Is anybody towing a 2007 or 2008 Honda Pilot? I need advice before purchase.

[arthurval]

I like the Honda Pilot and want to use as a toad behind my Winnebago Journey. Does anyone tow a 2007 or 2008 Pilot (2wd or 4wd) or have knowledge of someone who does tow one? I checked on the irv2 towing issues and toads website section but got no real help. I know officially Honda says no, but I really do like Honda reliability and, if towable without modification, will buy one even if no warranty available from Honda. Any and all responses are appreciated. Thanks, Art

[Y-Guy]

Just checked the Jan 08 FMCA Mag and only the CR-V is listed as flat towable. I've heard more positive things about the Saturn line for flat towing. You might check Remco to see what is involved with making a honda towable.

[DonGee]

Art:

Found the best place to check is at Remcotowing.com.

Don

[Stevegd007]

OK. Got to chime in here. We flat tow a 2006 Honda Civic with the manual transmission. No problems. FMCA Mag does not say a thing about a Honda Civic. Honda staff at the dealership, said that we could tow the manual Civic. I now have more towing miles than driving miles on my Civic. The Civic does not show "dead" tow mileage, only miles driven under its own power. The manual trans is much easier to setup for a tow, and I prefer this. I have also seen Pilot's out on the road behind Motorhomes. So keep checking.

[afrank1971]

We tow a 2004 Honda Pilot and it works great. However, the manual gives you clear instructions on how to go about flat towing it. I was unaware that the newer Pilots were not towable. If that's true then the wifes next car will not be another Pilot, even though we truly love the vehicle. Good luck.
Alan

[Slapshottr]

I tow a 2008 Honda Pilot Front Wheel Drive (FWD) with no modifications on a Demco SS460 Kar-Kaddy. You will not be able to tow a 4WD model 4 down or on a tow dolly. Owner's manual specifically states towing 4WD models is prohibited with just two wheels up. Earlier model Pilots had a switch on the instrument panel you pressed and it changed the mechanics of the transmission to allow towing. Honda eliminated this option around 2005. The problem you run into is FWD models are hard to find. Prior to purchasing I put the Pilot up on my tow dolly to make sure it fit. It is a tight fit but works. We have been very satisfied with the Pilot. It is my first Honda and I purchased it based on Consumer Reports data. It handles nicely while in tow on the Kar-Kaddy.

[Tom N]

Subject: RE: [RV-T] 2008 Honda Civic Toad Problem
From: "Jack Iversen" <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 10:43:22 -0500

Lorraine and Phillip,
I have a 2006 Pilot which Honda did not want towed (4WD Automatic) but
Remco engineers told me that this car DID HAVE the tranny which could be
safely towed. We've now towed it about 3000 miles with no trouble at all.
Of course your stick-shift Civic should present no problem at all. Try
towing it 50 to 100 miles, then check the trans. temperature, look at the
oil, etc. if it isn't heating up you are probably ok. But start it up and
run for a few minutes, in neutral, then shifting through the gears just to
be sure...
Of course you need to be concerned about warranty coverage, etc. but Honda
makes one of the most reliable cars ever built---what can go wrong? Best,
Jack

[Tom N]

Fred White tows a newer Pilot with no mods.

You can contact him at [email protected]

-Tom

[Navy Flier]

Last winter Honda suddenly announced that none of their 2007 models were towable regardless of what the manual said. Subsequently they back off on the CR-V and said that it was towable. They had just been through a complete redesign of all of their models. At the time I thought that their liability lawyers had gotten in the act and have yet seen anything to change my mind. You have to remember that those of us who want to tow a Honda are hardly a blip on the overall Honda radar picture.

[comp-time]

The 2007 and 2008 Pilot can not be towed 4 down. The only Honda product that can be towed 4 down is the CRV.

[Tom N]

Originally posted by comp-time:
The 2007 and 2008 Pilot can not be towed 4 down. The only Honda product that can be towed 4 down is the CRV.

There are Honda models that can be towed but Honda will not warranty the transmission. Because Honda refuses to warrant does not mean they are not capable of being towed if Honda's pre-tow procedure is followed exactly.

I spoke to a fellow last month that was towing a 2007 Accord with no problems.

-Tom

[ChasA]

The 2007 Saturn Vue V6 front wheel drive has Honda engine and transaxle and is flat towable. 2008's may not be towable as I heard Saturn was not going to use Honda in 2008 models. I have towed my 2007 FWD Vue (automatic transaxle) over 10,000 miles with no problems. Just follow the instructions in the owner's manual. My wife loves her Saturn. Plus it has a five star safety rating.
Chas

[Bob and Vicki]

We just purchased a 2008 CRV. We've only towed it about 220 miles so far. The manual states that it is towable 4 wheeles down but, you do have to run it thru the gears after 8 hours of being towed. So far so good!

[RoadRohrers]

Have a 2007 Odyssey. The instructions in the manual for 4-wheel-down emergency towing are the same instructions for previous, towable models. Go from drive into neutral and turn off engine leaving key in ignition so steering wheel is not locked. DO NOT GO FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL. This will kill (so they say) the transmission. Personally, I do not know as the Odyssey is not set up for towing, '04 CRV for that. But in future, after warranty, I probably would give it a whirl, just running engine every 200 miles.

[Lake]

I have been towing a 2003 Honda Accord V6 automatic transmission for 4 years with no problems. Have to start the motor up and shift through the forward gears about every 300 miles to oil up the transmission. However, I have heard that the newer Accords should not be towed 4 wheels down so guess I'll just keep the old 03 model.

[k gonnam]

I have to comment on this. I tow a 2004 Honda Pilot that I purchased from my local Honda dealer. The owner of the dealership is an RV'r and always tows Honda products. As of last fall he was towing a 2007 Pilot behind a Wanderlodge with no problem. He has fought with Honda and gotten nowhere on getting the "official" OK to tow. However, neither he nor his chief mechanic can find any mechanical reason not to tow. As for my 2004, I just leave the tranny in neutral, key in accy, and cycle the tranny oil every 8 hrs. Have not had any problems.

[codgerbill]

Well now......
Assembled in Toledo 4 wheel drive Jeep (Wrangler[2 or 4 dr]Liberty and cherokee i think)all tow 4 wheels down. And if ya like to be a mudder or a rock climber off road...well...

[arthurval]

I am the origional poster back in Feb. My update is that I bought a used 2005 Pilot(very clean with only 18,000 mi.) and have been happy with it. Thanks all. Art