NHTSA Complaint #10557490 — 2007 HONDA PILOT

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE VSA LIGHT BEGAN TO COME ON MOMENTARILY, FOR NO REASON. THIS HAS HAPPENED 50-100 X. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO BE SOMETIMES (DAILY) NOT TRUE (AT ONE OCLOCK), THOUGH THE CAR WAS MOVING STRAIGHT. (TURNING THE WHEEL TURNED THE CAR.) THE ABS BEGAN MOMENTARILY FIRING, FOR NO REASON, AND THE CAR WOULD SLOW, SOMETIMES SEVERELY. (WE WERE NOT BRAKING.) THE CAR WOULD LOSE POWER MOMENTARILY, FOR NO REASON, THOUGH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, AND EVERYTHING ELSE WAS NORMAL, WITH NO NOISE (E.G., NO ABS). RECENTLY THE ABOVE HAPPEN EVERY DAY. SOMETIMES THE VSA AND ABS HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME. ALL HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT OR TURNING. WE WERE NOT DRIVING FAST. THERE WERE NO EMERGENCY CONDITIONS. ON DEC 20, WE BEGAN A LEFT TURN AT 5 MPH. THE ABS FIRED FOR 4 OR 5 SECS. THEN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE (NOT ABS). THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON. THE WHEEL WAS AS MUCH AS 270 DEGREES FROM TRUE. SOMETIMES IT TOOK EFFORT TO TURN THE WHEEL. SOMETIMES IT TOOK NO EFFORT BUT THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. ON DEC 21, AT THEIR RECOMMENDATION, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A HONDA DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD US THE 2 STEERING BOLTS WERE SHEARED OFF. THEY DO NOT KNOW THE CAUSE. THEY NOTE: THE BOLTS ARE NOT VISIBLE DURING INSPECTIONS. THE STEERING AND SUBFRAME MUST BE REPLACED. THE VSA ETC. ARE PROBABLY FINE BUT WE CANNOT KNOW UNTIL EVERYTHING ELSE IS FIXED. THE DEALER HAS DECLINED TO PUT THIS IN WRITING. THEY SAY THERE IS NOT ANYBODY AT HONDA WITH WHOM WE CAN DISCUSS THIS. WHEN ASKED, THEY KNEW OF NO RELEVANT RECALLS. THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENT OR OTHER DAMAGE TO THE CAR. IT IS KEPT IN OUR GARAGE. WE HAVE MAINTAINED IT (LAST SERVICE WAS SEP 2013). WE ARE FORTUNATE WE DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. EVEN AFTER THE PROPOSED FIXES, WILL THE CAR BE SAFE? ON THE NHTSA SITE, WE FOUND 2012/2013 RECALLS FOR THE 2005 PILOT FOR THE SAME SUBSYSTEMS AND SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. *TR