NHTSA Complaint #10354684 — 2003 HONDA PILOT

I HAVE A HONDA 2003 PILOT. THIS WEEK, I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED INTO 1ST GEAR FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN STOP (WITHOUT BRAKE LIGHTS), I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY SEVERAL VEHICLES WHICH WERE TRAVELING BEHIND ME. I KEPT DRIVING AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN 4 MINUTES LATER. I EVENTUALLY MADE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY, THE SAME PATTERN CONTINUED BUT MORE OFTEN. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION, DUE TO AN "INTERNAL TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION", 3RD PRESSURE SWITCH FAILURE, AND INCORRECT GEAR RATIO. THE DEALER'S DIAGNOSIS REVEALED THAT CODES P0845 AND P0730 WERE GENERATED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON APRIL 2004 FOR A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE/YEAR, "NHTSA 04V176000", IN WHICH THE DEALER WOULD VISUALLY INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION AND SUBJECTIVELY DECIDE WHAT WAS NEEDED FOR REMEDIATION; EITHER A 1) A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT OR 2) ?PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE?. IN MARCH 2004, 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE RECALL BEING RELEASED, I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER ABOUT SHIFTING PROBLEMS. THEY ?SERVICED? THE VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF THIS COMPLAINT. THREE MONTHS LATER, IN JUNE 2004, I AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT SHIFTING PROBLEMS. THIS TIME, THE DEALER NOTED THE RECALL AND CHOSE REMEDIATION NUMBER 2. CURRENTLY, HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT, BUT QUESTION THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH ONLY 139,000 MILES ON THE CAR. ALSO, THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY ACCORDING TO HONDA SCHEDULE. *TR