Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Honda did not contact me for a year and a half I have been waiting for them to replace my air bag, no response!!! I've left numerous messages and still no response I gave a 1 year old daughter, we almost got hit by a car and if it had hit us something could've happened! Because I had to swerve off road my suspension and power steering are messed up because of pot holes,Just so I wouldn't hit and impact the passenger side of me my car where airbag is bad and nothing would've happened to us, not that it was our fault the driver was driving almost right into us!I blame Honda for this disaster would could have been very bad! Of course the other driver drove away like nothing happened! So now I am stuck at home not able to go to work and bring my daughter to doctors appointments and invade of in emergency my vehicle is not safe enough to get us anywhere! …
severe erosion of my undecarriage, metal just falls off from under the car. My fuel tank leaks and gas pours out. It has been deemed unsafe to drive by my Honda dealer, but has a good engine and other parts. It has been severely impacted by rust and erosion. The previous owner was a resident of Chicago, where salt is used, which I believe influenced this defect.
I was driving west on highway. I was driving in the left lane at a speed of approximately between 70 to 72 miles per hour. My vehicle swerved towards left a bit, and to compensate that I tried to steer towards right. At this time, vehicle went out of control and I had no control over the steering. The vehicle went to the next lane and spun one time and went towards the left lane. It then changed direction and was facing north, went four lanes over and hit the median head-on and this collision brought the vehicle to complete halt. Both air bags were deployed and vehicle had extensive damage. It looks like, it was a mechanical failure which LED to the crash.
Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. While driving at 30 MPH the vehicle swung to the left and struck a tree. The contact sustained injuries. The contact was wearing a seat belt. The airbags deployed. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle was destroyed. The component failure was not diagnosed. The contact has pictures.a police report was taken. The failure mileage was 30,000.
The ignition switch on my car will not turn. A review of complaints on internet note that this is a common issue with this car as it nears 100K miles. My car is getting there and all of the sudden I have to fight with the steering wheel for it to turn and allow the key to work.
Power steering return pipe developed a sudden leak resulting loss of fluid after about 10 miles, resulting in very hard steering and near loss of control. Pipe has corrosion with a pinhole leak at the bracket holding it to the frame.
I own a 2003 Honda Pilot my rack and pinion is in bad condition so is their a recall on this year make and model? My number is [redacted].
the power steering losses fluid the steering is hard to turn and makes noise and the fluid gets on an area that gets hot i have not had an accident yet
I just got off the expressway and was making a slow turn into a parking lot when the inner tie rod broke. I did not run over anything or hit anything, and the dealer found no evidence of such. The tie rod broke while going less than 5 MPH , and I lost control of the left front wheel. I had to have the car towed, rent a car, and did not pick up the car until the Monday night after the incident. I live 3 hours away from where this occurred, and had to leave the truck. The dealer was very surprised and had never seen this before. It was such an unusual incident that no dealers had the part and it had to be special ordered. Honda agreed to pay for the part only after I called to complain but I still had to pay $467 in labor as well as for the rental and tow. …
Having trouble inserting key into ignition. Have to try multiple times, turning the key upside down, right side up, repetitive in & out, eventually it goes in, but afraid that eventually it will not work. Called American Honda as I saw multiple complaints online, but Honda said they never heard of this problem and that it's not widespread enough for them to take notice. I'm afraid that I will not be able to get the key to work, so will take it to Honda dealership for repair (apparently only dealership has to fix it because new keys will need to be programmed. …
Steering complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the steering of the 2003 Honda Pilot, 4% of the model year's 720 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist system (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Pilot steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2003 Honda Pilot, though it has 13 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Honda Pilot steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 103,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.