Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Since purchasing new in 2013, experienced ongoing issues with VCM. Noticable vibration/shudder at all speeds except during heavy acceleration. Taken to dealer mant times. They are able to reproduce but state no fix available. It's how the car was made. In addition to vibration, engine makes a chirping noise when accelerating through vibration. I believe they are related although neither have been able to be fixed. No warning lights illuminate. I purchased this car for the 4wd as I live in snow/ice climate. However, excessive vibration/shudder makes driving in these conditions (any conditions) unsafe due to constant need to fluctuate acceleration/ deceleration to help minimize vibration/shudder to regain sense of control. If you maintain speed while vibrating on snow/ice you feel like you are losing control. This vibration HAS to have a long-term effect on engine/car integrity. …
The lights(traction control light, check engine,) in the dash come on and go off intermittently and vehicle display reads check emissions system and check VSA (vehicle stability assist) I got the vehicle scanned for the codes it throws and the print out was for the power train control module the piston rings all of them failed emission test! The dash lights come on for two to three weeks at a time and than just go off while the lights are illuminated I have no traction control no eco mode and the car doesn't get the correct power while accelerating speed sometimes it gets too much power and accelerates too high causing the vehicle to take off and without any kind of traction
Multiple mechanics have told me it's spark plugs and piston ring and issues. I constantly get my oils changed when I'm at 10% and never let it run out of gas. Constantly babied this thing. It only has 145k miles on it. Had 111k when I bought it in 2022! I barely put miles on this and the fuel consumption and engine are now causing issues. Even been told possible catalytic converter issues. Multiple Honda has told me different things. This is so frustrating because the allowed some vin specific models with my year. But not mine?! Helllllllp
Repeatedly there has been a cylinder 1 misfire causing the check engine light to activate. The vehicle starts to shake and idling is rough. It has happened repeatedly over the past 3-4 years. In 2025 it happened in August, October and December despite repeated maintenance. Error codes that have popped up due to the issue primarily include cylinder 1 misfires a known and documented issue related to the faulty VCM system. The problem has repeatedly been identified by multiple mechanics. I use my vehicle primarily to transport my children to and from school. We have all been in the car during these misfires endangering their safety. At many of the times when the misfires have happened my children have been in the car and any engine failure while operating the vehicle puts them in danger. …
Parked on level paved shoulder of small-town 2-lane road in upstate ny. Placed truck in park, and verified truck shifter in park. Left truck idling in park to keep A/C going during brief stop to walk to rear passenger door to hand item from rear floor back to toddler. As I approaced rear door, truck (without being touched/bumped) engaged and began driving away under power, not rolling. Chased truck and partially jumped in (short legs). Attempted to put truck in park to stop it, but shifter in park already, refocused on trying to turn off keys. Truck had enough torque to drive across 2-lane road, fully/easily drive over curb, then drive down into gully with me only partially inside. When truck got stuck at bottom and stalled, finished climbing inside and turned off truck. Re-verified shifter still in park. Witness and husband also verified shifter still in park. …
I was traveling at about 35mph in a city street and slowly approaching an intersection to make a right turn. Out of a sudden, the car accelerated while my foot was on the brake, crashing into another vehicle and running off the road. Both airbags deployed.
When my Pilot goes into eco mode there is considerable vibration that can be felt in the steering wheel, gas pedal, interior door panel if your leg is resting against it, also there is enough reverb in the cab that at times it can irritate your inner ear. Its the worst around 45 to 65 but can be felt at most speeds. It doesn't matter whether its city or highway its present whenever eco is on at cruising speed. I took my Pilot to the dealer I purchased it from to give them the opportunity to trouble shoot the issue. Initially I thought it was the transmission but they said it was the engine going into eco mode and that it was normal. I have never had a vehicles engine produce the amount of vibration that this one does and to be told its normal to me is unacceptable. I have since read many threads and complaints about this same issue on the internet. …
Engine/piston/ring issue. Rings not aligned properly in one of pistons ( factory/assembly error) resulted in oil leaking and thrown on engine , caused 2 spark plugs to fail, this caused engine light to come on and then the vsa and vtm-4 came on and the eco light stopped working...we were travelling 70 miles an hour on highway. We were really afraid when the vtm-4 light came on! We had to pull off road, for fear of ruining the 4-wheel drive system, we didn't know what was happening.. We couldn't get the lights to go off, finally vtm-4 light went off and on the other lights stayed on...it was confusing.... Because the lights were false indicators due to being connected to the engine light. This malfunction caused the vsa and vtm-4 and eco light to come on falsely. Creating panic while travelling 70 miles an hour on interstate. …
On Thursday, March 30, 2017, I had the oil changed and fluids checked in my 2013 Honda Pilot. I drove home 26 miles away and average speed of 65 MPH. The next day, I drove from summerville to rome to cave spring ~ 60 miles. Later that day I had to drive back to cave spring and then headed home. About 15 miles out of rome, driving 65 MPH on a 4 lane divided hwy, my car just stopped moving. I pumped the accelerator and nothing happened. I managed to coast to a stop and pull onto the side of the hwy. The air conditioning and radio were working, the engine was running, but there was no pull from the motor. I turned the car off and was trying to find someone to come get me. After 15 minutes, I turned the engine on, again, ac and radio working fine, but no acceleration, and could not get it to move forward or in reverse. No dashboard lights came on at all. …
I had a check engine light on the dashboard and brought the car to the dealership for service. They diagnosed the car and stated that there is something wrong with the torque converter. I have read a number of reports regarding issues with the torque converter of the Honda Pilot. Significantly, report states that there is shuddering and vibration during shift change. This was addressed to them when I have my car when it was bought brand new. They said it is just the way it was design but honestly, it was really annoying. So now, after about 95,000 miles, an issue came up. I do believe that these two event are related. Please conduct an investigation regarding this matter. The shuddering/vibrations happens when accelerating, deccelerating, at idle, from a stop and accelerates, when making a trun while accelerating slowly.
Transmission complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2013 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2013 Honda Pilot, 20% of the model year's 271 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Honda Pilot transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2013 Honda Pilot, though it has 6 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 2013 Honda Pilot transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 77% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 7 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.