NHTSA Complaint #10567297 — 2013 HONDA PILOT

ONGOING DISTURBING SHUDDER OR VIBRATION APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE VCM/ECO FEATURE. THE RELATIONSHIP SEEMS TO CORRELATE WITH THE VISUAL ECO DISPLAY ON THE DASHBOARD. THE ISSUE CAN BE CATEGORIZED BY PROGRESSING THROUGH THREE STAGES OR MODES AS SPEED AND DRIVING CONDITIONS VARY. THE FIRST MODE CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS A HOWLING (SIGNIFICANT AUDIBLE TONE CHANGE) FROM THE ENGINE RIGHT BEFORE THE VIBRATION BEGINS, WHICH IS THE SECOND MODE. THE SECOND MODE IS THE VIBRATION/SHUDDER MOST PREDOMINATELY AROUND 44 MPH, BUT CAN OCCUR AT OTHER SPEEDS - DEPENDING ON THE "LOAD" ON THE ENGINE. THE SHUDDER/VIBRATION CAN VARY FROM A HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION (LIKE GOING OVER SMALL NARROW RUMBLE STRIPS) TO A MORE PRONOUNCED SHUDDER, BOTH OF WHICH IS CAN BE FELT BY PASSENGERS AND/OR DRIVER. IN GENERAL, THE PILOT WILL VIBRATE/SHUDDER CONSISTENTLY, APPARENTLY WHEN THE VCM FEATURE IS IN TRANSITION. HOWEVER, ON TWO OCCASIONS, A THIRD MODE OCCURRED: VERY SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH OR SO, BY SURPRISE, THE PILOT SHOOK (FRONT END AREA) TO SUCH A INTENSE DEGREE THAT IT IMPULSIVELY CAUSED THE DRIVER OF THE PILOT TO PULL-OVER AND STOP. NOT KNOWING WHAT REALLY IS GOING ON IS CAUSING SOME TREPIDATION ABOUT WHETHER TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR. TOOK PILOT INTO THE DEALER AND EXPLAINED THESE MODES. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE VCM RELATED VIBRATIONS AND SAYS THAT IS THE WAY IT WORKS AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO. BUT, TO ME THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. A BRAND NEW (RATHER COSTLY) CAR SHOULD NOT BEHAVE THIS WAY. MOREOVER, IT SEEMS SUCH REGULAR ONGOING VIBRATION/SHUDDERING CAN QUICKLY NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE INTEGRITY OR LONGEVITY OF THE ENGINE/DRIVE TRAIN, ETC., AS MOST MECHANICAL THINGS GENERALLY DO NOT LIKE VIBRATIONS WHICH QUITE OFTEN IS A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF WEAR AND TEAR. AS THE OWNER ONE MUST ASK THINGS LIKE: WILL THE ENGINE EVEN "SURVIVE" THIS IN THE LONG RUN? WILL THIS CAUSE MORE FREQUENT REPAIRS?