2014 Honda Pilot Engine Problems

Your engine suddenly revved to high RPMs while you were parking, causing the vehicle to accelerate into a concrete wall. The airbag indicator light came on but the airbags didn't deploy during the crash. Honda is sending a factory representative to inspect the vehicle for unintended acceleration issues at the collision center, but you remain concerned about the safety of driving the vehicle even after repairs.

Your 2014 Honda Pilot has a misfire problem caused by deteriorating piston rings, which an authorized Honda dealership already diagnosed with engine codes. You stopped driving the vehicle due to safety concerns about sudden power loss or stalling, but the battery died and cleared the diagnostic codes. Honda now refuses to repair it unless you drive the vehicle again until the misfire reappears and the codes show up at service time—which means operating a vehicle with a known defect to reproduce the problem. The repair will likely involve inspecting or replacing the piston rings and related engine components.

Your engine has been misfiring (not firing properly) in different cylinders. Even after replacing spark plugs and an ignition coil, your check engine light, VTM light, and traction control light keep coming back on. The misfire problem has moved from cylinder 1 to cylinder 3, suggesting an ongoing issue that hasn't been fully resolved yet. You may need a more thorough diagnostic to identify the root cause, which could involve checking fuel injectors, compression, or other ignition system components.

Your 2014 Honda Pilot is making an abnormal noise from the passenger-side wheel and the transmission isn't shifting into gear smoothly when you move the shifter. Your check engine light is on. You've taken it to a Honda dealer twice, but they haven't been able to identify the cause, and the problem has gotten worse. The issue may be related to a known engine recall (Campaign PE25008), but your VIN wasn't verified. Diagnosis and repair will likely require transmission and engine system inspection by a certified Honda technician.

Your engine is leaking oil into cylinders 1, 2, and 3, likely due to worn piston rings and the cylinder deactivation system. This oil buildup is fouling your spark plugs and causing misfires, which makes your engine lose power while driving. The issue appeared at 129,000 miles, even though the spark plugs were only 25,000 miles old. Fixing this will likely require replacing the piston rings and spark plugs, and possibly servicing the cylinder deactivation system.

Your engine is misfiring repeatedly, causing the check engine light to flash along with the VTM-4 and traction control lights. You've replaced spark plugs and ignition coils multiple times, but the problem keeps returning—especially on long drives. The issue seems to fix temporarily but then comes back, leaving you stranded and spending money on repeated repairs. This likely requires a mechanic to diagnose the underlying cause, which could involve fuel injectors, a faulty engine control module, or other ignition system components.

Your check engine and VTM-4 warning lights came on, and diagnostic testing showed a misfire in cylinder #3 (error code P0303). This is the same problem Honda fixed under a recall for 2014-2013 models due to a lawsuit, but your 2014 Pilot has the same components and wasn't included in that recall. The misfire could potentially cause a loss of control while driving. This issue will likely require Honda to inspect and possibly replace engine components related to the ignition or fuel system in cylinder #3.

Your 2014 Honda Pilot experienced severe engine shaking and stalled while driving. A diagnostic code P0303 indicated a cylinder misfire caused by a fouled spark plug, which was found to be melted due to worn piston rings. The dealer quoted $4,000 for repairs but has not offered to cover the cost under warranty, despite this issue appearing in lawsuits involving earlier Pilot model years. Fixing this issue would require replacing the spark plugs, inspecting or replacing the piston rings, and potentially addressing other engine components.

On May 14 2023 I was driving my 2014 Honda Pilot when the Check Engine, VMT-4, and Stability Control dashboard lights all came on. I took my car to the local Honda dealer who said the #2 spark plug was fouled causing engine misfiring. I was also told I was low on oil. I have not seen any stains underneath the car but I was told the oil was leaking out past the piston rings and out the exhaust. I was also told by the dealer that 3 of the piston rings need replacing. And the cost is $5,000. The Honda service representative said there was no recall on this issue. But I found out later that the 2009 to 2013 Honda Pilots had a similar issue that was corrected by Honda at their cost. So why is there no recall for 2014 Honda Pilots ?? I am not rough on my car when I drive. So why should I have to pay $5,000 to fix a problem that Honda had in the 2009 to 2013 Pilots and apparently have not corrected for the 2014 Pilots ???? A quick internet search reveals other 2014 Pilot owners with similar if not the identical problem that I have.

Very loud clunking noise. Camshaft needs to be replaced. I have already had to replace the transmission and timing belt. Honda ordered the part Jan 17. The part is backordered until the end of March. I was told the vehicle should not be driven until the part is replaced because the noise is the camshaft rubbing against other parts of the engine which could cause further damage to the engine. Once the Camshaft completely goes out, then the vehicle will just stop. I do not want to be stranded or cause further damage to the engine. I have been unable to drive my vehicle since Jan 17.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON ONE DAY AND THE VEHICLE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. IMMEDIATELY NOTICED AN IMPACT ON BEING ABLE TO DRIVE SAFELY AND COULD NOT OPERATE THE VEHICLE ANY FURTHER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY STATED THE PISTON RINGS NEED TO BE REPLACED AND I AM GETTING A CYLINDER #3 MISFIRE. THEY ALSO STATED THAT MY DEALERSHIP SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIX THIS FOR FREE AS IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL. I HAVE ALREADY BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN FOR A CYLINDER #3 MISFIRE AND COST ME A FORTUNE TO FIX. AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND THAT ONLY MODELS 2009-2013 WERE COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. LOOKING AT THE OTHER NHSTA COMPLAINTS WITH PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED AND IS YET STLL HAPPENING IN MODELS 2014. PLEASE EXTEND THIS COVERAGE TO THE YEAR 2014.

