Problems with 2005 Honda Pilot POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle shuttered while accelerating. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

Won't go into second gear. *tr

While driving the vehicle, it lost power even with applying a lot of pressure to the gas pedal. immediately pulled over. turned vehicle off and back on - could not shift it into drive. check transmission fluid - extremely low. vehicle had just been service at dealer 1-2 weeks prior to this incident. added transmission fluid - vehicle would shift into drive but not d3, d2, etc. drove to hotel nearby. next morning checked fluid - again, extremely low then noticed chocolate milk substance spewing from reservoir near radiator/washer fluid reservoir. immediate called dealer, had it towed and just learned that the transmission and radiator are both completely ruined. this seems completely unreasonable for under 145,000, especially given the other complaints of this nature that i've seen on line. thank you. *tr

2005 honda pilot with 58,000 miles has transmission shutter at 25 to 40 mph under light throttle. has had all services done with factory fluids and filters since i bought the vehicle new. looking at the searches some say it's torque converter and other have replaced complete transmission. dealer told me the other day pilots don't have these problems but the odyssey have the issue. so i asked how much to fix the problem and he said $ 2000.00 . well i am glad that i bought the factory extended warranty and have a year left of warranty an i am making a appt, to have it repaired before the warranty runs out. honda should recall the transmissions like they did on the acura mdx since they both have the same power train. *tr

The vehicle in question, a 2005 honda pilot ex shudders at or between 35 to 40 mph.it has almost cost me to lose control and possibly my life. this is a "known" torque converter problem to honda,yet they refuse to address their negligence. *tr sudden,unexpected braking,without brake application is terrifying and also due to manufacturing defects. the steering controls often veer to the right without any apparent cause.

Transmission shutters at approx 30 mph

Intermittent transmission failure causing vehicle to loose acceleration at low to medium speeds. ongoing issue after repairs have been completed. first incident at 93,000 miles and intermittent problem continues at 112,000 miles after 3 repairs. internet search shows thousands of complaints of unsafe transmission issues on 2005 honda pilots yet honda motors refuses to admit design flaw. acura mdx with exact same drive train as the honda pilot has been recalled for the same issues being experienced by pilot owners yet honda motors will not do a recall on this issue. this is a widespread unsafe issue with these vehicles that is oviously caused by an design flaw as honda corrected the design in the 2006 models. honda should be made to take resonsibility for their defects. *tr

Transmission would not engage into reverse, notice a pink-brown fluid in the driveway. had pilot towed to dealership where pilot was bought & serviced. informed transmission cooling lines in radiator had disintegrated, causing transmission fluid to leak into radiator & radiator fluid into the transmission. when asked how this could happen to a 6 yr old pilot with only 59 k mileage no one had the answer. recommendation was new radiator & 2 transmission flushes, cost $906.29. i asked for some kind of assistance with the cost of the repair, because of the year, mileage & all schedule services were performed @ the dealership. here comes the alabama shim-sham. i was informed to call honda of n america. honda offered me $300 towards the repair cost,i said the offer was unacceptable, they offered $450, that was unacceptable. a few days later honda called back offering 400, i asked what happen to the 450 offer, they offered 450 again. i informed honda i needed an offer of 600, they agreed, i'm waiting for the check in the mail. 4 days after i took the pilot from the dealer repair shop the transmission went. dealer informed me replacement cost would be $5200. informed dealer i should not be charged because disintegrated transmission cooling lines caused the transmission problem. here comes the alabama shim-sham again. dealer & honda would pay $2500, i was to pay remaining cost $2700. i informed them that the offer is unacceptable. dealing with honda & dealer they stated the new cost to me would be $500, i informed both i need a better offer than that, the next offer was for me to pay $250, i accepted that offer. honda has a problem with the 05 pilot transmissions & transmission cooling lines. they know it but won't admit it. transmission cooling lines are disintegrating @ the 5 - 6 year mark regardless of the mileage. something needs to be look at for the reason why. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contacted was driving 30 mph when the vehicle started shaking as the gears were shifted into a higher gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was then taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and advised that the torque converter was defective. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised the contact to take the vehicle toa second dealer for further inspection. the vehicle had not yet been repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 122,000.

