NHTSA Complaint #10493330 — 2006 HONDA PILOT

ON 01//10/13 I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 HONDA PILOT, AND HEARD REALLY BAD NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. MY CAR SLOWED DOWN AND I BARELY MADE IT HOME. UPON ARRIVAL HOME, WE CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FOUND IT TO BE NONEXISTENT. IN THE MORNING WE ADDED SOME TRANSMISSION FLUID AND WITH GREAT DIFFICULTIES I TOOK MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP. SERVICE DEPARTMENT GOT BACK TO ME WITH THE RESULTS OF TESTING TELLING THAT THEY GOT TWO READINGS ON THE COMPUTER: INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER TRANSMISSION SHOP. THEY HAVE TAKEN TRANSMISSION APART AND DECLARED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. ?INITIAL INSPECTION OF VEHICLES TRANSMISSION FOUND EXTREMELY AUDIBLE ?GRINDING? NOISES FROM VEHICLES TRANSMISSION IN PARK & NEUTRAL POSITIONS. ALSO, DELAYED ENGAGEMENT IN DRIVE & REVERSE POSITIONS. VEHICLES TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL WAS GOOD BUT FLUID CONDITION WAS EXTREMELY OVERHEATED AND VERY DARK IN COLOR. (THIS IS AN ADDED FLUID ON THE DAY I TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP ) UPON TRANSMISSION REMOVAL, DISASSEMBLY & INTERNAL INSPECTION, ABC FOUND TRANSMISSIONS MAIN INPUT SHAFT BEARING FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY AND SPREAD BALL BEARINGS AND METAL DEBRIS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION CAUSING DAMAGE TO MANY INTERNAL COMPONENTS INCLUDING THE TRANSMISSIONS CASE(S), TORQUE CONVERTER & COOLING SYSTEM. THIS TRANSMISSION IS NOT ABLE TO BE ECONOMICALLY REBUILT DUE TO THE SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE CASE(S) AND MAJOR INTERNAL COMPONENTS. I DON?T KNOW IF TRANSMISSION HAD SOME INTERNAL DEFECT FROM THE BEGINNING OR FAILURE HAPPENED LATER ON, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT SUCH A MASSIVE DAMAGE TO MY TRANSMISSION PARTS COULD?VE BEEN AVOIDED OR MINIMIZE SHOULD SERVICE DEPARTMENT BEEN MORE DILIGENT IN THEIR MAINTENANCE PROCESS AND SHOULD HONDA BE MORE UPFRONT ABOUT CONTINUES PROBLEMS THEIR TRANSMISSIONS EXHIBIT. *TR