Other suspension problem on the 2011 Honda Pilot
When other suspension problem gets reported
Owners of the 2011 Honda Pilot report other suspension problem at a median of 45,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 25,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles, from 17 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 100,000 miles. It is the 4th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 15,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 75,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 60,489 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
35% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,411 miles | 23,000 miles | 45,243 miles | 67,400 miles | 75,900 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $350–$2,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 17 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2007, at a median of 400 miles, and latest on the 2006 at 170,000 miles.
By volume the 2005 carries the most reports, with 25; the 2011 has 22. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Uneven worn out rear right tire caused by suspension rod bending due to an accident related as claimed by honda automobile. The video of the bend I have do showed otherwise, suspension rod do not appear as any impact related, it appeared as manufacturer's defect which honda is avoiding to take the responsibility. I told them that I have not had any accident with the car. And which type of impact will cause such a suspension rod to bend without affecting other surrounding fragile components. Also why is the impact very isolative, neat and appeared corroded. *tr
Noticed a vibration in the gas pedal while driving at any speed. Feel every like bump in the roads. Also when slowing to a stop and turning or backing out of a parking spot, I feel/hear a hard vibration on brake. Took to dealer, they stated warped rotors...to new to happen. Got full brake job at $340. Drove off, issue still present. At this visit tires were rotated and balance too. Next day also noticed all 4 rims were damaged from the tool that removed my tires. Told supervisor everything I learned about other pilot owners and this possible defeat of rotors. They still have my truck (4 days so far) trying to identify issue. They do agree there is an issue. They are going to do road force balancing next. I will fight for a refund of this brake job and will continue to pursue until I am satisfied. *tr
The vehicle shuddered and vibrated when breaks were compressed at high speed. Steering wheel also vibrated when the vehicle was driven at speeds over 50 MPH. Took the car in for service and was told that the rotors would need to be fixed, but was also told that there was a problem with the compliance bushings leaking and that they would have to be replaced at a cost of $750. I stated that the car was not that old, was never driven 'off road,' and was just over 50,000 miles. Dealer stated that this was a must fix problem and that they have seen this issue with other pilots. The dealer checked with honda about getting a break on the cost to fix the problem, and honda agreed to subsidize part of the cost. Many concerns moving forward about the reliability of this part. This is not a reasonable repair for a relatively new vehicle marketed as a sport utility vehicle with 4-wheel drive.
Also reported on the 2011 Honda Pilot
Airbag inflator rupture
Other body or interior problem
Other brake problem
Other steering problem
Other engine problem
Other speed control problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 22 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other suspension problem happen on the 2011 Honda Pilot?
Across 17 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 45,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 25,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other suspension problem on the 2011 Honda Pilot?
22 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed