164 of the
2,290 complaints filed about the Honda Passport
are about the transmission —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1999.
164
Complaints
7%
Share of all complaints
4
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
There is a known issue with auto idle feature. If you do not manually turn off every time it stays on and occasionally will cause car issue when stopping. I have had it happen in vehicle about a dozen times. When you fully depress brake engine is suppose to i gel to save gas however on occasion the vehicle will completely stall out. I have had this issue happen when approaching stop signs or in traffic situations. The biggest problem is trying to reengage car. Sometimes you can feel it starting to do this and if you quickly apply gas you can avoid it however sometimes the car will lock up with display lights and you have to keep pushing the Engine stop button to turn off the vehicle and turn vehicle back on. It is sometimes difficult to even turn off engine vehicle when this happens but seems to be only way to get vehicle to respond. I have had vehicles behind me almost hit me while I try to get vehicle out of this mode. I know it’s an issue as it’s all over the forums when you search for fix.
NHTSA complaint #11758706 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
PASSPORT 10 SPEED HARSH SHIFTING AT LOW SPEEDS. DOES NOT SHIFT FROM LOWER GEARS SMOOTHLY. ENGINE REVS BETWEEN GEARS. IT'S A HYDRAULYIC SHIFT FLARE. IN ADDITION, HARSH DOWNSHIFTING AND ABRUPT DECELERATION WHEN LIFTING OFF THE GAS PEDAL.
NHTSA complaint #11755655 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Passport. The contact stated that the wheel alignment was required due to an off-center steering wheel. The contact stated that on the second day of ownership, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, lurched, and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated during the transmission failure. Additionally, the multi-view camera system malfunctioned while driving, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that the transmission and the camera system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the transmission failure recurred within five minutes of retrieving the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. A district manager informed the contact that the transmission function was related to the adaptive learning and might be resolved with continued driving. The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to accept responsibility for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190.
NHTSA complaint #11755279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic internal engine failure caused by connecting rod bearing failure. Prior to the failure, the engine developed abnormal internal knocking/noise, indicating bearing deterioration. The engine is currently available for inspection. While traveling approximately 55 mph on [XXX], the check engine warning light illuminated. Within about one mile, the engine rapidly lost power and developed a severe knocking noise. The sudden loss of power at highway speed created a serious safety hazard by reducing my ability to maintain traffic speed and safely maneuver the vehicle. I had my child in the vehicle, and both we and surrounding motorists were placed at risk of a collision while I attempted to move to exit traffic. The failure has been confirmed by an independent repair facility, Absolute Automotive LLC in Parker, Colorado. Their inspection determined the engine suffered internal damage due to connecting rod bearing failure. I have the engine replacement invoice, technician's diagnostic notes, and photographs documenting the engine damage. The vehicle has not been inspected by Honda. I contacted Honda to report the failure and request assistance, but I was informed there was no recall for the 2021 Honda Passport equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine and that Honda would not provide assistance unless a recall existed. Before the engine failed completely, the engine developed abnormal internal knocking/noise. While driving on [XXX], the check engine warning light illuminated, and within approximately one mile the engine lost power and produced a heavy knocking noise, rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. I am submitting this complaint because a sudden internal engine failure resulting in loss of power at highway speeds presents a significant safety hazard and should be investigated. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11753735 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
With only 7688 miles, have been having transmission issues like hard shifting, not shifting when needing to speedup especially when trying to pass or on highway. In city hard shifting occurs constantly now. I had tried contacting Honda and the dealership to get the gaps issue resolved for past 2 years and nothing. This has been a poor experience for a Honda, which we have been very loyal for over 40 years. This transmission issue will only get worse and needing a resolution or fix as I have tried both dealership and Honda for help without being told my case has been transferred over and over.
NHTSA complaint #11743922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While passing at highway speeds under heavy acceleration, the transmission system on my 2026 Honda Passport with approximately 7,000 miles malfunctioned. Multiple warning messages appeared, including “Transmission system problem. Reverse gear not available. See your dealer,” “Transmission system problem. Avoid heavy acceleration and high speed. See your dealer,” “Transmission system problem. Paddle shifters not available. See your dealer,” and “Emissions system problem. Power may be reduced. See your dealer.” The vehicle then shifted into a middle gear and remained there, reducing normal drivability during a passing maneuver. I was able to pull over safely. After turning the vehicle off and back on, the warnings cleared temporarily, but the failure repeated multiple times. The safety concern is that the malfunction occurred during highway-speed passing and affected propulsion/gear availability. No crash or injury occurred. A Honda dealer pulled diagnostic codes P097F-17 and U3500-16 and stated that the TCM inside the transmission needed replacement. A second Honda dealer later reproduced the problem, consulted Honda technical support, and Honda approved replacement of the full transmission under warranty. The vehicle has been repaired and is available for inspection upon request. The failed transmission was replaced under warranty, so whether the original failed component remains available for inspection is UNKNOWN.
