10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,945 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.

2017 Honda Pilot drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 Honda Pilot Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #76

Oct 202023

Pilot

  • miles

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

The transmission completely broke/ went out. Honda knows this is a recurrent issue with these vehicles. The fuel injectors had already been replaced on this vehicle at 40,000 miles before Honda was admitting a defect. They are well aware there are transmission issues for the Honda Pilot but are not taking responsibility costing car owners thousands. We were left on the side of the road, needing to use insurance to cover towing. Rather than dealing with labor we sold the car at a great loss of money. This is hear say but the towing complaint reports they are towing Honda Pilots consistently these days. Honda should be held responsible.

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #75

Oct 042022

Pilot

  • 108,877 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle jerked significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred on the second attempt to reverse. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence, where the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, but the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,877.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #74

Jul 212023

Pilot

  • miles
Driving on an 4-lane each direction highway at 70 MPH, the Honda Pilot stopped accelerating and a warning light came on stating there is a transmission problem. With my wife and 4 children inside the vehicle, I had to cross 3 lanes of a very busy highway to pull over without having any propulsion from the gas pedal. We were stranded 1/2 mile before the exit for the Charlotte, NC airport. It's an extremely busy exit with trucks and cars constantly passing nearby the vehicle at 70 to 80 MPH. The SUV was towed to a Honda dealership who told us the vehicle needs a new transmission for $8,000. There was absolutely no prior warnings or lights indicating this problem. We filed a claim with Honda corporate, but haven't received a response yet after 1 week.

- Lancaster, SC, USA

problem #73

Jul 152023

Pilot

  • miles

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

The transmission temperature to high light came on as I was driving from NY to NC, I had to pull over because I was afraid the car might catch fire as I have never seen or heard of a transmission being to hot. I was on the side of the NJ turnpike and a vehicle could of crashed into me. The light went off and I continued on my journey. Then about another hour or 2 later a transmission system problem light came on. I stopped in VA and went to a Valvoline where they told me I needed transmission fluid. (I had just had an inspection done, so thought maybe there was a leak.) I continued on my way to NC as the light went off after they put fluid in the car. I was about 2 hours away from my destination in NC when the temperature to high transmission light went on again and I had to pull over on 795 again becasue I was scared. I shut the car off for a half hour on the side of the road praying no one would hit into me. I turned the car on, and the light went off and a few minutes later the transmission system problem light came on. I was afraid to get off an exit as I was unfamiliar with the area, so I drove at 55 mph in a 70-mph speed limit. I made it to Wilmington and called the Stevenson Hendrick Honda Dealership there and they could not see the car until Tuesday 7/18 the light was going on 7/15. When I brought it to the dealer the light was off. They told me my Honda Pilot that had only 49,000 miles on it needed a new transmission to the tune of $11,000. I find this to be absurd. I was able to talk them down in price and was without a car for the entire week I was in NC. I opened a case with corporate, but they won't return my phone calls. I could of died pulling off to the side of major highways with the speed the cars were traveling at. This car was just in for a recall with the hood and they did a diagnostics test and nothing showed anything about a transmission problem. It had just had an inspection. This should not have happened with only 49,000 miles.

- Pearl River , NY, USA

problem #72

Jul 212023

Pilot

  • miles
I have the automatic start and stop (idle) feature and it cuts out on me in the middle of intersections and won't allow the car to restart. I took to dealer to have software updated and they charged me and now it is starting again. Someone almost blindsided me in the intersection and I don't want someone to get killed.

- Fairfield Township, OH, USA

problem #71

May 142023

Pilot

  • miles
Torque Converter clutch slipping due to Honda 3.6L V6 VSC Vibration. Received a "Transmission System Error" warning multiple times while driving at 65MPH highway. Vehicle has less than 47,000 miles but is out of warranty due to the age of the vehicle. Dealership stated the Torque Converter needs to be replaced even though regular maintenance was performed previously. Dealership stated that the Torque Converter could go bad at any time and cause transmission issues requiring the entire thing to require replacement and is charging a lot of money for the replacement. Research shows many 3rd Generation Honda PIlot owners experiencing the same exact issue due to the VSC built into the engine and others are getting hit with costs at around the same mileage. We should not be penalized for a poorly designed or manufactured powertrain component that apparently requires replacement just after the powertrain warranty expires.

- Bridgewater, NJ, USA

problem #70

May 212023

Pilot

  • miles

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

The car had problems with automatic start/stop function. During this time the car had a transmission that failed. The automatic start/stop function was fixed by the dealership and the new transmission that was installed failed. The car is currently on its third transmission at 85,000 miles and this transmission is starting to give the car problems where the information system tells the driver there are transmission problems that are present randomly when driving. These are not currently repeatable enough for the dealership to see. The car had 3 transmissions under 88,000 miles, and is probably going to be on its fourth transmission soon. Also the honda information system does not work properly with the phone and only connects 70% of the time.

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

problem #69

Apr 132023

Pilot

  • miles
Transmission randomly makes a juddering jerking sound and hesitates while driving. Honda has flushed my transmission many times under sevice bulletin 17-014, 17-015 and the repair is short lived. Honda stops honoring the extended service bulletin after 80K. They have had this problem at least since 2016 yet the don't fix or address the issue. They merely offer free trans flushes till 80K miles and then your on your own. Many complaints of this problem on the internet yet Honda does nothing meaningful to fix the problem. My car is a 2017 Honda Pilot ex-L

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

problem #68

Apr 092023

Pilot

  • miles
Emission system problem, transmission system problem. Car frequently stops with these error messages and it stopped the acceleration during driving on a freeway. It could have caused a major accident if I had not pulled over safely.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

problem #67

Mar 252023

Pilot

  • miles
I have a 2017 Honda Pilot EX-L with a mileage of 41010 miles. I have completed all the recommended services in a timely manner by an authorized Honda Dealer. When I was driving the vehicle yesterday (3/25/2023) at a speed of around 65 mph, I got an error message saying "Transmission System Problem". There was no error code associated with it. There was no problem in the driving. But at the end of the drive, in the parking lot when I had to reverse, the backup camera will not turn on. After parking the vehicle and turning off the vehicle and restarting it, the error message went away. And then the backup camera also started to work fine. When I was driving back home, the error message came on again when the speed reached around 65 mph. I came home and searched about this error message and I came across a lot of complaints of the same nature for 2017 Honda Pilot owners. Please refer to the discussions on the following links as samples: https://is.gd/RB78A1, https://is.gd/a84e9h. Since many owners are experiencing this, I am wondering if this is a manufacturing issue. Many owners are talking about the Dealerships asking them to replace Transmission which costs around $8000 or to replace Transmission torque converter which will cost $5000. As of now my vehicle drives fine but I got exactly the same message twice at the speed of about 65 mph. I am scared to take this vehicle on to highways since my vehicle is following exactly the same pattern as that of other owners of 2017 Honda Pilot. I also saw Honda Ridgeline owners in the same year also having similar experience online. All of this make me think that this is more of a design/manufacturing problem impacting many owners and hence may be NHTSA would want to look in to this.

- Suffield, CT, USA

problem #66

Mar 142023

Pilot

  • miles

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

The autostop feature on the car fails to restart the engine. The car completely shuts down and all electrical is dead. This has happened multiple times over the course of many years. Often is takes multiple attempts to restart the vehicle while sitting in dangerous traffic situations (e.g. highway, nighttime with no lights). This is a significant safety issue. Honda has failed to fix the problem despite a new ignition switch and new battery. They don't seem to know how to fix it.

