2018 Honda Pilot Powertrain & Transmission Problems

HONDA PILOT 2018 87K MILES DIAGNOSED WITH DTC P0741 TORQUE CONVERTER Vehicle has experienced severe and recurring drivability issues on more than one occasion during normal driving conditions. While attempting to change lanes, the vehicle exhibited delayed acceleration and loss of power. When accelerating from a stop sign, the vehicle bucked and lagged, followed by sudden and unintended forward propulsion. These events occurred without any warning lights or alerts. The unpredictable behavior of the vehicle has resulted in near‑miss accidents and required sudden braking and evasive actions to avoid potential collisions. This erratic behavior occurred without warning, reduced my ability to safely control the vehicle, and created a dangerous situation for my family, surrounding traffic and me. I opened a case with American Honda Motors (#16231734)and they stated that NHTSA is responsible for identifying the VINs that need to be part of the recall and/or Service Bulletin 23-078. I called NHTSA and NHTSA denied such claims.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with torque converter failure. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact referenced a TSB; however, the VIN was not associated. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 87,443.

This 2018 Honda Pilot has been taken to mechanic after a number of check engine and other dash lights came on while trying to accelerate to merge with freeway traffic. Mechanic pulled a P0369 code and I paid for replacement of the cam shaft sensor. Problems continued shortly after work and mechanic conducted further inspections and determined the sensor had been worn by a walking camshaft. There are hundreds of these same complaints posted on the web by angry customers dating back over 5 years yet no recall. The car will unexpectedly lose power at any time and shudder and will not accelerate with difficulty steering when all the engine lights start flashing. With luck, you can pull over to side of road. Repair is over $3500 after spending a lot of money already replacing the camshaft sensor which didn't fix the problem.

I have taken this vehicle into the Honda dealership on five separate occasions to report a power transfer problem. I first visited the Honda dealership to report this problem on 9/2024. It hasn't been until my most recent visit on 12/18/25, that a customer service representative told me that my vehicle needed a new torque converter. It is available for inspection upon request. The first occasion when the vehicle caused a safety issue, we were preparing to make a left hand turn and the car jerked, the dash lights flashed, and the vehicle completely turned off. This was in the summer of 2024. We have had many smaller incidents leading up to this first occurrence but they haven't resulted in the vehicle completely shutting off. Most of the power transfer problems occur when we first back out of the driveway, put the car into drive, press down on the gas pedal, and there is no propulsion forward. This has occurred on a regular basis since the purchase of the vehicle. After two to three seconds the car jerks forward and then drives. This will also occasionally occur when we are stopped at a stop sign or at a traffic light waiting to propel forward or make a turn. Many of the safety issues occur when trying to make a turn with traffic, and there is no power to propel the vehicle forward. We have been fortunate to have the other vehicles slow to allow the Pilot to pause before moving forward. We now have to ensure there is a large distance before making a turn. We have had the dealership, Continental Honda of Anchorage, reproduce the lag problem, July 2025. Recently, we had a Transmission System Problem warning light come on the vehicle. We have also had a flashing P, R, D indicator light when the vehicle was in those gears. The Transmission System Problem light appeared on December 9th, then it reappeared on the 17th.

Issue with Power Train caused car to go into limp/survival mode. Dealer found issue with power train sensor Code, error PO 369 CMP Sensor Interruption CMP Sensor Damaged. Mileage on care was 73,048. Had to replace power train at approx $ 3,646.00.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-65 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the message "Transmission Systems Failure" was displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, the transmission downshifted unexpectedly, and a short while later shifted to normal drive and operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the torque converter clutch had failed; DTC: P0741. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had become progressively worse and occurred more frequently. The contact related the failure to TSB: 23-078; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

While accelerating to merge onto the highway at 40-50 mph, the ~50K mile engine lost power and began to abruptly decelerate. All warning lights came on. The car was taken to the dealership where we were informed that the camshaft broke. Fortunately we were not struck or involved in an accident because of this but it was very dangerous and we were very lucky. There were not any warning indicators before this incident, but the car was taken to the dealership recently for a torque converter replacement per a recall. I am unsure if this repair contributed to excessive play that could have caused the camshaft failure.

