NHTSA Complaint #11553116 — 2016 HONDA PILOT

On Monday my wife was outside the vehicle with the keys in her pocket. All of a sudden the car alarm went off without anyone touching the vehicle or without her bumping the button on the key fob. Also, on Tuesday morning she walked into the garage and noticed the vehicle’s headlights and taillights were on. The key was not in the vehicle nor did she have it on her. She opened/closed all doors thinking a door was left open. The lights eventually went off. Later that morning she got in the car and it would not start. The battery was jumped and she took it to our mechanic. The battery is fairly knew and after testing it, the mechanic said it had “plenty of juice left” but he did recharge it. While doing other maintenance to the car, he noticed the headlights/taillights coming on sporadically. He could not locate any electrical issue so he suggested I take it to the dealership. This morning (Wednesday) I took it to a Honda dealership and after running some diagnostics, it was determined it was a “keyless entry control unit” issue. The service tech told me he has seen this before in other Hondas and said it is a major safety issue if not repaired. The repair cost me over $1,000, and one I feel Honda should reimburse me for. This was not a normal wear/tear issue (like brakes, transmission, tires, etc.). This is a Honda internal electrical issue that malfunctioned. And as the service tech mentioned, it’s an extremely dangerous issue that causes safety concerns for my family (and other potential Honda owners).