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Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions (2005+ Models)

Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
edited March 2014 in Honda
This topic is for Honda Odyssey owners to discuss problems and share information on all 2005 on up models of this vehicle. Owners of 1995-2004 Honda Odyssey Vans have their own topic: the link is here:

Honda Odyssey P&S: 1995-2004

thank you

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Comments

  • jimbob1jimbob1 Member Posts: 70
    Thank you, Mr. Shiftright! What a prompt response!!!
  • mikeo1mikeo1 Member Posts: 53
    Just for the record.....
    16,000 miles on my '05 and no problems,
    no solutions.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    Seems like, the previous generation Odyssey, comprising of model years 2001-2004 was plagued with the "transmission issue" and a few other not-so-significant issues.

    Honda seems to have done a thorough engineering analysis of the problem and the completely re-designed Odyssey (2005+ model years) seems to have eliminated this issue. Knowing Honda, I would venture that to salvage their renowned reputation, the newly redesigned transmission is over-engineered to be pretty much bullet-proof.

    21500+ miles on a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX-L with Navigation and RES....no significant problems to report till date. The only issues encountered are irritants like wind noise emanating from the front windshield (dealer replaced some kind of rubber moulding and it seems to have almost eliminated the noise), sound from the hard brake-pads during low-speed braking even though it does not seemingly impact the braking performance (In my case, eliminated after dealer replaced original brake-pads with softer ones, and rotated the rotors), and a characteristic noise when VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) is activated, during certain rpm ranges (Does not bother me at all).

    Other than the above minor irritants, absolutely no problems at all.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    Thanks for starting 2005+ discussion. I was little scared of my decision of buying Odyssey. I bought last week and have only 200 miles on it. No problem so far but certainly hear wind noise-B
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    Has Honda solved the problems with the automatic side doors? I contacted the Honda Corp., and they informed me that the 2006 100,000 mile + extended warranty covers all the working components of the automatic side door assembly. I am planning to trade my 2003 Accord for a Odyssey sometime after April 2006. I had the opportunity to ride in a 2004 Odyssey and I found the vehicle to be very comfortable. There just might be an Odyssey in my future before next winter. ---- Best regards. --- Dwayne
  • storkdudestorkdude Member Posts: 26
    My wife's '05 Touring has had the backpanel of both front seats pretty much disconnect around the edges and now resemble more or less a big mud flap. The pockets are only used to store the headphones. Anybody else had this problem? I've never seen it ANY car let alone a Honda.
  • haroldtharoldt Member Posts: 2
    Dwayne,
    I owned a 2003 Odyssey for 2 yrs/ 30K. Great car, but the 2005 I have owned for a yr/ 15K is sooooo much better in every way: Handling, ride, quietness, climate control, safety features, front seat support and comfort, etc., etc., etc. Once you have driven an '05 or '06, I'll bet you won't settle for an '04 or earlier.
    haroldt :)
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    I have the same problem. The dealer has been unable to permanently fix the problem. I've had it in several times. I will also mention that the fit and finish is not very good throughout the whole van. Notably, the passenger airbag cover is warped, the glove box does not line up with the dash, and there are rattles after only 7k miles. I would reconsider my purchase if I could go back in time...
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    This posting is a warning to those who are considering the 2005+ Odyssey. To be fair, I’ll say what I like and what I don’t like.

    ***Praises***

    - Excellent looking inside and out, especially for a minivan. High-tech looking, interior especially. This sold me over the Sienna (fake plastic Toyota wood, anyone?).
    - Car-like handling. Very, very impressive. Almost as good as a sports sedan!
    - Smooth engine and transmission. Good power. Better than the Sienna I test drove IMO.
    - Very good in the snow with then vehicle stability control. I would think it’s nearly impossible to get it out of control. I tried unsuccessfully to make it waver in a slick snow-covered parking lot.

    ***Complaints***

    - Poor sales experience. The dealer made me wait 3 hours with my kids and then pushed me to buy models without the features I wanted, almost as if they had a certain one they wanted to “unload” on me. If you have kids, please get the DVD entertainment system! I was rushed through the process of buying, handed the keys, then kick out the door with a vehicle that was not perfect. I’m use to at least a detail job before I take a new vehicle. Hopefully this is just a fluke dealership!