3 engine piston rings failed. Wife was driving the vehicle. Yes, verified and repaired by Honda of Fort Worth. Engine light flashing when misfiring and rough idle before pulling over. Also needed timing belt kit replaced. 2009-2013 Pilots had same problem and were part of a class action suit. Same 3 pistons that the VCM and ECO mode effects the operation of engine.

As I was driving home during rush hour, I smelt an odd smell. I thought that it was coming from the vehicle next to me but that vehicle turned and the smell remained. I looked down at my dashboard and the OVER HEATING WARNING LIGHT WAS BRIGHT YELLOW-- I immediately pulled over into a parking lot with my 2 young kids, got them out of the car, and began to try and figure out what was going on. Thank goodness I didn't ignore this issue and that I was able to pull off of the road when I did. This could have been a very unsafe situation for myself, my kids, and other motorists. Prior to this moment there were NO indicators of anything being wrong with the vehicle, there was absolutely no warning of what I am about to describe either. LUCKILY, my husband was nearby and able to pick us up. There was a milky fluid leaking from underneath the car and when my husband opened the hood he said that oil and water had mixed--it looked like something had just exploded. Needless to say I had to have the vehicle towed to a shop. After taking the engine out and sending parts off to a machinist it was determined that the front cylinder head had cracked and the rear cylinder head had to be resurfaced due to the damage. Several mechanics have noted that there is NO REASONABLE EXPLINATION FOR THE CYLINDER HEAD TO CRACK before 200,000 miles. I had just purchased this vehicle in September 2020, it had 72,000 miles on it then. It currently has around 80,000 miles on it. I purchased this vehicle because I thought it would be a SAFE FAMILY VEHICLE but now I'm not comfortable driving it because I'm worried that it will "blowup" on me. I contacted Honda Customer Service and they basically said that nothing can be done to assist me. I have seen an identical scenario posted on here and was shocked by it as well--because I thought that my mechanic wrote it but alas it was someone with the same situation! There is obviously something faulty here and it should be repaired/replaced by Honda!

FROM 85,000 MILES ONWARD, HAD INTERMITENT MISFIRES ON #1 AND #2 CYLINDERS. REPLACED BOTH PLUGS AND COILS ON THOSE CYLINDERS. HOWEVER, INTERMITENT MISFIRES CONTINUED. AT 105,000, TOOK VEHICLE FOR 100,000 MILE MAINTENENCE. HONDA DEALER INFORMED ME THAT MY VEHICLE NEEDED NEW PISTON RINGS ON CYLINDER #1, #2 AND #3. OIL WAS LEAKING PAST RINGS AND FOULING PLUGS. A $2500 REPAIR!! THIS ISSUE WAS ADMITTED AND CORRECTED AT NO CHARGE BY HONDA ON 2009 TO 2013 HONDA PILOTS. OBVIOUSLY, THE ISSUE CONTINUED INTO 2014 AND SHOULD ALSO BE COVERED. NOTE: I HAVE INVOICES FOR ABOVE REPAIRS..

CONSISTENT VIBRATION WHEN ECM ENGAGES CULMINATING IN ENGINE BUCKING ALONG WITH ENGINE LIGHT FLASHING THIS OCCURRED ON RURAL ROAD AT 55MPH. MECHANIC CHANGED OIL AND SPARK PLUGS WHICH SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. TWO MONTHS LATER, ENGINE LIGHT ON AND ECM NOT ENGAGING AT ALL. VTM LIGHT ON FOR A SHORT WHILE. CODE INDICATES A CYLINDER PROBLEM. THIS WAA ALSO AT APPROX. 50MPH. THE CODE IS AMBIGUOUS BUT SEEMS TO INDICATE MISFIRE OF SOME SORT. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS TO BE A PERVASIVE PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED?

I AM 30 YEARS EXPERIENCED AUTO MECHANIC AND RECENTLY EXPERIENCED MY ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT FLASHED IN MY 2014 HONDA PILOT WHILE DRIVING AND ENGINE OVERHEATED . PULLED OVER THE VEHICLE AND FOUND OIL LEAKED COMPLETELY INTO THE COOLING SYSTEM AND RADIATOR RESERVOIR WAS FULL OF OIL/COOLANT. I REMOVED BOTH SIDE CYLINDER HEADS, COULD NOT FIND ANY DAMAGES EITHER HEADS OR GASKETS. I HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR ASSEMBLY. I FOUND SAME CASES ONLINE AND ASKED THE HONDA FOR THIS CASE, HONDA DID NOT LET ME KNOW WHAT THEY KNOW. VEHICLE WAS JUST PAID OFF AND HAS 82000 MILES ON IT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED PROPERLY SINCE DAY 1.

