2005 Honda Pilot Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 98 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2005 Honda Pilot, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 104,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “brakes hydraulic traction” (10% of reports).
- 98service brakes complaints
- 104,000median miles at failure
- 9mention a crash
- 8mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 32%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Brakes hydraulic traction: mentioned in 10 of 98 complaints (10%)
- Stability assist: mentioned in 8 of 98 complaints (8%)
- Yaw rate: mentioned in 7 of 98 complaints (7%)
- Vsa indicator: mentioned in 6 of 98 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 93 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 98 complaints, 9 mention a crash, 8 an injury.
Honda Pilot service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Pilot | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2025 Pilot | 30 | 14% | 12,750 |
| 2024 Pilot | 12 | 10% | — |
| 2023 Pilot | 17 | 12% | — |
| 2022 Pilot | 17 | 10% | 1,000 |
| 2021 Pilot | 26 | 6% | — |
| 2020 Pilot | 24 | 5% | 3,050 |
| 2019 Pilot | 42 | 5% | 4,750 |
| 2018 Pilot | 10 | 2% | 14,055 |
| 2017 Pilot | 26 | 3% | 23,500 |
| 2016 Pilot | 29 | 2% | 15,000 |
| 2015 Pilot | 12 | 11% | 4,463 |
| 2014 Pilot | 7 | 6% | 37,000 |
| 2013 Pilot | 40 | 15% | 24,816 |
| 2012 Pilot | 25 | 15% | 36,000 |
| 2011 Pilot | 39 | 13% | 30,000 |
| 2010 Pilot | 7 | 6% | 66,364 |
| 2009 Pilot | 13 | 10% | 52,750 |
| 2008 Pilot | 6 | 5% | 53,500 |
| 2007 Pilot | 10 | 5% | 70,000 |
| 2006 Pilot | 24 | 9% | 100,400 |
| 2005 Pilot | 98 | 14% | 104,000 |
| 2004 Pilot | 9 | 2% | 92,595 |
| 2003 Pilot | 9 | 1% | 176,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Traction control system; service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/module
Problem: 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. An electrical capacitor may have been damaged during the manufacturing of the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) control module causing intermittent, automatic, minor brake application. However, if the driver applies the brakes while the VSA is malfunctioning, the vehicle may come to an abrupt stop. Additionally, due to a loose ground connection, certain model year 2005 Pilots have a VSA system that may apply partial brake force, without the illumination of the brake lights, whether or not the driver is using the brakes.
Risk: Sudden inadvertent braking, especially without illumination of the brake lights, may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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. The affected model year 2005 Pilots will have their ground connection tightened. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Honda owners may contact Honda Automobile Customer Service at 1-800-999-1009, and select option 4 or go to www.recalls.honda.com; Acura owners may contact 1-800-382-2238, and select option 4, or go to www.recalls.acura.com.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that shortly after refueling, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, causing the speed to increase to approximately 45 MPH while approaching stopped traffic. While pressing the brake pedal to avoid a collision, the vehicle…
In the highway the car brakes for no reason for a moment than it release
2005 pilot was repaired under vsa recall in 2013. As of the last couple of weeks, again i experienced same exact vehicle safety issues prior to repair. This past week while i had my three children in the car, we almost lost our lives. A semi driver instead risked his own lives to keep from slamming…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Honda Pilots have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 98 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2005 Honda Pilot (14% of the 679 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Honda Pilot service brakes?
Yes: 1 safety recall list service brakes. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 104,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2005 Honda Pilot?
The most frequent phrase is “brakes hydraulic traction”, in 10 of 98 complaints, followed by “stability assist” (8).
Other 2005 Honda Pilot problems
See all 2005 Honda Pilot problems or service brakes problems across all Pilot years.