There are 10 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2009 Honda Pilotin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WE HAVE LEARNED FROM OTHER Honda Pilot OWNERS AS WELL FROM THE DEALER THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS A VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY COMMON ISSUE. IT WILL COST OVER $6,000 TO FIX. THAT IS CORRECT, OVER $ 6,000 !!!!!!!! WE HOPE THE US GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE ACTION. WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT HONDA IS WELL AWARE OF FOR YEARS NOW. PLEASE HELP US COMMON FOLK THANK YOU
I HAD JUST BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE, AND ONLY HAD IT 3 DAYS WHEN IT BEGIN TO IDLE HIGH AND IT SEEMED AS IF THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL WHILE I WAS DRIVING BUT IT WASN'T. THEN THE D LIGHT BEGAN TO BLINK AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I STOPPED AT A CAR REPAIR PLACE TURNED THE CAR OFF, AND WHEN THE PERSON GOT IN AND TURNED THE CAR BACK ON IT WAS LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN IT STARTED ACTING UP AGAIN, BUT AS SOON AS THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN IT ACTS NORMAL FOR A FEW. I WASN'T DOING NOTHING BUT DRIVING AT THE TIME AT A SPEED UNDER 60MPH. WHEN I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY GOING OVER 60MPH IT DIDN'T DO IT AT ALL.
SHUDDERING AT 40 AND 60 MPH
VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT (VCM) EXCESS OIL CONSUMPTION, WHICH HAS PROMPT TO AN ENGINE LIGHT "P3497 CYLINDER DEACTIVATION SYSTEM BANK 2" I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER, AND I AM WAITING FOR A RESOLUTION/S. THE CAR IS A THE DEALERSHIP AS I AM WRITING THIS... I WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS I KNOW MORE. THANKS.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. STARTED BACK IN BEGINNING OF AUGUST 2016. JUST CHECKING OIL AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE IN THERE. SO ADDED 3 QUARTS. I REMEMBERED THAT WE JUST RECENTLY HAD THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TOO. ANYWAY, I CHECKED IT AGAIN TWO WEEKS LATER AND HAD TO ADD ANOTHER QUART. THIS OCCURRED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS. NOW WE BROUGHT IT IN TO THE DEALER WE BOUGHT THE CAR FROM. NOW THEY HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO US OVER THE YEARS, BUT TOLD US THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS BURNING OIL. I LOOKED UP ON LINE AND FOUND A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. I THOUGHT GREAT I AM COVERED! LAWSUIT MENTIONS MY EXACT CAR TOO! WELL WHEN I CALLED THEY SAID I WAS NOT! I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I AM NOT COVERED! SAME PROBLEM, SAME YEAR, MAKE, MODEL, ENGINE, EVERYTHING! I AM LOST AT HOW THIS CAN HAPPEN.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. 170K MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. NOTICED APPROXIMATELY 30K MILES AGO THAT I NEEDED TO ADD OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, WHICH I ALWAYS GET EVERY 3500-4000 MILES. USUALLY TAKES LESS THAN 1 QUART. MOST RECENTLY, TOOK 2+ QUARTS. HONDA ADVISES THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL AND NO REPAIR IS NECESSARY - JUST CONTINUE TO ADD OIL AS NEEDED. SEEMS ABSURD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION COOLER PIECE FRACTURED INTERNALLY, WHICH CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK INTO THE RADIATOR WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. UPDATED 12/01/15*LJ
TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDER OR VIBRATION BETWEEN 35-40 MPH. *TR
PULLED 2009 PILOT INTO MY SLOPPING DRIVEWAY I PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND ENGINE RUNNING. NOTING REAR CAMERA WAS DISENGAGED. MY HUSBAD AND INFANT IN HIS ARMS WERE 5 FEET AWAY FROM THE REAR SUV. ONCE THE REVERSE LIGHT CAME OFF HE WENT WALKED BEHIND THE TO FRONT OF PASSENGER DOOR. I OPENED THE DOOR OF THE CAR AND SPOKE TO MY HUSBAND WHO WAS STANDING INFRONT OF DRIVER SIDE DOOR. I OPENED DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND WE SPOKE BRIEFLY WHILE DOOR WAS OPEN AND CAR INPAR ENGINE ON. I LEANED INTO THE CENTER CONSOLE TO GRAB COFFE AND I FELT THE CAR ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND INTO THE ROAD CAUSING ME TO BE TRAPPED BETWEEN DOOR AND THE DRIVER SIDE FRAME. IT DRAGGED ME INTO THE STREET. I HELD ON TO THE STEERING FEARING I WAS GOING TO BE RUN OVER. THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR GOT CAUGHT ON THE A METAL FENCE SLOWING THE CAR DOWN WHERE I COULD FINALLY STAND UP AND RIP KEYS OUT WHILE ENGINE STILL ENGAGED RUNNING. *TR
DISCOVERED MASSIVE WEEPING OF TRANSMISSION FLUID FROM THE CASE AFTER 3700 MILES. AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 9 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026