NHTSA Complaint #10818535 — 2016 HONDA PILOT

ON NOVEMBER 10, 2015, AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30PM, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING ON NORTH I-75 IN SOUTHWEST OHIO. BESIDES OURSELVES, WE HAD OUR TWO YOUNG GRANDCHILDREN IN THE CAR. THE CAR'S COMPUTER STARTED DISPLAYING A CHANGING SERIES OF WARNINGS GENERALLY INDICATING VARIOUS SYSTEM FAILURES. THE CAR BASICALLY STARTED TO SHUT DOWN. SINCE WE WERE IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE, MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER. IF WE HAD BEEN TRAVELING IN THE MIDDLE OR LEFT LANE OF TRAFFIC, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN LITTLE IF ANY CHANCE OF MOVING OVER TO THE CURB. THE CAR, WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT, WOULD HAVE SHUT DOWN LEAVING US IN THE PATH OF VERY FAST MOVING CARS AND TRUCKS. THE ONLY OUTCOME WAS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY HIGH-SPEED REAR END COLLISION. WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO OUR HONDA DEALER APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES AWAY. ON NOVEMBER 27, THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30PM. THIS TIME WE WERE 400 MILES FROM HOME TRAVELING EAST ON HIGHWAY 11-E, BETWEEN GREENEVILLE AND JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE. I CAUGHT THE FAILURE EARLY ENOUGH BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND WAS ABLE TO COAST THE CAR TO A PARKING LOT OF AN OUT-OF-BUSINESS STORE. THIS TIME INSTEAD OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, WE HAD TWO ELDERLY GREAT GRANDPARENTS. THE DEALER THAT HANDLED THE FIRST INCIDENT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A SOFTWARE ISSUE. HOWEVER, THE SECOND DEALER DIAGNOSED IT AS A FUEL PUMP RELAY NOT PROPERLY CONNECTED. THIS RELAY REQUIRES A SPECIAL TOOL TO INSTALL IT. SEE ATTACHED LETTER WITH ATTACHMENTS FOR ALL DETAILS INCLUDING SERVICE INVOICES.