Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

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

1…6061636566…126

Comments

  • huihuierhuihuier Member Posts: 1
    lrshirk, I have exactly the same problem as you. Anyone knows what's the problem? ThANKS!
  • mlynnmlynn Member Posts: 1
    We took our Odyssey into Honda last week because the ABS and Brake Lights came on. We were told the front brakes were in need of replacement. The Tech stated that due to the travel of the calipers the brake fluid would be drawn low and cause the brake light to come on, which in turn would set the ABS Light. (These lights would come on while driving, and go dim and bright. Then after shutting off the engine and restarting would disappear.) We did the brake job as recommended. Today, I took it into Honda again because the ABS and Brake lights came on again while I was driving. I was told that the ABS unit now needs replacing. These lights do not always come on or after they do come on a lot of the time they shut off once the engine has been shut off and restarted and as I stated above the lights will go dim and bright. Has anyone else has this problem? Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you.
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    I have 4,900 miles on an 04'. So far no problems to report. Does anyone know if there is anything different with the 04' transmissions or engines. Also my transmission was made in Japan, would that make any difference. I was just wondering if anyone has had any major problems with an 04'
  • gunturguntur Member Posts: 19
    I have a 2000 model Ody and my neighbor's is either 2002 0r 2003 model Ody. Oil filter is located in the same area on both models, i.e., behind the right front wheel. To easily access the filter turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and you will see the filter. Because of the awkward angle you will be working in while replacing the filter, you can't see what you are doing but you can feel it and thread the new filter. Drain plug can be accessed easily by sliding under the car from front. I didn't have to raise wheels by using a car jack or using a ramp to do oil change. Believe me, I know very little about car repairs but even I could do this with almost no difficulty. So go for it and give it a try! I was sick of paying $25 for oil change and had to put up with the uncertainty of the grade of oil used. I buy Castrol GTX oil from Walmart (comes in 5 Qt jugs/~$6 each) and Quaker (from Menards) or Fram (from Walmart)filters. My total cost is under $10 and I spend about 15 min changing oil. Hope this helps.
  • rfoxnerfoxne Member Posts: 4
    How do you replace the light for the odometer(99 EX)? Is it worth the trouble? All the other dash lights work. I've seen lots of post about the clock light, but none about the ODOMETER light.
  • psgpsg Member Posts: 72
    The Honda dealer sold me a 15400-PLM-A02 (666399). It is almost half the size of the filter that came off my 2004 Odyssey. Of course, the Honda dealer is not open on Sundays. I had the old filter off when I noticed the difference. Since the gaskets lined up and I was crunched for time, I installed the new smaller filter. I'll call the dealer in the morning but I'd rather not have my wife drive to work if I put on the wrong filter. Does anyone know if Honda revised the Odyssey filter and if the above part number is correct?

    Phil
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Honda did change to a smaller filter so if you bought it from them i am sure you got the updated one as it is small like a motorcycle filter...
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    For your own piece of mind go to the website

    below to see for yourself that Honda did infact

    change to a smaller filter. The site will show

    the smaller filter with the same part or order

    number of 15400-POH-305.

    http://www.hondaaccessories.com/odyext02.html
  • psgpsg Member Posts: 72
    Buddyzuiga, I appreciate the piece of mind. I ended up going to:
    http://www.handa-accessories.com/odymaint02.html

    By the way, the dealer charged me $5.66 per filter which included a crush washer. I guess I will be a repeat customer with them for this item. I just wish the parts guy had said something. I had even remarked to my son how small they were when I bought them. Oh well!

