Honda Gives Family Free $25,000 Engine After Yearlong Fight

Honda’s built a reputation on engines that usually outlast its owners. The Shea family’s 2017 Honda Pilot had covered just 56,000 miles and was diagnosed with rod bearing failure last year, just out of warranty. The dealership quoted nearly $25,000 for a replacement engine, more than what it would cost to just buy another Pilot of the same year. Honda declined to help, even though the issue is linked to one the NHTSA is investigating over 1.4 million Honda and Acura models with V6 engines for. But when a couple of elected officials and a television news team got involved, the story flipped: Honda finally picked up the bill for the Shea’s new engine. 

Why Honda Finally Caved 

The pressure started with 7News, which reported on the family’s predicament last year and stayed on it. Senator Chris Van Holler and Representative Jamie Raskin then contacted Honda and the NHTSA. Raskin sent the automaker six questions about the engine failure and its decision not to cover the repair. Honda then replied, saying it would recover the engine and put in a new one at no cost. Shea credited the two lawmakers and the news team as the deciding factors. While Honda initially shrugged off responsibility, a letter from a member of Congress was much harder to wave off. Honda’s statement to 7News said inspecting the engine could help its ongoing investigation, which isn’t really an admission of fault either. 

1.4 Million Hondas Still Under Review

The NHTSA is investigating connecting rod bearing failures across roughly 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles, and seven crashes or fires have been documented. No recall has been issued yet. A 2023 NHTSA recall covering about 250,000 vehicles from the 2016, 2018, and 2019 model years left 2017 out, which is exactly where the Shea family’s Pilot sat. Had the family paid for the replacement engine, they would have been out $25,000 for a failure regulators were already studying. Congress may need to legislate tighter investigation timelines so that other owners who aren’t so lucky don’t end up paying for a company’s mistakes. 

FROM A $25,000 REPAIR BILL TO A BRAND NEW ENGINE… FOR FREE.

Ellie Shea’s 2017 Honda Pilot had just 56,000 miles when she heard a strange noise from the engine. Honda initially denied coverage, and the SUV sat in the family’s driveway for more than a year.

After the @7NewsDC… pic.twitter.com/WPqgbaruIh

— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylorTV) October 21, 2026