NHTSA Complaint #10344294 — 2004 HONDA PILOT

OUR 2004 HONDA PILOT BEGAN MAKING NOISES EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. AT FIRST, THE NOISE SOUNDED LIKE WE HAD RUN OVER A PAPER CUP WITH THE RT FRONT TIRE. THIS SMALL SOUND GOT MORE FREQUENT. WE NOTICED IT HAPPENED MOST OFTEN WHEN WE WERE MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED -- BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS MALFUNCTIONING. THE DEALER SAYS WE NEED TO REPLACE BOTH THE TORQUE AND TRANSMISSION AT $3,500. OUR PILOT HAS 78,000 MILES.WHEN I PULL UP INFORMATION FOR OUR VIN, IT SHOWS 3 SAFETY NOTICES/RECALLS INCLUDING THE ONE FOR THE TRANSMISSION (RECALL NUMBER: 04V176000)THE RECALL BEGAN ON APR 21, 2004 AND I REMEMBER GETTING A NOTICE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT HONDA AMERICA SAYS THE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE MY VIN NO. AND THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR OUR PILOT AT ALL. THE RECALL INVOLVED 1099796 UNITS -- INCLUDING THE 2003 AND 2004 MODEL YR PILOTS. HONDA AMERICA DOES NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR VIN WAS -- OR AT THE VERY LEAST SHOULD HAVE BEEN -- IN THE RECALL. THE HONDA AMERICA REP WAS ABRUPT AND REPEATED THE SAME SCRIPTED LINE OVER AND OVER ..."YOUR VIN IS NOT UNDER ANY RECALL..." THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE. WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE WILL BE ANY DISCOUNT FROM EITHER HONDA AMERICA OR THE DEALER. OUR 1999 ODYSSEY HAD TO HAVE TRANSMISSION REPLACED JUST OUT OF WARRANTY -- AND THIS WAS THE VEHICLE HONDA PROMISED TO BE THE BEST OF THE BEST FOR QUALITY AND SAFETY. WE WILL BE SELLING OR TRADING THE PILOT AND LOOKING FOR SOMETHING OUT OF THE HONDA LINE. THE POWERTRAIN SHOULD HAVE 100,000 MILES -- NOT THE 36,000. I WANT HONDA AMERICA TO LOOK INTO OUR PROBLEM , STEP UP AND SAY THIS ISSUE IS THE SAME ISSUE IN THE RECALL. OUR PILOT WAS SERVICED ON SCHEDULE THROUGH THE DEALER. THE HONDA AMERICA REP SAID THEY DON'T LOOK AT WHAT WEBSITES SAY ABOUT HONDA ISSUES (EDMUNDS, SAFECAR.GOV...). PERHAPS HONDA SHOULD ASK TOYOTA HOW THAT WORKED FOR THEM... --[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR