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2004 Honda Pilot transmission is junk!

9 messages,  Last post on May 27, 2011 at 6:21 AM

You are in the Honda Pilot Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Pilot, Safe Driving, SUV

Messages Page 2 of 2

#4 of 9 RE: 2004 Honda Pilot transmission is junk! [proudmom0507] by becktrader

Oct 09, 2010 (12:50 pm)

Replying to: proudmom0507 (Aug 04, 2010 8:41 am)
I'm in the same boat...purchased a 2004 Pilot two months ago from a non-Honda dealer.
 
Two weeks later, I got the blinking "D" indicator and paid $170 to get the 4th gear pressure switch (a known defective part prone to failure) replaced.
 
Two weeks after that, I got the check engine light and dreaded PO740 "TC clutch failure" code. Exactly the same issue as yours -- torque converter failing, will eventually send little bits of material into the gears/clutches and destroy the transmission.
 
The problem(s) are that Honda (a) will not rebuild the transmission at the dealer. They just charge you $2957 for a remanufactured one and keep your transmission case (which is a $1500 part in and of itself).
 
If you're an original owner, Honda corporate has the authority to offer 50% off on parts and labor. They tend to do this only if you purchased the vehicle from one of their dealers (I did not) or the vehicle has a history of lots of repairs (mine has a clean history, which is why I bought it).
 
If you read the P30 recall carefully, there were TWO remedies -- the oil jet you got (Band-Aid to a design flaw) and replacement of the tranny. Gee, I wonder how many folks got the $4000 repair (heart surgery) and how many got the oil jet (Band-Aid).
 
BTW, I asked my service manager about the oil jet -- the techs hate them because the pressure is so high that it makes reconnecting them and filling a rebuilt tranny much more difficult. He seemed to have a low opinion of the effectiveness of that part.
 
I have gone back and forth with Honda corporate (was also told I would get no relief, among other outrageous things) and grovelling with my dealer and DPSM (District Parts and Service Manager). Of course, no last name or contact info is given to the almighty Eric of District J. It's all me having to call and re-explain my issue.
 
In the end-all be-all, I'll probably be out $3200 plus about $300 in rental car bills plus the initial $170 sensor repair which turned out to be unneccessary. Not a good way to introduce one to the world of owning Hondas!

#5 of 9 Oil Jet by shodanusmc

Oct 10, 2010 (7:21 am)

I had the Jet installed in my 2003 Pilot, drove it for 5 more years and never had a problem. That Pilot may have been the best vehicle I have ever owned as far as reliability. It had 2 recalls, a window regulatior, and oil changes and maint according to the manual. Ran great in the snow, could carry a lot of great, got decent gas mileage, and always got us from point A to point B.

#6 of 9 Re: 2004 Honda Pilot transmission is junk! [proudmom0507] by pudgey

Oct 15, 2010 (7:00 am)

Replying to: proudmom0507 (Aug 04, 2010 8:41 am)
Hello,
 
My 2003 pilot had the same problem and it was exactly to your story! My transmision failed at100,000 miles and there was a recall that honda claimed they fixed???????????? Honda wanted to charge me 5,000 to fix the trany I cant afford this money! Do you know of anything we can do to hold honda accountable? I am willing to try anything? I am proud to say i will never buy a honda again!
 
Chris

#7 of 9 Re: 2004 Honda Pilot transmission is junk! [pudgey] by blackdragon1

Nov 18, 2010 (12:07 pm)

Replying to: pudgey (Oct 15, 2010 7:00 am)
Lots of other posts/discussions along the same lines:
 
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1155f7/219!keywords=#MSG219
 
http://www.piloteers.org/forums/14-problems/26886-sporadic-vibration-low-speeds-- 2.html
 
http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/03/honda-odyssey-owners-report-transmission-tro- ubles-inconsistent-response-from-maker.html
 
Most people are in disbelief (like myself) that this could be a defect with the Pilot (and MDX and Odyssey) transmissions. I was just recommending the Pilot to a friend over the past weekend and claimed that it was our best purchase ever (vehicle or otherwise). Our only recourse might be to take whatever Honda will do (cover 50% in my case), and submit a complaint as suggested in this post:
 
kpsmith999, "Honda Pilot Transmission Problems" #177, 22 Jul 2010 5:55 pm#MSG176
 
Please take the time to do so, it took me about 10 min and you need your VIN information.

#8 of 9 Re: 2004 Honda Pilot transmission is junk! [blackdragon1] by blackdragon1

Nov 20, 2010 (9:24 am)

Replying to: blackdragon1 (Nov 18, 2010 12:07 pm)
So American Honda will cover some of my costs for replacing the tranny. The bloated estimate from the dealer is $4350 for a rebuilt tranny replacement. Honda basically wants me to pay half. Should I be excited about this? There's no arguing with the customer service guy, he's got his script down pat saying that I am out of warranty and that since it lasted 1/2 its usable life, I should be happy to pay 1/2 for it. I about wanted to reach through the phone and wring his neck. I absoolutely would have bought another SUV if I had known that this thing would have issues starting at 70k. I think I could have easily purchased a domestic SUV for $3k/$4k less and gotten more miles out of it.
 
Anyone have thoughts on getting Honda to pay more for it? I wouldn't mind paying for labor, but they need to at least throw in the tranny instead of covering all their costs and just removing their 50% markup on parts and labor...

#9 of 9 2005 Honda Pilot- Same tranny problem as everyone else! by jtsibes

May 27, 2011 (6:21 am)

I just picked up my 2005 Pilot from the garage after paying a $4,727.85 bill for a new transmission. I too, had problems around 70k miles or so with the shuddering around 40 mph- couldn't recreate the issue for the garage so I kept on driving it...shifting ended up rough and check engine light came on so in it went again. Googled it- and low an behold- there's an entire large group of people with the same problem (MDX & Pilots). Honda knows that they have a defective torque converter causign transmissions to fail. My mechanic tried to prolong then enevitable-new transmission but when it failed failed on the the highway last week there was no saving it (thank you AAA-my mom was right). I opted for a Jasper Tranny since I did not want to take any chances with a rebuilt Honda one. It was slightly more but guaranteed (3 yrs- 100k miles). Note that I am the second owner and have maintained all service. First owner was a lease and also maintained.
 
I'm preparing to write to Honda- anyone that's had success can you let me know what did the trick? I'd love the entire bill picked up but I think I may be too optimistic.

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