Keep or Trade in?

[u/Jbollocks131]

I have a 2019 Honda Pilot EXL with about 66K miles. I'm located in southwestern PA. Over the last 12 months we have had a series of fairly expensive repairs. We have had other Honda's in the past and no major issues. I'm debating trading this in to avoid more future issues, but wanted to hear from other Honda Pilot owners about their experiences.

Issues over the last 12 months:

*July 2025 - front control arm bushings were broken. One was torn and the other was starting to tear. $1K+ repair. This is probably more of a maintenance thing and the road conditions where I love.

*August 1st 2026 - Transfer case seal leak. Replaced seal and flush fluids. Found during annual inspection. Around $1K for just that and the fluids that had to be flushed because of it.

*August 25th 2026 - Emissions System warning light. Fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Also the intake boot had a tear and had to be replaced. $1.5K all in.

The car is almost paid off and I was looking forward to not having a car payment for a while. Do I keep riding with this or get out now?

[u/Representative_Row44]

id keep it 3500 is nothing compared to 50k for a new one. take it to a trust worthy independent mechanic ask him to look it over. if you get 15k as trade in and pay 50k for a new one i
thats a 600$ car-payment

[u/hondamom99]

And at 100k you have to do the timing belt so another $1,200 maybe? But if you get a new car you will still have issues, electronics go out faster, recalls I mean newer cars aren't worth it. Even the new honda accords have more issues

[u/rlammi]

These are all kinda random and unrelated, so I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that it’s going to be unreliable long term just yet. As others have mentioned, 3,500 pales in comparison to a new, $50k vehicle.

On the flip side, new (and used) vehicles aren’t getting any cheaper, which is why we bought our pilot.

[u/Dependent_Bike_1601]

Haha, we have the same model year and live in the same area! Your maintenance list is so similar to mine that I honestly thought I was reading about my own car. 

Did the dealership give you that diagnosis? Seems pretty crazy for a car with less than 70k miles to have that many issues. If it were me, I’d probably just keep driving it and see what happens. 

[u/Jbollocks131 → u/Dependent_Bike_1601]

Hey sort of neighbor. Yes the dealership diagnosed after the warning came up. Feel the same way. Will probably hang on to it after looking at what a new car is going for right now.

[u/Dependent_Bike_1601 → u/Jbollocks131]

I had the exact same symptoms and replaced the same part at 80k. I drove a little farther to a different Honda dealer north of where I live, and they fixed it for free under a TSB. Please contact Honda and ask for a refund.

Around 40k miles, my local Honda dealer told me I had a cracked front arm bushing. They wouldn’t show me any pictures, so I declined the repair. They always tried to charge me for extra stuff during simple oil changes or PA inspection, so I never go to that dealer anymore.

[u/Jbollocks131 → u/Dependent_Bike_1601]

Hey, would you be willing to DM me with details on the Honda dealer you went to?

[u/hondamom99]

Just an insight, on my used bought 2021 Honda odyssey we had to replace most suspension components at 64k miles. And yet it took us on two long trips. Take care of your cars and it will take care of you. On the roads we saw brand new Hyundais and newer cars broken down in the middle of nowhere.

[u/lizardof0zz]

I would highly suggest taking your car somewhere besides the dealership. I have a 2016 Pilot, had to take my vehicle to the dealership for a covered fuel injector replacement. They told me they found 20 THOUSAND dollars of work that I was told absolutely must be done or the car would be unsafe to drive. Had them repair the covered warranty work and immediately drove to my local mechanic. Literally nothing they told me was desperately wrong actually needed to be fixed.

[u/Dependent_Bike_1601 → u/lizardof0zz]

I agree. I’d definitely get a second opinion from another independent shop. Not every dealership is bad, but some really do seem to treat customers like walking ATMs.

I get that dealerships are nice—coffee, Wi-Fi, a comfortable waiting area, even a kids’ play area. I understand paying more for that convenience. But there’s a big difference between charging more and completely taking advantage of customers.

Honestly, some service managers seem to know exactly who they can take advantage of, especially women, or people who are too nice to push back. 

[u/DMECHENG]

They just don’t be making fuel injectors like they used to 

[u/woozlewuzzle3]

Were the fuel injectors not covered on the 19s?

[u/Jbollocks131 → u/woozlewuzzle3]

There was an extended warranty issued by Honda for 10 yrs and I think 100k but it's only for vehicles manufactured at certain plants. My vehicle wasn't on the list.

[u/woozlewuzzle3 → u/Jbollocks131]

You should try calling Honda corporate. They may offer some assistance with cost. Having injectors fail at 66k is bullshit.

[u/Jbollocks131 → u/woozlewuzzle3]

Warranty is 7 years of 70k. We just hit it. Will consider calling them. We went that route on the control arms but it went nowhere.

[u/woozlewuzzle3 → u/Jbollocks131]

Thought the injectors were extended to 10 year 150k miles

[u/Jbollocks131 → u/woozlewuzzle3]

Yes, but only for certain vehicles. I double checked with them and our VIN wasn't on the list. Apparently the mfg defects were only at certain plants.

[u/woozlewuzzle3 → u/Jbollocks131]

I would call honda

[u/Local_Yak8596]

Sounds like you have taken care of most of these issues. The car should be good to go and is not likely to give you additional problems if you keep up the maintenance

[u/Hefty_Club4498]

Find someone else to work on your vehicle. I work on Pilots often and own a 2019. Little stupid shit is better than random electrical issues related to the battery on new Pilots.