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Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)

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Comments

  • loukylouky Member Posts: 2
    My wife and I have a 2002 Ody. EX with leather. This vehicle has way too much interior road noise. At 50+ mph it sings so loud that my wife and I can hardly carry on a conversation. There is also alot of tire noise and various vibration noise from any pavement which is not smooth. The dealer and my personal tire dealer say the tires are fine and they are not the cause of the singing. The dealer admits they have had this problem on other Ody's and in prior years. The dealer feels the singing is caused by windshield moldings not being tight, etc.. The dealer has already replaced the wide piece of plastic trim attached to the bottom of the windshield. That did not help at all. Now they are going to replace the entire molding/trim around the windshield this week. If anyone else has had this singing problem and fixed it please let me know of your experience. At this point I just want to fix the singing problem so that I can sell it and buy the new Sienna. I am a Toyota buyer who bought the Ody for it's features but the overall noise level has me running back to Toyota. Thanks for any help!!
  • lj225lj225 Member Posts: 33
    is it that bad? This is the first Im reading about this issue. Im in the process of selecting a NEW Family car (Minivan) and I simply cant get over all the issues todays Minivans have. WOW I thought by now the kinks would be out.

    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.
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Has your van been this noisey since day one? A lot of the howling sounds have been caused either by the windshield moldings getting pulled up by high pressure car washes or by someone being a bit too vigorous scaping ice off the windshield. The other culprit is the roof rack - the cross bars get installed backwards and disrupt the airflow over the roof. Check that the small label on cross bar is pointing to front of the van. Also you can experiment with the front to back position of lead cross bar, as this can change the amount of wind noise that you hear. From remembering posts here and on other boards, the really bad howling noises have always been from the windshield.
      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.
  • seguyseguy Member Posts: 133
    Have them do a 4-wheel alignment(Which they should be doing on the odyssey anyways). The problem they found on my van was that the camber was off on one of the front wheels. The camber can only be adjusted by replacing the adjustment bolts with the proper length to correct the alignment. I waited almost a month for the parts to come in, but with 7000 miles my dealer did the job right and fixed the issue. The first dealer I went to aligned it and claimed they fixed it, but did not, it still pulled to the left.

    hope this helps.
  • paddy_tranpaddy_tran Member Posts: 4
    I had the same problem since day one. First I thought it was due to tires and road condition, but then I would hear the same thin whenever the speed is between about 47mph to 53mph at RMP slightly below 1500. I brought it in and the dealer said the torque converter locks up at this speed. They said the older model was even worse.
    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 !!!???
  • loukylouky Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the responses. My wife just returned from the dealership and they brought in their contracted "windshield,etc noise expert" he said the singing is caused by uneven outer edge molding that has been bent during high pressure car washes and he simply used a thin plastic card to even out the molding and said that should solve the problem. My wife drove home in heavy traffic and could not really go over 50 mph. We will test later. Don't get me wrong I feel that my Ody is a well built and safe vehicle that will give me good reliability, it handles well and has a lot of cargo area. I do not have unreasonable standards for a quiet ride in a minivan, however
    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.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I came to Honda also after a string of new Toyota's. While I think they both build excellent vehicles, stay away from ANYTHING in it's first year. You can be sure that the Toyota Sienna board will be full of gripes by this time next year, and there will be dozens of little tweaks and running changes in the product to address the issues.

    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
  • gilgilgilgil Member Posts: 2
    I had Michelins put on my 99 when I first bought it. No road noise until I hit the concrete on I-10 outside Houston. It continued until I left Houston area and then quit. (I was traveling between Florida and Mexico). Everytime I went coming and going it did the same. No where else.
    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.
  • desertkevdesertkev Member Posts: 76
    I spoke to service dept today, they ordered the alternator for me based on continued problems and the bulletin I asked about. Had I not been told about the bulletin through this message board, I would not have known to ask about it at the dealership. Does anyone know if the electrical system (starter in particular) is the same on Odyssey and the MDX. I have an 02 MDX and it does hard starting (several seconds of cranking) Acura tells me that the normal crank time is between 3-10 seconds. And that to me is very hard to swallow. I figured since the engines are the same it's worth a shot.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    I am not for sure but I would think that they would be closer to the Pilot and as for the hard start Honda has had a longer than what most consider to be normal crank time since 02 on almost all there cars. Most have no problem and are normal but some have failed to start and they have been the immobilizer for the most part. I cant research Acura service bulletins so I will try and ask around for you..
  • anita89anita89 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Odyssey EX with 22,500 miles that has a high-pitch whistle when driving over 45mph in usually breezy conditions. Just made an appointment with Honda. They said they hadn't heard about anyone having this problem and that it could be the window moulding. Let's see what they tell me when I go in. I'm another long time Toyota owner and am really disappointed with having a quality problem like this on such a new car. My last Toyota was a 1989 Camry - 170K miles and still being driven with never a major problem. Another complaint is how long it takes to get an appointment for service. Called 6/3. First available is 6/11. Maybe that's a clue to how many problems Honda is really dealing with. Next time I'll buy a Toyota.
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Anita
      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.
  • duckmingduckming Member Posts: 2
    Most of the time when I press
    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?
  • anita89anita89 Member Posts: 2
    response:

    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.
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Duckming,
       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.
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Well, sorry you've got the problem. Is this your first time in warm weather with the van? I suppose the problem could have been there since new, but is only now being exacerbated by the sun. Hopefully dealer can solve it in a timely fashion, and the van can return to your good graces.
  • ca02baca02ba Member Posts: 1
    one of our power doors will close but at the end of the close it will not latch. If I bump it with my hip it will latch. All dealer says is bring it in......
  • crkeehncrkeehn Member Posts: 513
    Perhaps they don't do house calls.

    It's probably a simple adjustment.
  • suchhamsuchham Member Posts: 2
    I'm trying to replace a brake light and cannot understand from the manual how to remove the cover. It says to pry the cover off, but where do I pry? From the diagram, it looks like you pry against the painted part of the fender. This can't be right, can it?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    ca02ba
     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
  • suchhamsuchham Member Posts: 2
    Although it seems weird to pry against a painted surface-even with a cloth covered screwdriver-it worked. I think the manual could have had a better illustration on this simple task. Thanks for your help.
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    My 2003 ex pulls to the left,took it to the dealer
    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
  • mitchs3mitchs3 Member Posts: 68
    I also have the problem of the charge, brake and door light going on while driving. I understand there is a TSB on this relating to a problem with the alternator. Does anyone have the number or date of the TSB? Does my dealer replace the alternator?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    03-005 and yes the alternator gets replaced.
  • mathersonmatherson Member Posts: 41
    1999 Odyssey EX w/ 41k miles.
    Has leak at Inner Tie rod.
    Must replace. $1,200 estimate.
  • mitchs3mitchs3 Member Posts: 68
    Took my 03 Ody EX in , told then about occasional blinking dash lights and all. Showed them TSB, they said alternator "tested" okay but were going to order alt. and replace....Thanks
  • MartypaMartypa Member Posts: 50
    I reported earlier that my 03 EXL RES had been puling to the left since new. Two alignments and a new set of tires did not fix the problem. Yesterday, the dealer replaced the camber bolts and now the problem appears to have been fixed. The service department has been great through the whole process!
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    No problem and I have seen them test good myself and yet still couse the problem because it is not really an output problem as it is an electrical interferance thing. Its so strange but it fixes it..Good luck
  • marvls1marvls1 Member Posts: 2
    ok - mine went. i just got the official diagnosis from my dealer who told me it's not covered (62,000 mi.) but that i could appeal to Honda USA.

    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?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    It never made any sense to me why Honda didn't include the '99s in their extended coverage program.

    You can tell 'em I said so. Than and $750 will get you a rebuilt tranny....

    Steve, Host
  • mk2003mk2003 Member Posts: 1
    Vehicle is 2.5 years old, with 48,000 miles. Dealer informed us that the A/C compressor failed, spewing schrapnel throughout the system. Declared the entire system contaminated. Estimated cost of repair: $3,700.

    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.
  • anandiseshuanandiseshu Member Posts: 1
    I have a month old 2003 Odyssey EX. I can see the brake pads has is began to rust. Is this common? Is this something I need to be worried about?
    thanks
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Is it really the brake pads rusting, or can you just see a patina of rust on the brake rotors when you peek through the spokes of the wheel. A little rust on rotor is normal when vehicle sits for a while in a wet environment. If rust is on rotor, driving around town and using brakes normally will clean it off.
       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.
  • 2003odessey12003odessey1 Member Posts: 1
    Recently bought a popular model of car security system and had it installed on Odessey 2003. Since then, it messed up the car computer from time to time. For example, when arming the alarm, got false red warning light next to the "engine" sign on dashboard. Honda dealer said this is because outside car security system may have compatibility with Honda car computer.
    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 ?
  • professor4professor4 Member Posts: 27
    My son has a 2002 EX which he purchased new and has driven 15,000 miles. Recently, he noticed a strong gasoline odor and found that there was a small amount of gasoline coming from somewhere on the top of the tank. The dealer now has the van, and they are going to replace the tank. The technician working on the problem said that he knew of at least one other similar occurance. To my knowledge, Honda has not issued a service bulletin re. this problem. However, I thought that someone on this board might be interested.

