Help w/Honda Pilot...

Ok, yes I know this is a Tundra forum.... But, I was hoping for a little help w/an electrical issue on my wife's Honda Pilot (2014 Touring) and thought maybe someone out there would have the experience or knowledge to help out. Honda Pilot forums were not helpful.

So, we started having issues w/door lock actuators going bad. Replaced 3 of them this last year, and apparently it's a very common problem w/the vehicle. A few weeks ago, the wife says her rear glass hatch is not popping anymore. Check the fuse (under hood aux box), it's fine. So, I figure another bad actuator, order one, and replace it this weekend. However, it still won't open. Come to find out the manual lift gate button (exterior handle) is not working either. But, the lift gate will open w/the fob or w/the button on the door. The button to pop the glass hatch is on the exterior, to the right of the rear license plate, just below the glass.

The reason I mention this is because the other trim levels apparently don't have a power lift gate, so the interior button and the fob will pop the glass on those trim levels.

The wife doesn't know how long the lift gate handle has been not functioning, because she doesn't use it (she just uses the fob to open the gate). It doesn't appear to be tied to the same circuits (for fusing, motors, etc.) because they have their own fuses, motors and actuators. But, who knows they may be.

Apparently, while I can purchase a new lift gate pad (button) that sits on the inside of the exterior handle, I can NOT purchase a glass hatch button. The dealer 'believes' it may be part of the back up cam wiring harness, etc. that sits in that position and may have to be purchased as a complete assembly ($500+)....

Fast forward a couple more days of research, etc. looking for relays, other related fuses, etc. and I find out there IS a relay specifically for the glass hatch in the passenger compartment. The relay (one of two) are located behind passenger compartment fuse panel and can only be accessed by removing the main interior fuse panel. The other relay is the starter cut off relay NO 2 (NO 1 is under the hood), and this is where I'm struggling...

If it wasn't adjacent to the starter cut relay, I'd just fish my hand around behind the fuse box and see if I can blindly access it. However, I don't want to chance jarring or removing the starter cut off and then not be able to get it back into place.

The other problem is that it appears that to remove the fuse panel, I'd have to unclip several connections to the fuse panel, then remove and screw which allows it to be clipped from the top and then dropped down out of the way. Basically, I'm not real comfortable in removing most of the vehicle's major wiring connections to access this stupid thing. To me, it really makes no sense to "hide" these 2 and make them so inaccessible when the vehicle has relays in the main interior fuse panel and under the hood in both fuse/relay boxes.

So, ultimately, my questions are these. Has anyone else had to access either the glass hatch relay or the starter cut off relay in the passenger compartment of a Pilot w/success? Am I missing something super obvious/easy in being able to access the relay? Any other suggestions or experiences in resolving an inop glass hatch?

Also, apparently in earlier versions of the model (not sure when it changed) these 2 relays were just tucked under the dash behind the steering wheel, and the starter relay would fall out (probably knocked/kicked loose) pretty regularly.


My wife's model is not set up like the above photo of an earlier model.

The next photo is showing the "random" relays in the passenger compartment for reference... With the one I'm trying to access being #2


The last drawing shows a depiction of what clips should be uncoupled, the screw that needs to come out and then the direction to drop the main fuse panel to access relays #1 and #17 (shown above). This last drawing was offered by someone who was directing another person on how to remove the panel for access to #17 relay... Seems like way too much can go wrong messing w/all those important connections just to pop a relay out in my opinion!

 

I have the same issue with my 2014 Pilot, touring except that my door latch works. My glass hatch is my issue. I believe there is a tail gate control unit that connects with all the switches.

I was able to remove the glass hatch relay(with a small flat screw drive while lying awkward on the floor) behind the fuse box and shorting the fuse while doing it. Whats good is that while I shorted the relay, my glass hatch motor actuator worked. I check the relay with a ohm meter & a 9 Volt battery to activate it. Relay looks good but Ill replace it since it cost about $10 on Amazon. Relay arrives next week.

 

Shot in the dark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T0YQb-sxWg

 

I've seen a couple of the south main dudes videos; he's got good info...

Turns out my problem was a bad rear door actuator (we didn't know cuz we don't use that door), so the rear glass actuator was "fed" power through the door actuators, and apparently since the door stopped working, it broke the circuit or whatever to actuate the rear glass. Fixed the rear door actuator and the rear glass worked immediately after...

Thanks for the feedback though guys!!!!

 

Hey,

When you said you replaced the rear door actuator did you mean the lift gate lock actuators?

Thanks

 

No it was the rear passenger door lock actuator... We had replaced one in the past, but apparently the other side went out. Our lift gate always worked, just the glass hatch wouldn't pop. I thought it was that actuator, replaced it, but still had the problem.

Can't remember what it was that we were doing, but ended up trying to get one the rear passenger doors, and it wasn't unlocking (it was the only actuator that I had not replaced so far). So, ordered that part and swapped it out, and as soon as that was replaced the glass pop actuator started working again.

 

Thanks! I'll check that out.

 

My glass hatch still won't open. Replaced the glass hatch relay and still have same problem. I've narrowed it down to the MICU (which is the fuse box) by toning the wire from the back to the front. It appears there is no break in wire from the switch. Ive attached a schematic I found on this forum and marked the areas with a green dot to represent the part as operational. My rear door actuators do work so Im hesistant to actually open it. Am I missing something simple? Thanks!

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any other suggestions/answers for you....

But, since you have the wiring diagram, maybe see if @RainMan_PNW has any suggestions. He doesn't own a Pilot, but is really good w/wiring stuff

@RainMan_PNW sorry for pimping you out man