Pilot

  • 5,500 miles
Intermittently when starting to drive after being stopped at light or stop sign the engine will hesitate and bog down for a few seconds before it "kicks in" and then there is a "surge of power". this is very annoying and also very dangerous as someone could easily get rear-ended or worse yet get caught in the intersection in oncoming traffic. There is also vibration and shutter at certain speeds and seems to be worst when eco mode kicks in and when driving conservatively. There is also a pull in the steering upon acceleration.

- Punta Gorda, FL, USA

problem #32

Feb 012014

Pilot 6-cyl

  • 4,500 miles
Sometimes when starting out and making left or right hand turn after being stopped at a stop light or stop sign, the engine will hesitate and bog down for a few seconds before it "kicks in" and then there is a "surge of power". this is very annoying at the least and also very dangerous as one could easily get rearended or worse yet get caught in the intersection in oncoming traffic.

- Portland, OR, USA

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