NHTSA Complaint #10668493 — 2006 HONDA PILOT

I HAD JUST STARTED SLOWING DOWN TO TURN AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN THE VSA WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR BECAME HARD TO STEER. IT ALMOST CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP BUT I WAS AT A MAJOR INTERSECTION AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO TRY AND KEEP DRIVING TO AVOID GETTING HIT. I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET IT TURNED BUT IT DIDN'T WANT TO SPEED UP WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. I MANAGED TO GET INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED IT OFF. I LET IT SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES AS WE CAUGHT OUR BREATH (TWO OF MY KIDS WERE WITH ME AND IT HAD SCARED THEM TOO) AND THEN CRANKED IT UP AGAIN. THE VSA LIGHT WAS GONE BUT WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD DO, IT WOULDN'T MOVE. IT WAS LIKE THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ON. I THEN REALIZED THAT'S WHAT IT SEEMED LIKE AS I WAS DRIVING WHEN IT HAPPENED. I'D THOUGHT THE CAR WASN'T WANTING TO RUN BUT IT WAS LIKE THE BRAKES WERE ON. ANYWAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS STIFF AND I COULDN'T PUSH IT AT ALL. I TRIED PUMPING THE PEDAL TO SEE IF IT WOULD RELEASE BUT EVEN THOUGH I COULD PUT THE CAR IN EITHER PARK OR DRIVE, IT WOULDN'T MOVE. IT WAS LIKE THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ON OR I WAS HOLDING THE BRAKE, NEITHER OF WHICH WAS TRUE. I CALLED A NEARBY SHOP AND TWO TECHNICIANS CAME TO WHERE WE WERE. THEY CRANKED IT UP AND EVERYTHING SEEMED OKAY BUT IT WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SHOP WHERE THEY RAN EVERY TEST POSSIBLE AND DROVE IT THREE DIFFERENT TIMES BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THEY'RE PERPLEXED AS TO WHAT'S WRONG. I CAME HOME AND GOT ONLINE ONLY TO FIND THAT THERE ARE TONS OF POSTINGS ONLINE ABOUT THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHERS BUT ONLY THE 2005 PILOT HAS BEEN RECALLED. HONDA, I LOVE MY PILOT AND DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT NOR DO I NOT WANT TO BUY ANOTHER ONE WHEN THE TIME COMES. BUT, I'M NOT PUTTING MY KIDS' LIVES IN DANGER NOR MY LIFE IN DANGER TO DRIVE THE CAR I LOVE. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CONSIDER RECALLING THE 2006 MODELS AS WELL SINCE THERE'S DEFINITELY A PROBLEM WITH THEM TOO. *TR