The Honda Pilot is a popular 3-row SUV with a loyal following.
Trim levels are great and reliability is normally top-notch. However, things do go wrong with this vehicle, and a known issue is the door locking mechanism.
If your Honda Pilot door is not working, then it’s usually the door lock actuator that is faulty. When pulling on the door handle, you’ll not feel any resistance. Check that the child locks are not activated. If it refuses to open, you’ll have to remove the interior trim to reach the lock.
Honda Pilots have a known problem with their door lock actuators wearing out and breaking.
To replace the actuator, you must remove the door panel, trim, plastic handle, switch, and cup holder, to reach the actuator. The door handle trim has a plastic cover behind which you will find two screws that hold it in place.
When removing the interior door release, you cannot pull the mechanism all the way out as there is a rod that connects it to the locking mechanism. A plastic clip holds the end of the metal rod in place and you must release it to remove the handle.
It is important that you don’t yank on the handle, otherwise, you’ll snap the plastic clip.
Once the connecting rod is disconnected, you can pull on the rod while at the same time pulling on the outside door handle. With a little wiggling and pulling, you can pop the door open even if the child lock is engaged.
Once the door is open, remove the three recessed, Phillips screws holding the door lock in place. These are found on the trailing edge of the door, two above the lock opening and one below it. The lock and actuator can be removed as a single unit by pulling the assembly back through the interior holes in the door.
The lock and actuator are covered with a plastic anti-theft device which you need to remove to access the actuator. It is held in place by a little plastic tab that you must push to one side so that it comes loose before you remove the lock from the door.
To remove the actuator, remove the screws holding it in place as well as the two plastic tabs against the lock body. The actuator is easy to identify, as it has two electrical sockets. Once the screws are removed and the tabs are loose, you will have to pry the actuator off the lock body to replace it with a new one.
This article and its contents are owned by Know My Auto and was first published on 07/27/2022.
Honda Pilot Door Won’t Open
Despite Honda’s well-earned reputation for reliability, the older Honda Pilot models are known for their door problems.
If a Honda Pilot’s door does not open, it is either your key fob, the door actuator, or a blown fuse. The locks are also known to stick if they are not regularly lubricated. Use your key to unlock the door and test whether the door handle will move. The connecting rods may have come loose.
If you encounter resistance when you try to open the door, the lock may be broken, or one of the connecting rods may be misaligned. The plastic clips that hold the rods may have snapped or come loose.
Enter the car from the other side and try to open the door using the interior handle. This will help you to diagnose where the problem lies. If none of the doors open when using the key fob, try replacing the battery in the key fob.
You can also check your fuse box to see whether the fuse for your central locking has blown.
Honda Pilot Door Won’t Unlock
When your Honda Pilot door will not unlock, there are only a few different reasons for the problem.
When a Honda Pilot door does not unlock, check that the battery in your key fob is not run down. If it is, replacing it will solve the problem. If the battery is fine, your central locking may have blown a fuse. Lack of lubrication can also prevent a door from unlocking.
A poor electrical connection may be the cause of the door actuator not working. In older models, the door lock actuators wear out and must be replaced. If the door makes a strange grinding noise when unlocking it, your actuator is probably about to fail.
You should consider repairing the locking mechanism before it fails, to prevent you from being locked out of your car.
Honda Pilot Door Key Won’t Unlock Door
We have become so accustomed to the central locking opening and closing our car door locks, that using a key to get into our cars is seldom necessary.
If a Honda Pilot door will not unlock with a key, then it is either a broken lock, lack of lubrication, or a problem with the connecting rods inside the door. If the key doesn’t go into the slot, then you may have dirt or debris obstructing the keyway. A spray lubricant can help the key slide inside.
A lack of lubrication is a common problem with locks that refuse to open. Use a spray lubricant with a long nozzle and push it into the key slot. There is a slide that protects the entrance to the keyhole which can become clogged with dirt.
Insert the nozzle into the slot and maneuver it so that the slide open, allowing the nozzle inside. Then spray the lubricant into the keyhole until it bubbles out. This will lubricate the lock and hopefully dislodge any dirt or debris that may have become stuck inside.
Then insert your key and turn it in both directions a few times to spread the lubricant around inside. Wipe any excess lubricant off the key and the lock mechanism.
Honda Pilot Door Won’t Close
Having your car door not close properly is both irritating and potentially dangerous.
If a Honda Pilot door won’t close, the problem is easy to fix. The locking mechanism in the door is a U-shaped latch that engages the metal catch attached to the door frame. If the latching mechanism is turned while the door is still open, you can reset it by pulling on the interior door handle.
When looking at the door lock from the back of the door, you’ll see a metal cut-out in which the latch sits. The U-shaped latch must have the open part of the “U” facing the door frame. If it is not, grasp the interior door handle and pull it as if you are opening the door from the inside.
The “U” shaped latch should turn to face the car. If it does not, you can use your finger or a screwdriver to push the latch into the open position.
Honda Pilot Door Not Locking
Honda Pilots have an unfortunate reputation for door lock problems.
When the door on a Honda Pilot does not lock, the fault is usually traced to a door lock actuator wearing out. To fix the lock, you need to remove the door trim and then unscrew the locking mechanism. Unclip the control arms and the wiring harness and remove the lock. Then replace the actuator.
Removing the door lock entails unclipping the interior door trim and unscrewing the 3 bolts holding the door handle and power window switch. The screws are all located behind removable panels that you can slip out with a small screwdriver.
Once the screws are out, use a wide plastic tool or broad flathead screwdriver to lever the panel clips out of the door. There are 6 to 8 clips to remove. Be careful not to use too much force or you’ll damage the trim panel or break the clips.
This article and its contents are owned by Know My Auto and was first published on 07/27/2022.
The trim panel must be supported while you unplug the electrical window and door latch connections. These connectors are held in place by little plastic tabs that you must depress to allow them to be removed. Then unclip the connecting rods that run from the door latch to the locking mechanism at the back of the door.
The plastic clips holding the connecting rods are delicate, so be careful not to apply too much force or they’ll break.
When the panel is off, unscrew the 3 recessed Phillips screws holding the lock in place. You’ll have to reach inside the door to remove the lock, which can be very awkward. You will also have to remove the plastic anti-theft cover. This cover is difficult to remove and requires that you lower the window to get access to the top and the tab holding it in place on the lock mechanism.
Once the lock is out of the door, unscrew the actuator holding screws and lever the actuator off the lock. Replace it with a new one and replace the lock in the reverse order that you removed it.
It’s a good idea to take photographs of how each part fits together to avoid installing them the wrong way round.
Honda Pilot Door Stuck
One of the most difficult things to deal with is a stuck door that won’t open.
When a Honda Pilot door won’t open and is stuck closed, you’ll have to remove the interior trim on the B-pillar to gain access to the inside of the door. This will make opening up the trim panel possible, after which you can remove the door hardware and access the locking mechanism.
This article and its contents are owned by Know My Auto and was first published on 07/27/2022.
Honda Pilot Key Won’t Turn in Door
Often, a key won’t turn in the door because of dirt or debris that is stuck in the keyway.
Copyright protected article by Know My Auto and was first published on Jul 27, 2022. .
If your key won’t turn in the Honda Pilot door, you can lubricate the lock with a product like WD40. Push the nozzle into the keyhole and spray some lubricant into the keyway. Then push the key into the lock and turn it back and forth to loosen up the mechanism.
Avoid exerting too much pressure on the key. Otherwise, you risk snapping it off in the lock.
Honda Pilot Beeps When Door Opens
There are a few safety features that utilize a beep or chime to inform you that there is a problem that you must attend to.
When your Honda Pilot beeps as you open the door, it could be an indication that you have inadvertently left your headlights on. Honda also has an auto-lock walk-away feature, that may trigger the beeping sound. You may also have a short in the ignition or seatbelt sensor circuit.
Honda Pilot Door Keeps Locking
With motor vehicle crime soaring in most urban areas, Honda has installed some additional safety features to secure your car.
The copyright owner of this article is Knowmyauto.com and was first published on Jul 27, 2022..
The Honda Pilot will lock itself when you exit the vehicle with your remote transmitter. So long as the tailgate is closed, and all the doors are closed, once you reach 5 feet (1.5m), the door locks will engage. You can customize the door locking and unlocking with the remote transmitter.
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KnowMyAuto is the sole owner of this article was published on Jul 27, 2022 and last updated on .