2011 Honda Pilot engine problems

“I was driving along [XXX] , wheb I came to a stop at the stoplight at the intersection of [XXX] The vehicle shut off and couldn't restart. I had to tow it to a garage where the engine is being repaired.”

“We have our truck services only at the dealership. My husband had the oil changed just two months ago. He had to take the truck back to the dealership last week because it was making a strange noise and when he checked the oil gage it was empty. When he got to the dealership the lady that helped us told us this was due to excessive oil consumption. I was able to look at the website www.vehiclehistory.com/articles/honda-pilot-excessive-oil-consumption-recalls and found out there is a documented issue with the 2009-2013 Honda pilots. I purchased this vehicle in 2013 and and did not have a problem until now. Honda needs to fix this as this fall under this recall even if the VIN number was not initially associated with this. This vehicle has only been serviced at Russ Darrow Honda in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I have never been advised of anything until now. I really need help with this. I have been a loyal Honda owner as this is my third Honda and I am not in position to purchase a new vehicle so please help. [XXX], [XXX]”

“The owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and almost stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for several minutes before the vehicle regained stability functionality and the vehicle stopped shaking. The VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) warning light illuminated. The failure had occurred five times. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine block was causing oil leaking from piston rings unto the spark plugs. The spark plug was replaced and the contact was advised to drive at speeds of 40 MPH or slower. The repair was provided as a temporary fix. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.”

“The front cylinder head valve cover developed an erosion hole adjacent to the middle spark plug (#5) tube cutout. The valve cover is available for inspection. This portion of the valve cover is directly above the oxygen sensor on the exhaust manifold. Engine oil could leak onto the hot manifold and ignite, causing an engine fire. I have not taken this cover to a Honda dealer or independent service center as I do my own maintenance work on my vehicles. This failure occurred after 153,235 miles and there were no indications, messages, or symptoms. The hole was not leaking oil as it was filled with valve cover material that had degraded and turned into powder. The powder was easily dislodged after probing with a metal pick, leaving a hole in its place. The #5 ignition coil was inspected and was visually unremarkable. The engine was not misfiring. The MIL lamp was off and there were no DTC codes present. A web search found several other complaints about this issue (with pictures of incidents of greater severity) and it is not confined to Honda vehicles.”

“My Honda Pilot 2011 EXL w/ AWD displayed a flashing engine light while driving, which is a sign of a serious engine problem. When it was towed to the Honda dealership, the service representative told me that a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) of P0302 was recovered, which occurs when the spark plugs misfire, and is fully described in Honda's Service Bulletin 13-082: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10152434-0001.pdf. I was told by the Honda service rep that one spark plug was fouled and covered with engine oil, and that I needed to clean the pistons and replace three piston rings along with the spark plug, a $3500+ repair. This costly problem with some Hondas was the subject of a class action lawsuit (Soto v. American Honda Motors), and is known to cause a sudden loss of power while driving, putting the driver, passengers, and other nearby vehicles at significant risk. By way of background, I began experiencing intermittent and temporary electrical system failure and increased oil consumption as early as January, 2021, which was never fully diagnosed until it progressed to a state of engine failure in September. Honda was clearly aware of this problem,…”

“I WAS INFORMED THAT THE WAY THE ENGINE WAS BUILT, WHEN THE VEHICLE GOES INTO ECO-MODE 2 CYLINDERS SHUT OFF. IN THE 2011 MODELS, THE SAME 2 SHUT OFF EVERY TIME, THIS CAUSES THE OTHER CYLINDERS TO WEAR PREMATURELY. ENGINES ARE NOW BUILT TO RANDOMLY SHUT OFF 2 CYLINDERS. I'M VERY CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY A RECALL WAS NOT ISSUED L. SEEMS LIKE A VERY POOR BUSINESS PRACTICE ON HONDA'S PART. I GOT THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I AM EXPECTING AND NEEDED A BIGGER VEHICLE BUT IT IS DEFINITELY NOT LOOKING LIKE I WOULD EVER RECOMMEND A HONDA TO ANYONE AT THIS POINT BASED ON THE FACT I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE DECEMBER 19TH AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE IT FOR A MONTH. I'VE BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR OVER A MONTH AND AM NOT SURE WHEN I WILL GET THE VEHICLE BACK. IT'S COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I GOT IN MY VEHICLE TO TAKE KIDS TO SCHOOL AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING. INSTEAD OF TAKING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, IN THE MEANTIME EVERY LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON. ONCE WE GOT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY HAD THE TOOLS TO FIX WHATEVER WAS POTENTIALLY WRONG, WE WERE INFORMED OF THE ISSUE WITH THE CYLINDERS. I AM LOOKING INTO THE LEMON LAWS IN GEORGIA. IT IS INSANE…”