My 05 pilot shudders during acceleration between 35-40 mph. this is a widely known problem, honda needs to be held responsible. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. the contact stated that while driving 38 mph, the vehicle began to shake and became hesitant when shifting between gears. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be flushed. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the vehicle was returned to the mechanic, who informed the contact that the rotors were warped and would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was then informed that the torque converter would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

2005 honda pilot. shuddered & vibrated at 40 mph starting at around 70-75k miles. determined that it was a defective torque converter known to honda but no recall. issue led to complete transmission failure on highway and replacement of entire transmission, torque converter . *tr

I have a shuttering noise when i accelerate between 30-40 mph. i complained about this to the dealer prior to expiration of the extended warranty, when i took it in for a window switch problem. they told me they did not hear any noise. to my dismay, the problem progressed and became worse, so now after the expiration of the extended warranty (8/8/11), took it back to the dealer and said it was the torque converter on the transmission. they stated they can fix it for over $5000.00 even though i complained about it previously. their are many complaints about this online, i have since found over 300 complaints about this issue with the honda pilots and honda is aware of the issue but does not want to help fix this problem. apparently, honda tried to cut costs and put a transmission in that could not accommodate the weight and size of the vehicle - this is coming from 3 different mechanics and a junk yard owner. also the parts are so hard to come by if you try to get done cheaper by an outside mechanic. the honda dealers are the only ones who are able to get the parts faster. thus creating a monopoly. i have researched this thoroughly and you too can find a lot of dissatisfied owners that had or having the exact same issue with honda. please look into this. we should not have to pay for this problem with so many people having the same issue. thank you. *tt

Bought a 2005 honda pilot based on past historical high reliability reviews of honda vehicles. very disappointed. around 75000 miles, vehicle began to shudder like driving over a washboard road when lightly accelerating 30-40 mph. first thought out of balance tire, rebalanced tires. still didn't solve problem, bought new tires, rebalanced and aligned. problem still existed. began to research online and very disappointed to find this is a very common problem with the tranny, torque converter, and/or transmission coolant failure. took to dealer, diagnosed as bad torque converter, $2000. dealer does not plan to cover, i plan on taking up with nhtsa and honda america. *tt

Its a known issue transmission has problems in 2005 honda pilots, causes a real bad shudder. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. while stopped at a traffic stop, the contact depressed the accelerator and the engine exhibited an abnormal increase in rpms. the failure was sporadic and would also occur when in reverse. the vehicle would not respond to acceleration attempts. after several moments, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the mechanic for diagnostics. the mechanic advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

Engine light came on. dealer determined that transmission is bad and needs to be replaced. honda offered a discount, but not a free replacement as in the previous model year for over one million vehicles, even though it is exactly the same unit.

This vehicle sputters when the speed is between 35-40 mph. *tr

I have a 2005 honda pilot with 57,000 miles on it that i just recently bought. i am having concerns about the torque converter i have been researching about. my car will accelerate in the 32-45 mph window and then the rpm needle will jump back down to a lower rpm. alot of the jumping needle is happening. the car will shudder at these speeds and will feel as if the transmission is letting up when i get to these speeds, hence the rpm needle coming back down. the car has already gone in for work on the relay switch which was shorting the car out briefly when i was driving. *tr

Shudder in transmission; torque converter problem. this occurs at 1500 to 2000 rpm and around 35 to 40 mph. honda dealer wanted $4500 to replace both the torque converter and transmission. *tr

Transmission shuddering between 35 mph - 40 mph on level grade roads. not apparent under moderate or heavy acceleration or on uphill grades. transmission mechanic confirms torque converter failing - typical honda suv & van problem he sees all the time. no recall from honda, vehicle mileage is 85,000. *tr

