2005 Honda Pilot 3.5L from North America
Summary:
Expensive, cheaply made and unreliable
Faults:
Engine blew out at 55,000km. 1 month at the dealer and many excuses before it was fixed. Brought it home and no start the next morning, back to the dealer for another few days. This happened a total of 3 times.
Battery died again, in the middle of winter. Finally replaced with a non-dealer battery.
Reason for engine failure: Sludge inside engine due to faulty engine components.
Digital heater not working, always ice cold or hot, hot.
Rust starting around trunk and door bottoms.
Transmission slips continuously and dealer says it's fine.
Interior lights fuse blew twice already.
Rear gate stops fell off and had to be replaced.
Sometimes, you must turn over the engine for 10 seconds or more for the engine to catch.
General Comments:
The engine is quick, as long as it works. Sludge issues, dealer excuses, poor service and poor craftsmanship says no more Hondas for us.
For a vehicle that costs almost 50k dollars, this is a huge mistake. The last Honda we had wasn't great and that should have told us something.
Stick with Chrysler, bankrupt or not they are still far ahead in the looks and interior quality, not to mention their unbeatable engines, excluding the 2.7.
Road noise in intrusive on the highway and gas mileage is a total joke, this uses as much gas as a hemi!
Doors do close nicely and easily, because they are so light due to the thin metal.
No direct wiring harness at the hitch, like all major competitors.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd May, 2009
29th Jul 2009, 17:36
Spot on, Chrysler for all it's faults provides a clean, easy to get serviced product that lasts. Honda and Toyota aren't as good as they were in the early 90's.
19th Feb 2010, 12:31
I don't know man, my 2004 Pilot has 184,000 miles, still original engine and tranny, couple new parts, but runs strong. I guess I got lucky, and do your maintenance dude, read the owner's manual for when to change what. They are not too bad.
I live in Portland, Oregon and my name is Nick.
4th Jul 2010, 19:09
You must have gotten lucky on that one, because it seems there are far more bad then good.
5th Jul 2010, 13:47
This mirrors our experience with Honda. Ours was falling apart by the time the puny warranty expired. None of our domestics has ever had a single problem before 100,000 miles.
27th Dec 2013, 21:40
I agree with the comment re Honda and Toyota... not what they were when they were gaining market value years ago. Looks like they are "cashing in" now. Time for the new values on the market like Hyundai and Kia, and as far as the USA three go...
Ford, ya never know where is it made or if it is a Nissan or "something else", although I do like Ford and what they have done over the years.
Chrysler...? Not sure any more.
GM (Government Motors). Forget it, it's all about the money and how to get it cheaply.
I always look for good value, even if it costs more than the competition, and sometimes this falls outside (inside) the US!
PS I used to be a tech for Lexus/Toyota/Saab/Porsche and a few others... have seen the "insides" over the years.
29th Dec 2013, 16:57
So G.M. is in business to make a profit, and the other manufacturers are in it for...?
4th May 2009, 22:50
I agree 100%. I fell for the hype, bought a Pilot because of this great track record it was supposed to have. I dumped it at 30K miles. I don't have the time or money for that. I bought a Chrysler 300C because my Chryslers or Fords never gave me any trouble. I'm glad I did.