Low speed shudder

2004 Honda Pilot



From time to time I feel a shudder as I’m driving. This is at pretty low speed 20-25. Not pronounced but noticeable



Not the steering. The shudder seems to come from below. It feels like I’m driving over corduroy.



If I ease of the gas or speed up it goes away and may not reappear until the next day

Check your transmission fluid (follow the procedure outlined in the manual). It should be at the proper level, nice and red/pink and not smell burned. How many miles are on it? What is the service history of the transmission?

What is the rest of the maintenance history like? (plugs, wires, filters, etc.) Is the check engine light on?

Have any overdue or near due service done. In addition to the rest, have a mechanic drive it and inspect the drive shafts and mounts.

thanks so much

140,000 miles no transmission maintenance no warning lights and general service is up to date

I’m not sure what Honda officially has to say about it, but it is best to have the transmission pan dropped and the filter changed every 30K miles. If you’ve had the same fluid in there for 140K that wouldn’t be ideal.

Even if the transmission isn’t the cause of your shudder, I would still take this to a local (i.e. non-national chain) transmission shop. Ask them to give things a once over and do a basic service.