    - Poor Fit and Finish
    1. Arm rest panels not flush. It looks like to plastic arm rest cover is “stressed” and pushing up on one corner (dealer confirmed but didn't repair). I saw this on all other models after making the purchase. Check for yourself.
    2. Glove box out of alignment (dealer improved but didn't repair - said it is a design defect that cannot be fixed). You can see the latch in the gap, too. In the Consumer Reports picture or the interior, you can see the defect. Every other new Odyssey I’ve looked at has this defect!
    3. Dashboard cover over passenger airbag warped. It looks cheap, as the “straight” dash and the warped airbag cover creates what looks like an uneven gap-shadow.
    4. Scratches on the exterior finish when bought new. Dealer touched up with touch-up paint.
    5. The spare tire was loose and clanked around over bumps at 1000 miles on the odometer. I discovered the source of the problem tightened the assembly back up. No problems afterward.
    6. The plastic on the interior, especially on the door sills of the sliding doors, is flimsy and scratches easily. Nothing can be done about it I guess.
    7. Rattles emanate from underneath the third row seat. The rattle goes away when the seat is folded down.

    - Poor reliability (I have 7000 mile on it now)
    1. Steering wheel vibration
    2. Alignment problems (pulling to the left, steering wheel not centered)
    3. Conversation sunglass holder quit working and got stuck shut with my prescription RayBans in it.
    4. Poor radio reception - crackles over bumps. Dealer says normal. Whatever!
    5. Engine resonation into the cabin at low engine RPM under slight acceleration (dealer dismissed as normal).
    6. Driver door window and power locks stopped working.
    7. Squeaking noise / driver power sliding door when oerating. Dealer repaired squeak, but now there is a new clunking noise in the door over bumps. Now the passenger door squeaks. I’m afraid to take it in.
    8. The leather comes apart at the seams during normal use. Large flap comes undone on the rear of the driver’s seat caused from persons rubbing on it when entering the back. The dealer has only temporarily fixed, but problem keeps coming back.
    9. A cup holder in the third row broke.

    I’d like to add that the van is noisy. When driving on coarse surfaces, the road noise is so loud that you have to nearly yell to talk to someone in the second or third row. My pickup truck is quieter! I’m very disappointed in the fit&finish of this van, along with the reliability. I’ve had three rental cars while this is being repaired. This is my first and last Honda!
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    Has Honda solved the problems with the automatic side doors?

    I never experienced this and so cannot comment. But is this an issue with the new generation Odyssey or the prior generations ?

    Mine is a 2005 EX-L with Navigation and RES.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    The "Glove box gap" that you pointed out, is something I notice in my Odyssey too. But since it is found in every single Odyssey sold in the country (2005 and 2006), I would not consider that as a defect but as a design compromise that Honda made for whatever stupid reason. Seeing the latch in the gap, is certainly a visual imperfection, even though it has no functional implications.

    Certain other things like scratches on the exterior paint of your brand-new Odyssey, is surprising. Why did you not get those things fixed before taking delivery of your brand-new van ?
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Would it be possible to make this thread visible over in the "Vans" forum also rather than just here in the "Maintenance and Repair" forum?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    We're working on doing that yes.
  • dave32dave32 Member Posts: 1
    2005 EX-cloth
    1. My front left strut went out at around 3K miles (noticed leaking strut oil on driveway and clunk in suspension). Dealer replaced under warranty.
    2. The front passenger door lock would not open at all at about 5K mile. Dealer repaired for free. Said cable had come off of pulley inside door panel.
    3. Had a whistling noise from the windshield above 40mph. Dealer replaced adhesive under trim on bottom and both sides for free.
    4. I've noticed that the "B" trip meter keeps resetting itself randomly. I know it's not user error because this has happened on long trips between gas stops. Haven't taken it in yet. Anyone else seen this?
    5. Noticed intermittent louder than normal (about twice as loud) engine noise at low speeds after engine is warm, even in neutral. Haven't taken it in for this yet. Anyone else seen this?
    6. Weird behavior of rear wiper. On occasion has kept moving even after being turned off. Haven't found way to reproduce it yet. Anyone else seen this?

    My wife and I have started calling the car "the lemon" even though the problems have been easily fixed or are just little annoyances.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    I don't understand why Honda isn't making their cars quiet. The 2003 Odyssey had a lot of road noise, and the 2005 models don't seem much better. I hope that they speed up their process of making cars quieter.
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    "Certain other things like scratches on the exterior paint of your brand-new Odyssey, is surprising. Why did you not get those things fixed before taking delivery of your brand-new van ?"

    I didn't notise the scratches until the next day. When I boutght the van it was night time and the car was never put before me in front of light.