Driving to work on the freeway, all of a sudden acceleration stopped. Pulled over as warning lights came on due to transmission. Additionally, the check engine light appears randomly due to emission and also the “AWD” light comes on. Within a few days or even weeks it turns off. This has been on and off since we purchased the vehicle from CarMax.

I am filing this complaint because Honda has acknowledged a torque converter defect in Service Bulletin 23-078 (dated August 31, 2023), which applies to 2017–2019 Pilots and Ridgelines equipped with the 6-speed automatic transmission. The bulletin states that certain torque converters may have been manufactured outside proper specifications, causing cracks in the lock-up piston, pressure bleed-down, and eventual loss of clutch capacity. This failure is associated with diagnostic trouble code P0741 (“Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance / Stuck OFF”) and can result in shuddering, hesitation, loss of power during acceleration, or sudden and irregular transmission behavior — all of which create safety risks in traffic, merging, or highway conditions. My 2018 Honda Pilot meets all the published eligibility criteria: it is within 8 years of the original service date, has fewer than 150,000 miles, and has stored the DTC P0741. Despite this, both my dealership and Honda America have denied coverage, claiming my VIN “does not qualify.” While a goodwill request was filed on my behalf, I was informed that even if approved, I could still be expected to pay part of the repair. This denial is unacceptable given Honda’s recognition of the defect and effectively requires me to cover a repair of a faulty product that is necessary for safe operation of the vehicle. Because Honda has already issued a service bulletin acknowledging this defect and created a warranty extension for some vehicles, I urge NHTSA to investigate whether the defect is broader than Honda admits, and whether a recall or expanded coverage is warranted to ensure drivers like myself are not forced to operate unsafe vehicles due to VIN restrictions.

I came to a stop at a red light on a busy street. Vehicle turned off due to autorignite feature. When light turned green it no longer would turn the engine on in order to go. All my lights turned on, I couldn't put the car in drive. I couldn't put in neutral, reverse or any feature. It wouldn't allow me to do anything but put the hazards on. It had happened to me 3 times since the same exact way. Only way to get it to go in drive is by turning the vehicle off completely, if it let's you. Then once it is off, starting it and going about your day. Codes do not register as I have taken to dealership before and they say it would note it but it doesn't and have refused to repair under the warranty. It also has an acceleration and deceleration issue that has been documented on my visits that has yet to be fixed as well and is a known problem but because it is is not the correct year and model it won't get fixed. I have had someone take video since then to show what happens on the other occasions as my proof since Honda Corporation themselves wouldn't doing anything either.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the transmission warning light illuminated while driving above 70 MPH on the highway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the warranty was extended but was declined due to the vehicle having a Salvage Title and a Rebuilt Title. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Engine failure due to connecting rod bearing manufacturing defect (NHTSA PE25008). Component: engine; available for inspection upon request (replaced; documentation available). WARNING SYMPTOMS: At 94,000 miles during routine maintenance while under warranty, I reported engine knocking to the dealer. The advisor dismissed it as "normal valve noise" and did not document the complaint. Knocking progressively worsened over thousands of miles. FAILURE: At 100,750 miles the engine required immediate replacement. Dealer diagnosed rod bearing failure; bearing was worn and failing. Engine was replaced before catastrophic seizure. I had just returned from a family trip — seizure at highway speed would have caused loss of power, power steering, and braking assistance, creating serious crash risk. CONFIRMED: Dealer diagnosed and performed engine replacement. Honda provided partial goodwill coverage but refused to disclose the percentage or provide written documentation. When I formally requested full coverage for this defect under federal investigation, Honda stated the case was closed and refused to put the decision in writing. Honda recall 23V-751 addresses this defect but excluded this vehicle despite identical failure. Vehicle was maintained per Honda Maintenance Minder at dealerships.

This car has had numerous transmission issues and a documented torque converter failure. Honda extended the warranty for 2018 pilots with these failures but did not include our vin number even though it’s the sane problem. They are refusing to fix it. This is a widespread issue and they are refusing to help us even though there are known manufacturing problems. The dealer hid this problem from us before the sale even though the code was documented in their system in Dec 2024 and we bought in May of 2025 reassured that it was a great car. Dealer refusing to fix it even with these records and hiding this from us and Honda corporate doesn’t care and said they only have to fix the ones that have certain vin numbers even though it’s the same problem and systemic. Rotten crooks endangering our family and ripping us off!

Transfer case exploded internally and cracked the transfer case while pulling out of parking lot. I still have the transfer case for inspection.

I have had a recall that the dealer has renegged on helping me with. About a couple of years ago we scheduled appointments, we missed work, showed up at the appointments for our two cars, only to be told that the parts are on back order. We keep getting the same response over and over. The last time I called a couple of weeks ago, the service department hung up on me. I called back and asked to have the Service Manager call me. He did not return my call. I have left message for the general manager, and he has NOT returned my calls. I need my recall remedied. My vehicle sometimes hesitates to start and has acceleration issues.

- Received error when driving that stated "Transmission System Problem." - Took into a service shop and the code P0741 was confirmed as the error. - Took to Honda Service repair, they confirmed the issue with the Torque Converter that needed to be replaced - Proceeded with the repairs at Honda (replacement of torque converter and replacement of 2 studs on catalytic converter that broke during their replacement of torque converter) - Informed there is a Warranty Extension for my Year/Make/Model on this torque converter as it has a known issue, however my VIN is not currently included in the Warranty Extension. My vehicle is in great condition with low mileage (approx 85K miles at time of repair), so I believe given the circumstances my VIN should be included in the Warranty Extension that currently exists for other VINs in my same Year/Make/Model as there was clearly a defect/issue with my torque converter as well. Link to existing warranty extension: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There is an auto start/stop feature on my 2018 Honda Pilot. I’ve owned it new since July 2018. My wife and I have experienced the same issue both together and separately. The auto stop feature will engage with the break depressed, but the auto start function will not always engage when the break is released. This has left us stranded in the middle of intersections in the middle of left turns with oncoming traffic driving around us, stalled on the freeway with cars whizzing by us at 70+ MPH blocking the fast lane, blocking congested one lane roads with no recourse for drivers behinds to get around us, etc. This feature stops the engine but periodically does not allow it to turn back on. With the engine stopped by this feature, but not shifted to park/ neutral, pressing the ignition start/ stop button does nothing. Shifting to park, and pressing the ignition start/stop button significantly delays removing the road hazard now created by the vehicle’s now dangerous location. To further complicate the matter, the engine starting has, on many occasions, taken multiple minutes to start, endangering myself, my wife, my four children, and other family / friends on too many occasions to count. My local dealership recommended replacing the vehicles battery, even though I had no other battery related problems. I did, in fact, follow that recommendation, only to have the same problem persist. I have encouraged my wife to disengage this feature proceeding forward, but the feature automatically resets itself everyone the ignition is started. This becomes problematic if the feature is forgotten to be turned off or, due to placement of the features button, the feature is inadvertently re-engaged.

My transmission failed although it was scanned a few weeks earlier indicating no issues with the transmission. I was lucky that the car failed once I stopped and wouldn't shift back into gear however it could have failed while driving. The car was driving fine and was slightly slow to engage, but I believe that was due to the fuel pump recall, which I could not have fixed because of a shortage of parts. My concern is that the transmission would have failed during my trip while driving over the mountains. It would have been really dangerous. There appear to be problems with the transmission in the 2018 Honda Pilots.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and hesitating with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 64,000.

In regards to TSB 23-078 Honda states that my VIN does not meet the parameters for service even though the dealer service techs are stating this is the issue. Since it is not a recall there is nothing they can do but recommend what the service dept wants to do, which is temporarily fix the problem. Which is bring the vehicle in for a transmission service every 20000 to 30000 mile for service at a cost of $500-600 to me. Which is less than half of the recommended interval. They have been treating the transmission with an additive up until this point.