[Hogan773]

Wireless = cool idea but poor implementation. When I can plug in the phone to a 25-30W USB-C cable and get charged up in literally minutes, why do I want to get my phone hot so it can charge a few percent over long time periods on the wireless charger.

I laugh out loud and some people who want to pay 350 bucks and take the time to try to retrofit an OEM wireless charger into a lower trim Pilot. Why? I will sell you mine for only 200 bucks haha

 

[Mr. Furious]

So this is something I noticed this weekend. I have a 2023 Pilot and my wife just got a 2024 CR-V. I presume the wireless charging pads are identical in each vehicle. We both have the same phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The only delta is that she has an OtterBox MagSafe case and I have an Apple MagSafe case.

I noticed when I got the phone that it charged much more reliably in my Pilot than my iPhone 14 Pro Max did. Not perfect, but much more reliably. This weekend, we were off visiting the kids at college and she drove. I plopped my phone on her wireless charging pad and it worked the same as it did in the Pilot. When I put her phone on it, though, it was basically the same as the 14 had been.

I don't know if the case is making a difference or something else is at play, but it's a data point. FWIW when I first got the Pilot I tried charging w/o a case on and it was just as unreliable as it was with the case.

 

[JOE MAMA]

So this is something I noticed this weekend. I have a 2023 Pilot and my wife just got a 2024 CR-V. I presume the wireless charging pads are identical in each vehicle. We both have the same phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The only delta is that she has an OtterBox MagSafe case and I have an Apple MagSafe case.

I noticed when I got the phone that it charged much more reliably in my Pilot than my iPhone 14 Pro Max did. Not perfect, but much more reliably. This weekend, we were off visiting the kids at college and she drove. I plopped my phone on her wireless charging pad and it worked the same as it did in the Pilot. When I put her phone on it, though, it was basically the same as the 14 had been.

I don't know if the case is making a difference or something else is at play, but it's a data point. FWIW when I first got the Pilot I tried charging w/o a case on and it was just as unreliable as it was with the case.

I don’t know if the manual covers this, but I believe the charging pad will disable after repeated attempts at trying to gain a connection. I’ve noticed this with my charging pad. If the phone doesn’t connect right away or gets bumped multiple times in succession, I have to remove my phone from the charging pad and do a power cycle in order for it to work again. I presume this is a safety mechanism.

 

[iamvince]

Hi all I have an elite 2023 pilot and I noticed right away the charge pad doesn’t charge properly. Iam using an iPhone 14 pro max I place it on the pad and it will charge for a minute or two and then stop. I took it to service today and they said it could be the case lol which I found funny cause I said I tried it without the case as well. They told me it’s an issue that Honda knows about and is working on which I found is bs. Have you guys had any similar issues with the wireless charging station on your elite models?? Thanks in advance

We have had 2 different t pilots the trail sport and now an

Hi all I have an elite 2023 pilot and I noticed right away the charge pad doesn’t charge properly. Iam using an iPhone 14 pro max I place it on the pad and it will charge for a minute or two and then stop. I took it to service today and they said it could be the case lol which I found funny cause I said I tried it without the case as well. They told me it’s an issue that Honda knows about and is working on which I found is bs. Have you guys had any similar issues with the wireless charging station on your elite models?? Thanks in advance

we are having issues also, not just one but with 2 Honda’s a trail sport and now an Elite same issues with the charging station..
and both have issues

 

[FTM]

I don’t know if the manual covers this, but I believe the charging pad will disable after repeated attempts at trying to gain a connection. I’ve noticed this with my charging pad. If the phone doesn’t connect right away or gets bumped multiple times in succession, I have to remove my phone from the charging pad and do a power cycle in order for it to work again. I presume this is a safety mechanism.

Was watching Motor Week TV show. Not exactly sure what episode because I was changing channel and I recorded anyway.
It had Long Term review of Mitsubishi SUV.
They mention the wireless phone charging pad in it. They said it wasn't perfect like many others.

 

[JOE MAMA]

Was watching Motor Week TV show. Not exactly sure what episode because I was changing channel and I recorded anyway.
It had Long Term review of Mitsubishi SUV.
They mention the wireless phone charging pad in it. They said it wasn't perfect like many others.

Google any vehicle brand that has a wireless charger and you will find similar complaints to this thread. I have no doubt that someday wireless charging will be amazing but right now it’s just not developed enough.

Qi technology in its current form can only charge at 15w (most though are 7.5w) which explains why charging is slow on modern devices that have big batteries.

I mentioned it in another thread, but Qi2 is based off of Apple’s MagSafe technology which uses magnets. The iPhone 15 lineup was one of the first phones to support the Qi2 standard.