    I would consder it good customer service from the dealer to make sure the car is perfect before setting the customer off in it. I've had this kind of treatment from every other dealer I've ever bought a car from.
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    I have the same vibration problems with the engine resonating a low frequency noise (similar to a subwoofer) into the cabin. Dealer dismissed as normal.
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    On my 05 the doors clunk when driving over bumps, in addition to other rattles from elswhere. 7000 miles!
  • allison5allison5 Member Posts: 130
    I don't understand why this minivan seems to have so many problems especially with it being a Honda. For months I have been heeming and hawing about whether to buy this van, and believe me it would be cheaper all around than to have this big SUV. I just found out that I know someone who knows someone in the fleet department who can get me a good deal on this van so now that I am finally ready I am very concerened. I keep hearing about all these problems like the different noises, glove compartment issues, locks, paint job the list just keeps going on. I had a 2001 Odyessy, lease ran out and got the SUV. I had very little problems with it, I grant you it was noisy espcially on the freeway at higher speeds and why HOnda can't fix that I think is strange. But I had almost 100,000 miles on it when I turned it in and it handled great, are the new ones just as good??? I have looked at this van several times and I have to admit some of the interior looks kind of "Cheap" with its plastic but what are you going to do. I see this van EVERYWHERE I go and the way I figure we obvioulsy don't hear from everyone in these forums but I still worry. I think I will still get it but maybe lease it (even though I swore I would never lease again) instead and then I can turn it in after whatever amount of years. Does anyone else lease theirs??
  • blackexv6blackexv6 Member Posts: 503
    I’d like to add that the van is noisy. When driving on coarse surfaces, the road noise is so loud that you have to nearly yell to talk to someone in the second or third row. My pickup truck is quieter!

    I agree...Honda refuses to address noise issues in their vehicles! If they won't solve the noise problem they will lose more sales to Toyota. Talk to any Toyota dealer and ask them why people choose the Toyota Camry over the Accord - - noise & ride quality! I own a '03 Accord and that car is nausiating to drive on concrete surfaces.

    With that said, the '06 Odyssey is hands down the best van on the market for the price. My family sat in a 35k Dodge Caravan this weekend at an outdoor show and I figure the only way to sell this vehicle is to give a 10-15k+ discount. The second row seats are oversized childrens' booster seats bolted to the floor. My wife smashed her head on the door track stepping into the second row. You can buy an '06 Ody EXL-RES-NAV for that price and get a car that is in a completely different league.

    As far as your reliability problems...it's a nuisnace to fix the nuisnace problems but Honda stands behind their product 110%. Most car manufacturers will not.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I'll make a few comments. We've had our '05 Ody EX-L R&N since April and have about 9k miles on it. We've not had any issues that IMHO warrant complaining to a dealer.

    There is occassionally some wind whistle from the front windshield. It's very sporadic and only seems to come at certain conditions (temp/wind/speed) and it's no more wind noise than many other vehicles I've driven.

    We do get a very very slight vibration at certain speeds/condtions when the VCM kicks in. It's most noticed at around 57mph and 67mph on super-smooth asphault. IMHO, it's mainly obvious because this engine is very smooth and quiet and normally you hear nothing from it. Many other vehicles would likely wash out this noise/vibration just from normal operating sounds. Perhaps some have these noises louder than mine, but I really have to pay attention to notice it.

    The upper glove compartment has a gap at the top and if you're sitting in the passenger seat you can seat part of the latch and into the compartment. I understand there may be an adjustment, but I haven't really kept up with that. Every one I looked at before buying had this same gap in the glove box so I knew about it going in.

    That is really the extent of my issues, if you want to call them that. I've had the van in for it's first service around 5k miles and I didn't complain about any of these issues. They weren't worth my time/effort to explain them to a tech and have to come back and get the van later. If any of them become more problematic, I'll consider it at another time.

    I also think the folks that buy Hondas expect a higher level of vehicle standards when they buy, and perhaps many are overly sensitive to small issues. I've owned many vehicles over the years, quite a few of which are expensive luxury vehicles. They have their problems just like any other vehicles. My wife's current Lexus GX470 has had quite a few small issues that you wouldn't expect a $60,000 Lexus to have. But it happens. I think folks have unusually high expectations when they buy a Honda. If you're coming from a domestic vehicle, maybe something 5 years old, you spend a ton of money on a vehicle and expect it to be perfect. No vehicle is perfect. My last couple Toyotas have been sub-par for what I expect when buying one of their products. My last couple domestic products, a Chevy Tahoe and a Chevy Silverado (essentially the same vehicle) were so different it wasn't even funny. My Tahoe was very reliable and only had a couple small issues in 40k miles. My Silverado has had twice the problems in half the miles. Luck of the draw I guess. Good vehicles though, even with the problems.

    I don't recommend leasing to anyone for the most part. If you turn the vehicle quickly (less than 30 months max) or are buying a very expensive vehicle (>$50,000) then leasing can be CONVENIENT. Probably not cheaper unless you can deduct the payment for tax pusposes. If you're going more than 24-30 months on a lease, IMHO the disadvantages outweigh the convenience. And the cost of leasing generally is higher than buying in all circumstances and you have very little flexibility if your situation changes.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I own a '03 Accord and that car is nausiating to drive on concrete surfaces.

    From what I've seen/heard, this is pretty much the tires causing the noises. Many of the Ody and Accords have the same Michelin tires and I'm not overly happy with them. Of course, I usually don't keep OEM tires for long anyway as they are generally a compromise. Not much out there in this size though.
  • blackexv6blackexv6 Member Posts: 503
    I replaced the OEM Michelins with Toyos. The car is still too loud for a $27k vehicle. My '00 Odyssey is a little quieter on the highway with Michelins. Go figure. You would think an '03 would be more advanced than a '00?
  • jamdallenjamdallen Member Posts: 6
    As far as your reliability problems...it's a nuisnace to fix the nuisnace problems but Honda stands behind their product 110%. Most car manufacturers will not.

    I'll have to disagree here. With my Odyssey, the dealer has not fixed all of the problems I've had with it. Poor radio reception and engine vibration dismissed as normal. Dealer worked on the rattles in slider doors and third row seat, steering wheel vibration pulling to the left, but they have not fixed the problems. The coming apart of leather on rear of front seats is blamed on me for "abuse." I've had it in 10 times in 7000 miles. Now the dealer wants me to quit whining and just go away. A call in to Honda corporate, and they suggest I take it in to another dealer. It's not what I consider standing behind their product.
  • yeppoyeppo Member Posts: 17
    2006 EX-L with DVD.

    I have noticed that when I start up, the AC even when set to Auto does not start (i.e. the fan) till I drive a little bit. Is this normal ? Once it starts it then is normal. I used to think that the moment you start the van and set the A/C to a temp. and hit auto it should start the fan/heat and regulate the temperature. Also I notice the mode defaults to defrost every time i.e. it does not retain the last mode used.

    Rgds,

    Yeppo
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I have noticed that when I start up, the AC even when set to Auto does not start (i.e. the fan) till I drive a little bit. Is this normal ?

    Well I know it's normal during the winter for heat purposes. If the vehicle is cold and there is no heat available for the HVAC, it will not blow the fan. The heater-core will warm up quicker without the fan blowing. In the summer the fan would blow immediately.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    Finished my 20,000 mile oil change a couple of weeks back...I change oil every 5000 miles, regardless of what the maintenance minder system says. No problems to report currently. My miles are VERY enthusiastically driven (used to own a Turbo AWD WRX and I don't drive the Odyssey too differently :-)) but very well maintained. I drive GENTLY for the 1st couple of miles, while the engine fluid, trans fluid etc are reaching operating temperatures....ALWAYS. When parking, I make sure that the parking brake is set, followed by putting the car into neutral and allowing the vehicle weight to rest on the parking brake and then put the gear into park....the parking mechanism of the transmission is never stressed, with the weight resting on the relatively cheaper parking brake....the reverse while driving off. I religiously change my oil too, every 5K miles. Even though not needed, I nevertheless changed the transmission fluid (as I do with all my cars) during my 15K mile service, along with changing the air filter and also the cabin filter.

    Irritants present earlier (and fixed under warranty) was the whistle from the windshield and noisy brakes (fixed with softer pads).

    I don't consider the characteristic sound from the VCM activation as a "problem". After others pointed it out, I did notice it, when I specifically listened for it. I don't notice it anymore, since I probably got used to it.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    A month or so back, my wife, kid and I made a 2600 miles to-and-fro trip to Minneapolis, with the van loaded down with around 900+ lbs of luggage...the way back, we had around 150lbs of luggage. The roof-top box was also filled with around 100lbs. Pretty much throughout the trip, we maintained a pretty steady 80+ mph. Mileage with the luggage etc., was so-so....around 21mpg. Van was absolutely perfect for the trip...the Navigation being a god-send.
  • yeppoyeppo Member Posts: 17
    Recently I bought an EX-L with DVD. I did'nt take the NAV at the time as I was really stretching my budget. My question is as to whether it is possible at all to now get Honda to put in a NAV as I think it would be a real help.

    Thks,

    Yeppo
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    They don't have any off-the-shelf packages to add OEM Nav. I'm sure someone could do this using factory parts, but it would likely be prohibitively expensive. You could likely trade yours for a slightly used one with nav and come out ahead. Seems a bit much though, for just something like this.

    The OEM Nav is extremely nice, plus you get a lot of extra features like the voice activation, large touch-screen, and backup camera. However, if you just would like navigation, an aftermarket unit will do just as good of a job. I've had a Garmin 2610 for many years and it works very well. The newer models are even better. Granted it's nothing like an OEM system, but it gets the job done for well under $1,000 which is a fraction of what you'll pay to upgrade yours.
  • eaueau Member Posts: 1
    I recently bought the '06 Odyssey EX-L. I wasn't sure how the ANC works and so I called the sales people. They said I could set the ANC level by using the Sound button of the audio system and up/down switch. But when I pressed the Sound button to cycle through the options, I don't see one for the ANC.

    Does anyone know how to play with the ANC?
  • artgpoartgpo Member Posts: 483
    I read your 5,000 mile oil change comment with interest. I have 4,700 miles on my '06 Ody and have 40% showing on the maintenance reminder. My previous van, an '03 Silhouette, had a similar system. In the type of driving I do, a 52 mile round trip work commute at 65 mph, it would signal a change at about 9,000 miles. I used Mobil 1 and Fram oil filters exclusively and never added any oil between changes nor was there any sludge. The Olds had 52,000 miles when I traded back in October. I intend to switch to Mobil 1 for the Ody as soon as the maintenance remind says it is time to change.
  • yeppoyeppo Member Posts: 17
    Thanks !!! I think I will go with an aftermarket one.

    Yeppo
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,432
    I think they were confused. I don't believe there are any owner adjustable settings for it.

    In theory, you aren't supposed to even know that it is there.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    It would be near impossible to add the Factory NAV to a vehicle that did not come with it...or at least prohibitively expensive. You will have to change a lot of things, starting with the dashboard and its various buttons.

    Also, the factory NAVs have "Dead Reckoning" technology built in, which allows it to continue working, even in the complete absence of satellite signals....like when driving through a tunnel, thickly wooded areas, between tall buildings etc. It does it by estimating the current vehicle position based on the speed, direction, altitude etc., since obtaining the last signal. This is possible due to the integration of the NAV into the car's controls.

    Aftermarket NAVs need a clear view of the sky (satellite signals) for effectively working and would not work without satellite signals (tall buildings, tunnels etc). However, recent aftermarket NAVs have come a long way and if a vehicle is not equipped with a factory NAV, I would have no hesitation in buying the latest models from Garmin, Magellan etc., even though you lose the "work under all conditions, come hell or highwater" situation with the factory NAV. The icing on the cake is that you can move it from vehicle to vehicle.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    Actually, it does not really hurt to follow the recommendations of the car and change the oil when the maintenance minder shows around 15-20% oil life left. It measures a lot of parameters, including the way the miles were driven, the conditions under which the miles were driven etc., to arrive at its calculation. However, for me, it is easy to remember the 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K etc intervals and so I change the oil.

    I plan to switch to Mobil1 at the 25K service. There is a school of thought that says that one should not switch to synthetic for at least 10K miles, essentially allowing the friction afforded by the non-synthetic to seat the pistons etc well....synthetic works too well in lubricating the engine and so the break-in is delayed inordinately !! But I have seen people switching to synthetic at 1K miles, without any detrimental effects.
  • jsanregretjsanregret Member Posts: 1
    Recently had my oil changed -- Valvoline did know how to reset my oil change light. 2000 Odyssey worked by holding down trip button -- not so on 2005.

    Thank
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    It is there in the manual and is very easy, even though right now I don't recall what I did. I had done it once, when the dealer forgot to reset it after an oil change.
  • jntjnt Member Posts: 316
    There is diagnostic mode that you can actually turn on and off ANC. If you search the Odys forum, you will find the instruction on how to. But there is no intermediate settings: it is either ON or OFF only.

    jt
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    Has anyone found out what the problem causing
    the vibration and humming is,And what the fix is?
  • odyman2odyman2 Member Posts: 1
    i just replaced my michelens on the 2000 Ody with Goodyear Tripletreds...amazing tire and extremely quiet...
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    Folks,

    I bought 2006 ODY 15 days back. It drives great however this thread is growing and that scares me. I got panicked so started paying more attentation and found weired noise from the car ABS. Here's how you can reproduce this.

    A) Start car
    B) Put car in drive and press gas padal.
    C) The noise will come when shift changes to 2nd and about 13-15 mph speed. You will hear click (like shooting spring) and hear similar voice after about 10 seconds.

    I went to dealer and the service manager came out with scanner and said it is ABS noise. Every time you start car it is basically checking ABS system and making noise. So I refuse to believe so he offer me to check other car. I took test drive of 2 new car (EX-L RES) and believe or not I hear same noise on both.

    This is my first car with ABS so no experience but does any one notice this befoer? Is there any solution for it? Now remember this only comes when you start car and drive first time. If you put it in park and drive again it works fine.
  • khoakhoa Member Posts: 64
    That's normal. The 05+ is more noticeable, my 99 Ody has been doing that at every start for the past 7 years.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    Glad to hear that your 99 Ody is doing the same. It is nothing but anoying. I am just hoping that it will not increase as time go.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    It's normal. Fairly common on every vehicle, some you hear more than others. My Silerado does it and I can't hear it, but can feel the vibration in gas pedal (around 10mph on a restart). For some reason the Ody seems to do this more loudly than others, at least in the cabin. If you're standing outside, you can hear it on many other models as well.
  • odyssey1701odyssey1701 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Has anyone experienced significantly lower than the sticker mileage with the Honda Odyssey? We have a Touring Nav + DVD, and are getting no more than 22 on the highway and 15 around town. The sticker said "City 20 Highway 28" We traded in our SUV on this vehicle (and paid lots of money to do so) partly because of the vastly improved mileage, but it is performing roughly as well as our SUV. The dealer tells us that the performance is perfectly normal and that the lower than expected mileage is because the mileage stated on the sales sticker was basically a lie - tested under the best conditions, no air conditioning, great weather, etc., but I have never seen performance this far from the mark on any vehicle I've owned. Thank you in advance for any suggestions as to what to do with this vehicle/the dealer/etc...
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    IMHO, the variable-cylinder and hybrid engines manipulate the EPA test more-so than other engines. This is because those systems are most efficient at the speeds EPA tests are performed. Since most folks don't drive like the EPA tests, there is always some fudge-factor in the numbers. However, the real-world mileage is further skewed on these types of vehicles. If you look at the LX (non-VCM) Ody, it is rated for 19-25mpg which seems to be about what most folks with VCM are getting.

    You should see some improvement once the engine has some miles on it. Ours was really bad at first but slowly increased as we rolled through the miles. Plus if you live where it's cold, the winter mpg will likely be lower than summer. We did have one trip where we drove 55-60mph for a significant portion of the trip and averaged 27mpg on that tank, which included some city driving as well. That seems to be the sweet spot for the VCM, which is also the speeds at which the EPA highway tests are performed!

    That being said, depending upon what type of SUV you had before, these minivans are not "mini" by most standards. We came out of a V8 4x4 Chevy Tahoe that was actually smaller than the Odyssey, and only weighed about 400# more. We are doing better on fuel, averaging about 3-5mpg more in most situations. Not bad considering the size/performance of the two vehicles are so close. If you came out of a mid-size SUV you might not see a huge mpg increase, but you've likely got a much bigger vehicle too. You have to be somewhat realistic when looking at an EPA sticker. The newer Tahoe's with variable-cylinder engines are rated for 22mpg hwy. What are the odds of that being for-real? Additionally, it's pretty tough to ever make-up for the loss you take trading/buying a vehicle unless you make a big switch. Like moving to an economy car.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Are you running with the temperature controls in the defroster or heat/defrost position? If so, you have your AC on and that will eat up gas.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I noticed the other day that even while NOT running defrost, my A/C was cycling. At least while I was sitting/idling. I monkeyed with the controls several times, and regardless the A/C would cycle ever so often. If I pressed the A/C button and "A/C Off" was displayed, then it wouldn't cycle. Of course, that sort of defeats the whole "automatic" system if you've gotta go monkeying with buttons all the time.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    We had a 1993 Accord EX with ABS that made noise about the time we got backed out of the driveway daily (10-12 sec after starting the car). Completely normal from what other owners say; we never had a problem with the brake system after 7 years, and actually traded that car in on a 2000 Odyssey which we ran trouble free for 6 years.
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