2012 HONDA PILOT check engine

(f luid capacities and tire pressures)
(main controls)
(seat belts, SRS, and child protection)
(climate control, audio, steering wheel, rear entertainment, security, crui se control, and HomeLink
)
(indicators, gauges, multi-inf ormation display, dashboard, and steering column)
(fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading)
(engine and transmission operation)
(minder, f luid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage) (f lat tire, jump starting, overheating, and f uses)
(vehicle specif ications, tires, and emissions controls) (warranty and contact inf ormation)
(how to order)
Contents
................................................................................................................................................
Index .I
..................................................
Service Inf ormation Summary . last page
...............................................................................................
Your Vehicle at a Glance .3
............................................................
Driver and Passenger Saf ety .5
..
Features .191
.......
Instruments and Controls .63
.......................................................................
Bef ore Driving .493
.........................................................................................
Driving .511
.................................................
Maintenance .557
........................................
T aking Care of the Unexpected .611
..............................................
T echnical Inf ormation .639
..................
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada only) . 657
..................................................................................
A uthorized Manuals (U.S. only) .661INDEX
1
Note: All page numbers referenced in this document are hyperlinked.
2012 Pilot Online Reference Owner's Manual

In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.
After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is safely parked and the
engine is of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
22
Protecting A dults and Teens
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat with aninoperat ive seat belt .
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
19
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on thefloor.
Table of ContentsMain Menu

The engine can be severely
damaged if this indicator f lashes
or stays on when the engine is
running. For more inf ormation,
see page .
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK
ENGINE OIL LEVEL

This indicator comes on when there
is a system message on the multi-
inf ormation display. Press the INFO
button on the steering wheel (see
page ) to see the message (see
page ).
Most of the time, this indicator
comes on along with other indicators
in the instrument panel such as the
seat belt reminder indicator, SRS
indicator, VSA system indicator, etc.
This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It
remindsyouthatitistimetotake
your vehicle in f or scheduled
maintenance. The maintenance main
items and sub items will be displayed
in the inf ormation display. See page
f or more inf ormation on the
Maintenance Minder .
This indicator goes of f when your
dealer resets it after completing the
required maintenance service. This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem in the 4WD
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer to have it checked.
If the indicator blinks while driving,
the VTM-4 fluid temperature is too
high. Pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e, shif t to Park, and let
the engine idle until the indicator
goes out.
85
92
559
4WD models only
Except Touring models On Touring models
Message Indicator
Maintenance Minder
Indicator VTM-4 Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
75
TM
Continuing to drive with the VTM-4
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.
Main MenuTable of Contents

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period . 494
.................
Fuel Recommendation . 495
.........
Service Station Procedures . 497
....................................
Ref ueling . 497
.....
Tighten Fuel Cap Message . 498
Opening and Closing the
.......................................
Hood . 499
...................................
Oil Check . 500
.............
Engine Coolant Check . 500
...............................
Fuel Economy . 501
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 504
.............................
Carrying Cargo . 506
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
493
Main Menu

Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange loop). Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page . Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see
on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
1. 3.
2. 4.
576 579
571
Oil Check
A dding Engine OilEngine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
Owner

µµ
Fill the f uel tank until the nozzle automatically clicks of f .
Reset trip counter to zero.
Record the total gallons (liters) needed to ref ill.
Follow one of the simple calculations above.
The A/C
puts an extra load on the engine
which makes it use more f uel. Use
the f resh-air ventilation when
possible.
Combine several short trips into
one. A warmed-up engine is more
f uel ef f icient than a cold one.
Direct calculation is the
recommended source of inf ormation
about your actual f uel economy.
Using f requency of f ill-ups or taking
f uel gauge readings are NOT
accurate measures of f uel economy.
Fuel economy may improve over the
f irst several thousand miles
(kilometers). 1)2)3)4)
Checking Your Fuel Economy
Measuring T echniquesMinimize the use of the air
conditioning system
Plan and combine trips
Calculating Fuel Economy
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
503
Miles driven Gallons of
fuel Miles per
Gallon
100 KilometersL per 100 km
Liter
Main MenuTable of Contents

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Variable Torque
Management
4-wheel drive
(VTM-4
) system, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA
), aka
Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
system, the tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS), and f acts you need
if you are planning to tow a trailer or
drive of f -highway. ........................
Driving Guidelines . 512
........................
Preparing to Drive . 512
.......................
Starting the Engine . 513
Check Starter System .................................
Message . 514
..............
Automatic Transmission . 515
............................
VTM-4
System . 520
...........................................
Parking . 521
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
......................................
(TPMS) . 522
.............................
Braking System . 530
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 531
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
),
aka Electronic Stability ........
Control (ESC), System . 533
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 536
Of f -Highway Driving
..................................
Guidelines . 552
Driving
Driving
511
Main Menu