Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I dont know anymore all this research is making me sick. It seems when I get closer to making a choice I keep finding out more things that can potentially be a problem for my family to enjoy, the new family car when we go places.
My Ody's Michelins "sing" on wet concrete pavement, but other than the van is reasonably quiet. The acoustics are never gonna be as good as passenger car, just the amount of interior space opens you up to all sorts of different resonances. Ody's do seem to be a bit louder than other vans, this has been attributed to the back well for the magic seat. Hope your problem gets solved.
hope this helps.
They suggest I drive it for a while since I have only 500 miles on the meter.
Try this on your van to see if you have the same problem. Speed up to 50mph. When you start to hear the noise, slightly release the gas pedal, if the noise goes away, it's the torque converter (so they said). This was what the technician told me to do when I was driving him around. He also said this is normal !!!???
after reading other Ody boards I have found out that I am not alone. Many other Ody owners are disappointed in the noise level, many share my observations including noisy rear doors and excessive rattles on less than smooth pavement. My wife test drove the 04 Sienna yesterday on the same roads she travels daily in the Ody and said the Sienna was considerably more quiet. I thought her most significant statement was "when you close the doors in the Sienna you get that real tight feel and insulating sound". We planned on owning our Ody for 6-8 years but based on our experience so far and the complaints I read about on other boards we are going to seriously consider replacing it with the Sienna.
My sister had a first year Sienna and had a number of minor complaints. But she liked the van enough to get another when the lease expired. Her '02 is infinitely better (the second one actually - the first one self destructed at 600 miles and was replaced...) than the first.
Steve
Traded that in on 03 last year. Same kind of Michelins and they start singing on the same stretch of I-10. Its got to be the road surface in that area.
Has your Ody been doing this since new? Or have you gone through a high pressure car wash lately? Most of the windshield noise complaints are either when van is brand new, or after the moldings have been damaged either by washing or scraping ice from the windshield. From the tone of your post you sound like a Toyota loyalist just itching to find a fault with your van. Since your Ody is a year old, I kind of suspect that you or someone who drives your van are the root cause of the problem, not Honda. I don't think you've uncovered a major Honda quality issue here, I guess they could've made the moldings a bit more robust, but it doesn't affect that many vans. A whistling windshield isn't quite as serious a problem as say what Toyota had with their cylinder head oil ports clogging up under normal use then blaming customers for poor maintenance and denying their warranty claims when the engines failed... but that's just my opinion. Think you better trade you Ody in on a Toyota, you'll probably be much more forgiving over those first-year production run flaws on the new style Sienna.
Your dealer's backlog may just be that there aren't too many other Honda dealers in your area, or it's reputable place that does good work and gets a lot of business as a result. Take a look and see how many older vehicles are there for repairs in addition to new ones in for warranty work.
Didn't mean this as a flame, but guess I'm a bit of an Odyssey jingoist.
the brake, I can hear a delayed
pumping like sound come out
from the back of the van
while the van is in garage.
Is it common? Is it from the
ABS system?
Has your Ody been doing this since new? No.
Or have you gone through a high pressure car wash lately? No.
No ice where I live either. Think maybe it's the sun?
Your dealer's backlog may just be that there aren't too many other Honda dealers in your area...
I live in a major metropolitan area with several very large dealers. I've tried two. One close to home, one close to work. Both have long waits for service.
I am a Toyota loyalist, but easily made the switch to Honda based on research and reputation. The Odyssey fit all my specs. I do expect that when I pay good (and lots) of money for something that I get a quality product in return.
And I would never buy a car of any brand that's a first run.
I think you're hearing the gas sloshing in the tank after you've applied the brake. Tank was designed shallow and wide in order to make room for rear magic seat, as a result even with baffling inside, you can hear gas moving about. Listen when tank is totally full or close to empty, don't believe you'll hear the noise. Sloshing is most prevalent with about a half tank of gas. It sloshes all the time on braking and cornering, but with road noise, etc. you don't hear it. It's more noticeable going slowly into quiet garage.
It's probably a simple adjustment.
You can try and clean the doors junction switches with a pencil erasser and see if that helps otherwise you will probably need to go into the dealer..
suchham
If your talking about the outside brake lights and not the third then you have to gain access to the screws by prying open their cover and then unscrewing the 2 of them, now with a rag or tape over a flat blade screw drive gently pry bettween the light and the quarter panel as you pull on the assembly to pop it loose and out..Good luck
with 2,000 miles and was told the alignment was fine and they changed the tires arround and it was ok.
It still pulls to the left.
I had a 2000 that had a shimmy the 40,000 miles I had it that they never could fix.
I think T. Davis is the smart one for never buying one
Has leak at Inner Tie rod.
Must replace. $1,200 estimate.