NHTSA complaint #11736166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the transmission was shifting hard. The Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, transmission, and auto high beam warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a transmission flush was performed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer performed a diagnostic scan and retrieved DTC: U0104 and U0104-00. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,200.
NHTSA complaint #11727283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Problem started at 11,000 miles as very minor and has become progressively worse up to the now 32,000. Vehicle has been to dealerships 5 times with no repair performed. THE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE: Hesitation and gear searching on acceleration. Intermittent acuity. 3 times I needed to accelerate quickly in order to merge with 40 mph traffic from a stop sign. I stepped on the throttle and the vehicle lurched into traffic then lost power and gear searched for 3 seconds creating a potentially very serious incident. Once the gear engaged, the vehicle took off at a high rate of acceleration and speed causing yet another unsafe condition and making me look like a maniac. THE OTHER SYMPTOMS: 1) Hard Starting, sometimes vehicle seems to sputter, sometimes it revs hard on startup 2) Vehicle sometimes enters some kind of error state similar to the vehicle not being in park when the engine is shut down. An audible alarm sounds, like when the lights are left on or a key is left in the car, and the vehicle refuses to lock the doors on its own as usual. Visual inspection by the driver reveals nothing appears to be wrong. Lights are off, no key left, vehicle is in park. Powering back on, checking park indicator and turning back off seems to reset this condition. 3) Inconsistent accelerator pedal input. Sometimes the vehicle goes much harder or seems to be held back by something at other times. 4) Erratic torque distribution for AWD. Viewed from dash torque distribution readout. AWD engages 100% at all wheels at times of very light throttle on dry pavement. 5) Engine just sounds terrible at idle and at times of hard acceleration. 6) Rough acceleration. Choppy gear shifts. 7) Vehicle continues to push forward under power when throttle is lifted and brakes are applied causing harder than usual brake pedal pressure to be necessary and inconsistent vehicle slowing. 8) No CEL is on. 9) Constant minor weaving due to inconsistent AWD torque delivery. PROBLEM IS ONGOING
NHTSA complaint #11725537 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle has experienced multiple dangerous incidents where it shuts down or shifts into neutral while driving. This has happened on highways, tunnels, busy on-ramps and main streets. The car loses power and requires restarting, which takes about 30 seconds. On a busy highway or street, this is enough time for a serious accident to occur if other vehicles cannot switch lanes on time. This has happened multiple times with my child in the car, and me being currently pregnant. The vehicle has never given me a warning prior. The issue appears to be related to the Auto start/stop system and/or electrical drivetrain controls. the vehicle is unsafe to operate because the driver can forget to disable auto start/stop and the car can suddenly lose power in traffic. There was also a separate incident (in between the multiple incidents above) where I was on the highway, my car accelerated, brakes wouldn't work, and my foot wasn't on the gas. the car then shifted to neutral and the only way I could stop was by shutting it off and moving to the breakdown lane. There have been two repair attempts. The first repair was done in 2024 after the initial loss-of-power incident related to the auto start/stop feature. In this repair, the battery was replaced and I was told a full diagnostic was run and the car was safe to drive. On 11/11/25 the serious incident with acceleration/ loss of brake function on the highway occurred. A full diagnostic was run and the transmission was replaced under warranty. However, a month after the transmission replacement, the loss of power issue returned. It has now been at least 4 incidents since the transmission was changed. I reported this to Honda corporate and received a case number, but despite multiple attempts to receive an update over the past 2 months, I have not been contacted by Honda, and no resolution has been provided. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle and no longer trust further repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11715527 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2022 Passport was driven from Indianapolis IN to Naperville IL on the evening of Jan 24th experiencing snowy and freezing conditions. Car was left overnight outside and would not start on the morning of the 25th. Warning lights displayed were battery and flashing engine light, one click on start up but no other noises. On the Morning of the 26ths AAA provided services to try and jump the battery and eventually had to tow vehicle to Valley Honda Aurora IL for service. Vehicle under went troubleshooting on the Morning of the 28th after being left outside. Vehicle still refused to start Tech suggested replacement of starter or IAW Honda Service Bulletin 23-010 and 23-023 letting vehicle starter thaw. Vehicle was brough inside into a warm environment overnight and started on Thursday the 29th. There were no prior indicators of issues until the Morning of the 25th
NHTSA complaint #11714648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO A SECONDARY ROAD AFTER EXITING THE INTERSTATE ENGINE POWER WASNT THERE AND THE CAR FELT AS IT WAS GOING TO EVENTUALLY JUST DIE. THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN OVER 50 MILES, SO IT WAS AT OPERATING TEMP.. REMOVING FOOT OFF THE THROTTLE AND REALPPLYING SEVERAL TIMES HAD THE CAR RETURN TO FULL POWER. LUCKILY, FOR THIS INCIDENT, TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND THE MERGE LANE WAS LONG. SO FAR THIS HAS OCCURED TWICE IN THE MONTYH OF JANUARY 2026.
NHTSA complaint #11714354 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our vehicle experienced total transmission failure with no warning while I was driving on a narrow country road. The car shifted into neutral, and I was unable to go anywhere, so I sat in the middle of the road with hazard lights on in a state of panic. We had the car towed to a nearby Honda dealership and were informed of the transmission failure, which was identified through a diagnostic test. Codes that failed were listed as: P0730; P0700; P07A6; P07A8; P07A4. I have owned the car for one year and three months (purchased October 2024 for $34,000). I am being told it is just past the power train warranty, and Honda is not offering any assistance in covering the repair cost - $10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11713610 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
During a winter storm in approximately 10°F weather, my vehicle became immobilized due to a no-start condition. The starter initially engaged and cranked the engine several times, then failed and would only free-spin without turning the engine. After this occurred, the vehicle could not be shifted into neutral because it is equipped with an electronic shift-by-wire transmission. The only method to move the vehicle requires a proprietary Honda mechanical neutral-release tool (07AAA-TZ3A100). This tool was not supplied with the vehicle, was not available to the owner or responding tow operators, costs over $200, and local Honda dealerships do not carry it in stock. As a result, it was not possible to obtain the tool in an emergency situation. Two flatbed tow trucks responded. Both operators stated the only way to load the vehicle would be to drag it while locked in park, which would likely cause damage to the transmission, drivetrain, or tires. This was not a safe or acceptable option. As a result, occupants were stranded from approximately 1:00 PM until 6:30 PM in 10°F weather with no heat, because the vehicle could not be moved. A single common mechanical failure should not render a vehicle completely immobile with no accessible emergency override. Requiring a costly, proprietary tool that is not provided with the vehicle and not available to dealers or emergency responders creates a serious safety risk due to cold exposure and inability to move or clear the vehicle during emergency conditions.
NHTSA complaint #11713500 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle has 11,500 miles on it and constantly pulls to the right. Pulls harder under hard acceleration, requiring steering correction when accelerating hard and again correcting when backing off the accelerator. Have had to dealer multiple times. They claim they can't fix. Correcting to the left under load and back to the right can cause car to weave at highway speeds and cause it to be unstable. Car is available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11708947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The auto stop/start feature caused my vehicle to stall in the middle of the road. I had stopped at an intersection and just as the engine shut off, traffic cleared and I went to accelerate, and the engine shut off completely. I had to shift to Park to start the engine.
NHTSA complaint #11706181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2020 Honda Passport VIN [XXX] engine start stop system fails at stop in a crossroad light. Vehicle becomes inoperable, on screen instructions not executable. After several attempts of turning vehicle off / on it finally starts. Stranded vehicle at light causes traffic to start swerving to avoid stalled vehicle - unsafe condition. No warning lights nor messages were observed in driver information system previous to failure occurrence. Malfunction has happened at least 3 times in last 6 months INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11695725 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
my 2023 Honda passport is having shifting problems (high revs, slow nd unpredictable power to wheels) harsh acceleration (not easy to safely /smoothly gauge power and speed from acceleration to wheel) high revs "stuck" --not shifting down smoothly/safely These issues are on going. I also researched and saw this has been reported b y other Honda Passport( 2023) owners. I contacted dealer 10/16/25 to document the complaint and asked dealer to call me back if any service advisories or recalls, they said no, but a service advisor wuld contat me if they felt a follow up was needed. Also, the vehicle had 'catastrophic' computer failure with power lost and warning lights within first 2 years --transmission lost power/engine still ran and forced into the breakdown lane and have vehicle towed. . Dealer did some type of reset. VIN # 5FNYF8H59PB027063
NHTSA complaint #11693792 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own the 2021 Honda Passport (Touring). On numerous occasions while making left or right turns. The truck will decelerate by itself, and the engine will rev up and the RPM increase but the truck fails to respond when the accelerator pedal is depressed. I continue to press the accelerator pedal, and the truck eventually appears to catch up with its speed. Very dangerous when trying to enter from expressway lane. There also are occasions on straight lane take offs that truck appears sluggish in normal gear shifting.
NHTSA complaint #11690407 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2026 Passport has severe transmission issues that the dealership and Honda North America are not acknowledging. The shifts are harsh at any speed. The downshifts (especially from 40-0 mph) are consistently violent and jerky. I cannot drive this car smoothly enough to keep my newborn baby in it because the car rocks and lunges enough to disturb him. I have driven two other brand new Passports and have been able to replicate the same issues. I have also driven with a Honda tech in the car and he has said the transmission is way too harsh although he can’t do anything about it because Honda North America has to send software updates to fix the issue. I have 3,600 miles on the odometer.
NHTSA complaint #11688730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.