This link provides a good explaination of where wireless charging is going. Consumers need to do some basic reading and understand the limitations on wireless charging instead of blaming automakers.

First Qi2 chargers look to expand MagSafe-like wireless charging beyond Apple

Qi’s successor could make 15 W wireless iPhone charging more available, too.

arstechnica.com

 

[FTM]

I found that episode of Motor Week
Search 10,000 Mile Update in our Long Term 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
They mention that wireless chargers are not perfect.

 

[dj2819]

I don’t mind the slow charge rate if it actually charged. I’m debating on doing what I did in my civic, taking my MagSafe charger and sticking it to the charging mat so I can get reliable charging. Fiddling around with it while driving is such a distraction

 

[Doose876]

I have iPhone pro (not max) and have no issues finding the right spot. It’s just that, it takes forever to charge. I barely notice any difference, however iPhone would show that it’s charging. Anyone know the W rating of this charger?

"The wireless charger can support up to 15 W, but the charging rate varies based on the device and other conditions" - says Honda

 

[Prophasi]

Google any vehicle brand that has a wireless charger and you will find similar complaints to this thread. I have no doubt that someday wireless charging will be amazing but right now it’s just not developed enough.

Consumers need to do some basic reading and understand the limitations on wireless charging instead of blaming automakers.

I'm facing this w/ an iPhone 13 Pro and my 2024 Pilot. I disagree that wireless charging (or Qi specifically) is immature or that it's a consumer understanding problem.

Qi has been out a while; I've used it with multiple phones at home and on the road. I've had pricier, faster chargers and cheap ones. Most plug in; some are battery-powered. They've varied in speed. But none of them charged as slowly as the Pilot; none repeatedly fail to negotiate and charge most of the time; none have "sweet spots" so selective that finding them is an art form; all of them worked despite the camera bump. I'm not comparing the Pilot's charger to some theoretical, made-up ideal.

I've gotten more consistent results for years from $20 devices by anonymous Chinese companies than in my $55,000 Pilot. If doing it in a vehicle is somehow trickier - the phone slides around, the electrical system is different, vibrations affect it, etc. - I'm all ears, but I don't think so. (Some mentioned the phone sliding around while driving, but I have the same issues in park.)

Even if Qi were immature or unworkable in a vehicle, it simply shouldn't be installed. Honda giving the charger pride of place in your center console and using it prominently in marketing is an implicit endorsement - and more than that, it's an upsell from lower trim levels. If they're not incompetent, they're deceptive.

And yes, it's a nicety; there were a lot of reasons I got the Pilot, and wireless charging doesn't make the top 5. But it was a differentiator with the Telluride, for instance, which has wireless charging but no wireless CarPlay (pretty silly). I thought I was getting both with the Pilot, and it was one of the tie-breakers - a false one, it would seem. The Telluride's wireless charger, I should note, charged my phone by around 7% in a 10m drive, IIRC, so somehow Kia performed the necessary dark arts to make it work.

I may play around with cases (going caseless doesn't fix it for me), using a MagSafe accessory, or just plugging in. But the latter pretty much negates wireless CarPlay, which is a shame. Tempted to try to replace the charging hardware as others have suggested, but obviously I'm loath to do so in a new car.

Other than this issue and the idle-stop thing (which I guess is common or universal now, but new to me), I'm loving the Pilot, and no car is without flaws and bad surprises. But let's acknowledge the reality rather than downplaying issues or giving Honda an out. This thing's the second most expensive purchase of my life, apart from my house, and they could've tried a lot harder to honor their customers' trust in them. IMO, there's no way they tested this thoroughly and honestly thought it good to ship.

 

[JOE MAMA]

I'm facing this w/ an iPhone 13 Pro and my 2024 Pilot. I disagree that wireless charging (or Qi specifically) is immature or that it's a consumer understanding problem.

Qi has been out a while; I've used it with multiple phones at home and on the road. I've had pricier, faster chargers and cheap ones. Most plug in; some are battery-powered. They've varied in speed. But none of them charged as slowly as the Pilot; none repeatedly fail to negotiate and charge most of the time; none have "sweet spots" so selective that finding them is an art form; all of them worked despite the camera bump. I'm not comparing the Pilot's charger to some theoretical, made-up ideal.

I've gotten more consistent results for years from $20 devices by anonymous Chinese companies than in my $55,000 Pilot. If doing it in a vehicle is somehow trickier - the phone slides around, the electrical system is different, vibrations affect it, etc. - I'm all ears, but I don't think so. (Some mentioned the phone sliding around while driving, but I have the same issues in park.)

