Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
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).
I heard a loud pop come from under my driver's seat and the seat started rocking backwards. I got out of my car and checked underneath the seat. The front-left bracket securing the seat to the seat frame had completely sheared in half and the seat was no longer securely attached to the seat frame. This is a significant safety issue. When the car accelerates the driver's seat rocks backwards by ~45 degrees, making it extremely difficult to stay in control of the vehicle and safely steer the vehicle. It is also extremely unsafe in the case of an accident because A) the seat would not hold the driver securely in place, B) the driver would not be properly in position and restrained for the air bags to deploy, C) the seat belt is attached to the seat base and would not be able to fully function properly, and D) any passengers sitting in the 2nd row behind the driver's seat would be in danger …
Brakes seem to stop suddenly Must brake slowly to avoid a sudden stop Seatbelt locks up if I do not pull it forward and leave room in the belt so that it isn't completely holding me in Also the driver seat will only adjust sideways.
I am the original owner of the 2004 Pilot. Vehicle has always been well kept and maintained with Honda dealer. Wife was driving when drivers seat started feeling hot like a burn on her back. Started smelling something burning. She pulled over and got out of vehicle.the back part of the seat was smoking and smoldering so immediately turned off the seat heater. Got the fire out and back part of leather has a brown scorch mark and leather cracked. The smell lasted for hours. Left the windows opened all night and left vehicle parked outside of the garage for fear of fire again. Honda needs to look into this. I searched on the internet to find this is not an isolated incident. This is dangerous to think what could happen if not able to get out of the vehicle so quickly.
When accelerating away from a stop light, I heard a "pop" sound and my driver seat suddenly had a "rocking" issue. The driver seat now rocks backward when accelerating, after researching online and doing a visual inspection I found that a metal "l" shaped bracket that mounts the seat bottom to the seat frame has sheared off at the rivet points. This creates a hazard when driving and I fear in a crash, the seat could become unattached from vehicle interior completely putting occupant at increased risk of injury or death from airbag deployment or ejection from vehicle! During an online search, I found several other reports of the same issue to NHTSA...those report numbers are 1058303; 10578612; 10567737; 10541789; 10505250; 10489089; 10488805; 10466947; 10455702. I contacted Honda and was told since the warranty was expired, there was nothing they would do. This is a safety hazard!!! …
When sitting down in my vehicle this morning, there was a snapping noise and the seat rocked back toward the right rear. Removing the plastic cover, it was plainly visible that a metal part that holds the upper seat to the lower seat assembly has snapped where it attaches with two industrial rivets. Seat now tips backward rather easily, and does so when I climb in or out of the vehicle, and upon acceleration. Clearly the structural integrity of this seat is destroyed until I can have it fixed/replaced. I am fearful that if I were to have an accident, the seat will come completely detached. In a 5 min web search I have found dozens of other instances of this occurring; this is not a rare problem and needs to be fixed! Compounding my problem, I am in the usaf stationed in the uk, and getting this fixed will be difficult to say the least, as this vehicle is not sold here.
While driving to work this morning (cold morning, on city street) I turned my driver seat heater on high. The driver side seat heater was on for about 20 minutes when suddenly the back became very hot. It started to smell and my back was slightly scalded before I realized what was happening. I quickly turned my seat heater off and soon after turned my car off to investigate. The back portion of the seat (middle spot) was still very hot to touch and remained that way for at least 15 minutes in 35 degree weather! My car and especially the driver side seat has a burnt rubber odor. I truly feel that if I had not turned my seat heater off when I did, that it would have caught fire with me driving! No I'm afraid to utilize the seat heater. Honda needs to do something about this via replacement of faulty wiring or element before something more serious happens to someone!
The seat heater got really hot in one place on my back. It slightly (less than a 1st degree burn) burnt my back. Also, the seat smoked. I had the seat heater on for 15 minutes. I notified Honda and the dealer. The dealer tested the seat for only 10 minutes; and, said it didn't smoke. I was one of the the first ones into the dealer and the last one out (eleven hour wait!) for a 10 minute check and 2 recalls which should have taken less time. I didn't want to go back another day to have it checked for 15 minutes (I have a family); so, I told the dealer to disable the seat heater so that my toddlers, my wife and I won't get hurt any further or have a disaster with a possible fire. The dealer disabled the seat heater as I requested. I have not heard back from Honda (of course).
The heating element on the driver side seat gets so hot you have to turn it off to keep from getting burnt. It gets so hot you can't stand it. It happens on both the hi and lo settings. It doesn't happen all of the time but when it does it continues until the heater is turned off. As many people who have had this problem, I'd think something should be done to fix the problem before it cause a more serious problem. When it happens it gets hot fast. One time when I noticed it was getting hot before I could get it turned of it got so hot I could hardly stand it. Fortunately I was not in heavy traffic or the reaction to it could have caused an accident. This has happened both while the vehicle was stationary and while driving down the road. It has happened in all sorts of weather conditions.
On 06/21/2014, I was entering my vehicle when a bracket connected to the adjuster assembly (part# 81630-s3v-a30) broke. This occurred on the drivers seat. Due to this, the seat was no longer secure to the floorboard and started rocking back and forth. I searched Honda part records and I was unable to find a specific part number assigned to this bracket. The vehicle was parked at the time of the break. But, while driving the vehicle the seat was unstable and hard to keep it still. A search of NHTSA records found the following complaints regarding the same issue - 10583003, 10578612, 10567737, 10541789, 10505250, 10489089, 10488805, 10466947, 10455702. I took pictures of the broken bracket. It appears metal fatigue May be an issue.
The drivers side seat bracket, 81630-s3v-a30, has broken at a weak point in the metal where the seat motor attaches. The break caused the seat to rock back and forth freely. This is the second time this bracket has broken. The first time was in July, 2011; most recently February 2015. Each time I purchased a new bracket arm at the expense of almost $300. Both brackets broke at the same spot, where the seat motor mounts. The sudden metal break almost caused us to have an accident on two separate occasions. In each case, norm reeves Honda in huntington beach refused to replace the defective bracket at their cost but offered, instead, to order the part and install it for a cost of $1200.
Seat complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2004 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 81 complaints about the seats of the 2004 Honda Pilot, 15% of the model year's 544 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Honda Pilot seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2004 Honda Pilot, though it has 12 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 2004 Honda Pilot seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 140,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 11 fires and 9 injuries to seats 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.