    Phil
  • grunkomgrunkom Member Posts: 2
    On at least two occasions I have been caught in situations where when I was driving a warmed-up Odyssey in the severe cold and snow. The windshield did not get warm enough to melt the falling and splashing snow so the wipers could push the stuff off. It was a truely frightening experience. Has anyone in thw northern climes had this experience?
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    There are so many factors that could affect the melting performance. Are you saying that no snow was melting upon hitting up a warm windshield? Was it building up on the driver side pillar? How hard was the snow falling? How cold was it? Did you have the defroster running at max heat and max speed? Were you using winter or regular wiper blades?
  • desertkevdesertkev Member Posts: 76
    Hi all. I do all my own oil changes. BJ;s and Sams Club sell cases of Mobil 1 for $24/case of 6 quarts. They have the 5w20...it will cost the same for you to change oil with synthetic as it will cost for you to take to the dealer and pay for regular oil...and who knows what they are actually using. Easiest to just do it yourself for peace of mind.
  • alison11alison11 Member Posts: 9
    I have an 2000 with almost 90,000 miles. Went through the tran. replacement at 15,000. At 85,000 dealer replaced rear drums (after being in several times prior for same horrible noises when stopping) under goodwill warranty. Main complaint is that the van is extremely difficult to outfit for smooth ride over 70mph. We are on 4th set of tires (Affinity and symmetrys were awful)which are Bridgestone Turanza's. Very smooth until rotation. This van requires constant tire balancing for any hope of obtaining minimal shimmy.
      Having said that, it has also been very reliable engine-wise. Always starts,takes a beating on our awful country roads and handling is excellent. Question is, anyone have any higher mileage vans that, once the kinks are out, have proven to have been worth keeping? Mine is an LX so no wierd door problems-don't need the toys.
    Just replaced front brake pads, have relatively smooth ride and quiet rear brakes so am thinking of trading in while all is well for 2004 Sienna (going to Toyota since our trouble-free 1997 T-100 with 120,000+ miles rides smoother than the van) or saving $$$ and keeping the van til it drops. Oh yeah, they want amost $1000 for timing belt tune-up at 105,000 miles!
    Thanks for your time/input!
    I feel I need to decide before the value tanks after the van reaches 100,000.
  • jay112jay112 Member Posts: 1
    i just replaced the clock light. i have a 2000 ody and noticed about a week ago that it was hard to see the clock in the night. i purchased the light from the honda parts dept. for $2.89 and asked if a mechanic knew of any trick to replacing the light. one gave but began to pry the clock away from the dash; after several attempts and some plastic damage around the clock from the prying he stopped and said to set up an appointment. i decided not to knowing the cost and decided to visit the bulletin board. after reading several comments about the clock light, i too attempted and successfully replaced the clock light in my vehicle. i began by
    1. removing the heating knobs- 3 of them
    2. prying on the right hand of the panel where the right heating knob was located- carefully i had the gear shirter placed on the 1 position-keep your feet on the brakes- to easily remove the panel. keep everything in tacked and don't remove any wiring-just pry away to see 4 screws
    3. i removed the four screws plus the 2 screws above the steering wheel.
    4. now pry the other panel which was held by the 4 screws-starting from the right hand side.
    5. the tough part finding the very small light bulb with the base colored grey-turn counter countwise and remove the old bulb- insert the new bulb-carefully not dropping it- keeping turning bulb into it fits into slot-if done correctly the clock will light immediately.
    6. wow! now you can see your clock again- assembly everything back in reverse over
    7. the task took me about 30 minutes

    i should have visited this site before having the honda mechanic try to teach me some trick
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    thanks to my local honda dealer for reminding me what a joke it is to perform service at the dealer.

    I made an appointment to drop off my '02 Odyssey for the tensioner recall. I bring it in promptly at 8:30 am when they scheduled me. There's this long line of "losers" all waiting to check their car in for service. I say "losers" because they have to wait in these long lines and pay a huge premium to have a guy with a tie put a number on top of the car.

    I get no curtesey rental car and after waiting 1 hour for the shutle I decided to try and take the bus home.

    At the end of the day, I get a call to inform me that they were not able to perform the 3 hour task on my car that I left with them ALL day. I too am a loser without my car while it sits in the Honda service parking lot.

    Los Gatos Honda; home of the dealer mark up
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    No problem, your welcom.
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    Thanks for the info, I'm a Sam's Club member. So I'll have to get down there and get some 5W/20 Mobil. Post 3223 gunter, gives a run down on how to go about changing the oil on the Ody. I'm going to give it a shot on my next oil change, if it is as easy as described it should not be a problem. P.S the wife will not be to excited about me going down under the new van, so I'll keep you all posted.
  • st_pust_pu Member Posts: 74
    Odyssey EX 03 has Climate control, which is awesome feature, but in some certain situation I would like to switch it of...
    I am not able to figure out how to get airflow just with FAN WITHOUT CLIMATE CONTROL. Basically I would like to get outside air to get into car through intake(not through windows, because I have back and shoulder problem). When I swicht Climate controll off I am not able to use fan. When Fan is on - Climate controll is starting working... Does anyone have solution?
  • kimo9kimo9 Member Posts: 71
    My '04 ODY has just under 2000 miles on it. Unfortunately, it's developed an annoying rattle in the right front. Any bump that I drive over, big or small, causes the rattling noise to take place. It almost sound like there is a loose bolt somewhere.......very difficult to pinpoint. I also think it might have something to do with the right front strut?????? I'm at a loss as to what could be causing this.
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    Just a thought here. The next time you go over a big or small bump like you mentioned in your post, try applying the breaks just enough so that the pads make contact with the disks. I have an older model Cadillac that makes a rattling noise on bumps as you described. I thought that it was a loose hubcap at first, but after tightening them and everything else that I could think of, I found out that it was actually a loose break pad rattling. Please give some feed back after you try this, I would like to know the results. Thanks ahead of time, good luck.
  • grunkomgrunkom Member Posts: 2
    Despite the fact that the defrost was on full blast (no heat for the rest of the van) for over 1 hour, the heavy snow that was landing on the windshield was not melting and sliding off. Speed was 40 mph. Regular blades.
  • tjytjy Member Posts: 39
    Hoping someone out there can help me. We have a 2002 Odyssey EX and have had a problem with the transmission. At least 4 - 5 times a week seemingly at random, when starting the car, the car will not shift out of park. None of the gear selector lights light up, not even the "P" for park and the stick on the steering column won't budge. From there we have to turn the car off, take the key and jam it down into the small hole through the top of the steering column (after popping the little plastic cover off of it), shift the car into neutral and then start it again. From there the transmission will shift for as long as the car is running but when we park it and turn it off again, we never know when it will get jammed again. Took it to the dealer, they of course won't do anything if they can't reproduce the problem so we're stuck, much like the shifter. Anyone else have this problem and know what it was so we can diagnose the problem for the mechanics/dealer....apparentely they need us to their jobs for them. Any help would be much appreciated.....THANKS!
  • masterpaul1masterpaul1 Member Posts: 421
    Maybe you should try to have the heat on full blast coming from all vents on the dash and floor. This should help warm up the windows to melt the snow as it falls. The defogger air temperature is a little cooler to prevent/clear-up window fog-up, then the regular heated air that comes out when you have the setting to heat. I find that this works very well for me with my family of 6 in our van. I own a Dodge Grand Caravan. Hope this helps.
  • just4fun2just4fun2 Member Posts: 461
    Depending on the outside temperature you might be better off not putting the blower speed on high/full blast. When the blower is on full blast, the colder outside air might be cooling down your heated air too much. The slower the fan speed the hotter the air will be coming out of the vents. Next time try to use a lower blower speed (one speed lower) and see if this makes a difference

    Good luck!
  • dchoppdchopp Member Posts: 256
    Its in the Owners manual. Turn on the system in full auto. Turn the AC off. If the outside air is temperature ok then crank the temperature control counterclockwise to its lowest temperature setting. This bypasses the climate control and adjust the fan speed and direction mode to your taste.
  • buddyzunigabuddyzuniga Member Posts: 63
    That sounds like it might work, I'll have to try it out. If I'm not mistaken, this will work with the temp. dial set as low as 61. As soon as you turn it to 60, the system automatically goes into the air recycle mode. Forgive me if I'm mistaken. I will try FULL AUTO WITH A/C OFF. at 60 and see if I have to stay above 60 to avoid activating the air recycle mode. Sometimes all I want is to get air from outside without using the A/C. Maybe I can use your method with the front windows up, allowing the air to flow in from the vents and out of the cab via the rear pop out windows. Thanks for the info.
  • aristotlearistotle Member Posts: 123
    The Check-Engine-Light (CEL) came on in our 2000 Odyssey LX at 53707 miles. The code that came up was P0420 saying that the Catalytic converter efficiency was low. Honda Dealer replaced the converter and a couple of gaskets free of cost. He told my wife that the cost of repair was approximately about $700 but we didn't have to pay since it was covered under warranty.

    We have taken our Odyssey from coast to coast and it has performed like a champ. It truly is a magnificient van! I have been very happy with it.
  • stephenps1stephenps1 Member Posts: 1
    My 2001 Odyssey power doors refused to open one very cold night and as the car was just out of warranty I did not want to take it to the dealer. I did call them and they said run it, turn on the heater and things should be fine. One door, did open the other did not budge so after looking around websites I found one interesting link that led me to remove a couple of fuses - the link said try #4 -on the top - the power door lock fuse - nothing! - for the hell of it I tried #5 - put it back in and now both doors are fine - the only drawback is that the check engine light is on - however as I was sitting in the driveway I know nothing is wrong with the engine - I called the dealership to offer this as a fix for anybody who wants to try it - good luck.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Lots of auto parts stores now offer a free scan of the check engine light. They can look up the number in their book and see what the code means.

    Steve, Host
  • mcquarrie69mcquarrie69 Member Posts: 1
    I'd like some help deciding which maintenance schedule to follow.

    2001 Handbook defines "severe" driving as driving mainly in severe conditions. Driving occasionally in severe conditions, one can use the normal maintenance schedule. OK

     Living in Mesa, AZ, daytime temp gets above 90F from May to September, which is one of the conditions Honda considers to be severe. My driving style is fairly mixed; mostly commuting (25 hwy miles each way), some start-stop driving at weekends, 2 or 3 road trips per year. 12500 miles per year total.

    I'd like some help deciding which schedule to follow. I can guess what my ($85/hr) Honda dealer will say. What about other owners in hot climates?

    One solution would be to follow the normal schedule October-April, severe schedule May-September. Any comments?
  • grandtotalgrandtotal Member Posts: 1,207
    Severe. You don't want Honda denying you warranty coverage if your transmission goes out 3 or 4 years from now.
  • spsepsspseps Member Posts: 6
    i am also getting that rattle. i took the 2002ex to 2 different dealers who said they could find nothing. i have checked for the loose brake pad, spare tire, jack, rear bumper, tail pipe, and struts. nothing! but it is quite noticable and annoying. i had a 99 and did not have that problem, which leads me to belive it may be in the rear suspension system, which is different on the 2002. i am stumped, tho, as are the dealers i saw.
  • masterpaul1masterpaul1 Member Posts: 421
    Did you check the shock mounts? Sometimes the screws come lose or the bushings go bad.
  • kimo9kimo9 Member Posts: 71
    Buddy,

    Thanks for the potential fix about the brakes somehow being the culprit on the rattle.....but no dice. I'm wondering if it's ice build-up between the hood and windshield. It's been quite cold here in the NE and I can just see a little piece of ice lodge in somewhere rattling against something.

    Maybe I'm just grabbing at straws --- as they say.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    fwiw:
    our 03LX had a few annoying rattles at about the 1K mark which were quickly identified and fixed by the dealership closest to our home.

    one was a rattle which occurred when i got going about 35-40MPH and sounded at first like it might be at a point high on the driver door or rain gutter.

    however after sitting in the passenger seat with my wife driving, i could tell it was really comming from somewhere more near the driver's footwell. i thought it might be the front driver side wheel well plastic cover.

    i mentioned this to a service rep and he heard that one right away during a test drive with me and was confident he could fix it. get this: when i initially drove down to the dealership - it wasn't happening. i told this to the service writer because i didn't want to waste anyone's time. he insisted a tech ride with me.

    ...a good foreshadowing of success...

    and during that drive with the tech (he was driving), he asked me if i heard an additional intermittent but very low level rattle when we went over small bumps... on the passenger side front. i said i could, and while i had heard it before, it rarely occurred.

    he had a smile on his face and said he'd see what could be done about that one too.

    when i came back to get the car a few hours later, he said they fixed the mounting of the hood release cable, but also disassembled something at the front passenger strut tower and lubricated the interface between the strut and the body. he said it's something he's seen before.

    remember the smile? i think he knew the probable cause of both rattles before we were more than 1/4mile down the road during the test drive.

    lastly, i could be mistaken, but it seemed like they added some tiny pads to the rear hatch in a few select places that i didn't remember being there when i initially purchased the car (at another dealership mind you).

    i had noticed tiny rattles at the hatch when going over the speed bumps in my neighborhood. with those pads in place, no rattles.

    suggestion: sit in various other seats with someone else driving. locating the source and providing that information to a tech could be important in locating the root cause.

    a good customer-focused dealership and a knowlegable / confident tech rep in the car with you during a test drive so you can both experience the noise: well there's probably no substitute.

    the only rattles i hear now at 6K are because of a child's toy or sippy cup not stowed ;) -or- sometimes one of the seatbelt latches against a pillar.

    may you experience the smile. ;)
  • bertram56bertram56 Member Posts: 2
    I bought an '02 Program Odyssey (w/16,000mi) and the only trouble I have had is with the Stereo Controls mounted on the Steering wheel. The problem is when I use the remote controls and try to decrease the volume, the volume increases. If I try to increase the volume the station or track changes. When the Station/Track button is used either nothing happens or it functions properly. I have brought it in 5 times now, they have changed the control module out 4 times and this last time they changed out the stereo itself and that was because I told them the 3rd time Lets try changing the whole shooting match, radio, wiring harness, and the switch. I know it is an insignificant and minor complaint, but I still paid My Hard Earned $20K+ and I expect every thing to work. Has anyone else had this kind of trouble?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    PROBABLE CAUSE
    The steering shaft resistance varies because the
    ground path does not have full contact through the
    bearing.
    CORRECTIVE ACTION
    Dimple the copper shield on the steering column ball bearing in eight places..

    Dont know why your dealer has not tried this yet as the bulletin has been out since may 20th..but have them try this
  • gheimurgheimur Member Posts: 88
    I too am looking for a Honda/ Acura SUV or Minivan.After reading some of these posts and having the transmission go on my sister-in-laws 2002 Odyssey after 42k miles, the Hondas are not any better than a Chrysler MiniVan. I have a 95 AWD Ply Voyager with 154k that just keeps on running. Yes it had a few problems miles ago that were fixed but I hear the new ones are even more dependable and a lot cheaper price wise. If the quality of the USA cars keeps improving (my mechanic says that the Imports are not any more dependable), there should be no reason to buy foreign if you plan to keep the car 150k plus.
    Let's go USA..........
  • grandtotalgrandtotal Member Posts: 1,207
    I too am looking for a Honda/ Acura SUV or Minivan

    the Hondas are not any better than a Chrysler MiniVan

    Let's go USA..........

    Make up your mind. Or was this just a typical basher's post?
  • axfalkaxfalk Member Posts: 13
    I have a 2001 Odyssey with 25K miles that I just had to replace the front brakes on. I have never replaced brakes on a car with only 25K miles on it. The dealer told me it's very common for minivans because of their weight, but somehow I seriously doubt that. Anybody else had to do the same?

    Thanks.

    _ Alex
  • tcasboytcasboy Member Posts: 214
    I replaced the front pads on my 2000 LX at about 42K miles, and they probably could have gone a bit longer. I didn't even look at the back drums, I wasn't sure I really wanted to know if those had to be done. I don't mind changing pads, but shoes are an altogether different animal. Either someone in your van has been riding the brakes unintentionally, you are very tough on the brakes (I have friends who drive right up to the stop and slam on the brakes EVERY time. His wife does it too. I tell them all the time that they are beating up their van, but they just look at me like I have 9 heads), or the shop took advantage of you. You could ask to see the old pads to see how much material was left and then decide if they did. Hopefully you are just tough on the brakes and can take it easy to make them last longer. Cars with automatics do typically eat brakes quicker than manual shift cars because you don't get to use much engine braking with an auto.
  • psgpsg Member Posts: 72
    cars weigh a lot less than minivans. 25K seems somewhat early but then I'm only hoping for around 30K on our pads. We only have 4K on our 2004 Odyssey so we have a ways to go. I'd be real pleased to get around 40K.
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    yup...same here. Our van gets a ton of city driving (at least 60% of the miles), so I was expecting this kind of short life from the front pads. A similar survey on another Odyssey board indicated that 25K - 30k miles was normal for vans subjected to alot of around town driving.
  • axfalkaxfalk Member Posts: 13
    Thanks for the responses. The pads indeed were gone - they were making grinding, screeching sound for a couple of weeks. I was hoping that they just got out of alignment and needed to be put back in - the thought of them being gone after only 25K miles never crossed my mind. That's pretty horrible since those pads were factory installed and usually last the longest - it will probably go downhill from here. Is this typical for all mini vans or just the Odysseys?

    thanks again..

    _Alex
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I don't think it's all that unusual for most minivans, especially if most of your driving is city/suburban.

    Steve, Host
  • just4fun2just4fun2 Member Posts: 461
    I own a mini van, it is not an Ody. I have over 30,000 miles on my original brakes and almost all of my driving is "city". The front brakes pads have alot of life left in them, I figure about 20,000 more miles. How a person drives will effect everything on their van. I drive easy, no fast starts or stops, just nice and easy.

    One more thing. If you have traction control and spin the tires alot, you will be wearing the brakes out faster, since you will be using the brakes for starting and stopping. My traction control has only come on a couple of times since I have owned my van.

    Remember, nice and easy.
  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    Just put new front brake pads and rotors on our 1996 Caravan for the first time this summer at 70,000 miles. Rears are still original. Van sees about 60%-70% short suburban trips. Guess my wife is easy on the brakes.
  • alison11alison11 Member Posts: 9
    Our 2000 Ody had the first set replaced at 50,000 miles. We recently had them replaced at 90,000, only because they were cracking,not worn out (still had almost 50%). The mechanic told me we were lucky as most Ody's need them replaced at 25-30,000.

    I'd rather replace the pads at $109 than the 3 sets of tires we've worn through (on the 4th set now)at $400!

    Rear brakes had the squealing problem so new shoes and drums put in under warratny. Our accord didn't need new pads until 90,000 miles. This van is just very heavy.

    Anyone have an Ody with high mileage? How is it holding up? Yes, looking for a reason to keep ours v. the hell that is new car buying.
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    That's a good point, here in Calgary we don't get as much snow as we get ice (warm west winds melt the snow and create brutal icy roads). During the winter TCS engages often no matter how careful you are.

    Another point, I usually don't let my brake pads get too low before changing them. I'm sure I could have squeezed another 10,000 miles out of them, but I don't trust thin pads.

    My Accord got more like 50,000+ miles on a set of pads with the same 2 drivers. It weighed much less than the Ody and didn't have Traction Control.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    the life of your brake pads?

    Brakes are not applied when the TC engages, so how do you figure brake wear has anything to do with TC?
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles