NHTSA Complaint #11066708 — 2009 HONDA PILOT

WE WERE NORTHBOUND ON A LOCAL ROAD NEAR RETURNING FROM OUR CHILDREN'S SCHOOL. I WAS DRIVING WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, AT APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. WITH NO WARNING THE CAR MADE A NOISE, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AS ALL ACCELERATION, STEERING, BRAKING, ET CETERA, CEASED OPERATION. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER BUT WAS STILL IN THE ROAD, WHERE I PUT ON MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND WITH MY CHILDREN CLIMBED OUT OF THE CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. AAA TOWED THE PILOT TO THE TAMERON HONDA DEALERSHIP IN HOOVER, ALABAMA. THEY CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, TO SAY THAT THE REAR CAM ON THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED, CAUSING THE TIMING BELT TO SLIP AND CAUSING IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE RECOMMENDED FIX: REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH A USED ENGINE, PLUS THE WATER PUMP AND TIMING BELT, AT A COST OF $6,914.50 IT WAS SHEER LUCK THAT I WASN'T TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED; THAT I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER NEARLY OFF THE ROAD; THAT NO COLLISION OCCURRED WITH OTHER VEHICLES; AND, ULTIMATELY, THAT NO ONE WAS HURT. I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN FALL OF 2014 WITH 40,000 MILES ON IT FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. MAINTAINED THE CAR WITH (AND HAVE RECORD OF) OIL CHANGES, RECALLS, BATTERY, BRAKE AND TIRE REPLACEMENT, ALL AT LICENSED REPAIR SHOPS. THIS VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 89,109 MILES ON IT. I AM CONCERNED WITH REPLACING THE ENGINE WITH ANOTHER USED ENGINE OF THE SAME TYPE, AS RECOMMENDED, AS THE SAME SITUATION COULD OCCUR. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE WAS THE IMPETUS FOR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, THE HONDA MISFIRE ENGINE SETTLEMENT , SETTLED IN MARCH 2014, PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE OF THE CAR. IT INVOLVED SEVERAL CLASSES OF HONDA VEHICLES OVER A RANGE OF YEARS, INCLUDING MINE, THAT HAVE V-6, VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT (VCM) ENGINES. THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS & FRIGHTENING.