Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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! …
My 2003 Honda pilot rear subframe suspension is rusting and causing control issues. This is a common problem on the 2003-2008 Honda Pilots. In Honda TSB 21-019 Honda states " The subframe mounts may pull away from the body of the vehicle (see images below), but extensive testing has concluded that vehicle stability will be maintained." This is NOT true. Other Honda's have experienced similar issues and Honda has issued a safety recall. There should be a safety recall for the 2003-2008 Honda pilots for this subframe rust issue. Please see: [redacted]
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.
We were driving straight on the highway at ~65 MPH, fully loaded for a week-long camping trip, and hit a large pothole. The rear wheel assembly of my Honda Pilot broke so that it was only partially attached to the frame because the frame of the car rusted through. The 2 back bolts were still in place, but the frame itself was crumbling apart; the 2 front bolts were the only things holding the rear wheel and axle to the car. The photo shows the steep angle of the wheels, and how low to the ground the back of the car was. I drove the car to our mechanic, they put it up on the lift, and then showed us. They told us it was unfixable. The car is 14 years old and otherwise in good shape. It has received regular maintenance (I have 9 years of maintenance records). The mechanic had done brake work 3 days prior, and I had gotten the tires rotated the previous week. …
Of the four posts where the complete rear axle mounts to the under body of the chassis, two of the posts have rusted away from the frame, leaving the rear axle only half attached to the main body of the car. The vehicle has very limited rust anywhere, so for the under body to rust to a point of separation from the rear wheel assembly is disconcerting. We had no warning and had the vehicle properly/routinely maintained. If the rear axle assembly had completely broken away, the resulting crash would have been disastrous. Certified mechanics confirm that they had never seen such a serious deterioration of a significant structural component.
Last month while driving vehicle seemed a little loose while going down the road, looked over front end and could find no problems. Daughter (who had driven daily) complained that problem was getting worse. While backing up slowly Monday (3/20/17) , vehicle became uncontrollable and shifted lanes. Upon inspection it has been found both rear suspension mounting points (rear most 2 of 4) have rusted loose from unibody ( completely detached). Bought this Pilot new in 2003, always kept up on all service and maintenance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda Pilot. While making a left turn at various speeds, the contact heard a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the bolt connecting the suspension to the frame had corroded and that the suspension needed to be welded to the frame of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
While my wife was driving my 2003 Honda Pilot she almost lost control without any warning. She drive it the few remaining miles home and asked me to examine it for a possible loose wheel. Upon inspection I found that the entire rear suspension had separated from the body and that only the ABS brake wires was holding it in place. There was no apparent reason for this. There was nothing to explain why this had occured
The rear sub-frame on the driver's side of this 2003 Honda Pilot is extremely rusted exposing the suspension cross-member bolt which is similarly rusted. An internet search indicates this is a common problem with Honda pilots and a potential high-risk point of failure.
Using 4 wheel drive to pull my boat through the woods, 2 of the 4 rear axel mounts pulled out of the unibody frame after a loud clunk. Car was always maintained at the dealership. The vehicle is not repairable, this seems to be a design flaw.
Suspension complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2003 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the suspension of the 2003 Honda Pilot, 4% of the model year's 720 complaints. The component named most often is rear (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Pilot suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 142,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
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.