Driving along and close to home felt a pop and noted the temp gauge in hot range of my 2005 honda pilot. i have 77,565 miles on it. in my driveway noted a gray liquid under front right side of vehicle. on inspecting in engine area noted the gray liquid overflowing from rad overflow container. oil level ok but noted no tranny fluid in it. towed to service station. it was determined that the transmission cooler located in the radiator had failed, mixing up the fluids. total cost $1900 with multi flush. i had coverage of transmission in effect but honda said not part of transmission. i have attorney now working on this case for me. the transmission has been shifting poorly before and now worse. took to honda dealer to check out. they said no problem that they noticed. with only a few weeks left on the warranty i took it to a professional tranny center and paid $50 for a diagnostic. the report noted an internal failed in the transmission and a need to replace or rebuild unit. back to the honda dealer with the report. they looked more closely and agreed that the transmission needs replacement. under honda care they replaced with a rebuilt unit. my case with honda paying me back for the initial repair is still being handled by my attorney. i feel that the transmission cooler is an important part of the transmission unit. no one at honda is able to tell me if my rebuilt is under any kind of extended coverage. still waiting to hear from the dealer. *tr

2005 honda pilot - transmission vibration honda pilot has only 55,000 miles and the transmission vibrates at about 25 to 35 mph with a kind of puffing sound. at 50 to 60 mph it is a much harder vibration. *tr

My 2005 honda pilot experiences a shudder when applying light acceleration between 35-40 mph, i have done extensive research and have found many more consumers that have reported the same problem and have found that honda is to blame for installing faulty torque converters. *tr

2005 honda pilot stutters, vibrations, and has flashing "d" (drive) light on. possible torque converter and/or transmission issues. *tr

Our 2005 honda pilot shudders! it has gotten worse over the last six months and we are extremely concerned about our safety while driving. we have taken the pilot to the honda dealer and also to our own private mechanic and no one has been able to help us. *tr

Car shutters or vibrates around 25-35 miles per hour during normal acceleration. it appears that that tires are out of alignment, but after taking my car in for a tire balance and alignment it was determined to be the transmission. it happens whether the car is cold or warm. i was told that the torque converter could fix the vibrations, but the design flaw is with the whole transmission. this started at around 72,600 miles on the vehicle, and has progressively gotten worse. it has only been a month, but after doing some research i found this to be a common design flaw with the 2005 pilot. my local service department was able to negotiate 75% coverage of the approximately $3,300 repair bill by honda to replace my transmission even though it is out of warranty. i feel it should be 100% and plan on pursuing this issue with honda of america. i was told honda wouldn't cover anything after 75,000 miles. i feel honda needs to step up and own this well documented issue, but it is cheaper to deal with the one off complaints than admit fault and issue a recall.

At speeds of 35-40 mph under light throttle there is a shudder. letting my foot off the accelerator and stomping back on it sometimes helps make it go away. it seems to be worse on inclines where the throttle is under load at the described speed. there is a hill in my neighborhood that it repeats almost every trip. it almost feels like the pavement is rutted perpendicular to traffic but doesn't happen in other cars. it also returns around 70-75 mph. i thought it was out of balance of tires but i have had an alignment done and asked the mechanic to look into the suspension to see if there was any play. he said there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. i have also taken it to a local repair shop which i trust and they drove it, inspected it from underneath and they too couldn't figure out the problem and chalked it up to out of balance tires. my pilot has been through 3 sets of tires since i've had it and the problem is exactly the same with every set of tires. i have used bridgestone, yokohama, and kumho tires trying to rule out brands. *tr

Vehicle engine started to shake (vibrating) more than normal. when the vehicle reached between 35 to 45 mph. once i pass 45 mph, the engine would stop shake. *tr