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

problem #65

Feb 152023

Pilot

  • miles
I took the car in at approximately 55,000 miles (under warranty) because I was could heard a noise coming from the transmission and the vehicle was not driving correctly. The dealer flushed the transmission and did a computer update. The DEALER paperwork stated "judder from torque converter clutch." 25K miles later (now out of warranty) I get a warning light on the dash that states " transmission problem". I take the car back to the same dealer and they tell me that the torque converter clutch is failing and it will take $4250 to fix the car. I told them it was failing 25K miles ago and you put 2 bandaid's on the car and not Im out of warranty. I did call Honda of North America and they did nothing for me.

- Chagrin Falls, OH, USA

problem #64

Feb 042019

Pilot

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer confirmed being aware of the failure; however, there was no fix for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.

- South Kingstown, RI, USA

problem #63

Dec 032019

Pilot

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was unsure which fuse the dealer stated needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #62

Sep 232022

Pilot

  • miles
I been hearing a rattling noise from the engine area for a while. I took it to Honda dealership where I bought it and they test drive a few times. They said they don't hear the noise, but when the test drive with me know the suv they hear they noise numerous times but don't know where the noise coming from. It's all over the honda bulletin customer are complaining about the same noise nothing I'd getting done about it. I opened a case with American Honda and they did nothing sbout as well. Now my transmission system problem light came on at 49000 miles and I see alot of people complaining about that as well and Honda dealership is saying it's not Honda problem. The complaints is on Honda forum and Honda sites. I think Honda should be investigated for these problems.

- S. Richmond Hill, NY, USA

problem #61

Dec 212022

Pilot

  • miles
RPM Judder from Torque Converter Lock up clutch felt while driving between 20 and 60 mph. The issue is caused by transmission fluid that overheats and deteriorates quicker than it should. It can be resolved by a vehicle software update which prevents transmission fluid from overheating and prevents the judder. A transmission warning light appears in the vehicle when the issue is experienced. This issue has been confirmed by Honda - see Honda Service Bulletin 17-014 dated 2/27/18. Honda service centers will try to blame consumers for not flushing and changing transmission fluid frequently enough due to black transmission fluid and service is not covered by most warranties since it's considered a fluid maintenance service by Honda.

- Parkton, MD, USA

problem #60

Sep 272022

Pilot 6-cyl

  • miles
Warning signs pop up when it hits 65mph on the highway. It blinks, -€œtransmission system problem-€ with warning sounds ever so often. I tried to take it to Jiffy Lube multiple times, and they could never find the problem. They checked the transmission fluid and it was okay. They ran diagnostic and nothing was found, yet, this message error appears here and there. I am not sure what else there to do but to report that it-€™s not safe.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #59

Sep 012022

Pilot

  • miles
Moving from a stationary position while driving under 10 mph the vehicle shifts from 1st gear to 2nd gear with a heavy jerk motion.

- Brooklyn , NY, USA

problem #58

May 172022

Pilot

  • miles
I have experienced several instances where the vehicle's auto stop-start system fails to restart the vehicle's engine after a stop. This has happened 2-5 times. Specifically, when the vehicle is at a full stop (with brake fully depressed), the auto stop-start system is designed to stop the engine to conserve fuel by turning the engine off. During the episodes at issue, the system works correctly to stop the system. However, when I have released the brake pedal and attempted to resume driving, the engine has failed to restart and the power system appears to fail/reset. The vehicle then requires that I attempt to restart it using the stop/start button. On at least one occasion, I had to make multiple attempts to restart the vehicle before it finally began operating again. This situation often results in the vehicle obstructing traffic for an extended period of time and creating a dangerous situation. I have begun disabling the auto stop-start system when driving the car to avoid this problem occurring.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #57

Jun 142021

Pilot

  • miles
My car completely shuts off at stop sign/red light when engine idle feature is activated. I have to put car in park and restart it. This has been an ongoing issue since summer 2021. Vehicle was evaluated at dealership with no resolve. In addition, a new cam shaft had to be installed in fall 2022, at Honda's expense.Car completely stalled while passing another (55mph)

- Sylvania, OH, USA

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