NHTSA Complaint #10158094 — 2005 HONDA PILOT

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 HONDA PILOT FORM MY HOME AND MADE A LEFT TURN OUT OF MY SUBDIVISION. SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE THAT SEEMED TO COME FROM THE FRONT OF IT. IT WENT AWAY AND I CONTINUED DRIVING SLOWLY (ABOUT 15 - 20 MPH) TO SEE IF I COULD DETECT SOMETHING FURTHER WRONG OR IF I HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING. AS I FOUND NO INDICATION OF THE CAUSE OF THE NOISE I CONTINUED ON. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY ONE CITY BLOCK THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND SLOWED ITSELF TO A CRAWL. I DID NOT APPLY THE BRAKES! THE NOISE AGAIN OCCURRED WHILE THIS HAPPENED. THE NOISE, I REALIZED, WAS SIMILAR TO ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATING DURING A HARD STOP. THIS OCCURRED THREE MORE TIMES IN RAPID SUCCESSION AND THEN WENT AWAY. I CONTINUED ON TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND APPLIED THE BRAKES MYSELF. THEY SEEMED TO WORK OK. AS I PROCEEDED , THE BRAKES ONCE AGAIN APPLIED THEMSELVES (WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ACTION FROM ME) ANOTHER FOUR TIMES. AT THIS TIME THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN IT OFF, BUT WAS NOT SURE IF IT DID TURN OFF OR NOT. I DROVE ANOTHER TWO TO THREE MILES WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEMS. ON MAY 10, APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER, SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT AS DIRECTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND THE VSA LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON. LATER THAT DAY, WHILE DRIVING WITH FOUR PEOPLE IN THE PILOT I HAD MADE A LEFT TURN AND HAD ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES AGAIN APPLIED THEMSELVES, THE PILOT DIVED TO THE LEFT AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. AGAIN, I DID NOT APPLY THE BRAKES, THE PILOT DID THIS ITSELF. THE VSA LIGHT HAD COME ON AGAIN AND I FOLLOWED THE PROCEDURE IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THIS SEEMED TO WORK ONCE AGAIN. AS EVERYONE IN THE PILOT HAD THEIR SEAT BELTS ON, NO ONE WAS INJURED. *JB