Honda Pioneer 700 Transmission Problems – Reliable Or Not?

You may be used to the fact that Honda makes good cars. Also, it makes some marvelous motorcycles. But what about side-by-side vehicles? Do you actually know what they are? These are all-purpose off-road vehicles that are created for work and fun. Today, we'll be speaking about the Honda Pioneer 700 and its transmission problems to make sure you will not get a bad surprise when you buy it.

A Honda Pioneer is actually a product of the Honda Powersports Company. This is a subdivision of the Honda Company that creates different buggies, ATVs, SXS vehicles, and, of course, motorcycles. The subdivision is extremely important for the economy of the Japanese vehicle manufacturer and today we'll let you know some good and bad things about its products.

Here's what we are going to talk about:

1. Is the Honda Pioneer actually a good choice for work?
2. What kind of transmission does the Pioneer 700 use?
3. What are the main problems with the Honda Pioneer 700 transmission?
4. Can you repair the transmission of the Honda Pioneer?
5. What are the main functions of the transmission?

Let's get started!

Honda Pioneer 700 - what is it made for?

This vehicle (we even can't say the type of the vehicle to address it precisely) was initially created for work. But then, Honda marketing specialists saw that the vehicle is really fun to drive and they decided to market it as a vehicle for leisure. And actually, that's why the Honda Pioneer 700 is so popular in America.

You can buy a two-seat version or you can choose a Honda Pioneer 700-4 with four seats. The first option will have a solid bed like a pickup truck. The vehicle looks weird but it's not sold well thanks to its appearance, of course.

The main functions and advantages of the Pioneer 700 are as follows:

• the vehicle has wonderful off-roading abilities and it has the 4WD options with the differential blocking;
• suspension is designed to let you drive relatively comfortably in any conditions;
• it's an open vehicle, so you may consider using it at low speed only;
• tires are made for off-roading and these wheels add to the wonderful impression;
• two-seat versions have a cargo bed that will be cool for farmers and also for tourism;
• this vehicle can get you to the places where no ordinary car will be able to go;
• it's small and light, so getting it out of trouble when off-roading is not very complicated.

For someone, it will be a wonderful vehicle for weekend journeys to the mountains, for other people, this will be a great help on a farm or ranch. Anyway, the Honda Pioneer model is extremely popular, and the Pioneer 700 model is just the golden middle among all other options.

It has a 675cc engine with a single cylinder which is rather a motorcycle decision. The engine is cool and very economical. But the transmission is more of a car style. It's an automatic transmission with 3 forward gears and 1 reverse. The transmission offers 2WD, 4WD and it can even block the differential if needed. Let's find out more!

What are the main problems with the Pioneer 700 transmission?

This is a simple automatic transmission with all off-roading options. But Honda needed to make it light and small, so they made a lot of engineering changes and innovations and they can make this transmission a little less reliable than you might expect.

The real problem is that the transmission needs maintenance and people forget about it. Honda recommends changing gear oil every two years regardless of the mileage. But we would change it more often. It's not that expensive, and this will prolong the life of your transmission.

Here are some technical problems that can happen with your transmission in a Pioneer 700:

1. Bad shifting. For example, the vehicle may shift to the 2nd gear too fast and lost acceleration. Or it can refuse to shift to the 3rd gear at all. Replace the oil and see whether this will help. But maybe the clutch system is to blame.
2. Clutch problems. You may see that the engine is revving up but the vehicle doesn't accelerate fast. This means that the clutch system is going to be broken soon and you have to replace the clutch.
3. 2WD-4WD switching problems. This transmission allows you to turn fast to a 4WD mode if needed just by pushing a special button. But this electronic switch doesn't always work correctly and sometimes it's just glitching.
4. AT/MT mode problems. In a Deluxe model, you will have the option to switch between automatic and manual modes. The manual mode is offered through paddle shifters. But unfortunately, owners report a lot of problems with these paddle shifters and the logic of their work.
5. Transmission slip. This is a very common problem that occurs because of bad maintenance. Never use any other oil but the original Honda products for maintaining the transmission. Other types of oil will not guarantee a long life of your transmission.

Basically, these are all problems we can outline. The transmission is not bad at all. It can live for years and you will just have to change oil sometimes. The construction of the transmission is very simple and you will not have any huge problems with it.

Fortunately, even after bad breakdowns, you can repair the transmission quickly. The only problem is the parts. They are expensive and you aren't likely to find any aftermarket options to save up some money. These transmissions aren't used in other types of transport and they are quite rare.

How to use your Pioneer 700 to avoid transmission problems?

We've found the manual for maintenance of the Honda Pioneer 700 and it also contained some recommendations for owners. We recommend you read this instruction before you start using your vehicle on a daily basis.

Also, we can give some general recommendations that will reduce the risks of transmission damages. You should be careful when you choose a mode of transmission and you should avoid any modifications to your vehicle because this will affect the work of all important parts including the gearbox.

Here are some unobvious recommendations:

• use the 2WD mode all the time and only turn on 4WD with differential blocking when you really need this;
• don't use a lot of manual modes because this will be the most harmful experience in the life of your Honda transmission;
• avoid wheels slipping because this leads to problems with a clutch that is a tender part of this transmission;
• avoid speeding - this is not what this vehicle is made for, its maximum speed is not the best way to drive it;
• check the bottom of your vehicle each time you hit the belly pen when off-roading - damaged transmission is not a very rare thing;
• be careful with oil choice - you will be tempted to save up some money and buy aftermarket options, but better buy original Honda oil;
• don't keep driving the vehicle if you understand it has troubles with the transmission, you may make things much worse.

These recommendations are important to remember when you drive your Honda Pioneer 700. You should also know that the transmission is the most expensive part of this vehicle. You can even repair or replace the 1-cylinder engine easily. But to repair the transmission, you will need to invest a lot.

Also, don' forget about the labor prices. You will not find a lot of mechanics ready to take your vehicle for repair. Honda dealers are waiting for you and are ready to charge you a lot of money for every hour of work.

How long will the Honda Pioneer 700 transmission last?

This is an automotive-type transmission, so it shouldn't have a very short lifespan. We think about 60,000 miles which is actually a lot for the transmission in this type of vehicle. You aren't likely to drive your Honda Pioneer for more than 5,000 miles a year, so it's basically enough for 12 years or something like that.

But we know cases when these transmissions were broken at 15,000 or 20,000 miles. It's still not a short lifespan if you always use your Honda for off-roading or for towing trailers, for example, on your farm. The lifespan depends much on the conditions you use your vehicle in.

Final words

We know that Honda Pioneer 700 transmissions are not bad at all. And you can drive these vehicles for 60,000 miles or for more than 10 years and experienced no problems. But this is only possible if you know the rules and recommendations and obey the maintenance schedule. If not, the transmission may say goodbye to you in one or two years after you buy this vehicle.

Also, the problems and the lifespan of the Pioneer 700 transmission depend much on the conditions you use your vehicle in. It means that in heavy-duty conditions this transmission will not live very long. But if you just use it for simple farming tasks, it can live for many years.