Vehicle has noticeable shimmering/shuttering between 30-50 mph, noticed over a year ago. soon after the drive indicator light would flash intermittently, although both seem transmission related, they did not seem to correlate. over time the shimmering/shuttering seems to be more frequent and pronounced and the drive indicator seems to blink more frequently. after researching on the internet, it does not appear to be an isolated incident as there are many other 2005 honda pilots with similar symptoms at different stages of transmission 'failure' or complete failure. have not seen a formal release from honda (like with acura mdx issue which sounds too similar), but like with the tsb on the mdx, many problems seem to be resolved with replacement of torque converter or complete transmission. i don't expect any sympathy from honda so i am going to have our pilot diagnosed and repaired by a private mechanic (honda service is way too expensive) but wanted to file a formal complaint on this issue in the hopes that if it becomes big enough maybe others will benefit from honda having to get involved at some point.

2005 honda pilot shudders when accelerating between 20 and 50 mph. problem ceases if accelerator is depressed or released. *tr

My 2005 honda pilot shudders and vibrates when accelerating around 35-40. once i get slightly past this speed range the vibration stops. *tr

I have a 2005 honda pilot with 118k miles. the car seemed to be running fine. i commute about 40 miles to work so today when i got to work i noticed the fan was still running. when i stepped out of the vehicle it was heavily leaking a substance that looked like chocolate milk. i had the car towed to a body shop and they informed me that the radiator pumped fluids into my transmission and now i need a new radiator and transmission. after researching online this seems to be a major issue with honda's. seems way too early to have such an issue. *tr

We went to camping trip and heard some grinding sound while i was driving this vehicle very low speed in camping ground. it has less than 50k at that time. then felt shudder while i was pressing gas pedal lightly to speed up. i thought it was caused by bumpy camp site road but it happened again on my routine commute road which i knew well there's no bumpy road condition. most of time, it happens between 35 and 40 mph or shift gear from 4th to o.d. now it has appx 63000 miles on it and honda america denied or not acknowledge this problem at all. *tr

My 2005 honda pilot began shuddering about four months ago. i took it to the dealer and they told me it was the torch converter. they said it was an internal malfunction and the whole entire transmission will need to be replaced. my pilot has 122,000 miles. i have researched the issue and i see it is a common problem in 2005 honda pilots. my mechanic is rebuilding my transmission for $2900. i feel that honda should claim responsibility for the faulty transmission. *tr

The transmission shudder before the gear shifts under a moderate acceleration. sometimes this occurs in the 30 mph range and sometimes it occurs during higher speed shifts such as 60 mph. if i keep my foot on the accelerator the shuddering will continue until i either press the accelerator harder or i let off entirely. it also occurs if i have the cruise control on which really worries me. *tr

There has been a definite shudder in the car between the speeds of 20 -40mph. if you accelerate - the shudder goes away - if you don't - it becomes more aggressive. because of this shudder - i now hear some sort of knocking in the car at the same speeds - which also goes away once you accelerate. this is also now responsible for a noticeable imbalance of the steering wheel between those speeds. i have a honda pilot ex 2005. honda does not have a recall / service bulletin for this. *tr

2005 honda pilot radiator coil failed causing fluids to mix and transmission to fail. repair shop indicated that radiator had prematurely deteriorated causing failure. had a new radiator installed at $500- system flushed multiple times....just about a month later- radiator failed again. replaced but vehicle is still not running well. at @40 mph vehicle seems to randomly "rev and stick"- let off gas and it passes. *tr

Blinking 'd' light and once car is turned off, the blinking stops. this problem first occurred when we were driving back from lancaster, ca to san diego. the low fuel light went on and shortly thereafter, the blinking 'd' light. we pulled off the interstate and put some gas in the vehicle. the blinking d light did not appear again for two weeks. i took into my independent who could not duplicate the problem. the problem appeared this week and took in to my independent while it was still running and they were able to scan p0872. the car had just 62,232 miles on it and advised i take to the dealer. the dealer could not duplicate the problem. i took back to dealership where i bought the vehicle and gave them all the information from the independent and from this site. they were able to look up the dtc troubleshooting from american honda and replaced the 4th gear pressure switch, cleared code and reset the light. i was reassured that this is electrical and not mechanical. it could lead to damage to the internals of the transmission, if the switch is not replaced in a timely manner. *tr

