2021 Honda Passport Engine Problems

During an oil change my magnetic drain plug was caked with magnetic gray material with specks of silver flake in it. This oil change has 6142 miles on it. I am concerned because my passport was built in Sept of 2020 right at the transition of the previously recalled j35 motors were produced. Car has been serviced at the Honda dealer since new except last 2 oil changes which were performed by me.

Auto idle malfunctioned. At a stop light the engine turned off and it took 5 minutes to restart the engine. No warning lights or messages appeared before it happened. Had the PGM-Fl Idle stop software update done 9/16/23 at 17,582 miles. Took to dealer they could not re create , the car has 46,359 miles now. This is 2nd vehicle this has happened to me , other vehicle same exact auto idle problem started at 60,000 and I drove it for 13,000 miles experiencing stalling out at lights and in stop and go traffic for over a year ( very dangerous and scary experience ) I took it to 2 different Honda dealers numerous times before they finally replaced starter assembly , starter relays and adjusted the valves per the March 2023 warranty extension notice .

During a normal drive we came to a stoplight, seconds after stopping, an emissions alert displayed along with transmission and VSA (I think). Upon seeing these codes I began to drive into a gas station and the vehicle barely moved with little power. We were able to park about 40 feet away and the vehicle would not move any further. This sounds similar to the existing recall but this model year is not included. I had to have the vehicle towed.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing in cylinder #3, resulting in damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 73,000.

While at a stop light, there was an engine start failure that caused the vehicle not to restart. It took me approximately 5 minutes to get it to start again.

I purchased a 2021 Passport this week with 22k miles. Test drive was great, but the next day I noticed a knocking sound coming from the engine at low rpm on a warm engine. I took back to the dealer twice and they told me it was normal… I took it to another Honda and they diagnosed crank bearing knock. I just purchased this car with low miles and it has engine problems which is very scary. Maintenance records are great. I’ve been reading forums and this problem is very common with these engines. A lot of people have been told it was normal, but it is not. It’s very scary and dangerous to find out I bought a defective engine. I have a video of the knocking sound.

Engine Restart failure. Vehicle approached intersection, came to complete start and engine stopped. Vehicle would not restart when I lifted foot off of brake pedal. I had to shut vehicle off, waited a few minutes and restarted it again. Vehicle's Auto Idle Stop system was activate at time. on 12/11/2024 reported incident to NuCar Honda, Norwood, MA. They were unable to duplicate issue.

Engine knocking noise that related to recent Honda crankshaft recalls of certain V6 engines. with 22k miles Honda did replace on main crankshaft bearing to to premature wear on my multiple complains on engine knocking noise that clearly audible between 11 to 17 k RPM. After main bearing replacement the noise is audible so the parts that cause it are still working in this engine. It is super unsafe to have catastrophic failure of an engine on highway or in the mountains with no cellular connection.

I am writing to make you aware of an alarming incident that happened with our 2021 Honda Passport this fall. My wife backed out of the garage and was in our driveway when the vehicle engine suddenly turned off and a message appeared on the entertainment display. It said that the antitheft system had lost power and that the power button needed to be pushed to restore it. She finally got the car to start by pushing the “volume” button, NOT the power (engine on/off) button. The message disappeared. If this would have happened while actually on the road, there could have been serious consequences. Can you image your vehicle suddenly shutting off on a highway? About a two months later, I also received the same message when driving through my subdivision, but the engine did not shut off. I immediately took the vehicle a local Honda dealer who tested the battery (the original battery – just about to turn two years old) and found that it needed to be replaced. There was no indication that it was going bad prior to these incidents. As I stated earlier, it is the first scenario that is a red flag. Why did the engine shut off? Have other Passport or Honda owners had a similar experience? I thought you should know what happened to us.

Was nudging Passport into a handicap parking spot at local grocery store. The Passport suddenly the engine raced to full throttle. The brake couldn't stop car as it hit the handicap pole and airbag deployed. The pole Passport to go to the right and ended up on a parking island. The idle went down and after smoke inside car cleared was able to stop engine. The Passport was towed away with extensive front end damage and minor property damage.