Even if Qi were immature or unworkable in a vehicle, it simply shouldn't be installed. Honda giving the charger pride of place in your center console and using it prominently in marketing is an implicit endorsement - and more than that, it's an upsell from lower trim levels. If they're not incompetent, they're deceptive.

And yes, it's a nicety; there were a lot of reasons I got the Pilot, and wireless charging doesn't make the top 5. But it was a differentiator with the Telluride, for instance, which has wireless charging but no wireless CarPlay (pretty silly). I thought I was getting both with the Pilot, and it was one of the tie-breakers - a false one, it would seem. The Telluride's wireless charger, I should note, charged my phone by around 7% in a 10m drive, IIRC, so somehow Kia performed the necessary dark arts to make it work.

I may play around with cases (going caseless doesn't fix it for me), using a MagSafe accessory, or just plugging in. But the latter pretty much negates wireless CarPlay, which is a shame. Tempted to try to replace the charging hardware as others have suggested, but obviously I'm loath to do so in a new car.

Other than this issue and the idle-stop thing (which I guess is common or universal now, but new to me), I'm loving the Pilot, and no car is without flaws and bad surprises. But let's acknowledge the reality rather than downplaying issues or giving Honda an out. This thing's the second most expensive purchase of my life, apart from my house, and they could've tried a lot harder to honor their customers' trust in them. IMO, there's no way they tested this thoroughly and honestly thought it good to ship.

Other than it charging slow (compared to a much faster wired connection) I’ve had very few issues with my charging pad using an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15. Because it charges slow (in part due to my phone) I don’t use it often.

There are a ton of factors to consider - phone brand, case brand, etc which makes it difficult to diagnose who or what the fault is.

I’m certainly not attempting to give Honda an out or downplay the issue, but rather explaining how the tech works and stating that this is a very common complaint regardless of the vehicle manufacturer.

If wireless charging was a deal breaker for you, you should have done some research prior to purchase so your expectations were realistic.

This is just one article of many that explains and shares the experiences of wireless charging with others.

Every In-Car Wireless Phone Charger Sucks

I've been trying to find a good one for five years. They're all useless.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[Prophasi]

Other than it charging slow (compared to a much faster wired connection) I’ve had very few issues with my charging pad using an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15. Because it charges slow (in part due to my phone) I don’t use it often.

There are a ton of factors to consider - phone brand, case brand, etc which makes it difficult to diagnose who or what the fault is.

I’m certainly not attempting to give Honda an out or downplay the issue, but rather explaining how the tech works and stating that this is a very common complaint regardless of the vehicle manufacturer.

If wireless charging was a deal breaker for you, you should have done some research prior to purchase so your expectations were realistic.

This is just one article of many that explains and shares the experiences of wireless charging with others.

Every In-Car Wireless Phone Charger Sucks

I've been trying to find a good one for five years. They're all useless.

www.roadandtrack.com

Agreed it's hard to determine across all users on a forum because of all the variables; that's why I'm comparing apples to apples with my same phone in the Pilot vs. multiple wireless chargers in my house (and to the Telluride's). Same phone, same case, no case. Pilot is the least reliable with everything else held constant.

I do wonder how much of it is simply luck of the draw, Pilot A vs. Pilot B next to it in the lot. If that's the case, though, I'd argue that's a QC issue that Honda should've addressed a while back, since based on the replies here, it's not a new problem. Furthermore, it could imply that an easy fix would be swapping out the charging pad, which looks like a 10-minute proposition.

And no, as I said, it was not a dealbreaker for me. As you said, I'd already seen people complaining about virtually every wireless charger out there AND replies like yours saying it works great for them. I went in knowing it would be slow, obviously much slower than wired, and I was fine with that. Just like at home, if I can afford to let it sit for a while I'll go wireless; if I need a fast charge I'll break out the cord. But what I didn't expect is for it to be borderline useless and not to even connect at all much of the time.

To be clear, I'm not saying Honda is uniquely bad here. But it sucking in all cars doesn't mean Honda shouldn't get blame for it; it means they all should.

 

[dj2819]

I’ve about had it with the wireless charger. Thinking of doing what I did in my 19 Civic which was double side taping my Apple MagSafe iPhone Charger to the wireless pad and trying to route the cables so it looks sleek. I wish they made that cable in black…

 

[JOE MAMA]

Agreed it's hard to determine across all users on a forum because of all the variables; that's why I'm comparing apples to apples with my same phone in the Pilot vs. multiple wireless chargers in my house (and to the Telluride's). Same phone, same case, no case. Pilot is the least reliable with everything else held constant.

I do wonder how much of it is simply luck of the draw, Pilot A vs. Pilot B next to it in the lot. If that's the case, though, I'd argue that's a QC issue that Honda should've addressed a while back, since based on the replies here, it's not a new problem. Furthermore, it could imply that an easy fix would be swapping out the charging pad, which looks like a 10-minute proposition.

And no, as I said, it was not a dealbreaker for me. As you said, I'd already seen people complaining about virtually every wireless charger out there AND replies like yours saying it works great for them. I went in knowing it would be slow, obviously much slower than wired, and I was fine with that. Just like at home, if I can afford to let it sit for a while I'll go wireless; if I need a fast charge I'll break out the cord. But what I didn't expect is for it to be borderline useless and not to even connect at all much of the time.

To be clear, I'm not saying Honda is uniquely bad here. But it sucking in all cars doesn't mean Honda shouldn't get blame for it; it means they all should.

I get where you’re coming from and don’t disagree for the most part.

The reality is wireless charging is new and it’s going to take time before it’s perfected. Stationary wireless chargers don’t have the movement and vibrations in vehicle wireless chargers have which likely explains why they are more reliable.

I believe every time the phone moves, the connection is reset on the pad and eventually it disables itself. Once disabled, you have to power cycle the charging pad in order for it to recognize the device again.

I agree that wireless charging has been poorly rolled out in the automotive realm. I don’t think it was thought through overly well, and while this does not solve the current problems, Qi2 will be way better than the current Qi1 with both speed and secure attachment.

I believe auto makers know there are issues with wireless charging and connectivity - I just don’t know that a viable solution exists with the current wireless technology.

 

[kofori1981]

Hi all I have an elite 2023 pilot and I noticed right away the charge pad doesn’t charge properly. Iam using an iPhone 14 pro max I place it on the pad and it will charge for a minute or two and then stop. I took it to service today and they said it could be the case lol which I found funny cause I said I tried it without the case as well. They told me it’s an issue that Honda knows about and is working on which I found is bs. Have you guys had any similar issues with the wireless charging station on your elite models?? Thanks in advance

 

[dj2819]

Finally had the time to do what I did in my Civic since it didn’t come with a wireless pad, use the MagSafe charger which gives the iPhone 15w of power. Looks clean enough if you ask me. Stuck it down with some 3M picture cling squares and I used a cord organizer and some Velcro ties to keep the extra cable tucked away

 

[onceateacher]

Sporadic charging on wireless (Qi) phone charger

Seen a few others mention issues with their wireless phone chargers in various threads, wanted to get a consolidated post to see how many people are having issues with theirs also.

www.piloteers.org

I think it’s the iPhone camera bump and case that’s causing it. I started the same thread a couple months ago.

This is exactly what I figured was the case. I can cause it to stay charging if I hold it down with my hand. I have an otter box case, but it is not very thick. The protective rings for the lenses do hold part f the phone up off the charging pad. I just charge with a USB-C to Lightning cable. Face down does not seem to work at all.

 

[ruff.robert]

Hi all I have an elite 2023 pilot and I noticed right away the charge pad doesn’t charge properly. Iam using an iPhone 14 pro max I place it on the pad and it will charge for a minute or two and then stop. I took it to service today and they said it could be the case lol which I found funny cause I said I tried it without the case as well. They told me it’s an issue that Honda knows about and is working on which I found is bs. Have you guys had any similar issues with the wireless charging station on your elite models?? Thanks in advance

Yes I have the same car and the same problem! Glad I’m not the only one. Dealer has been none too helpful thus far.

 

[c360tx]

Yes I have the same car and the same problem! Glad I’m not the only one. Dealer has been none too helpful thus far.

I am sorry but I don’t think there are any good solutions you will find for it so far. Other than the power button on the pad itself in order to turn it off and avoid the metal warning issues etc. At lease it “remembers“ to stay off every time you restart the car! If only idle stop could be permanently turned off the same way (without using an aftermarket kit lol)!

 

[Sweetness2022]

If you have an iPhone, the only way to consistently wirelessly charge your phone (especially in a moving bumpy vehicle), is to use a MagSafe charging system.

If memory serves me correctly, wireless charging has been around mainstream in the US cell phone market since about 2012. It’s been the same thing this entire time, 2 points have to align perfectly or no charge will occur. If those two points aren’t in alignment, no charge will occur.

It would be fantastic if a one size fits all option existed that worked in an automobile, the closest thing we are going to get for a LONG time is Apple MagSafe for iPhone users (the magnets align the 2 points perfectly).