10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 11
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
130,604 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Honda Pilot:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #79

Sep 202023

Pilot

  • miles
I heard a loud pop come from under my driver's seat and the seat started rocking backwards. I got out of my car and checked underneath the seat. The front-left bracket securing the seat to the seat frame had completely sheared in half and the seat was no longer securely attached to the seat frame. This is a significant safety issue. When the car accelerates the driver's seat rocks backwards by ~45 degrees, making it extremely difficult to stay in control of the vehicle and safely steer the vehicle. It is also extremely unsafe in the case of an accident because A) the seat would not hold the driver securely in place, B) the driver would not be properly in position and restrained for the air bags to deploy, C) the seat belt is attached to the seat base and would not be able to fully function properly, and D) any passengers sitting in the 2nd row behind the driver's seat would be in danger of having the full force of the driver and the driver's seat slamming back against them. This is a known issue widely reported in Honda Pilot owners' forums. Yet Honda has not issued a recall. I took the vehicle into a Honda dealership to inspect the issue. They said that Honda no longer makes the part that would be required to fix this safety issue. This issue affects all 2003-2008 model year Honda Pilots. There were over 800,000 2003-2008 model year pilots sold and because of Honda vehicle's longevity there is a massive number of these vehicles still on the roads.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #78

Jan 202023

Pilot

  • miles
Brakes seem to stop suddenly Must brake slowly to avoid a sudden stop Seatbelt locks up if I do not pull it forward and leave room in the belt so that it isn't completely holding me in Also the driver seat will only adjust sideways.

- Newport, TN, USA

problem #77

Nov 272019

Pilot

  • 247,371 miles
Upon entering the vehicle and sitting in the driver's seat, I heard a loud pop and then noticed that the seat was extremely loose and would rock backwards as if something was broken. I removed the side cover and found that there was a failed seat mount bracket that had broken in half. The vehicle is currently undriveable until the seat is fixed since the seat sways backwards on acceleration which could lead to an accident. I am not aware of any active recall for this issue but I believe it should be investigated as it is a major safety concern!

- Fruita, CO, USA

problem #76

Jun 012019

Pilot

  • 190,000 miles
When accelerating away from a stop light, I heard a "pop" sound and my driver seat suddenly had a "rocking" issue. The driver seat now rocks backward when accelerating, after researching online and doing a visual inspection I found that a metal "L" shaped bracket that mounts the seat bottom to the seat frame has sheared off at the rivet points. This creates a hazard when driving and I fear in a crash, the seat could become unattached from vehicle interior completely putting occupant at increased risk of injury or death from airbag deployment or ejection from vehicle! during an online search, I found several other reports of the same issue to NHTSA...those report numbers are 1058303; 10578612; 10567737; 10541789; 10505250; 10489089; 10488805; 10466947; 10455702. I contacted Honda and was told since the warranty was expired, there was nothing they would do. This is a safety hazard!!! why does someone have to be killed before the issue is fixed"!" with so many reports already being logged stating this same problem, I would think something would be done about it. This is just as dangerous at the airbag issue that resulted in a recall.

- Machesney Park, IL, USA

problem #75

Oct 242019

Pilot

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. While accelerating and braking, the driver's seat unintentionally moved forward and backwards. Spreen Honda (25050 redlands blvd, loma linda, ca 92354, (909) 799-7070) was contacted, but no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the mounting bracket fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Redlands, CA, USA

problem #74

Jun 212019

Pilot

  • 141,700 miles
On 06/21/2014, I was entering my vehicle when a bracket connected to the adjuster assembly (part# 81630-S3V-A30) broke. This occurred on the drivers seat. Due to this, the seat was no longer secure to the floorboard and started rocking back and forth. I searched Honda part records and I was unable to find a specific part number assigned to this bracket. The vehicle was parked at the time of the break. But, while driving the vehicle the seat was unstable and hard to keep it still. A search of NHTSA records found the following complaints regarding the same issue - 10583003, 10578612, 10567737, 10541789, 10505250, 10489089, 10488805, 10466947, 10455702. I took pictures of the broken bracket. It appears metal fatigue may be an issue.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #73

May 232019

Pilot

  • 161,000 miles
This afternoon as I entered my city street parked, 2004 Honda Pilot, from the driver's side, I heard a loud snapping sound as I sat down. The driver's seat, simultaneously with the sound, rocked back, obviously no longer securely mounted. Upon inspection I found the front left 'L' shaped seat mounting bracket had sheared in two, in line with the two holes that the securing rivets pass through. The bracket failed and tore, apparently the metal is not thick enough to resist the forces placed on the seat. Perhaps related to the size of the rivet holes.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #72

Oct 272018

Pilot

  • 234,211 miles
Leaned back and turned around to back out of parking space and left front seat bracket on the driver's side front broke. Have to brace myself while accelerating forward something needs to be done have read multiple occasions of this happening to other people. Afraid the other brackets will break shortly after. I have not been able to find anything to fix this problem.

