2006 Honda Pilot Electrical Problems

Your vehicle experienced a fire that started in the driver's seat control panel. Smoke came from inside the vehicle when you opened the door, and flames affected the driver's seat, seat belt, and interior door panel. This electrical fire requires immediate professional inspection and repair of the seat heating controls and wiring.

Your car's driver's side heated seat caught fire while parked with the engine off, severely burning the seat and door. This happened without any warning lights or signs of trouble, despite a recent inspection. Because heated seats can malfunction unexpectedly and pose a serious fire risk—especially while driving—this needs immediate professional attention. The fix will likely require replacement of the heated seat element and wiring, along with inspection of the electrical system to prevent future fires.

You purchased a 2006 Honda Pilot from an auction and discovered a mileage discrepancy when registering the vehicle. The odometer showed 74,009 miles at purchase, but the actual mileage was 300,151 miles — a significant difference that suggests odometer fraud. Addressing this issue will likely require consulting with your state's motor vehicle department and potentially pursuing legal action against the seller.

Your car randomly enters limp mode where the VTM and VSA lights flash and the engine won't accelerate properly, happening both on highways and in traffic. The only temporary fix is turning the car off and back on, though sometimes that doesn't work and you have to wait. Additionally, your car has ongoing electrical problems on the passenger side that affect the windows and turn signals, which mechanics have been unable to diagnose or fix despite multiple inspections. A comprehensive electrical system inspection and potential module replacement may be needed to resolve both the limp mode and electrical failures.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA PILOT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. DURING THE FAILURE, THE IGNITION KEY WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE CONTACT REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH AND INSERTED THE SPARE KEY, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE KEY BATTERY WAS FAULTY. AFTER REPLACING THE BATTERY INSIDE THE KEY, THE KEY OPERATED NORMALLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

BOTH VEHICLE LOW BEAMS SIMULTANEOUSLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I NEEDED TO USE HIGH-BEAMS TO GET HOME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!! I CHECKED BULBS AND FUSES AND ALL ARE IN WORKING ORDER.

ON THE DAY THAT THE FIRE OCCURRED, I DROVE THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 8-10 MILES ROUND TRIP BETWEEN10:30-10:45 A.M., AND THEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE FOR 3 HOURS. AFTER THAT, I DROVE MY CAR APPROX. 1 MILE, AND IT WAS PARKED OUTSIDE FOR A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR. THEN, ABOUT 30-45 SECONDS AFTER I BEGAN DRIVING MY CAR BACK HOME, MY SON NOTICED SMOKE. I DIDN'T SEE THE SMOKE AND THOUGHT MY WINDOW WAS HAZY, SO I CONTINUED DRIVING. ABOUT 1/2-1/4 MILE FROM MY HOME, I SAW A LITTLE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND MY ENGINE BEGAN SPUTTERING. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME, I NOTICED THAT DIFFERENT INDICATOR LIGHTS BEGAN DISPLAYING. HOWEVER, MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOWED NORMAL LEVELS. BECAUSE I WAS SO CLOSE TO HOME, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE INTO MY DRIVEWAY, WHERE I PARKED AND EXITED THE CAR AND NOTICED ADDITIONAL SMOKE AND FLAMES UNDER THE HOOD. I EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE HONDA DEALERSHIP SERVICE OFFICE AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY INVESTIGATED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE, WHICH WAS DETERMINED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL FIRE CAUSED BY THE ALTERNATOR, AND THE TIMING BELT, BATTERY, ALTERNATOR AND PORTIONS OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WAS INFORMED THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO PREVENT THIS. MY INSURANCE PAID FOR THE DAMAGE. THANKFULLY, I WAS CLOSE TO HOME WHEN THIS HAPPENED, AND COULD PUT OUT THE FIRE ON MY OWN, OTHERWISE, THE DANGER TO MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN AND THE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

THE KEY IS STUCK AND WONT TURN OR COME OUT. *TR

THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AN WILL NOT COME OUT OR TURN. *TR

MOST OF BUTTON LIGHTS ON CLIMATE CONTROL DASH AND CRUISE/VSA/SUNROOF STOPPED WORKING. I BELIEVE THEY BURNT OUT. HAPPENED TO LOTS OF HONDA OWNER TOO. HONDA DEALERSHIP ASKS FOR $200-300 TO FIX THIS. IT'S RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE TO FIX THEIR MISTAKE. *TR

NOT ONE, BUT BOTH REAR WINDOWS FELL WITHIN WEEKS OF EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE CHEAP PLASTIC MECHANISM THAT HOLDS THEM UP. BOTH MECHANISMS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $400 EACH. AND THEY USE THE SAME PARTS!! CLEARLY THIS IS A RECALL ISSUE, AS I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF REPORTS LIKE THIS ONE. THANK GOODNESS WE WERE NOT DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT THE TIME (BOTH TIMES WE HAD JUST EXITED) AND THE GLASS DIDN'T BREAK. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN NOT ONLY A COSTLY REPAIR, BUT DANGEROUS FOR MY KIDS IN THE BACKSEAT. *TR

LOUD POPPING NOISE COMING FROM REAR SPEAKER WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE. ON AND OFF FOR YEARS NOW. *TT

ON MULTIPLE TIMES, WHEN I START THE IGNITION, A LOUD NOISE COMES FROM THE REAR STEREO SYSTEM SPEAKER. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE IGNITION IS TURNED ON. IT HAPPENS 50% OF THE TIME WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. IT IS ANNOYING BUT I READ THAT SOMEWHERE THAT THIS COULD BE RELATED TO FAILED ANC (ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION UNIT) AND THE COST COULD BE $500. I FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE THIS FREE OF COST. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WARMER GETS UNBEARABLY HOT! THE SEAT SEEMS TO ONLY WARM ON THE RIGHT SIDE, BUT IT IS EXTREMELY HOT!! *KB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA PILOT. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION. THERE WAS ALOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR STEREO SYSTEM SPEAKER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER TRAVELING AT A LOW SPEED OR THE ENGINE WAS IDLING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION UNIT (ANC). THE COST OF THE SERVICE REPAIR WAS $500.00. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATED 02/01/11 *LJ UPDATED 03/21/11

WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT THE 2006 HONDA PILOT, THERE WAS A LOUD ROAMING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE, WHILE THE CAR WAS CRUISING AT ANY SPEED, IT WOULD JUST START AND STOP AT ANY MOMENT, IT SOUNDED LIKE A RACING CAR REVVING IT ENGINE TO THE LIMIT. WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THEY SPENT ABOUT 2 DAYS TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT, THEY SAID IT WAS SOME SORT OF SPEAKER OR SENSOR THAT WAS RELAYING INFORMATION TO THE CARS COMPUTER AND WHAT WE WERE HEARING WAS FEEDBACK. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT, SO THEY UNPLUGGED IT SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HEAR THE NOISE. *JB