NHTSA Complaint #10266284 — 2004 HONDA PILOT

I HAVE SEVERE BRAKE SHUTTERING AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES. IT STARTS OUT AS A MINOR SHUDDER AND SHAKE AT FIRST, AND THEN OVER TIME GETS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE, UNTIL IT IS QUITE VIGOROUS. A LITTLE BACKGROUND: THE CAR IS A HONDA CERTIFIED CAR- 2004 PILOT I BOUGHT 2 YEARS AGO. AS A CONDITION OF THE SALE, THE DEALER (SAM SWOPE IN LOUISVILLE, KY) SAID THEY WOULD FIX A SHIMMY IN THE STEERING WHEEL, AND A GRINDING OF THE BRAKES. THEY SAID IT WAS A MINOR PROBLEM. THE BRAKES WERE REPAIRED 2 WEEKS BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK 4 DAYS LATER AND THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. EVERYTHING WAS FINE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THEN THE PROBLEM STARTED COMING BACK- SLOWLY AT FIRST AND THEN GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. 3 MONTHS LATER THEY RESURFACED THE ROTORS. THE SAME PROBLEM PROGRESSED AGAIN, AND 3 MONTHS LATER, THEY REPLACED THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND RESURFACED THE ROTORS AGAIN. I PUT UP WITH A SHIMMY IN THE WHEEL AS THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN . FINALLY, AFTER ABOUT 8 MONTHS, MY WIFE COULDN'T TAKE THE SHIMMY ANY MORE AND MADE ME TAKE IT IN AGAIN. I WAS RELUCTANT BECAUSE EACH TIME I TOOK IT IN NOTHING HAPPENED, AND I'D ALREADY SPENT OVER $700 TO NO AVAIL. ONCE AGAIN THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED, THE FRONT PADS WERE REPLACED AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE DRUM WAS TURNED. TWO MONTHS LATER I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND WAS TOLD THE ROTORS NEED TO BE RESURFACED AGAIN. I CALLED HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 4/21/09, TALKED TO TINA AND SHE SAID I WOULD LIKELY BE DENIED ANY HELP BY WALTER MENIGVAR THE EXEC. REVIEW MANAGER BECAUSE HONDA CORPORATE CONSIDERS THE BRAKES TO BE A REPAIR ITEM. I BELIEVE THERE IS AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND POSSIBLY IT'S DESIGN, AS I HAVE DRIVEN NUMEROUS CARS OVER 29 YEARS- MANY OF THOSE MILES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WVA, AND HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM OF THIS SORT. I HAVE ALSO HEARD ABOUT OTHER HONDA PILOTS WITH THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO THINK IT IS UNSAFE. *TR