Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Have a known hacker. They have shown experience on remote hacking using TimeStomping and ECM modifications. I work as an Amazon Delivery driver in Kentucky. My Hackers are my Employer and the Operations Manager. The same hacking to their company vehicles are being done to employees personal vehicles. Forced Limp Mode, Power distribution, Fake sensors malfunctions, and Alarm controls are reoccurring. My entire communications network is compromised. When I called Honda [phone]) from my Boost Mobile iPhone, the automated system did not recognize my T-Mobile Android phone number that is registered on MyHonda. The person I spoke to asked my name, Vin number, and then asked if the T-Mobile phone number is the one associated with my Honda Pilot. After I mentioned the automated system did not have that number, I was to my number popped up as a caller ID. …
On July 19, 2014 I had an oil appoinmentat 1:30 to have my free oil change. Of course the dealership has to make money some how, so my service advisor offered that I have the transmission serviced. Since I was getting the free oil I felt as though I needed to buy for some service. So the did both oil and transmission service. Left the dealship no more than ten minutes later on my way home,my Pilot started smoking on the right side as I stopped and was praying the light turn gree n so I could go I turned and more smoke come up. I jumped out of the car and ran to my house which was not far away and got my husbanc to come back with me only to find my car completly engulfed in flames. My car was a total loss. I believe that this was something that occured from the dealership. I never had problems with my car. …
My 18 year old daughter was driving home 6/28/19 at midnight. Car died while driving. Coasted to side of road. Restarted and drove some. Same thing. Many lights came on. Coasted to side of highway. Tried one more time and made it home. Miles on odo: 118,279. The next morning I started the ca and tried to drive to dealership. After 3 miles, the same happened to me. I was able to pull over and had aaa tow it 5 miles to dealership. At dealership, the said many error codes came up but they recommended replacing the powertrain control module (PCM). I pd $1,410.16 to do this on July 2. I picked the car up and drove less than a mile and the same thing happened. I was able to start it again and then it happened as I coasted back to the dealership. They analyzed the car, talked with hq Honda reps and they recommended checking the spark plugs. They did and all 6 were bad. …
Two incidents of sudden unintended acceleration. The first on January 31, 2014. The second on March 25, 2014. Both incidents occurred at a very low rate of speed of approximately 5 MPH. In both situations the car was coming to a stop with the brake being applied. Suddenly, the rpms increased and the car moved forward with the break unable to stop the car even though both feet were applied to the brake peddle. In the first incident, the car was stopped by putting the gear shift into neutral and turning off the engine. In the second instance, the car was pulling into a parking space when the engine revved up, jumped a curb and hit a small tree, as soon as the tree was struck, the engine returned to normal speed. This has been reported to Honda of America as well as to the local Honda dealer. The car was brought to the dealer two times but the dealer was unable to diagnose the problem. …
Purchased 2011 Honda Pilot ex-l new in mid-2010. For the past several months, we felt a shudder in the transmission at/around 25 MPH when accelerating lightly from a full stop. Got progressively worse over time; even passengers noticed it. Car is just under 5.5 years old with 72K miles on it. Dealer checked, said the torque converter had failed and would cost $1,900 to replace. Stated the new t/c had a 'fix' that corrected an earlier, known problem?! After replacing the transmission and/or torque converter on my 2000 Acura tl three times and once on two previous Honda preludes, I said I'd had enough with Honda and demanded for it be repaired for free. I've seen a plethora of complaints on-line about 2009-2011 pilots and odyssey transmissions and t/c's so Honda obviously hasn't fixed the transmission problems that plagued earlier models, including tl's, accords and crv's. …
While making a 3 point turn in a driveway in order to parallel park on the street my 2011 Honda Pilot accelerated at a high rate of speed and hit a parked car. My 2011 Honda Pilot continued out of control hit a curb and almost hit a chain link fence which would have caused me to travel into a busy four lane road. My 2011 Honda Pilot stopped by pressing both feet on the brake. Five hours later my battery was dead. I had aaa roadside service replace it. I took my 2011 Honda Pilot to the dealership today where the service rep agreed that there have been acceleration problems with the Honda Pilot. He had me go to a body shop next door where the rep told me he would only work on the body problems. He advised me to go back to Honda because I wanted to know what May have happened and to be sure my car was safe to drive. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Honda Pilot. While accelerating, the vehicle vibrated violently without warning. Crown motors (555 cypress ave, redding, ca 96001, [phone]) repaired the transmission switch, but the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact that the torque converter needed to be repaired. The contact scheduled an appointment to have the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Takata recall - front driver and passenger and front dash airbags, the sendor does not work. They will not deploy if we were to be in an accident. Also, I have been experiencing transmission shudder in my 2011 Pilot exl. When on light throttle between 25-40 MPH, then it disappears. This is while driving on the highway and city streets.
2011 Honda Pilot, spontaneous star crack in lower center windshield, spontaneous rear hatch and passenger door opening while driving with my young child in the rear passenger seat (with "locked" doors), transmission rattle upon slow acceleration or coast at second and third gears....Honda dealer said call insurance about windshield, something must have "hit" windshield without me knowing it, said "found no abnormal noises" and "cannot duplicate" rattle noise because different people have different driving patterns, said "cannot duplicate" doors opening while driving, dealer did not "fix" any of these safety issues, just told us to pick up the car...after research on internet, I believe these to be manufacturer defects. I purchased a brand new vehicle so I did not have to worry about safety or repairs. This is the third Pilot I have had, and the safety issues are very concerning. …
I was stopped in a drive thru with my foot on the brake and 2 vehicles in front of me. Suddenly ,while my foot was still on the brake, my truck lunged forward hitting the truck in front on me and forcing that truck to hit the truck in front of them. But it didn't end there. When my truck originally lunged, the engine revved and after hitting the truck in front of me, my truck engine continued to rev up and down and my truck continued to bounce off and on the truck in front of me. After the initial impact I placed both feet on the brake and was pushing as hard as I could trying to make my truck stop. I was practically standing on the brakes, but I had no control. The revving and bouncing off and on the truck in front of me went on for several seconds. …
Transmission complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2011 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2011 Honda Pilot, 7% of the model year's 293 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Honda Pilot transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2011 Honda Pilot, though it has 11 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 2011 Honda Pilot transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.