2018 Honda Pilot · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 26owner reports
- 44,155median miles
- $3,500median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Jul 27, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
78 of the 440 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 26 of those describe transmission shudder.
Tick what matches of 26 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 (5 reports) and the clutch (4 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
5 of the 26 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $3,500 to $5,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 28,000 and 71,000 miles, from the 17 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2018 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.
What owners wrote
“I have been waiting since March for the fuel pump recall replacement and am now experiencing transmission issues. Vehicle lurching repeatedly and all light indicators came on. Honda is recommending replacement of cam shaft, thrust cover, and position sensor but still has yet to replace fuel pump recall. Vehicle only has 68k miles on it and has all required maintenance completed at dealer.”
Filed Jun 24, 2024 · 68,000 miles
“Transmission kind of jerks when accelerate especially when you do it nice and easy(more like fluctuating up and down) I did some research on line a lot of people having same issues on this year model vehicles”
Filed Jun 26, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 26 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. 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 100 reports
- Fuel pump failure 33 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 31 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 29 reports