2017 Honda Pilot Transmission Problems

Your transmission has been shifting harshly and hesitating since you bought the car, and a dealership software update only temporarily helped. You're experiencing a squeaking noise between 23-30 mph, and your transmission warning light has come on multiple times. Most concerning, your car has twice lost power during acceleration on the highway, forcing you to slow down unexpectedly—a serious safety issue. The transmission may need a complete diagnostic check or replacement to resolve the underlying problem.

At 134,000 miles, your engine suddenly made a knocking sound followed by a loud boom—the engine had thrown a rod and damaged the engine block, causing smoke to pour from the engine. Honda had issued a safety recall for rod issues on some Pilot models, but your front-wheel-drive model wasn't included even though it experienced the same failure. Additionally, you received transmission system warnings that the dealer was unable to resolve beyond resetting the error code. Engine repair or replacement will likely be necessary, along with investigation into the transmission warning issue.

Your engine has experienced major internal damage to the rod bearings at 140,000 miles, primarily highway driving. The Honda dealer estimates you'll need a complete short block replacement along with new camshafts and cylinder heads, with repair costs between $11,000–$15,000. This repair will involve a complete engine rebuild or replacement to restore proper engine function.

On [XXX], approximately 17 hours after purchasing this vehicle from a licensed dealer, the transmission began violently jerking, shuddering, and hesitating without warning while traveling at highway speed in Alabama. The sudden loss of smooth vehicle control created an immediate risk of collision with other vehicles.

I received a letter from Honda regarding a warranty extension on the torque converter of my 2017 Honda Pilot. When I took the vehicle into the dealership, their senior technician confirmed the mechanical issues happening with the vehicle are aligned with the description of the concerns outlined in the warranty extension.

I took my vehicle (2017 Honda pilot) to a Honda dealer in Selma, TX to have a pre-road trip checkup. They performed mileage related maintenance and assured me the vehicle was ready for my 2200 mile road trip. 600 miles into the trip, I stopped for gas.

The vehicle was driven from my house with a plan to reach destination about 30 miles away. 1st half was on back roads, the 2nd half was on highway. Once the vehicle reached the highway, the pilot started to overrev, loud bang, a bit of smoke from hood.

At 103,000 miles, the 9 speed transmission failed while driving, resulting in a warning indicator to park the vehicle immediately. Afterwards, it was unable to change gear from Park. There was no accident or prior issues.

On Dec.04, 2023 I tried to drive vehicle to got to work, and there was no power in D- mode. I pressed the gas padal to gove more power and then the vehicle made a loude sound like as if I was crash into something, and it did not move as usual, there was no power. When I tried to shift the gear back to P, it did not move and the stick was stucked.

The transmission temperature to high light came on as I was driving from NY to NC, I had to pull over because I was afraid the car might catch fire as I have never seen or heard of a transmission being to hot. I was on the side of the NJ turnpike and a vehicle could of crashed into me. The light went off and I continued on my journey.

Emission system problem , transmission system problem. Car frequently stops with these error messages and it stopped the acceleration during driving on a freeway. It could have caused a major accident if I had not pulled over safely.

Per PE 22-005, with Auto Idle Stop enabled, when coming to a stop light, I stopped. When the light turned green, and I let my foot off the brake, the engine would not restart, as if the battery were dead. I put the car in Park, turned it off, turned it back on, and was able to restart the engine.

This car has an automatic start/stop feature/function that shuts the engine off when the brake is fully pressed. The purpose is to save fuel when stopped at a red light or in heavy traffic. As soon as you release the brake, the engine is supposed to restart automatically.

Engine does not restart after start stop feature {auto stop} when stopped at a stoplight or stop sign. Sometimes engine turns off with just a soft application of brakes. So far no serious accident except holding up traffic at an intersection.

When slowing down to stop at a light, or pull into a parking space, the vehicle rather than braking and stopping, accelerates violently on its own, and there is no way to stop it other than putting the vehicle in park immediately, or slamming on the emergency brake. This is an intermittent problem.

After coming to a stop or slowing down to a very low speed, when I reaccelerate to build speed, the transmission stalls and then jerks into gear while in eco-mode. At times this is almost causing a collision.

Twice while car was braked at stop light the car slipped into neutral and turned off after I took my foot off the break. When I tried to compensate for car going into neutral car turns off. This almost caused an accident as I was a green turn arrow and could not turn and car behind me almost hit me.