I was driving my wife and three kids when our 2005 honda pilot's transmission stopped functioning. we were nearly rear-ended 3 times on a 40 mph speed limit street, before i was able to get the car and my family pushed to a side street. our car was towed to a dealer and we were told that the issue was due to the interior of the radiator disentegrating and then metal parts leaked into the transmission. we've taken meticulous care of the care and had all service performed at the dealer. in fact, we had the radiator flushed just 5 months ago and only 9,500 miles ago.

2/24/10. 2005 honda pilot ex with 107k miles. have a blinking "d" light after driving for a few minutes. the light stops blinking when i cut off the car and turn it back on, but then it returns. today is the 1st day that this has occurred. owner?s manual notes that the blinking "d" light indicates a transmission problem. i called the dealership (economy honda-chattanooga, tn) who said that this is a common problem and may just be a bad transmission sensor which will cost me abt $350 and 2 hrs of my time. however, it could also mean that my transmission is failing prematurely. this is ridiculous as last month i spent over $1k to get the $105k mile maint and have always kept up with required maint. if this problem is so common- why has no recall been issued? in looking at other online complaints, the same issue occurs with the 2003-2004 pilots. i have an apt with the dealership tomorrow to address this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 honda pilot. while driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle began to vibrate and shudder. once the consumer accelerated up to approximately 40 mph the failure stopped. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle traveled at a speed of approximately 35 mph. an authorized dealer was notified and informed the contact that the failure was caused by the torque converter. the contact was also told that the software for the transmission needed to be adjusted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 125,000 and the current mileage is 159,000. updated 03/08/11 *bf updated 03/09/11

My 2005 honda pilot shudders/vibrates (feels like the transmission is having problems) between 25-55 mphs while accelerating. this problem began around 90,000 miles and has gotten worse since reaching 112,000 miles. *tr

Cvt failure. please see csc-10024235-7187.pdf. more widespread problem than originally thought. many customers just "nursed along" to get past extended warranty. appropriate, effective, and prescribed remedies are not applied (iaw with above reference). appears honda is not providing a safe remedy for this safety-related problem. car frequently stalls, just when the driver is attempting to accelerate. less than one hour on the internet (various blogs) revealed well over 100 pages of dissatisfied owners regarding this problem. attempts to persuade honda to resolve this vexing problem fell on deaf ears at honda.*jb

2005 honda pilot has torque converter shutter/vibration between 35-40 mph. this issue has been addressed on the acura mdx, 2003-2004 models, and the torque converter is being replaced at no charge. see acura service bulletin 06-003. the honda and the acura have the same parts! should be investigated before this becomes a life or death matter! *tr

I started noticing a vibration at 34 to 45 mph. it was definitely caused by a malfunction under the hood. it causes my 2005 honda pilot to vibrate, shudder and hesitate at that speed. i have to take my foot off of the accelerator pedal before it will stop. it happens continuously at that speed. *tr

Transmission failed and needed to be replaced. 2005 honda pilot has had numerous similar complaints as well as recalls on their 2003 and 2004 models. called american honda and they never returned phone calls. this was my 5th honda vehicle and i would think they would at least contact me to discuss the problem rather than ignore it entirely. *tr

Vibration on transmission while driving at 35-40 mph. *tr

My honda pilot 2005 shudders at about 35-50 mph speeds. the shuddering lasts for about 10-15 seconds. the shuddering goes away by either increasing or decreasing the speed. this problem has been happening for a few years. today i am sitting at the honda dealership and i complained about the shuddering and the honda technician mentioned that the torque converter might be the problem. i researched on this site and there are complaints for this issue. i was wondering what could be done about it. thanks *tr

While accelerating between 35-45 mph, my vehicle shudders. this is a continuing issue. it doesn't do this every single time but at least once during the driving period. sometimes it is very noticeable and other times negligible.