2006 honda pilot has momentary loss of power intermittently

Asked by pollgreen Jun 10, 2018 at 11:10 AM about the 2006 Honda Pilot EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a major problem that Honda mechanics can not figure out.  My 2006
honda Pilot (2wd) has a problem where it loses ALL electric power for like .5
seconds while driving.  The radio POPS through the speaker and either
shuts off and restarts or just shuts off.  No Dash indicators of any kind.  The
engine also lurches at this time due to a messing of the firing order I think.  
Also, periodically when my car is parked, the radio requires the RADIO
CODE after I come back to it.  This indicates a loss of battery while it is
parked.  I can't see how a battery failure of any kind can cause such a
problem while driving.  Battery is only  yr old and was tested fine by pep
boys.  I also have pulled OBD codes and nothing of any value is there.  
Dealer did extensive testing of whole electric/charging system and found
nothing.  Yet, it still happens about every couple of days.  I live in So Cal, so
it has been nice weather throughout.  Generally around 75 degrees or so.

14 Answers

150

That sounds like a bad connection to the main fuse box. It would not effect the battery or chargeing system... only anything that the fusses would power up. Sometimes there's a wire going from the battery through a fuse and to the fuse panel. You could look into that. With the radio on.. wiggle any wires you can find that may power things up. When the radio dies your close.

4 people found this helpful.
60

i jsut started having this issue on my 2005,. radio blinks out and u can hear it in the speakers.. I was driging at night last time it did it and noticed the headlights dim.. its so fast that the headlights dont even have time to completely go out.. i cecked battery terminals and they are tight.. the connection to the main fuse box under the hood on the passenger side is tight.. so im going to check the grounds when i get a chance.

1 people found this helpful.
60

finally got around to cleaning them today. there was a film of corrosion around the terminals and posts on the battery. so i cleaned them and the 2 grounds on the radiator support just because i had easy access to them.. one of them is the negative bat cable. im going to be going for a 4 hour road trip so ill keep an eye on it.

3 people found this helpful.
60

drove 8 hour round trip to NY.. no issues.

2 people found this helpful.
50

My Pilot has same issue loss of power intermittently- anyone find a solution? My mechanic and dealership cannot figure it out

5 people found this helpful.
20

I just had this happen today, exactly how you described above. I'll clean the terminals, my battery may be due for a change. Hoping its not the alternator but I wouldn't be surprised, it has 123k miles.

2 people found this helpful.
60

GuruV7KDX did you not read this thread? its your battery terminals.. clean them

50

2/25/19 Driving my 2005 Honda pilot today I heard a couple of clicks through the radio speakers then all power went out on the vehicle. I put it in neutral while I was coasting to see if the tachometer went up, and it it did not move. Maybe 10 to 15 seconds later while I was still coasting full power came back on. Thankfully I have a friend that is the best mobile electrician on the planet. He said he had seen this happen several times in his career on Hondas and multiple vehicles. Apparently somewhere in the ignition switch contacts, (in the colum) after repeated starting throughout the years it wears out. Basically he connected the accessory wire with the power wire together. He said that should fix it for now. I should drive it for a week. When he gets back from a business trip if there are still no problems with it he would put a relay in there and disconnect those two wires so they continue to work independently. I asked him what the percentage of this being the problem was, and he said 80 to 85%. I will let you all know in a week if his assumption was correct.

2 people found this helpful.
50

Sorry GURUCQ4V5, I tried to enter my own handle (Honda Pilot Owner) And it seems it did not want to except it. I did not mean to hitch a ride on your wagon. Apologies.

1 people found this helpful.
50

I fixed the problem. I called someone smarter than I am. He is a professional mobil mechanic. He knew what is was before he got to my house. It’s in the column, it’s a little box, if you need the name I will call him for the exact name. He changed mine over a year ago and It never happened again. Nothing like years of experience.

2 people found this helpful.
10

What is the name of the little box in the column. Thanks for your help.

1 people found this helpful.
10

What is the box. On the road now with kids experiencing this.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Pilot

Looking for a Used Pilot in your area?

CarGurus has 27,723 nationwide Pilot listings starting at $1,899.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2006 Honda Pilot

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    3,820
  • #2
    Masud Haider
    Reputation
    2,500
  • #3
    jmtnh
    Reputation
    2,310
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Highlander
1,066 Great Deals out of 17,651 listings starting at $2,790
Used Honda CR-V
1,914 Great Deals out of 40,188 listings starting at $2,477
Used Acura MDX
559 Great Deals out of 15,324 listings starting at $1,288
Used Toyota 4Runner
1,003 Great Deals out of 20,301 listings starting at $1,950
Used Honda Odyssey
730 Great Deals out of 17,556 listings starting at $1,500
Used Toyota RAV4
1,780 Great Deals out of 29,465 listings starting at $2,495
Used Honda Accord
1,365 Great Deals out of 29,244 listings starting at $1,075
Used Ford Explorer
2,130 Great Deals out of 61,312 listings starting at $999
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
1,061 Great Deals out of 19,920 listings starting at $2,264
Used Nissan Pathfinder
470 Great Deals out of 19,314 listings starting at $1,495
Used Toyota Sequoia
140 Great Deals out of 3,458 listings starting at $3,500

Used Cars for Sale

2025 Honda Pilot For Sale
7,024 listings starting at $39,791
2024 Honda Pilot For Sale
14 Great Deals out of 10,015 listings starting at $34,965
2023 Honda Pilot For Sale
50 Great Deals out of 516 listings starting at $33,440
2022 Honda Pilot For Sale
99 Great Deals out of 1,314 listings starting at $21,500
2021 Honda Pilot For Sale
152 Great Deals out of 2,438 listings starting at $18,400

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.