HONDA PILOT 2012 2.G Owners Manual

Help assure your vehicle

Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy, metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service
station or switch to another brand of
gasoline.In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul
manganese-based f uel additives such
as MMT, if such gasoline is available.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer f or service.
549
CONT INUED
Fuel Recommendation
Fuel Recommendation
Bef ore Driving
495
If a non-FFV is inadvertently
ref ueled once with E85 f uel, have
the f uel tank drained at a dealer.
If this occurs over a prolonged
period, damage may occur.
Do not use E85 f uel in a non-Flex Fuel
Vehicle (FFV).
Non-FFV models are not designed to
run on E85 f uel. Using E85 f uel can
damage the f uel system components.
T o help prevent harmf ul f uel system
and engine deposits, use high quality
f uel containing detergent and additives.
Main MenuTable of Contents

Because the level of detergency and
additives in gasoline vary in the
market, Honda endorses the use of
‘‘TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline

CONT INUED
Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off

Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least once.If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle

Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to your lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t up the hood.
If the hood latch handle moves stif f ly,
or if you can open the hood without
lif ting the handle, the mechanism
should be cleaned and lubricated. Holding the grip, pull the support
rod out of its clip. Insert the end
into the designated hole in thehood.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then let it drop. Make sure it
is securely latched.
1.
2.3.
Service Station Procedures
Opening and Closing the Hood
Bef ore Driving
499
LATCH CLIPSUPPORT ROD
GRIP
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
Main MenuTable of Contents

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
µ µ
Fuel economy is not a f ixed number.
It varies based on driving conditions,
driving habits, and vehicle condition.
Theref ore, it is not possible f or one
set of estimates to predict fuel
economy precisely f or all drivers in
all environments.
Represents urban
driving in light traf f ic. A range of
miles per gallon achieved is also
provided.
The EPA f uel economy estimates
shownintheexampletotheright
are a usef ul tool f or comparison
when buying a vehicle. EPA
estimates include:
Represents a combination of city and
highway driving. The scale
represents the range of combined
f uel economy f or other vehicles in
the class.
Represents a
mixture of rural and interstate
driving, in a warmed-up vehicle,
typical of longer trips in f ree-f lowing
traf f ic. A range of miles per gallon achieved is also provided.
Provides an estimated annual f uel
cost, based on 15,000 miles (20,000
km) per year multiplied by the cost pergallon(basedonEPAfuelcost
data) divided by the combined f uel
economy.
For more inf ormation on f uel
economy ratings and factors that
af f ect f uel economy, visit
(Canada: Visit
)
www.
fueleconomy.gov www. vehicles.gc.ca
Actual Mileage and EPA Fuel
Economy Estimates Comparison.
City MPG Combined Fuel Economy
Highway MPG Estimated Annual Fuel Cost
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
501
Combined Fuel
Economy
(Sample U.S. EPA label shown) Estimated Annual
Fuel Cost
City MPG
Highway MPG
Main MenuTable of Contents

µµµ
µ µ
µ
Aggressive driving (hard
acceleration and braking)
Excessive idling, accelerating and
braking in stop-and-go traf f ic
Cold engine operation (engines
aremoreefficientwhenwarmedup)
Driving with a heavy load or the
air conditioner running
Improperly inf lated tires
The f ollowing f actors can lower your
vehicle

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