I bought 2009 Honda Pilot exl-res in july 2009. We have encountered three times could not start our vehicle. The battery went dead after we kept in the garage for two week without driving. The first time we brought it in October 2009. They changed out the battery. Last week, we have the same problem and brought to the dealer to fix. They could not find any problems to it. If anyone encountered same problem, please let us know so I can proof that other people also faced the problem. The dealer told me that this is their first time complaint on this problem. I would never buy any Honda after I owed this one. The dealer were not very helpful at all.

We bought our new 2009 Pilot on February 2, 2009 and on February 20, 2009 we took the car back to the Honda dealership service department to have our brand new car serviced because we had trouble with the car starting properly. The problem that was occurring is when you get in the car and put the key in the ignition, sometimes the car starts absolutely perfectly, other times the car will crank, like it's trying to turn over to start for a range of 5-15 seconds, which then the car with eventually start up. This does not happen every time we start the car it's very sporadic. We took the car into the dealership to get looked at on the 20th of February and they said that they could not find anything wrong and to take it home and if it does it again to bring it back. On that trip into service they reset the entire battery and rewired it and also had the alarm people make sure the alarm was not causing the problem. We were told that if we can just get the problem to reproduce in front of them that's what they need to see happen so that they can hear it and know what they are dealing with.

The 2nd time we took the car back to the dealership was on February 23, 2009. This time into the shop they were advised by Honda to completely reset the entire computer system in the car. We were given a rental car, a Kia Spectra. They reset the computer and the next day sent us home with the car again and said if the car did it again to bring it back.

The 3rd time, for the same problem, on March 3, 2009, the car went back to the dealership and they decided to hook a computer up to the car, the Honda Interface Module or HIM. They put us in a rental car, a Chrysler Town and Country Mini Van and we had the dealership cover the insurance as well, and then had us return the next day, March 4th, to take the car home with the computer on it to have the computer track everytime we start the car and it will record what the car does every time it is started. This time we were leaving on vacation after getting our car back and we had the starting issue happen 2 times before we left, so in less than 12 hours from leaving the dealership. Our friends started the car everyday while we were gone to get the problem to happen and they had it happen 4 times and the 5th time they attempted to start the car the battery was completely dead! So from my vacation I got to call the dealership and tell them the problem, then I got to call and arrange for a tow truck to come and get our car out of our garage while we are gone, and also had to arrange for friends to be there at 7am on Friday, March 13th. The 4th time to the dealership was when the car got towed there on Friday, March 13th. We got home from the airport and the dealership was suppose to have a rental car for us at the airport and they failed to do that. So we had to call the dealership and get the rental car taken care of ourselves just to get home from vacation! This time we said we required them to give us an SUV so we were given a Ford Expedition and the dealership covered the insurance as well. Then back to the dealership the next day to get car. When we got there they told us that they had to put a brand new battery in the car because it was completely dead. They said they think that their computer (HIM) had completely drained the battery and when the battery died all the information from the HIM was completely erased. So they wanted us to take the car home again with the HIM on it to track each start so that they could get their data if it happened again. So we left with the car from the dealership at 12:30pm and headed home. The car had the problem when starting at 7pm and 8:10pm that night, March 13th. The service at the dealership closed at 7pm so we couldn't take the car back that day and they are closed on Sundays so we took the car back to them on Monday morning, March 16th. This is the 5th trip to the dealership now for the same problem on March 16, 2009, and they downloaded the computer and said there was no information on it. We talked with the General Manager, Joe, who has been working with us on the car and all the difficulties we have been having and asked him what they were going to do about it. He said we can't do anything until we have data. We said that the problem keeps occurring and their computer is not recording any data and how is that our fault? So he wanted us to leave with the car again to get the car to reproduce the problem for the computer to try and record again and we told him no. So he put us in a rental car again, the same Ford Expedition that we had just returned and they are covering the insurance again on it. The 5 hours that we were there at the dealership that day trying to get Joe to do something for us got us nowhere. During this time we were there my husband, Robert, was going down to service, where our car was located, and was working with our service provider, John, on starting the car every once in a while to see if the problem would reproduce. They had it happen in a very minor fashion while we were there and their computer showed nothing again. So as we were leaving my husband started the car again one last time before we left in the rental and the car had the problem the worst we had ever experienced it! We yelled to get everyone's attention that was in the service area and it was heard by many people, including our service provider John. As the car cranked and cranked to start for about 20 seconds or so at the end of that the cranking trailed off and the car never started up. The battery was completely dead again!! In 2 days the brand new battery was completely dead! So the John had his crew immediately get a back up power source and extract the information from the HIM to get the data. Once again, they said there was no data. So John said, I know exactly what it sounds like and what was happening so go ahead and take the rental and go home. Having this happen right there in the service area is exactly what they told us they needed on time 1 into service for this problem. So they have their information or data as Joe keeps asking for. But this is not satisfactory for them it seems. Joe said that he was going to have his Area Service Rep come out the next day as well as his Head Training Service Tech to work on the car. On March 17, 2009 we called to John in service and asked what was going on with the car. He said that they jump started the car and the battery is holding a charge for now, the Head Training Service Tech was there working with the car trying to get the problem to reproduce again to get data on the HIM. So during all of this Joe was taking our car out and driving it and then parking it and waiting for approximately 2 hours and then starting it. Problem did not occur so he took it out and drove it again and did the same things all over in a cycle. No problems all day. So when my husband got off work for the day he drove up to the dealership to find out what was going on. The Area Service Rep had only been there a couple of hours and then left so my husband did not get to meet with her, he talked to Joe while up there and said he wanted to talk to the Head Training Service Tech to brainstorm or hear what he thinks is going on. Joe never took Robert to talk to him. Joe said that he wanted Robert to take the car home with the HIM attached again to get the problem to reproduce so they can get the data. He said no, I am not going to keep doing this. He asked them to try something else if they are not going to proceed with the Lemon Law and Magnesson Moss Warranty Act for us and Joe said no, this is what we are going to keep trying. We have to have data on that computer before we will do anything else. So Robert told Joe to keep the car there, drive it wherever he wants to and to call us when they have either found the problem and completely fixed it to 100% or when he has a replacement car. So the Pilot is still at the dealership as of today and the General Manager is driving it during the day and also driving it home at night. Basically we are tired of going in circles on this, we fully qualify under the Lemon Law and the Magnesson Moss Warranty Act but have been trying to give the dealership time to fix the problem. This has been going on for far too long with no results or anything from the dealership. They are not willing to budge on what they are going to try and how they are going to help us and we are really fed up. We are paying $649 a month for a car that we don't even have! We bought this car 7 weeks ago and have had nothing but problems and headaches with it. We live 40 miles from the dealership and that is where all the mileage on the car has come from. When we drove it off the lot it had 17 miles on it and as of yesterday it had 1386. I do not work so this car should have about half of that mileage on it. All the miles are driving to and from the dealership the 9 times we have driven up there in it. We are wasting a lot of our time with our daughter in this and also away from our home, which we are in the process of trying to sell, and also expecting another baby. We don't need this stress and lack of sleep, first for health reasons for me and the unborn baby, but also for our 14 month old daughter and my husband having to work 12 hours a day! We bought a brand new car for peace of mind and reliability and having something very nice to drive and we have yet gotten to really experience that. All we are looking for is getting a replacement car and to move on with our lives and be happy! We absolutely LOVE the Honda Pilot and just want a working model of what we are paying for and what we are responsible for through our insurance.