IN MAY I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE #2 CYLINDER PLUG FOULING IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 7/25/18 & 1600 MILES LATER ON 9/8/18. ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT'S A OIL SEAL PROBLEM. I SEE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 2009-2013 PILOTS WHY NOT ON THE 2014? SAME PROBLEM AS COMPLAINT #11122936 THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH SOMETHING

MY HONDA PILOT 2014 HAS VIBRATION EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. I WORRY THAT IT WILL DAMAGE THE ENGINE. I THINK IT HAPPEN WHEN TRANSITION BETWEEN 3 CYLINDER AND 6 CYLINDER. DRIVING BETWEEN 30 MPH TO 60 MPH. I DON'T THINK THE VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT (VCM) IS WORKING WELL AT ALL. HONDA PLEASE FIX THIS ISSUES.

THE HEAD GASKET ON MY 2014 HONDA PILOT BLEW WITH ONLY 23,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. NO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED AND I AM WORRIED ABOUT A SAFETY ISSUE DESPITE THE REPAIRS BEING COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I GOT THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW AND SERVICE RECORDS ARE MAINTAINED AND UP TO DATE.

THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN MY PILOT REACHED 15K MILES. WHEN DRIVING I CAN FEEL THE ENGINE VIBRATE WHEN ACCELERATE AROUND 35 -45 RPM SPEED. I DID SOME RESEARCHES ONLINE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SIMILAR PROBLEM ( WHEN ECO/VCM KICKS IN CAR VIBRATES) IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TRANSITION FROM 3 CYLINDERS TO 6 CYLINDERS. I HOPE THAT HONDA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I DON'T FEEL SAFE WHEN THE VIBRATION KICKS IN WHEN DRIVING; FELT LIKE THE ENGINE WOULD EXPLODE KINDA SCARY FEELING. ALSO IF TOO MUCH VIBRATION, IT WOULD REDUCE THE LIFE THE ENGINE. PLEASE HELP US ON THIS ISSUES.

ON APRIL 17, 2016 AT 3.30 PM WHILE FORWARD PARKING MY VEHICLE, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION, RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE IMPACTING THE WALL IN FRONT OF MY PARKING SPOT. THE WALL WAS APX. 20 FT FROM THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE DURING THE LATER STAGES OF THE PARKING MANEUVER AND SPEED WAS MINIMAL <5 KM/H). BEFORE COMING TO A STANDSTILL, THE ENGINE SPRUNG TO MAXIMUM RPM WITHOUT ME EVER TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CONTROL IT AND THE BRAKES WERE ALSO INEFFECTIVE. UPON IMPACT THE DRIVER FRONT AIRBAG DEPLOYED AND THE HORN STARTED. I SWITCHED OFF THE ENGINE AND REMOVED THE KEYS. SEVERAL WITNESSES CAME FORWARD FOR ASSISTANCE, POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE ON SITE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THIS INCIDENT IS VERY CONCERNING; PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED HAD THIS HAPPENED IN ANOTHER LOCATION OR IF PASSERSBY WHERE PRESENT.

MY 2014 HONDA PILOT EX-L HAS A MULTI MAJOR ISSUES. STARTING WITH A MAJOR WATER LEAK INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. VEHICLE STALLING IN THE MIDDLE OF A LEFT HAND TURN DURING THE RAIN. HESITATION IN THE MOTOR WHEN TRAVELING AT 45 MPH. THIS OCCURS ALL THE TIME WHEN DRIVING. LUNGING FORWARD WHILE THE BRAKE IS ENGAGED. PULLING TO THE RIGHT, THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE IN ALIGNMENT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE DAY OF PURCHASE. WHINING IN THE POWER STEERING NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU ARE TURNING. LIFTERS ARE TAPPING UNDER THE HOOD. THE LIST GOES ON. TRIED TO HAVE THESE ISSUES ADDRESSED AT THE DEALERSHIP AND ALL I GOT WAS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE PILOT. IT RUNS THE WAY IT SHOULD. AND NOW THEY WILL NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AS THEY TOLD ME TO NEVER BRING IT BACK TO THEIR DEALERSHIP. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS PILOT, I LOVED MY 2012 PILOT. *TR

WHEN CRUISING IN MY 2014 HONDA PILOT EX-L AT ABOUT 60 MPH ON RELATIVELY FLAT TERRAIN, THERE IS A LOW FREQUENCY VIBRATION AND RUMBLE. I BELIEVE THIS IS DUE TO THE VCM FEATURE OF THE ENGINE. IT IS POSSIBLE THIS COULD GET WORSE AND CAUSE SOME ENGINE DAMAGE. *TR

WHEN THE VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT KICKS IN AT 2000 RPM THE ENGINE VIBRATES. IT DOES THIS CONSTANTLY WHEN THE ECO GREEN LIGHT COMES ON. VERY DISTRACTING AND ANNOYING. ALSO IS A PROBLEM IN MY SISTERS 2013 PILOTS. DEALER KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM BUT WOULD NOT DISCLOSE UNTIL AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR. *TR