NHTSA Complaint #10903834 — 2016 HONDA PILOT

ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 WHILE ASCENDING UP A WINDING 2-LANE HIGHWAY (HIGHWAY 18) TO LAKE ARROWHEAD, OUR YEAR OLD 2016 HONDA PILOT TOURING (WITH A ZF 9-SPEED TRANSMISSION) BEGAN DECELERATING RAPIDLY FROM 55 MPH TO 20 MPH. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR 4 CHILDREN AND WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE PULLED OVER, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND A SHERIFF STOPPED. THE SHERIFF RECOMMENDED SHE TRY TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE TO GET THE CAR OFF THE HIGHWAY SINCE THEY WERE IN A VERY DANGEROUS AREA. MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR AND PROCEEDED TO ASCEND TO THE NEAREST OFF RAMP AND WHEN NUMEROUS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR RAPIDLY DECELERATED ONCE AGAIN. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS OCCURRED. IN DECEMBER 2015, A SIMILAR ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT UP A HILL ON A 4 TO 5 LANE FREEWAY FROM SAN DIEGO TO LOS ANGELES. IN THAT CASE, THE 2016 HONDA PILOT JERKED VIOLENTLY BEFORE DECELERATING. MY WIFE IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO PACIFIC HONDA. HONDA DETERMINED THAT OUR PILOT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND NEEDED AN ENTIRELY NEW TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN THE 4-MONTH OLD VEHICLE. HONDA REASSURED US THE CAR WAS NOW SAFE. IT IS NOW 8 MONTHS LATER (OUR CAR IS JUST 1 YEAR OLD), AND OUR CAR IS NOW SITTING AT ROCK HONDA IN FONTANA, CALIFORNIA. HONDA IS NOW DETERMINING THE NEXT COURSE OF ACTION. WE HAVE THE NAME AND BADGE NUMBER OF THE SHERIFF WHO ASSISTED MY WIFE IF HELPFUL. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND SHOULD BE RECTIFIED IMMEDIATELY.