After reading several posts on this board + speaking to people i know, was encouraged that Honda would pick up the full tab even on the 99's (even at high mileage).
they played a game with me, first offering to "participate" then to pay half and finally to pay for all parts - but not labor. My dealer quoted me $750 for labor & I tried appealing (again) to HQ. The Regional Mgr. for my state (NJ) said it was their final offer, take it or leave it. i explained that i bought the car precilsely for Honda's reputation of reliability, after my horrible experiences with Taurus (transmission!)that i was still paying out my 5 year loan, etc..etc... No dice.
Any feeling about how far I might be able to push this?
You can tell 'em I said so. Than and $750 will get you a rebuilt tranny....
Steve, Host
Had the condensor replace a year ago after it took a stone, but appears to be unrelated to the current malady.
Given that the warranty ran out a year ago when we crossed 36,000 miles, do I have any recourse? Can't find much on compressor failures on Odysseys.
I did find a TSB summary on the NHSTA sight, #502, regarding A/C compressor failure.
Should I mention this to the dealer? Pony up the $$ to NHSTA, hoping that it applies to my case?
A co-worker recommended sending a letter to Honda addressed from an attorney.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
To see rust on brake pads, you'd have to at least remove the wheels, and possibly pull the calipers off and away from the rotors. The calipers can get corroded and seize up, but short of parking on the ocean beach at low tide and letting it sit in salt water during high tide I don't think you should have a corrosion problem showing up on an '03.
Do you have problems of similar nature with a non-factory installed car security system on your Odessey?
If not, what is the make and model of your car security system ?
Since I have not posted on and/or read this board for several months, my apologies if this is old news.
Posts like yours (and $3.7k AC failures) reminds me why I went for the 7yr/100k/$0 extended warr for $875. With my luck, I would get hit with both of these failures if I didn't pay up in advance!!!
Steve
Karen
Martypa Jun 12, 2003 12:09pm
Your gas mileage should improve; I'd give it at least 3,000 miles before getting too concerned about that.
Don't know about the thunk.... get them to note it on your service record when you take it back to get the pulling fixed right.
Steve, Host
The first is upon shifting. When you turn the key, the engine high idles for about 5-10 seconds before dropping back a bit. If you shift immediately, you get a harsh engagement. Wait a few seconds until the rpms begin to drop, and the engagement is much softer.
The second is when you apply the brakes. In '02 they went from drums to disks in the rear. The carrier seems to allow a lot of free-play movement of the pads/caliper. The first application of brakes after changing directions is usually accompanied by a loud clunk as the parts move into the new position.
Steve
A neighborhood mechanic translated this for me to probably be the Oxygen sensor on that side. This is part of the polution controls and should be covered under extended warranty. I earlier had a check engine warning and it was the ERG which was covered under extended warranty.
Has anyone else has this problem? In four years we have driven it sone 55,000 miles with few problems, except for the sliding doors sticking. What was your solution for Code 172?
When have you gotten around to changing the antifreeze? I know the manual says 100K, but I don't want to push my luck. I change my oil every 3500 miles. In hot, humid VA, the anitfreeze was my wife's first guess when the engine light came on. I know it would be better to use Honda Antifreeze.
I just made a quick 1300 mile trip to KY, through WV. I was surprised I averaged over 25 mpg while averaging over 70 mph. It really straightens out the mountain curves.
I appreciate your thoughts - experience. Thanks!
I couldn't believe it so I did the same for the next tank of gas and I got about 27mpg.
Presently I'm getting about 23mpg for the drive to work and running errands(30%city+70%hwy).
I think MPG has a lot to do with your driving. Cruise as much as possible, keep the RPM low (don't press accel pedal too hard) and, if possible, let it shift to the top gear sooner. (cross 48MPH and it shifts to 5th gear and stays there till you go below 40MPH)
BTW, I'm usually pretty good with measuring mpg - I top off and divide trip counter by gallons filled. Also, I only use 93 Octane grade gas (preferably Shell) in my van.
Now, I do have my share of the complaints with the minivan (roadnoise/windnoise/stiff ride) but MPG ain't one of them.
Similar experiences anybody?
I have a 99 Odyssey with 54K miles. I am having a problem with the Driver Side Sliding door. The "Door Ajar" light keeps turning on along with the inside lights when I hit bumps or Hard Right turns. I took it to the dealer and they said I needed to replace the whole latch mechanism. I complained since it was $1100 for both to be replaced. I went to Honda and they covered the whole cost(even though it was out of warranty). That sounded good, until I had the whole job done, and guess what, I still have the same problem. I have been back 3 times for the "Adjustment" they say I need. I live in NY and there are plenty of bumps and potholes, but this cannot be normal.
Anyone have some advice or similar issues?
Thanks
Dave
Should I concern about the safety and reliability of this van? Thanks a lot. Have a great 4th of July.
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
How your local dealer handles problems that do come up can go a long way to keeping you satisfied, even after the durn thing dies on you in the driveway.
Anyone have any recent war stories from dealing with Honda USA or Honda Canada?
Steve, Host