2012 Honda Pilot

YESTERDAY (AUGUST 13TH) I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET ABOUT 45 MPH AND MY 2012 HONDA PILOT'S DASHBOARD WENT COMPLETELY DARK AND THE SPEED WENT FROM APPROX 45 MPH TO ZERO IN A MATTER OF SECONDS . I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AT THE TIME WITH CARS ZIPPING BY ME AT MUCH FASTER SPEEDS AND I HAD TO "COAST " TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BUT IT DID COME TO A STOP. NOTE: THE RADIO STILL PLAYED . I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION SWITCH , TURNED IT IMMEDIATELY BACK ON AND THE CAR STARTED . I DROVE ON US INTERSTATE 85 FOR 20 MORE MINUTES DIRECTLY TO THE HONDA PLACE THAT SERVICES OUR VEHICLE .THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT NO CODES HAVE SHOWED ANYTHING SO FAR AND HAVE KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO SEE IF THEY CAN REPLICATE THE INCIDENT . MY CONCERN OBVIOUSLY IS THAT THEY WILL FIND NOTHING AND I WILL BE BACK ON THE ROAD NERVOUS THAT IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. AFTER READING MANY SITES ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MANY MODEL YEARS OF HONDA PILOT , EVEN BRAND NEW ONES , IT MAKES ME WONDER IF HONDA HAS REALLY LOOKED INTO THIS . OUR FAMILY HAS OWNED MANY HONDAS FOR MANY YEARS WITHOUT EVER ENCOUNTERING ANYTHING LIKE THIS . I DON'T WANT TO GO PICK MY CAR UP TODAY AND HEAR " COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG " . I DRIVE GRANDCHILDREN IN THIS CAR ! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND FROM THE BLOGS ON THE INTERNET IT SEEMS HONDA NEEDS TO SERIOUSLY FIND THE PROBLEM BEFORE PEOPLE DIE . I PLEAD WITH THE POWERS TO BE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE DEATHS OCCUR. NOTE: SO FAR THE TECHNICIANS AT OUR HONDA DEALERSHIP ACT CLUELESS ABOUT THIS AND OTHERS ONLINE HAVE TAKEN THEIR CARS BACK TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH NO REAL SOLOUTION. YOU HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT ...NOW STAND BEHIND IT, PLEASE.

THE GASKET ON THE SPOOL VALVE ON OLDER HONDA PILOTS IS KNOWN TO FAIL. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN OIL LEAKING ONTO THE ALTERNATOR WHICH FILL CAUSE THE ALTERNATOR TO EVENTUALLY FAIL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THIS RECENTLY TO MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. OIL LEAKING FROM THE SPOOL VALVE FOULED THE ALTERNATOR RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE VEHICLE INCLUDING TO THE POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING. THIS ENGINEERING FAILURE CAUSES A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECENTLY SERVICED BY HONDA FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE ISSUE WAS NOT NOTICED. AT MINIMAL, HONDA SHOULD RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF THE GASKET AS PART OF ROUTINE SERVICE AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME OR CERTAIN MILEAGE. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH IDENTIFIED THIS ISSUE WITH OLDER MODEL HONDA PILOTS.

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

THE KEYS FOR THE 2012 HONDA PILOT ARE VERY CHEAPLY MADE. OUR VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2011. AFTER TWO YEARS OF NORMAL DRIVING, THE PLASTIC KEY FOB PART OF THE KEY STARTED TO CRACK AND EVENTUALLY BROKE IN HALF. THE KEY IS NOW USELESS. REPLACEMENT KEYS ARE $200 AT THE DEALER WHICH REQUIRES AN HOUR APPOINTMENT TO PROGRAM A NEW KEY. KEYS SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, NOT TWO YEARS. *TR

FROM A DEAD STOP OR SLOW ROLL, THE ENGINE FAILS TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THERE IS A SLIGHT DELAY FROM THE PRESSING OF THE ACCELERATOR TO THE ENGINE RESPONDING, CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN TRYING TO CLEAR INTERSECTIONS, TURNING ON TO A HIGHWAY, TURNING FROM A BLIND CURVE AND MANY OTHER SITUATIONS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL NEAR CRASHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A COMPUTER UPDATE BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED, LEAVING THE VEHICLE IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION.

I PURCHASED A HONDA PILOT 2012 EX-L 4WD IN NOV 2011. SINCE DAY ONE I NOTICED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE'S A/C SYSTEM. SPECIFICALLY, I HEAR A LOUD HUMMING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN THE A/C COMPRESSOR TURNS ON. THE NOISE IS VERY ANNOYING AND WAS DISMISSED BY THE DEALER AS "NORMAL" WITHOUT DIAGNOSTIC WORKS. HAVING OWNED MANY OTHER VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS, MY EXPERIENCE TELLS ME THAT THE NOISE DEFINITELY CANNOT BE CHARACTERIZED AS "NORMAL". AFTER ONLINE RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT HONDA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAD PROMISED A SOLUTION SINCE LAST YEAR. TO DATE, OTHER PILOT OWNERS AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION FROM CORPORATE HONDA REGARDING THE FIX ON THE ISSUE. I'M HOPING THAT MORE POTENTIAL BUYERS ARE AT LEAST AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WHEN THEY COMPARE VEHICLES AND THAT HONDA HEARS OUR COLLECTIVE CONCERNS AND TAKE RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS. *TR

MY WIFE PULLED THE VEHICLE INTO OUR DRIVEWAY AND EXITED THE CAR JUST A SHE NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SHE CALLED ME OUT OF THE HOUSE TO LOOK AND I SAW THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I TRIED TO PUT IT OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT IT SPREAD TOO FAST. THE END RESULT IS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS BURNT WITH NOT MUCH LEFT. I AM ASSUMING IT WAS SOMETHING ELECTRICAL DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE INITIAL SMOKE AND THE LOCATION OF THE FIRE ORIGINS. *TR