NHTSA complaint: 2006 HONDA PILOT — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
AFTER DRIVING MY LEASED 2003 PILOT FOR 3 YEARS, I KNEW HOW IT HANDLED ON TURNS AND HOW IT STOPPED IN EMERGENCIES. BARELY 100 MILES INTO MY 2006 LEASE, I HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP ON A RAINY ROAD DUE TO AN ACCIDENT IN FRONT OF ME, AND REAR-ENDED A CAR WHEN MY ABS SYSTEM FAILED TO STOP IN TIME, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MY 2003 PILOT WOULD HAVE STOPPED AT LEAST 6 FEET BEFORE THE NEXT VEHICLE. KNOWING MY 2003'S STOPPING DISTANCE WHEN ABS KICKS IN, I WAS FLABBERGASTED THAT THE NEW CAR DIDN'T COME CLOSE TO STOPPING IN TIME. I NOTICED ONE TIME SINCE THAT THE ABS SYSTEM JUST DOESN'T COMPARE TO THE 2003, AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS A RESULT. ANOTHER DANGEROUS THING IT HAS DONE TWICE IS FISHTAIL IF I ACCELERATE GOING INTO A TURN OR CURVE. THE DEALERS SERVICE DEP'T USED ALL KINDS OF COMPUTERS TO TEST THE BRAKES, AND TOOK IT OUT FOR A TEST DRIVE, AND SAID IT FUNCTIONED FINE, AND MAYBE I'M JUST NOT USED TO A 2WD. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE THIS NEW CAR, IT'S NOT SAFE, AND WOULD RATHER HOLD ON TO MY 2003 PILOT. I KNOW THEY THINK I'M CRAZY, BUT I'D RATHER BE CONSIDERED CRAZY THAN HAVE MY EPITAPH READ, "I TOLD YOU THERE WAS A PROBLEM." *JB
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation