[PortiePower]

Hello - I am a Honda fan from a Honda family. I have a 2013 Pilot that I love but am considering trading in for a newer car. Our Honda’s have been good to us over the years and without giving it much thought initially I started with the 2019 Pilot’s and then found the Passport. I don’t need a 3rd row and honestly don’t love the look of the new Pilot’s so the Passport seemed like a great option. I test drove an EX-L yesterday and loved it. Then I came home and read that the infotainment system is wonky, the speedometer has problems and the transmission can have a melt down on you. Oh and there’s a class action lawsuit. So none of this seems good and I should probably take my wounded heart to the nearest Subaru or Toyota dealership and call it a day. But before I do I’m wondering about a few things I’m hoping current owners may be able to help with:

1. Do you regret buying your Passport?
2. Do you feel safe in your PP?
3. If resale, etc weren’t an issue would you trade in your PP?
4. Is there anyone who has owned their PP longer than a week who hasn’t had an issue with it?
5. Does anyone actually like their PP?

I live in rural MA and drive winding roads solo a fair amount so having a safe and reliable car is super important. Cars are machines and like all machines they can have issues or glitches. Add in technology and, well, even my trusty iPad froze twice last night while I was watching AmazonPrime so I get glitches happen. I just want to make an informed decision and above all be safe on the road.

 

[WayneP]

I have owned a 2015 and a 2017 Honda Pilot, loved them, my daughter now has my 2017 Pilot. I ordered my Passport Touting and picked it up in the first week of June. We love this car, it has been trouble free (as I expected) . We love it on long trips and it tows my boat fine. I would buy another.

 

[ProdGirl]

Hello - I am a Honda fan from a Honda family. I have a 2013 Pilot that I love but am considering trading in for a newer car. Our Honda’s have been good to us over the years and without giving it much thought initially I started with the 2019 Pilot’s and then found the Passport. I don’t need a 3rd row and honestly don’t love the look of the new Pilot’s so the Passport seemed like a great option. I test drove an EX-L yesterday and loved it. Then I came home and read that the infotainment system is wonky, the speedometer has problems and the transmission can have a melt down on you. Oh and there’s a class action lawsuit. So none of this seems good and I should probably take my wounded heart to the nearest Subaru or Toyota dealership and call it a day. But before I do I’m wondering about a few things I’m hoping current owners may be able to help with:

1. Do you regret buying your Passport?
2. Do you feel safe in your PP?
3. If resale, etc weren’t an issue would you trade in your PP?
4. Is there anyone who has owned their PP longer than a week who hasn’t had an issue with it?
5. Does anyone actually like their PP?

I live in rural MA and drive winding roads solo a fair amount so having a safe and reliable car is super important. Cars are machines and like all machines they can have issues or glitches. Add in technology and, well, even my trusty iPad froze twice last night while I was watching AmazonPrime so I get glitches happen. I just want to make an informed decision and above all be safe on the road.

 

[ProdGirl]

The issues seem to be localized to just a handful of Passports. I’ve had my Elite AWD since 4/13 and the only inconstant issue I have is ‘the clunk’ - if you haven’t read up on that, there is a clunk that happens maybe 1 out of 30 times backing out of a parked position after 15 or so minutes and turning the wheel to the right. My Honda shop nor the dealer can get it to replicate the noise (as with other owners), so it’s not a big deal, yet.

I drove up thru two areas of the Redlands forest in No. Cal., this summer with super windy roads and it handled it really well. Plus it rides so solid and the quietest of all 5 Honda’s I’ve ever had!

And much as I like the Subaru midsize SUV style, they don’t seem to have the engine power or highend looks of our Passport!

1. Do you regret buying your Passport?
ME: NO. I had a 2006 CRV EX that I loved and had no plan to get rid of until I saw the Passport! ? I sold that to my Honda shop, Dealer didn’t want to give me anything for it.

2. Do you feel safe in your PP?
ME: Safer than my CRV. It sits higher, feels more solid, handles amazingly, and it’s loaded with safety features.

3. If resale, etc weren’t an issue would you trade in your PP?
ME: NOPE. Taking this Honda with me to my grave...or it will be my retirement home!

4. Is there anyone who has owned their PP longer than a week who hasn’t had an issue with it?
ME: The first few days I had the PP, I kept getting a low battery alert. Dealer tested it fine. My local Honda shop tested it bad, got me a new one, no issues.
My other issue is the clunk, as mentioned above. And the dealer couldn’t get my hands free tailgate working, which was no big deal, I finally got it working myself last week. No other issues with the infotainment system, AC, or vent noise, etc... like others,

5. Does anyone actually like their PP?
ME: ❤

 

[Nipper Dog]

I might be in the minority here but after having my Passport Elite for almost 5 months, I haven't experienced ANY problems with it and I don't have one ounce of regret buying it.

 

[stevenD]

You head over to the BMW site (Xbimmers.com) and its filled with people complaining about them, yet somehow I had two for 16 years with ZERO problems, they were two of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned! Or go visit the new RAV4 site and read about all the horror stories their owners have to share. The FACT is that there are complaints for every vehicle out there and there are also 100+ others that NEVER had a problem. So if you are looking for a vehicle with ZERO complaints, you'll go buy a horse!

The vehicles that rate the "best" in the JD Powers surveys typically have a score in the 80's, anyone know what that means? (I'll tell ya) It means 80 problems for every 100 vehicles surveyed! The JD Power average is around 100, meaning 100 problems for every 100 vehicles sold and the most "problemed" vehicles are in the 130's (130 problems for every 100 vehicles).

I've owned by PP since March 4th, and in the 8-1/2 months I have not had any problems, now I have not put the miles on mine that others here have, but time-wise nothing, nada, no tranny problems, no clicks, pops, etc.

One thing I can assure you of; and that's if you buy a Ford, GM, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, VW, Fiat, and several other makes, better make sure that dealer is REAL close to your home and get on a first name basis with the Services Advisors, as it is just about guaranteed that you will be spending a lot more time there than you will if you buy a Honda.

Lastly, there are a lot of Honda-Homers here, (people who have owned many of them and trust them) and I'm sure they will chime in here. I'm not one of them, the last new Honda I bought before my PP was a 1985 Prelude, I did have a used 78 Accord and married into a 94 Accord, both of which were fine cars. What I mean is the bottom line here is if someone TRUSTS Honda and I do! If you don't trust them to deliver a decent vehicle then you SHOULD look elsewhere.

PS: I bought our daughter a 2019 Forester (Premium) and while it is a nice car, its nowhere near as nice as my PP, albiet it was nearly $15k less money...

 

[Wrascal]

I've been a PP owner for just a few weeks but so far all is well. My only complaint is it's not getting the MPGs that my CRV ran (31.7 mpg over 9000 miles). But according to fuelly.com I'm doing better than most PP owners (currently 24.0 mpg over 1230 miles - Caution: grandpa driver).

Before the CRV I ran a Sante Fe (stolen, wrecked, totaled), it averaged 22.7 mpg over 42000 miles, so the PP isn't all that thirsty.
NOTE: the NRA sticker didn't deter the thief.

 

[herothedog]

1. Do you regret buying your Passport?
Not at all. Well, I regret working with the dealership, I should have gone to a different one.

2. Do you feel safe in your PP?
Yes.

3. If resale, etc weren’t an issue would you trade in your PP?
Doubt it, but I can only fit two cars in the garage so sometimes something has to go.

4. Is there anyone who has owned their PP longer than a week who hasn’t had an issue with it?
Yes, I've got no real issues! I've got "the clunk". Not worried about it yet.

5. Does anyone actually like their PP?
I do like it a lot. I've had a lot of cars too, much higher-end, and since I've got the PP I feel like over the years I've wasted money if only the PP would have been around!

I've had no issues with the infotainment system, seems pretty good to me. It starts up fast. I don't blast music these days though, bad for situational awareness. The navigation system is Garmin, other than it doesn't continually update maps and they are almost always out of date, it works really well. I use my iPhone/Carplay 90% of the time so not a big deal IMO.

The transmission is a different beast that is for sure, it does not work like traditional transmissions, there is a great Youtube on how it works. Basically it is a stack of gears and four (or 5) clutches that turn a transaxle. It does make noises I am not used to, but as of yet no worries.

As far as the class action lawsuit, is their a manufaturer that does not have multiples of these sorts of things going on? I've had 3 VW Touareg TDIs and VW has been massively sued (dieselgate), now along with several other manufactures... so I don't worry about that. I'm pretty sure Toyota and Subaru are also embroiled in the Takata airbag suite (and Honda too). Ford has had the Exploder tire issue. The list goes forever.

Main gripe: totally craptastic tires! First slick conditions and I noticed a lot of activity with traction control and scary stopping! TireRack testing gave the tires a 3.4/10.

I've been on auto forums for 20 years now, the majority of posts are individuals griping or complaining looking for sympathy or for solutions (including myself). So take the negative remarks with a grain of salt! The majority of the owners never sign up on a forum!

So aside from the tires, I like the Passport a lot!

 

[scooter1]

Passport Touring AWD, purchased March 2019. 18k miles on it.
1. No
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes. A misapplied seal on the rear hatch. Fixed quickly by the dealer. Nothing else.
5. Yes. SWMBO and I do! Even more than we liked the '17 CRV we traded in.

 

[mcrimm]

We’ve had our Elite since May.

1. Do you regret buying your Passport?
I’m mixed on this. The electronics flat suck. ACC is not refined at all. Auto high beam is unusable. Crash avoidance gives way way to many false alerts. Bluetooth is hit and miss with my iPhone 11. Most of this can be fixed with software updates.

2. Do you feel safe in your PP? Yes

3. If resale, etc weren’t an issue would you trade in your PP? Possibly

4. Is there anyone who has owned their PP longer than a week who hasn’t had an issue with it? see above

5. Does anyone actually like their PP? I’ve owned over 35 cars/trucks/suv. I bought this to keep for a long time. I doubt that will happen. I’ll probably look at a Lexus next.

 

[darksky]

Bought my Touring model in March. It is #155 off the asembly line. Absolutely no problems with it. None of the issues a few have reported on this forum. I'm like the infotainment system. I like the navigation system. I like the sound system. MPG is acceptable. Engine and transmission works fine. I have no complaints about my Passport. To answer the questions, I don't regret buying my PP. I feel safe in it, I would not trade it. As already mentioned I've had no issues and I've owned it longer than a week! Remember that the majority of those who post on forums like this are ones who have complaints. Fewer sign up for these forums just to say how much they like their vehicle. I guess I'm one of those!

 

[ProdGirl]

Bought my Touring model in March. It is #155 off the asembly line. Absolutely no problems with it. None of the issues a few have reported on this forum. I'm like the infotainment system. I like the navigation system. I like the sound system. MPG is acceptable. Engine and transmission works fine. I have no complaints about my Passport. To answer the questions, I don't regret buying my PP. I feel safe in it, I would not trade it. As already mentioned I've had no issues and I've owned it longer than a week! Remember that the majority of those who post on forums like this are ones who have complaints. Fewer sign up for these forums just to say how much they like their vehicle. I guess I'm one of those!

how’d you find out what number you are off the assembly line?

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

Have had ours since March. Barely approaching 5k miles now. Fantastic vehicle and no regrets. Would do it all over again. We have the Elite.

 

[draiken78]

I might be in the minority here but after having my Passport Elite for almost 5 months, I haven't experienced ANY problems with it and I don't have one ounce of regret buying it.

I've had no issues with mine. Bought it in April, use it as my daily commuter, and took a 3000 mile road trip with it.

 

[scooter1]

how’d you find out what number you are off the assembly line?

The last 6 digits of the VIN are the number of the vehicle off the production line. My VIN is 5FNYF8H98KB002926, so #2926 off the line.

 

[ProdGirl]

The last 6 digits of the VIN are the number of the vehicle off the production line. My VIN is 5FNYF8H98KB002926, so #2926 off the line.

The last 4 or 6 digits?
Mine is 011592, and March 19. So I don’t think I can be #011592, right?

 

[Wrascal]

001585 checking in.

 

[scooter1]

The last 4 or 6 digits?
Mine is 011592, and March 19. So I don’t think I can be #011592, right?

6 digits. Remove the leading zeros and your PP was #11592 off the line.

 

[Nipper Dog]

The last 6 digits of mine are 010348. ?‍♂

 

[herothedog]

Made in October; 20783