2017 Honda Pilot · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 39owner reports
- 47,000median miles
- $7,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 11, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
122 of the 929 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 39 of those describe transmission shudder.
Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (29 reports)
Tick what matches of 39 reports
Transmission shudder on other Pilot years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the torque converter (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2017 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
6 of the 39 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $4,000 to $8,400.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 31,000 and 78,000 miles, from the 30 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2017 Honda Pilot that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
The transmission has intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration.
Tech line summary article - Loose bulkhead cover latches and strikers can cause a grinding, rattle, flutter, buzz and/or vibration from the front of the vehicle when lightly accelerating with the engine speed under 2,000 rpm.
SERVICENEWS ARTICLE IN A 9-SPEED A/T, THE ATF LEVEL IS CRITICAL. IF ITS TOO HIGH, THE TRANSMISSION COULD SHIFT HARD. IF ITS TOO LOW, THE TRANSMISSION COULD SLIP. THIS TRANSMISSION ALSO DOESNT USE A DIPSTICK. TO CHECK THE ATF LEVEL, YOU NEED TO RUN A SPECIAL PROCEDURE.
What owners wrote
“Moving from a stationary position while driving under 10 mph the vehicle shifts from 1st gear to 2nd gear with a heavy jerk motion.”
Filed Sep 13, 2022
“At start up, both with remote start an manual start, the vehicle will lurch forward. It seems to be happening with more frequency for a total of about 10 times. My worry is that at start up the vehicle will strike nearby pedestrians or property. The transmission has had start / stop issues and âhardâ shifts but the dealer has not found any issues. There are no warning lights associated with this issue.”
Filed May 6, 2022
“My vehicle is a 6 speed automatic transmission, which is experiencing symptoms known to affect 9 speed transmissions as documented in TSB 20-029, Hard Upshift with Steady Acceleration. The transmission has intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration. The vehicle will 'clank' and jump slightly forward, while accelerating between 20-45mph. Does not happen always - have not determined a pattern.”
Filed Oct 20, 2021
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 39 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 292 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 134 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 84 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 75 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 58 reports
- Auto start-stop will not restart the engine 56 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 51 reports
- Fuel pump failure 32 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 27 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 27 reports