Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (electronic stability control and traction control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 25-35 MPH, the vehicle slowed down unexpectedly, and the brake pedal was hard and slow to respond when depressed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was pulling to the left, and it was difficult to correct the steering wheel. The vehicle was difficult to control. The VSA light was illuminated. There was a triangle with an exclamation mark symbol displayed on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the VSA module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 173,273.
Unfortunately, our each vehicle has been targeted and caused car accident from 2010 to present day. In 2012, our Mazda mpv 2006 engine was destroyed or replaced at the work place during working at hilton hotel. Our Acura mdx 2002 VIN # [redacted] and current Honda Pilot 2005 VIN # [redacted] were under controlled and involved car accident in 2017 and 2018 because of targeting. I have noticed and reported to local police and insurance behalf of this cases which can stop suddenly or slowly. Its depend on how they controlled and pre-arranged accident to be happened on a pointing time. Surely, many life and vehicles are very dangerous. We desperately need safety cars and people in our community in order to avoid crushing cars and people from now and future. Please help.
Sitting in a parking lot and the vsa light came on. Looked it up and saw the recall on the vsa so intended to get it checked out. A couple days later I'm tooling along at freeway speed and for a brief second it felt like someone slammed on the brakes and released, and the vsa light came on. Took it to the dealership and the codes they found were for some sort of a power drop and blamed it on a possible power outage or drop at some point. Maybe alternator, battery or something, but they didn't find anything wrong with any of those, but it cost me $125.00 to be told they don't know. The vsa recall was completed in 2012 for the wiring harness. Today (a week later) I'm going about 25 on a surface street and the exact same thing happened, so I took it to the dealership without turning off the engine and possibly clearing any codes. …
Brakes engaged on their own while driving down the road. Huge safety issue and vehicle control was lost and vehicle slid and skidded into opposite lane of traffic. Warning lights vsa came on and vehicle drove like the emergency brake was engaged. Cleared after engine turned off, then happened the second time when getting on interstate in rush hour traffic. Car behind me had to turn towards ditch to avoid collision as I had no control over my vehicle. Drove to nearest dealer and they immediately saw the vsa light and warning symbol and said it was related to recall. Later changed their minds and said yaw rate sensor needs replaced at a total cost of $1150. Encouraged me to write to Honda for some relief in costs however that complaint fell on deaf ears. I have owned 5 Honda's and currently own 3 . …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact received a recall repair remedy from mcgrath city Honda (6720 w grand ave, chicago, il 60707, [phone]) to address the vsa, but the remedy failed to provide a solution. The contact later experienced abnormal involuntary braking with the steering pulling to the right for a brief moment and then the vsa warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the code was for the yaw rate sensor and that it was not related to the recall. The dealer stated that further diagnostic testing was needed. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V092000 (service brakes, hydraulic, traction control system), and NHTSA action numbers: dp12002 (electronic stability control), pe12028 (service brakes, hydraulic), and ea13002 (electronic stability control). …
1st incident-I was traveling at a slow rate of speed (approx. 25-30 MPH). Heard a growling sound & car suddenly braked on its own. I also felt as if I had lost steering ability. The vsa light flashed on then off during the incident. 2nd incident- same as above only a week later. 3rd incident- about 2 weeks later. My wife was driving the car. Had slowed down to enter the ramp to get on the highway. Again the car made a grinding sound, the vsa light came on momentarily while the car applied the brakes on its own. All of these incidences occurred after the car was serviced for the vsa recall(13-026) on May 6, 2015. Previous to this service, we had never had any issues with the vsa. We believe that by having this recall performed, has caused another malfunctioned as a result. I have read some much more frightening incidences than ours on your site. …
While driving on a long road trip, the car spontaneously engaged the ABS in an intermittent manner. Vsa light came on. Stopped and restarted the car. Exactly the same thing happened after a little while. Stopped and restarted the car with the vsa system manually turned off. Exactly the same thing happened after an hour or so. Engagement of ABS was intermittent. As detailed in the attached document, we have take this to numerous Honda repair centers and the problem has persisted. We have experienced the spontaneous and intermittent engagement of ABS only during long highway driving. In-between each repair, we have driven the car in the city nearly every day without any problems. However, each time we have taken the car for a long trip, we have experienced the problem after a few hours of normal driving. …
Vehicle steering will randomly lock up and swerve to one side of roadway at highway speeds as brakes actuate and vsa activation indicator and system indicator lights come on. Vehicle was taken to Honda on 02/29/2017 where service department confirmed that vsa wiring harness was replaced in 2013. Tech checked the system for codes and found: 25-1 yaw rate sensor failure, 61-1 battery voltage failure, 83-1 ECM/PCM relation failure, 108-1 vsa system control status failure. Tech recommended replacing the battery. Battery was replaced by owner that same day. Vehicle exhibited same random braking and steering issues noted earlier on 05/03/2017 which nearly resulted in a head on collision. Vehicle will not be driven again until yaw rate sensor is replaced. Vehicle has 194,000 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle slighty swayed from the left and the right with a shuttering sensation. The vsa system warning indicator illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle to disengage the warning indicator; however, the failure recurred. The contact found in the owner's manual that the vsa warning was an indication that the brakes and stability controls were experiencing a malfunction. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and several failure codes appeared; however, they were not able to completely indicate what the nature of the repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The car's vsa (vehicle stability system) will engage for no apparent reason. The dealership is saying this is due to a faulty yaw rate sensor. Upon investigation, this appears to be a common problem in the 2005 model. My car's vsa (brakes) were engaged on multiple separate occasions while driving at highway speeds for no reason. This caused the car to rapidly decelerate and I nearly lost control of the vehicle. If I manually disengaged the vsa system (the Pilot has an on/off switch), I experience no such erroneous braking incidents. You can see the incident summary here: NHTSA campaign id number: dp12002 https://goo.gl/rf5yin or discussion threads here: http://goo.gl/6hbqex
Related recalls
Traction control system
Honda is recalling certain model year 2005 Pilot vehicles manufactured July 29, 2004, through August 29, 2005; model year 2005-2006 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 16, 2004, through September 22, 2005; and model year 2005 Acura RL vehicles manufactured March 1, 2004, through June 29, 2005.
Remedy: Owners will be notified and instructed to take their vehicles to a dealer of their respective brand. The dealer will install a partial wiring harness containing a capacitor for the VSA modulator, free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction
On March 14, 2013, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) submitted a Defect Information Report to NHTSA identifying a defect in the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system in approximately 183,576 model year (MY) 2005 Honda Pilot, Acura RL and MY 2005-2006 Acura MDX vehicles (NHTSA Recall No 13V-092).The population and failure counts provided pertain only to the MY 2005 Honda Pilots that were the subject of this…
Vehicle Stability Assist Malfunction
In a letter dated April 9, 2012, a consumer petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged stability control failures in model year (MY) 2005 Honda Pilot vehicles. The petitioner alleged that, in the malfunctioning of these systems, steering failures occur and the brakes apply involuntarily.
Traction Control complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2005 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 100 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2005 Honda Pilot, 15% of the model year's 679 complaints. The component named most often is automatic (asc) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Honda Pilot traction control problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 13V-092 (traction control system, Mar 14, 2013). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Honda Pilot traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries and 2 deaths to stability & traction control 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.