The spacious Honda Pilot is an excellent utilitarian vehicle for families looking for a decent midsize SUV. However, properly test drive the 2013 model year as it has known transmission issues like shuddering, hard shifts, and unintended acceleration.
Key Points
- The 2013 Honda Pilot has a touch over 230 complaints registered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
- Out of those complaints, roughly a quarter center around its transmission. The most notable complaints are the unintended acceleration, vehicle rollaway, hard shifts, and hesitation to accelerate.
- Complainants also stress on the five-speed automatic causing severe vehicle shudder. However, forum owners claim the transmission may not be the only culprit.
- The 2013 Honda Pilot has quite a lot of supporters. Although a few owners had transmission issues with the midsize SUV, most customers find the vehicle to work just fine.
- The 2013 Pilot is not perfect. It belongs to the second-generation, infamous for multiple airbag recalls and variable cylinder management issues.
The 2013 Honda Pilot May Unexpectedly Power Down, and Owners Report Shifter Issues, Sluggish Acceleration, and Vehicle Rollaway
The NHTSA has nearly 235 registered owner complaints, and the majority relate to powertrain and vehicle speed control issues. Roughly a quarter of the total complaints mention problems with the powertrain’s tendency to accelerate without warning, vehicle rollaway, hard shifts, and hesitation to accelerate.
One owner’s account of the 2013 Pilot’s unintended acceleration mentions the vehicle lurching forward without any input from the driver. The owner said the engine hesitates and bogs down for a few seconds, followed by a sudden power surge.
Another complainant confirmed having the shifter in the park position when suddenly, the vehicle started inching forward without any warning. A similar case saw the Pilot’s five-speed automatic transmission failing to engage park when at an incline. As a result, it started rolling backward; luckily, the owner was still inside and took control of the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal.
Car Complaints mentions multiple 2013 Pilot owners having a slight hesitation when accelerating. According to one owner, after slowing down or when trying to merge into traffic, the engine exhibits a delay (lasting several seconds) before it responds to throttle inputs.
Hard shifting is yet another issue. Per this thread from Piloteers forum, the owner finds shifting between second, third, and fourth gear to be not smooth. Another thread under “Transmission problems” mentions the driver experiencing rough shifting when going uphill. The owner says it felt like the transmission jerks and doesn’t want to shift into the next gear.
Complainants Blame the 2013 Pilot’s Transmission for Severe Shuddering
Perhaps the most controversial issue of the 2013 Honda Pilot is shuddering. Several NHTSA complaints mention the SUV vibrating at low to medium speeds. Per this owner, the shudder usually occurs around 38-45 mph but the owner also noticed it happening at speeds north of 60 mph.
Another owner mentions the vibration can be quite noticeable. Reportedly, you can feel it through the steering wheel, gas pedal, and floorboard. Multiple visits to the dealerships did not help whatsoever. Even changing fluid and software updates did not make any difference.
Since dealerships couldn’t find a fix, one of the owners compiled all the possible causes/solutions after consulting several mechanics. They are:
- Torque Converter slip: start by first changing the transmission oil and if it’s still not solved, replace the torque converter.
- Replace the transmission switches for the third and fourth gears.
- Try replacing the tires, or check alignment.
- Inspect the axles for possible constant velocity joint failure.
- Tighten the engine mounts.
- Replace suspension bushings, which could prematurely wear out.
- Variable cylinder management (VCM): engaging and disengaging the cylinders can cause vibrations, and there is no reported solution. Assume it is normal or disable the VCM using a VCM muzzler.
Since the majority of these problems are not transmission-related, one cannot simply blame the five-speed automatic for all the vibration issues.
The Honda Pilot is Not Faultless, But That Doesn’t Mean it’s a Bad Car
There are quite a lot of supporters for the 2013 Honda Pilot. Although a few owners had issues with the midsize SUV, the majority of customers never found it to have any problems. The five-speed automatic is not the quickest of transmissions, but it’s certainly not the worst unit out there. Understand that these 60-odd powertrain complaints are, to a larger extent, negligible since Honda sold nearly 130,000 Pilots in 2013.
If you would like more information, perhaps our article about the Honda Pilot and its problems should be of interest to you.
Photos: Honda