While stopped, then starting again (eg at a stop sign), vehicle sometimes will not shift into motion, acts "sluggish". The first time I thought perhaps a shoe stuck, or a floor mat was in the way, but that was not the case. Dealership said just turn off eco mode.

While driving on the highway, my 2017 pilot elite spontaneously accelerated and rpms revved. I tapped the brakes and it returned to the normal speed. Traffic was sparse, but if it had been busier this could have easily caused a collision.

Our 2017 honda pilot started turning on every warning light in the driver console and also indicated a problem with every system in the car - safety systems, collision avoidance systems, emissions systems, etc.. These lights turned on and would not turn off. It also started running very roughly.

While driving on a busy road with my wife, my vehicle shuddered while accelerating, and began jerking and slowing down before losing all acceleration. Multiple warning lights went off, and the tranmission automatically shifted to neutral. The transmission is a 9 speed, push button shift.

The transmission unexpectedly shift into neutral while driving. This happened in middle of the road at 6:30 pm. My son was in the vehicle and it was dangerous to stop in the middle of the road.

Your transmission failed at 107,593 miles due to a defective torque converter that caused internal damage to the valve body and oil pump. The inspection report confirmed this was a manufacturing defect, not caused by maintenance issues. You previously had a fuel injector replaced under warranty at 87,000 miles, and the transmission failed about 20,000 miles later. Fixing this problem required a complete transmission overhaul, and Honda has declined to investigate your case despite multiple contacts.

I am submitting a safety complaint regarding a 2017 Honda Pilot experiencing a connecting rod bearing failure. Which has left my vehicle disabled. While driving on I-270 North, the vehicle suddenly made a loud “pop” noise and immediately lost power, creating a dangerous situation on a busy highway.

Transmission locked up and had to be replaced April 8 of 2025. I was blessed it did not lock up while I was driving, but did as soon as I pulled in my driveway. While driving that evening I had some issue with it not downshifting.

Failure occurred at highway speed. A host is warning light came on and the car lost power. Lights that came on included emissions, traction control, power steering, all wheel drive and towing (I wasn’t towing anything).

In April my transmission started slipping and making a whirring noise. I took it to my dealership three times and they could never find a problem. In late June 2024 while driving back from OH to PA, the transmission died and left us stranded on [XXX] in WV with car zipping by.

Without any indication of a problem, the check engine light came on after turning off the car briefly. The car would not shift and the dash reads transmission problem. We had the car towed and we’re told we need a new transmission.

driving down the highway at 65mph the car started bucking and losing acceleration leaving almost no control to the driver to maneuver effectively and avoid other cars. after a terrifying experience of losing control of the car my wife and children stranded on the side of the road for hours in sub 32 degree weather.

When traveling at highway speeds, I push the gas pedal and the vehicle makes a clicking noise, it loses all acceleration power until RPMs go down to 1,000. Then the gas pedal works again. After several months of this, and multiple attempts from the Honda Dealership to fix the problem (clean the throttle body, software updates, etc) the transmission quit on the interstate.

Driving vehicle when multiple warning lights illuminated, including check engine and emissions control issue. Vehicle sputtered to a stop and would not accelerate after that. Vehicle was towed to Honda dealership and they said it was a faulty rocker arm oil pressure switch.

Driving on an 4-lane each direction highway at 70 MPH, the Honda Pilot stopped accelerating and a warning light came on stating there is a transmission problem. With my wife and 4 children inside the vehicle, I had to cross 3 lanes of a very busy highway to pull over without having any propulsion from the gas pedal. We were stranded 1/2 mile before the exit for the Charlotte, NC airport.

The car had problems with automatic start/stop function. During this time the car had a transmission that failed. The automatic start/stop function was fixed by the dealership and the new transmission that was installed failed.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while making a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle.

My car completely shuts off at stop sign/red light when engine idle feature is activated. I have to put car in park and restart it. This has been an ongoing issue since summer 2021.

Vehicle would shift into neutral upon acceleration such as when passing and take up to a minute to reengage in a gear to continue acceleration. Generally happened at 50-60mph on the highway. Called dealer multiple times and brought in at 47,000 mi, but no codes generated by vehicle and dealer couldn't replicate.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a stop light and attempting to proceed to drive, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact shifted the vehicle to park(P) and restarted the vehicle.

For the past few months, I have been having issues with my vehicle stalling. This issue occurs while stopped at red lights, stop signs, and while sitting in stop and go traffic. My vehicle is equipped with the Auto Start/Stop feature, and while stopped at a stop sign for instance, the vehicle will auto stop but fail to auto start when taking my foot off the brake and hitting the gas.

