2017 Honda Pilot transmission and drivetrain problems
123 of the 929 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Honda Pilot name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 36 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database1 of the 123 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 9 · 2020: 15 · 2021: 12 · 2022: 17 · 2023: 18 · 2024: 13 · 2025: 12 · 2026: 18
Half of the 45 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 22,000 and 60,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
929 complaints in all about the 2017 Honda Pilot, 18 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Honda Pilot transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
2017 Honda Pilot AWD - periodically the transmission experiences hard shifting in the lower gears. This occurred when speeding up or slowing down. It continued until I turned off the vehicle and restarted the car. It has happened 3 times in the 3 months. I have not taken the vehicle in to be looked at because it is so un predictable
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. While driving between 10 and 25 MPH, the transmission experienced hard shifting between first and second gear, which caused the vehicle to suddenly lunge forward. The vehicle was taken to conyers Honda (1860 ga-20, conyers, ga), but the failure could not be duplicated.
When driving on lower gears, the car or transmission will perform significant jerks like it is hard for it to switch gears. Typically when driving around 40 MPH
The SUV shakes, shudders, and rumble upon light acceleration at various speeds, sometimes at 35 MPH other times at 66 MPH. The experience is similar or exactly like driving over the emergency rumble strip on the side of the road, only you're not. The dealership has refused to admit this problem and fix the issue.
While driving on a busy road with my wife, my vehicle shuddered while accelerating, and began jerking and slowing down before losing all acceleration. Multiple warning lights went off, and the tranmission automatically shifted to neutral. The transmission is a 9 speed, push button shift.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications36 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0741 P0369 P0420 P2638 P26C3 P0716 P170B
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Honda Pilot names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Honda Pilot
Source: the same files- engine problems 484 complaints
- electrical problems 267 complaints
- fuel system problems 141 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2017 Honda Pilot?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 123 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (13% of everything owners filed about it), and 36 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the transmission and drivetrain on the 2017 Honda Pilot?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2017 Honda Pilot?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 40,000 miles; half of them between 22,000 and 60,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.