Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the odometer mileage reading was 160,000. After obtaining a Carfax Report it was discovered that the previous mileage was 337,000. The contact also indicated that the instrument cluster had been replaced and the air bag and check engine warning lights were inoperable, and the driver's side air bag had been removed from the vehicle. The VIN was not available.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase September 2024, the vehicle mileage was 139,020. The contact stated that after a mechanic had informed the contact that the frame was severely rusted, the contact retrieved the Carfax report history of the vehicle and discovered that the vehicle mileage was 196,000 on August 11, 2018.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition briefly failed to turn. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Okay I've only owned this vehicle about 5 or 6 months when I first got it didn't have any trouble after about 2 weeks I noticed when I would back up and made like a growling sound but no trouble with the transmission drove it no trouble except for some electrical trouble for some reason my battery kept going dead at night it had a garage check it out and they said there's a short somewhere and we started pulling bulbs and fuses didn't find anything so I had to unhook the battery each night so I don't have to get a jump in the morning okay on to the next issue is no problems until this past Sunday the 7th of October and I had pulled into a country exxon station left it running ran inside the door for 2 seconds back out my car was gone hear it had jumped gear roll backwards and thank god it didn't hit anybody or hit the pump is stop within inches so I got in it put it back in park it was …
Pilot rolled away while it was parked, I had key in my hand, it hit a concrete flower pot. Damaging my right fender bumper mirror.policeman got inside Pilot took key in and out of ignition several times,while it was in gear. I drove the car to Honda dealership told them what happened. They admitted it should not do that, but did nothing to help. After hearing of recall in jan. I contacted Honda about the incident telling them they should fix my Pilot since it was there fault this accident happened. They had me send them information about what happened. The police report ect.they had me take the Pilot to dealership and leave it 5 hours. …
On July 25 ,2013 around 8:00 am am starting my 2004 Honda Pilot , to move my car to avoid parking tickets at 8:30 am. After 5 minutes of warming the engine I decided to drive around to find a parking space to avoid a ticked.around 8:14 am I found a parking space and the car is parked.later around 3:00 pm I decided to go to my girlfriend house ,I see the my car parked and a free parking space in front of my apartment. To avoid tickets the next day I moved the car. Around 3:02 the car is parked in front of my apartment. Around 9:50 pm am walking home and I see the hood of my car open.the engine was all burned including headlights there was no wire everything melt.neighbors where sitting outside as usual ,they told me that it started around 3:30 and that small amount of smoke was coming out of the left side of the engine .fire department took like 15m !!!!to arrived.car had 105,000 miles. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while the engine was turned off and the gear selector was in the drive position, the ignition key released from the ignition switch unexpectedly when engaged. Suddenly, the vehicle rolled and crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle. There were no injuries. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene. No police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they informed that the failure was related to a defect within the ignition switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated there was a similar defect on a recall pertaining to the 2002 and 2003 model years under recall 10V364000 (electrical system:ignition). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Defective shift interlock allowed the ignition key to be removed while vehicle was parked and left in gear. The unoccupied vehicle rolled approximately twenty feet, coming to rest after contacting a parked vehicle (vehicle #2). Owner of vehicle #2 was loading bags into her trunk and was warned by a bystander to get out of the way- which prevented her from being hit by the rolling vehicle. No injuries were reported, and damage to the vehicles was negligible. Police were called and they responded. Information was exchanged between the vehicle operators. It should be noted that this defect was the subject of a recall for other Honda vehicles (accord, civic, others) in late 2010.
Tl* - the driver thought she put the a 2004 Honda Pilot in park, in a driveway which sits on a hill. The driver removed the key from the ignition. The contact later found that the vehicle had rolled down the hill and hit an object. The contact discovered that the vehicle was in neutral. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed as having a bad ignition switch. The contact stated the key should not have been able to be removed from the ignition while the vehicle was in neutral. Updated 2/22/2007 - the manufacturer refused to fix the vehicle free of charge because the vehicle was out of warranty.
Ignition key gets stuck in the ignition and does not turn. Several people have complained about this problem, but Honda is charging for the known defect in the tumbler system used with their special key system. People are told that this is normal wear, but this does not make sense that all cars expire at the same time and the fix involves replacing the entire ignition including the keys, leaving the owner with one set of keys for the doors and a new set for the ignition. My question, if the keys are worn, how do they still work for the doors. Once the switch is broker, the car will not start and the key feels like it is the wrong key
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Pilot and Odyssey and 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX passenger vehicles manufactured from November 26, 2001, through August 30, 2006. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may deform, which can allow the interlock function of a vehicle with an automatic transmission to be…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated shift interlock lever and, if necessary, replace any necessary part of the ignition switch,…
NHTSA investigations
Ignition Interlock Failure - Rollaway
On December 10, 2012, Honda Motor Company submitted a defect information report to NHTSA regarding ignition interlocks in approximately 576,117 model year MY) 2003 through 2004 Honda Pilot and Odyssey vehicles that are the subject of this investigation and 231,044 MY 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX vehicles (Recall No.
Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating
This investigation was prompted by Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 11-017, and was based on reports from consumers alleging that both low beam headlights stopped illuminating simultaneously.Some complainants also reported that the combination switch (switch) that controls the headlights and turn signals, and/or its electrical wiring harness connector were damaged by overheating.ODI's PE information request letter asked…
Electrical complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Honda Pilot, 11% of the model year's 544 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Honda Pilot electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-573 (switch, Dec 11, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Honda Pilot electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 106,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.