In the past week, my Pilot has stalled for no known reason. Both times the vehicle was stopped and the feature that idles the car down to conserve energy was activated. When I let off the brake instead of the car restarting or gearing up and accelerating, the car just died.

For roughly the last 4 months, my car stalls at a stop (stop sign, traffic light, etc) by shifting itself into neutral. The car has a push button gear shift and the warning light says to shift the car into park. Sometimes, I can shift the car into park and sometimes I can't shift the buttons at all.

I currently own a 2017 honda pilot with auto stop/start feature, my wife has been driving and on multiple occasions she stopped and the vehicle would stall causing a safety concern. She then stops traffic and as they have to go around her. She has to wait a few minutes for the vehicle to restart.

Car lurches forward on downshift and revs high. Prior to powertrain train warranty ending, called honda clarksville (since I am a large distance away from any honda dealer) and was told the lurching was a honda transmission item and nothing can be done. Fast forward 5k miles (now just outside warranty) car would not go into gear.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. Also, the transmission warning indicator illuminated and a message to "stop driving transmission problem" displayed.

Vehicle: 2017 Honda Pilot Elite VIN: [XXX] Mileage at failure: 107,593 The 9-speed automatic transmission failed at approximately 107,593 miles. The repair cost 6,229.91 at an independent shop and included a full transaxle overhaul, replacement of the torque converter, transmission oil pump, and main control valve body.

Transmission and torque converter, were effected on my car. Safety concerns were witness when wife was driving on freeway with our 4 kids and car was jerking and not going like it’s was suppose to. We drove to slow lane were we proceeded to destination slowly .

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving between with the RPM between 2,000 and 2,500, the vehicle bucked. There was no warning light illuminated.

Honda has a 2 TSBs for all Pilots on all VINs having a transmission juddering issue. They are making us pay out of pocket for a known issue on all 2017 VINs. I was quoted a minimum of $700 due to the labor involved.

I drive a 2017 Honda Pilot Touring 9-speed and I’ve been dealing with some frustrating issues for last 3 years. The car has sudden loss of power, jerking, harsh shifting, and acceleration problems.

Honda has a TSB for all Pilots on all VINs under TSB 17-014. They are making us pay out of pocket for a known issue on all 2017 VINs. I was quoted a minimum of $700 due to the labor involved.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently jerked with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced.

First received a transmission system issue and took car into dealership for the torque converter recall. Not even a 1,000 miles later I received a transmission temperature too hot signal.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, rattled, jerked, and shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated.

My husband was driving on the highway to a competition for our daughter. He said the Transmission System Problem light came on 4 different times in 20 minutes. This had happened once while I was driving last year and had never happened again.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated.

I was driving on the highway home and received the transmission system error warning message. Pulled over safely after leaving highway and shit off the truck and was able tot skenabck roads home after restarting truck and error cleared. There was never a check engine light on, just the warning light.

I was driving on [XXX] and I suddenly started seeing that my vehicle gearshifting was a bit and I got a notification that there was a transmission problem. I immediately pulled over and turned off the vehicle for a few mins and then restarted it and the alert icon went away.

Regular issues with Fuel injection system, had to change the fuel injectors multiple times. Severe vibrations in the car between 2nd and 3rd gear, had changes transmission fluid including full flush but made no change. Several complaints online on this model.

The transmission completely broke/ went out. Honda knows this is a recurrent issue with these vehicles. The fuel injectors had already been replaced on this vehicle at 40,000 miles before Honda was admitting a defect.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle jerked significantly. There was no warning light illuminated.

I have the automatic start and stop (idle) feature and it cuts out on me in the middle of intersections and won't allow the car to restart. I took to dealer to have software updated and they charged me and now it is starting again. Someone almost blindsided me in the intersection and I don't want someone to get killed.

Torque Converter clutch slipping due to Honda 3.6L V6 VSC Vibration. Received a "Transmission System Error" warning multiple times while driving at 65MPH highway. Vehicle has less than 47,000 miles but is out of warranty due to the age of the vehicle.

Transmission randomly makes a juddering jerking sound and hesitates while driving. Honda has flushed my transmission many times under sevice bulletin 17-014, 17-015 and the repair is short lived. Honda stops honoring the extended service bulletin after 80k.