We bought our new 2009 Pilot on February 2, 2009 and on March 3, 2009 we took the car back to the Honda dealership service department, for the 3rd time of this same problem, to have our brand new car serviced because we had trouble with the car starting properly. The problem that was occurring is when you get in the car and put the key in the ignition, sometimes the car starts absolutely perfectly, other times the car will crank, like it's trying to turn over to start for a range of 5-15 seconds, which then the car with eventually start up. This does not happen every time we start the car it's very sporadic. We took the car into the dealership to get looked at on the 20th of February and they said that they could not find anything wrong and to take it home and if it does it again to bring it back. On that trip into service they reset the entire battery and rewired it and also had the alarm people make sure the alarm was not causing the problem.

The 2nd time we took the car back to the dealership was on February 23, 2009. This time into the shop they were advised by Honda to completely reset the entire computer system in the car. They did this and then sent us home with the car again and said if the car did it again to bring it back.

So now the 3rd time for the same problem the car went back to the dealership and they decided to hook a computer up to the car, the Honda Interface Module or HIM. So they put this computer on and sent us home again to have the computer track everytime we start the car and it will record what the car does every time it is started. Not to mention this time the car was in the shop was the 2nd time we had been put into a rental car instead of being in our brand new Pilot! The first rental car they put us in was a Kia Spectra, definitely not comparable to our Pilot! The second rental car they put us into was a Chrysler Town and Country Mini Van! Yeah us, go Soccer Mom and Dad!! Still NOT OUR PILOT! This time we were leaving on vacation after getting our car back and we had the starting issue happen 2 times before we left, so in less than 12 hours from leaving the dealership. Our friends started the car everyday while we were gone to get the problem to happen and they had it happen 4 times and the 5th time they attempted to start the car the battery was completely dead!!!!! So from my vacation I got to call the dealership and tell them the problem, then I got to call and arrange for a tow truck to come and get our car out of our garage while we are gone, so had to arrange for friends to be there at 7am. Got home from the airport and the dealership was suppose to have a rental car for us at the airport and they failed to do that. So we had to call the dealership and get the rental car taken care of ourselves just to get home from vacation!Then back to the dealership the next day to get car. So far the car has been back 5 times for the same problem. See next post!!