Community Forums

Kevoz · 09-19-2011, 09:31 PM

Has anyone towed a Honda Pilot 4 down? Are there any reasons not to? I am new to this and will, in the future, purchase an SUV that I can tow.
thanks,
Kevo

Arch Hoagland · 09-19-2011, 09:37 PM

The 2005 and prior can be towed 4 down. 2006 and up can't, according to Honda.

SVTotem · 09-19-2011, 10:04 PM

Mr. Hoagland is correct. Honda doesn't endorse recreational towing for 2006 and newer Pilots.

After considerable research on forums and discussions with baseplate installers we elected to do it anyway rather than invest in a new vehicle. REMCO lists the Pilot as towable 'as is' and they
manufacture the trans oil pumps and drive shaft couplers that would modify the pilot for towing. So, if anyone would suggest their use it would be them.

We have been towing ours for a year now (10k miles) with no ill effect. We follow the same guidelines as the CRV and make sure we run the engine for a few minutes at each rest and fuel stop, and are careful to shift through the forward gears to neutral prior to towing. It is important not to go directly to neutral from reverse to avoid stress on the transmission during towing.

Honda will not accept any responsibility as Mr Hoagland says, but the vehicle is out of warranty and we elected to take the measured risk.

Mr_D · 09-19-2011, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTotem

Mr. Hoagland is correct. Honda doesn't endorse recreational towing for 2006 and newer Pilots.

After considerable research on forums and discussions with baseplate installers we elected to do it anyway rather than invest in a new vehicle. REMCO lists the Pilot as towable 'as is' and they
manufacture the trans oil pumps and drive shaft couplers that would modify the pilot for towing. So, if anyone would suggest their use it would be them.

We have been towing ours for a year now (10k miles) with no ill effect. We follow the same guidelines as the CRV and make sure we run the engine for a few minutes at each rest and fuel stop, and are careful to shift through the forward gears to neutral prior to towing. It is important not to go directly to neutral from reverse to avoid stress on the transmission during towing.

Honda will not accept any responsibility as Mr Hoagland says, but the vehicle is out of warranty and we elected to take the measured risk.

Ask Remco if they will pay for a new trans because you took their advice and ruined one and see what the answer is!
We got it in writing that our '05 Ody was towable four down, Honda put it in writing on their letterhead. We later found that they had changed their minds, after going through the WA and CA AG's office we suggested a trade for a '05 Pilot, they told us at that time ('05) that the Pilot was not towable, they have now changed their minds and say it is. Anyway, Honda paid us for the towbar and other towing gear and we bought a dolly.
However, after years of seeing others tow '05's and newer Ody's I have started to tow ours again. The drivetrain warranty is up anyway. I follow the CR-V instructions to the letter. The only thing I did was to have a non-functional key made (no chip) so it won't start the Ody.

Arch Hoagland · 09-20-2011, 10:55 PM

We bought a new 2006 Pilot after making sure with the sales manager by looking in the owners manual we could tow it 4 down. Two months and 3,000 miles later I discovered on here that Honda decided to now allow 4 down towing. I called the sales manager and the next day he called and said bring it back for a full refund. We took it back and they found a new 2005 Pilot (which can be towed 4 down) 300 miles from Clovis and had it shipped here to his dealership. Gave us the car and a check for a few hundred dollars for the difference in price. Car had 20 miles on it. Honda North in Clovis, CA became my favorite dealership to say the least.
However, if I had it to do over again I would have kept the 2006 and towed it. It's the same transmission as the 2005. The 2006 rode better and had some other nicer features. We never did tow it because we wanted a better ride so we sold it and bought a 2000 Lexus RX300 which can be towed 4 down.
Honda was really great about the whole thing.

Mr_D · 09-21-2011, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

Honda was really great about the whole thing.

I would think the dealer was really great. In our case Honda sent us a letter stating that if we didn't take their offer (payment for the towing gear we had installed) then they were taking the offer off the table and we'd get nothing. So, we took the offer, the next day (literally) we got a letter form the CA AG's office stating that they were ready to begin binding arbitration with Honda for us. Honda never informed us of this (and I'm sure they're not required to) and their timing was too short to wait for more info. We're OK with it, but just not what we should have gotten. We needed the cargo space in the Ody for our sale goods for cat shows. We ended up using either the Jeep GC or the Ody on the dolly. But, as I have said, I've seen some being towed and talked to the owners, plus the driveline warranty is almost up so I'm starting to tow it four down. But I still have reservations about it and I seem to remember Honda getting sued over trans failures and extending the warranty to 7 yrs/105,000 miles so I may reconsider again!!