I have a 2017 Honda Pilot EX-L with a mileage of 41010 miles. I have completed all the recommended services in a timely manner by an authorized Honda Dealer. When I was driving the vehicle yesterday (3/25/2023) at a speed of around 65 MPH, I got an error message saying "Transmission System Problem".

I took the car in at approximately 55,000 miles (under warranty) because I was could heard a noise coming from the transmission and the vehicle was not driving correctly. The dealer flushed the transmission and did a computer update.

I been hearing a rattling noise from the engine area for a while. I took it to Honda dealership where I bought it and they test drive a few times. They said they don't hear the noise, but when the test drive with me know the SUV they hear they noise numerous times but don't know where the noise coming from.

RPM Judder from Torque Converter Lock up clutch felt while driving between 20 and 60 MPH. The issue is caused by transmission fluid that overheats and deteriorates quicker than it should. It can be resolved by a vehicle software update which prevents transmission fluid from overheating and prevents the judder.

Driving on the highway, came to a stop due to high volume of traffic, car stopped completely and auto/start turned off the engine itself like it should when brake is stepped on all the way, traffic started to move, let go of the brake to have engine turn back on like it normally would, however this time the engine did not start back on itself, tried to step on the brake and would not allow to press on it.

When the engine stops when the brake is applied, there are times when the engine shuts down completely, restarting electrical systems and not starting up again. This incredibly scary and dangerous. I have brought it to the dealer who has no idea how to fix it.

At start up, both with remote start an manual start, the vehicle will lurch forward. It seems to be happening with more frequency for a total of about 10 times. My worry is that at start up the vehicle will strike nearby pedestrians or property.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after starting to drive at an unknown speed, the transmission shifted down a gear independently. An unknown warning light was illuminated.

Traveling about 70 MPH on the interstate using cruise control. I don’t think there was a change in steepness/grade, but if there was it was mild. Suddenly, the RPM’s were erratic and the engine and gears seemed out of sync.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle revved up and independently accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal with excessive force and the vehicle moved forward a little before coming to a stop.

My vehicle is a 6 speed automatic transmission, which is experiencing symptoms known to affect 9 speed transmissions as documented in TSB 20-029, Hard Upshift with Steady Acceleration. The transmission has intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration. The vehicle will 'clank' and jump slightly forward, while accelerating between 20-45mph.

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated.

Auto dashboard warning lights started and remained flashing. Transmission would not up shift - slipped into neutral - surged and jerked when up shifting This experience was repeated after pulling off the highway and attempting to reenter traffic. This was a dangerous experience as it occurred on a high speed Interstate.

Vehicle will not restart after engine auto idle engages. When lifting foot off the brake to begin driving car will not restart and says you must go into park and press brake. Radio and lights are still on.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral, without warning. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed.

My wife has reported on several occasions that when the idle-stop feature is turned on and the vehicle has come to a stop, the engine cuts as intended but will not restart when pressure is released from the brake. Numerous lights within the instrument panel, with the exception of the check engine light, illuminate, the transmission shifts itself into neutral.

Honda knows that there is a problem with the transmission that causes the fluid to overheat. The overheating issue leads to a 'judder' in the transmission. The car accelerates in a very jerky way especially between 30 and 50.

The auto engine idle (aei) feature has a flaw in it that honda has apparently not identified or explained and it is a serious safety concern. Aei shuts the engine off when the car is in drive but fully stopped and, in theory, increases fuel efficiency by reducing engine idling when the car is stopped, e.g. At a stoplight or in stop-and-go traffic.

Took my vehicle to lithia honda of salem oregon with under bumper to bumper and powertrain warranty with transmission jerking(service manager: brent called me advised that software he will take care off but flushing trans. Fluid as per mnfg> known TSB is not and we need to pay.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. The contact stated that the transmission warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to walser honda (14800 buck hill rd, burnsville, mn 55306) where the warning indicator was turned off and the transmission fluid was replaced.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. While driving 20-50 MPH, the vehicle jerked without warning. The vehicle was taken to holman honda (12 e sunrise blvd, fort lauderdale, fl 33304, (954) 764-1100) where it was diagnosed that a transmission update was needed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel shook without warning. Additionally, the vehicle shifted hard and jerked from first to second gear.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. While driving between 10 and 25 MPH, the transmission experienced hard shifting between first and second gear, which caused the vehicle to suddenly lunge forward. The vehicle was taken to conyers honda (1860 ga-20, conyers, ga), but the failure could not be duplicated.

For a while now the car has had an issue with starting after the auto idle engine stop has engaged. It is slow to start, the radio and infotainment screen cut out, and there is a popping noise. When we had the car in for service last, we mentioned this and they said they couldn't replicate the issue and to record it happening.

The SUV shakes, shudders, and rumble upon light acceleration at various speeds, sometimes at 35 MPH other times at 66 MPH. The experience is similar or exactly like driving over the emergency rumble strip on the side of the road, only you're not. The dealership has refused to admit this problem and fix the issue.

The vehicle has started jerking while accelerating.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 honda pilot. While driving various speeds, the vehicle jerked forward and the windows functioned independently. The dealer (serra honda grandville, 4260 kenowa ave sw, grandville, mi) was unable to duplicate the failures.

Transmission over heated after side gasket failed at 1224 miles since new. Single owner, new vehicle. Dealer tightened gasket, put fluid in it.

The transmission in my 2017 honda pilot, a 9 speed, is not switching gears smoothly. At first, I took the car back to the dealership and they explained that the vehicle needed a transmission computer update. It was fine for approximately 3 days and is back to banging gears.

On 6/11/17 wile I was driving I felt my car 'jerk' when I would press on the gas and the car would shift gears. My dashboard alerted me that there was a problem and I would need to take this car in for service. [attachment 1] my vehicle only had 2040 (estimated) miles on it and I've only had it for 2 months, how could this be?

Vehicle shifted to neutral while driving. Carr is at dealer. They are researching problem.

Transmission and torque converter blew at 77k miles.

Unresponsive and delayed acceleration when pressing the accelerator at highway speed. There is no reaction once the accelerator is pressed, engine does not increase RPM and no increase in speed for 1-2 seconds. This lag in any acceleration has caused multiple dangerous situations and needs to be investigated.

While driving got 3 messages. Transmission Error, Emission Error and Blind Spot Error and the vehicle would not go into Drive mode. Looking at all the information online there is plenty of reports on issue with the transmission on the 2005-2019 Pilots 9 Speed transmission including loss of power when driving which luckily did not happen to me.

Shifts hard and accelerates too fast between gear 1 and 2. DTC permanent codes are p2638 and p170B

I am writing to file a complaint regarding a potential safety defect in my 2017 Honda Pilot. My vehicle is experiencing issues with the torque converter clutch, resulting in a P0741 error code. I am aware of Honda recall which addresses similar torque converter issues in 2017-2019 Honda Pilots.

The autostop feature on the car fails to restart the engine. The car completely shuts down and all electrical is dead. This has happened multiple times over the course of many years.

Warning signs pop up when it hits 65mph on the highway. It blinks, “transmission system problem” with warning sounds ever so often. I tried to take it to Jiffy Lube multiple times, and they could never find the problem.

Moving from a stationary position while driving under 10 MPH the vehicle shifts from 1st gear to 2nd gear with a heavy jerk motion.

I have experienced several instances where the vehicle's auto stop-start system fails to restart the vehicle's engine after a stop. This has happened 2-5 times. Specifically, when the vehicle is at a full stop (with brake fully depressed), the auto stop-start system is designed to stop the engine to conserve fuel by turning the engine off.

At least once a week the vehicle shuts off and don’t restart at stop light/ sign.

We were at a Sheetz gas station last month and the auto-start/stop cut the engine off and it would not restart. We had to place the car in park and manually restart it. We have had this issue happen on another occasion and we purchased the car in April.

Keyless start system malfunction.

Car goes into neutral or no gear at all when still in drive on its own. Has done this multiple times, will end up getting us killed at some point because when you go to get on the accelerator to get out of someone’s way the engine just revs up.

The car would not go into reverse and when it finally did and we pulled out we received a transmission problem warning

While accelerating between 44-48 MPH, the car judders/shakes.

Transmission lurches (slips, shifts rough, jumps forward) when shifting at around 28 MPH. So far the veh. Only does this at the speed indicated.

From a stop, at times when I take my foot off the brake with the auto-engine idle set to "on", when I try to accelerate, the engine will cut off. The car puts itself in either neutral or park, then I have to restart the car - depress brake and press button - after 30 seconds to a minute.

2017 honda pilot AWD - periodically the transmission experiences hard shifting in the lower gears. This occurred when speeding up or slowing down. It continued until I turned off the vehicle and restarted the car.

When driving on lower gears, the car or transmission will perform significant jerks like it is hard for it to switch gears. Typically when driving around 40 MPH.