I have called the dealership about this and they act like the doctor's office when you call for results from the nurse.. they cannot tell you anything about the cost until they see it.. I looked online and it has been a continual problem since the car debut. It looks like it may be a long shot on getting it fixed... mine sticks out dramatically.. maybe the darker colors are worse as they overheat the plastic and distort the cheap part? I was tempted to take a mallet out and flatten it.. but resisted the temptation!

First off, from browsing different forums I can say this is a COMMON problem, so do not blow this off as a fluke issue if you are in the market for a 2009-present (2012) Honda Pilot. Basically, the plastic molding at the top of the tailgate will pop out and protrude away from the body, leaving a nasty eyesore. From what I can gather from the forums the more auto-savvy guys are citing this as a design flaw due to the placement of the trim joint near the actual lift strut. The excessive pressure from springs lifting the gate puts too much strain on the plastic molding piece, causing it to pop out of place. I have not gotten a response from my dealer yet, but other people who've experienced this problem (base on forum responses) were told that there's nothing that can be done. I'm not being OCD, this is a real eyesore and if you're going to buy a new Honda Pilot you're really rolling the dice on this happening to you. I'm writing this complaint as a public service because I don't want other people to to go through the anger and regret that I'm experiencing as I write this.

Salesman did not point out buckling hinge covers problem to buyer, and buyer did not see problem during buying process, probably because rear hatch operation to access interior was being demonstrated. Buyer's spouse, a former car salesperson, saw problem immediately upon car's delivery to residence. Returned car to dealership where the problem was "almost" fixed, but right side was still slightly buckled. After short trip of about 300 miles, over weekend, hinge covers returned to original buckled state. Returned car again to dealership. Was walked down the rear of a 10 or so row of 2012 Pilots to assess problem. Seven or so had flat, non-buckling hinge cover assemblies; 3 had a slight buckling on one or both sides, but none as noticeable or severe as mine. I have not found any promotional pictures published by Honda of a 2012 Honda Pilot (of any model or any other year) where this condition is seen, so it is NOT a "normal" condition. I returned home with the Pilot because they could not give me a loaner with cargo space at that time, the reason I bought the Pilot for my business in the first place. They are supposed to call me when they get a Pilot loaner in.

Dealership personnel continually attempting to convince buyer that "most" Pilots have this "slight" buckling due to "lack of clips inside." If this is a design problem, why is Honda selling cars with this flaw? I do not appreciate being given the runaround about this problem, nor the time and expense it costs ME to fix it! If it doesn't get fixed to be "picture-perfect" this time, I will take whatever action is necessary to have the brand-new unflawed car that was sold to me restored to me one way or another.