- Champlin, MN, USA

problem #71

Jul 212018

Pilot

  • 177,000 miles
While driving approximately 35 mph down a city street, the drivers seat began to move- specifically began to shift backwards upon acceleration. Upon acceleration, the seat leans back away from the steering wheel significantly. Inspection by mechanic showed the seat brackets have sheered off detaching the front left corner from the seat frame.

- Ft Thomas, KY, USA

problem #70

Apr 032018

Pilot

  • 210,000 miles
I am the original owner of the 2004 Pilot. Vehicle has always been well kept and maintained with Honda dealer. Wife was driving when drivers seat started feeling hot like a burn on her back. Started smelling something burning. She pulled over and got out of vehicle.the back part of the seat was smoking and smoldering so immediately turned off the seat heater. Got the fire out and back part of leather has a brown scorch mark and leather cracked. The smell lasted for hours. Left the windows opened all night and left vehicle parked outside of the garage for fear of fire again. Honda needs to look into this. I searched on the internet to find this is not an isolated incident. This is dangerous to think what could happen if not able to get out of the vehicle so quickly.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

problem #69

Feb 262018

Pilot

  • 168,000 miles
Drivers side seat mounting bracket has cracked and is now split open. Vehicle was stationary and driver had turned around and leaned back to back out of a parking spot when seat bracket cracked. Drivers side seat now is loose and rocks back and forth. Very unsafe to drive. Afraid entire seat will break loose from mounting points. Note: Multiple instances of this same defect have been submitted on the internet, across multiple Honda Pilot years.

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

problem #68

Dec 202017

Pilot

  • miles
The drivers seat has been so hot that it feels like it can burn your skin. Today on the way to work my daughter said she smelled something burning. She looked down on her seat and it was smoking and burned the leather. The seat was actually catching on fire. I have looked this up and see numerous complaints on this and people have reported this to you. I don't see what you are reporting no complaints or recalls. We were on the highway when the incident happened.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #67

Nov 242017

Pilot

  • 285,000 miles
The drivers seat has a bracket that broke when I was driving and I almost control of the vehicle because it caused me to lean back very far in the seat and my steering and acceleration was affected. I was exiting onto a freeway and almost collided with other vehicles. This bracket is located on the drives side that holds a motor that moves the seat up and down; in close proximity to the left side panel for the seat controls. Bracket has two rivets holding in place. Was hoping their was a recall on this defect because I found lots of incidents reported on various websites. Thank you.

- Rocky Mount, NC, USA

problem #66

Nov 202017

Pilot

  • 140,000 miles
The vehicle was stationary, not in any accidents or driving off-road. Sat down and found driver's seat unexpectedly will now tilt back, raising the left front of the seat. The seat is obviously not secure, nor would it be safe in an accident. Took it to the dealer, and they said the seat frame is broken inexplicably (part 81660-S3V-A30). This does not appear to be a wear part - one of the metal bracket pieces holding the seat bottom to the body I guess just sheared off along the rivet line. A brief web search found this is a common problem, so I'm surprised there has not been a recall by Honda. The dealer quoted a repair price of approximately $1,850.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #65

Oct 022017

Pilot

  • 200,000 miles
Front left bracket that holds the drivers seat to the frame of the vehicle snapped. This is a common, known defect and is a safety issue.

- Grayson, GA, USA

problem #64

Jun 062017

Pilot

  • 140,000 miles
My husband (195 lbs) reached in his pocket to get his wallet and the metal brace holding the seat broke. The seat is now not still when driving. What worries me is, what if I had been in an accident? the aforementioned brace should hold under much more rigorous situations. There appears to be a lot of 2004 Honda Pilot who have experienced this exact same break, as noted online. This is a very serious flaw and should be fixed by the manufacturer at their expense. Per online comments, the dealership is charging $1200 to fix a problem that should never have failed. I am bringing my car in for assessment on Monday, June 12, 2017, at 1:00P.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #63

Dec 052016

Pilot

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. Upon entering the vehicle, the front driver side of the vehicle was leaning. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the weld was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the driver's seat bracket was fractured and the seat would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not provided.

- Sapulpa, OK, USA

problem #62

Oct 172016

Pilot

  • 234,000 miles
While leaning back in the driver's seat to remove my wallet to purchase gasoline I heard "pop" and then the seat seemed to become dislodged from the body of the vehicle. The front left of the seat was no longer connected to the body of the vehicle. Upon further inspection it was revealed that the steel bracket holding the top assembly of the seat to the bottom assembly of the seat tore clean through.

- Park Ridge, NJ, USA

problem #61

Jul 182016

Pilot

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver seat would move independently. The contact stated that the seat felt as though it would dislodge from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat bolt had fractured and that drivers seat would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #60

Jul 072016

Pilot

  • 162,000 miles
The drivers seat lower metal bracket broke causing the drivers seat to be unstable when sitting in the SUV and when accelerating. I have seen at several other complaints both on this web site and in the Honda Pilot forum. I called the dealer about asking for a repair who referred me to Honda usa. I called and reported the problem to Honda and they are unwilling to fix this safety issue which is a safety defect because there is no recall issued for this problem. If this vehicle were to be in an accident the seat would likely break loose and throw the driver and the seat out of the vehicle. I just noticed this problem while driving the vehicle.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »