2003 Honda Pilot Airbag Problems

Which parts fail

• Frontal › Sensor/control module
  8
• Frontal
  5
• Side/window
  2
• Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
  1
• SRS malfunction warning lamp/light
  1

Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  816%
• 25k–50k
  48%
• 50k–75k
  36%
• 75k–100k
  612%
• 100k–150k
  1224%
• 150k+
  1835%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at slow low speeds, the vehicle was difficult to shift into second gear. The SRS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact about a possible recall. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed there were no open recalls on the VIN. The contact stated the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V176000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The contact stated 2nd gear is no longer working. Honda stated the recall was fixed, but the contact stated that was incorrect.

The contact, an attorney, was filing a complaint on behalf of a client who owned a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his client was driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle struck the client's vehicle, causing the air bags to deploy. The husband did not sustain any injuries; however, the client's wife was rendered quadriplegic. The client's wife fractured her spinal vertebra and later passed away. The cause of death was believed to have been caused by the accident. There was a police report filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 256,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V501000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, to avoid colliding with another vehicle, he turned the steering wheel to the left then to the right and loss control of the wheel. The contact crashed into a deep ditch and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later towed to a junk yard. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnoses of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that he went to flow Honda of statesville dealer (1003 folger dr, statesville, nc 28625) and informed them of the failure and showed pictures of the accident. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

Vehicle driver side hit side of mountain causing it to go down hill on passenger side. Rolled over three times. No air bags deployed. Person sitting in passenger seat received a scalp injury, but no loss of consciousness. Vehicle was on a dirt road and was traveling between 20 and 25 MPH.

Parked the car. Came back about 10 minutes later, heard loud like shots fired, rounded the corner to see it was our airbags popping...the car was on fire under the hood, and going to the dashboard. Called 911 and by the time the fire dept. Came ( 1 mile away) the whole car was engulfed. The whole car destroyed, all that was left was the shell no seats no dashboard no license plates nothing left. We complied to all recalls and took it to a Honda dealership each time for repairs. We had a steering column fire about 2-3 years ago driving along and the car filled with smoke, it was a electrical fire, but pulling over turning off the engine put out the fire. Had it repaired immediately. A week before the big fire we felt the column and it was hot...but cooled after we parked it. Then days later is when it burned to the ground, even the tires were gone. …

The vehicle has had unpredictable braking and traction for well over a year. Dealer visit on March 14, 2014 did not produce a cause. More recently I was unable to stop the vehicle from 40 MPH for a red light with full brake pressure. Road conditions were good at the time. I had to accelerate through the intersection to avoid a collision. The vehicle currently displays the "check engine" light and "vtm-4" light quite consistently. Traction is also intermittently compromised by some unknown problem. It seems that when the vtm-4 light is on, the AWD feature of the vehicle is disabled. When it is on, it cannot be disabled with the switch on the dash. The driver side air bag was ordered on October 29, 2014 but has not yet become available. I called the dealer again on March 2, 2014 after I received another air bag recall notice. …

There was a blind spot when the consumer looked in both mirrors, he turned his head to look and saw no vehicle. The instant the consumer turned back to the center lane, the vehicle began to spin out of control. The vehicle was totaled and no air bags deployed. The second vehicle of this complaint is: VIN#[redacted] Honda Pilot 2004. The incident occurred on feb. 6, 2005 in which a similar incident occurred. The consumer looked in both mirrors, turned her head and started in the left lane and instantly swerved out of control. The vehicle spun around several times, went into an embankment, rear first about 40 feet, then hit a small tree. The back window blew out, the trunk was smashed in and none of the air bags deployed. Since the vehicle was totaled the consumer purchased another Honda Pilot and the same incident occurred.

Received recall notices for both passenger and driver-side airbags, NHTSA recalls 14v-349 and 14v-351. 14v-349 advises avoiding having a passenger sit in the front seat for safety reasons. Contacted dealership in early February about performing service, they ordered parts. Honda has not provided dealership with parts to make the repair, and it is now approaching 60 days since order was put in. I see many similar complaints on NHTSA website. Honda is now breaking the law with regard to these airbag recalls by not providing the parts to make the repairs within 60 days, and we are all left to drive unsafe vehicles in the mean-time. Airbags are supposed to save lives, not end them! NHTSA must do something about this! Stiffer penalties are apparently the only way Honda is going to comply.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Airbag complaints in other Pilot years