    Since I have not posted on and/or read this board for several months, my apologies if this is old news.
  • seguyseguy Member Posts: 133
    I got a recall card for the gas tank issue a few months back. I took it in, everything checked out fine. Probably a very rare problem, but needless to say, a dangerous one at that.
  • professor4professor4 Member Posts: 27
    Thanks for your response. I am bothered by the fact that my son did not receive such a notice from Honda. And, I agree-a potentially dangerous problem.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    While it is indeed unfair that the '99's were not included in the extended coverage program, being asked to pay only $750 out of maybe $3.5k does not seem unreasonable (at least to me...). Most other mfgrs would tell you to eat the whole deal (as Toyota did to me at just slightly over the 60k powertrain warr).

    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
  • kalowkalow Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 2003 EX. It only has 1000 miles on it, but I've noticed three problems. I've kept track of the gas mileage and it is averaging 10 to 12 mpg. It thuds when reversing and it pulls to the left. After bringing it in to the dealership the service department told me that it is properly aligned and it's the roads that make it pull to the left. They also said I had to break in the engine to get the 'proper' gas mileage. They said the thudding was probably some item I had in the van that was shifting other than that, they couldn't imagine what the problem was. They said I'd have to drive it at least 3000 miles before they would look at why the gas mileage was so poor. I understand an engine should be broken in to get the best gas mileage, but I've owned new cars before (hondas & pontiacs) and this has never happened. The dealership said it happens often, but I haven't been able to find anyone on the internet that has had this problem before. I'm afraid that I may have bought a lemon for a giant amount of money. Sorry to ramble.

    Karen
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The pulling quote is nonsense. If it was the fault of the roads, it'd pull to the right, since roads are crowned so the water will run off from the middle to the edge of the road. The dealer is trying to shine you on, but they can fix it, if they care. Do a Discussion Search in here for "pull" for various fixes available, like this one:

    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
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I have an '02, and experience two 'reverse thunks' that may (or may not...) be what is bothering you.

    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
  • jcrobertsjcroberts Member Posts: 54
    My wife called on her way home that the Check Engine Light was beeming red. I went by an Autozone store where they ran their free computer diagnosis - pluged under the dash. It registered "Code 172 - Main bank running rich".
    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!
  • npkbnpkb Member Posts: 25
    I recently purchased a 2003 Ody LX. I was disappointed with the gas mileage until 3 weeks ago. The van had about 2500 miles and we set out on a road trip. We drove about 3K miles and I was amazed that on our trip back we got about 28 miles per gallon off this sucker! No kidding!

    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?
  • clarence10clarence10 Member Posts: 57
    Hi,

    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
  • dchoppdchopp Member Posts: 256
    On my 02 Ody EX with 9200 miles there is a crunching noise coming from the rear of the van when making a right turn. It is more pronounced on a rougher roads.Sounds almost like a bad wheel bearing type of noise. I did an inspection and saw nothing out of the ordinary. rechecked the trailer hitch and will tourque the rear wheels tomorrow. Anyone else have this problem?
  • yczycz Member Posts: 25
    Our 3 week LX was making noises similar to the turning signal sounds. Concerning we are going to have a long trip this weekend, I took the van to the local dealership. I was told that the noise was coming form the the front driver side shock: it was not tighten enough!!! Paying 2$,$$$ for the van, I did not expect this problem.
    Should I concern about the safety and reliability of this van? Thanks a lot. Have a great 4th of July.
  • dchoppdchopp Member Posts: 256
    Retorqued the rear wheels and the noise is gone.
  • wholiganwholigan Member Posts: 148
    And that got rid of the noise? That's a little scary... May want to have dealer check the torque you put on those lugs... Too tight can be just as bad as not tight enough...
    2003 Honda Odyssey EX-LRES - Midnight Blue Pearl
    2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
    2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
    2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
  • momstruck1momstruck1 Member Posts: 206
    now that most car companies in NY state are no longer leasing I must purchase my next car. i am currently in an suv and need to go back into a mini-van . I really like the honda but after reading this board am a little concerned with the reliability of the van. Are there any really big issues that are not being addressed by honda? and is it easy to deal with the customer service department. I am in a chevy and that is a nightmare . any information is helpful . thanks guys.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Your post says a lot. All cars will have problems, and people will vent about those problems (moreso than brag on a car that running "normally.")

    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
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