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Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • kanghoonkanghoon Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Odyssey and 130k miles on it.

    As so many people said, it has a transmission problem.

    From 2nd to 3rd gear change is slipping and solenoid problems with engine light on.

    I am very shocked that so many people have the same problems and Honda does not do anything for this.

    I will never buy Honda any more and not let others do.

    Can`t we do something for this?
  • vanwaanabevanwaanabe Member Posts: 15
    I posted all my concerns on Facebook and got quite a response. I made it my mission to show people what garbage Honda has become. I told Honda what I was doing and they fixed my transmission.

    I'll never buy another one. I bought a Subaru and couldn't be happier.

    http://www.facebook.com/Honda

    http://www.facebook.com/hondaodyssey
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    Like me, you need to make it a point to let people know to avoid buying anything from Honda. If you ask them for some assistance in repairing a transmission on a vechile that they knew had a defect, they will tell you thanks for calling, but leave us alone. There is nothing we can do for you. Start a web page, post on facebook, etc. get the word out to everyone. That will speak volumes.
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    I had the same problem and the same miles. I called Honda and they told me to take a hike. Both the dealer and American Honda were useless and could care less. You will have to replace the transmission at $5000. Get rid of the van and get something else before it breaks down completly
  • pinkyroopinkyroo Member Posts: 2
    On June 29th the van had issues being put into reverse. Took it into our dealer on June 30th and told them what was happening and told them we suspected a transmission issue. We had decided that if it was indeed the transmission, we were going to get a new vehicle. It had 178,000km on it.

    Dealer called us within the half hour to say that it was only an engine mount that was gone and the trans was fine. $500 and we were on our way with a new engine mount and new tranny fluid. We were planning a rather substantial road trip and I asked the dealer rep if it was safe to take it on such a trip. I was told that "it isn'tt driving like a new van but its fine." You can see where this is going.....

    We cross over the US boarder from Canada. Two hours later we stop for lunch. Getting back on to the highway, the van shifts with a very loud BANG. We hang a right and skip the highway exit, only to have to make a 3 pt turn and can't get it into reverse again. Frantically punch HONDA into my GPS and find one 4km away. Manage to get it moving and to the dealer. They look over it, and declare it fine to continue on our trip. Engine mount is good, tranny fluid looks and smells fine. They tell us its likely the new fluid working its way into the tranny.

    An hour later, at a toll gate just out side of NYC we pay our toll and go to accelerate through and it bangs again, and sticks in second gear at which time the TCS light comes on, D4 flashes and the check engine light comes on. It does accelerate and we once again FRANTICALLY punch HONDA into the GPS. We make it across a MAJOR bridge and a second toll gate when it sticks in 1st gear. THANK GOD the Honda dealer was literally at the bottom of the off ramp at the gate.

    We limp into Honda. $3800 later we have a new transmission that we had no choice in putting into our vehicle as we had no other way home. We had to rent a car to get to our hotel and take the train back to deal with the van the next morning and stay extra days in a hotel to get the car fixed. The tranny isn't even warranted by Honda Canada because they didn't do the work. I am bitter and angry with the run around Honda Canada has been and is giving me. We were told by the american dealer that if it had been an US car HOnda USA would have given us some goodwill money. HAHAH not Honda Canada.

    I have very little recourse at this point other that to warn others about our horrid experience. I have been a loyal honda fan for over 20 years but this is the final straw. Two incompetent dealers put my family at risk and let me drive an unfit vehicle. To make matters worse, the third dealer that finally fixed it also found some suspension part broken and fixed that for free for us but told us that that should have been found by our dealer when they did the engine mount and that alone being broken make it unfit to drive. Less than 1000km after the van was declared safe, it had a catastrophic failure, after having issues, is not mere coincidence.

    Is it mere coincidence that two laymen knew it was the transmission when the "professionals" didn't. Can;t they google like the rest of us?

    It will be a looooong time before I buy another Honda product.
  • pmtwiggpmtwigg Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 odyssey with 183,000k miles. The original transmission just now starting to slip.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    well, sounds like you got your money's worth out of it.

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

  • hondamaybehondamaybe Member Posts: 2
    We are looking at a 2004 Honda Odyssey with 93,000 miles on it. Drove it and it shifts great, sounds great. Is the 2004 a better bet than the other years for the transmission, and if I decide to buy it should I call somewhere first and see what, if anything, has been done with this vehicle so far? Will they give me that information?
  • ibeplatoibeplato Member Posts: 13
    i believe from the consumer reports data, the '04's had less issues than the '99-'03 models. But I would still have the transmission thoroughly checked before you buy it. My dealer told me they could do a pressure test for about $270. You can get a car fax report as well.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    It would also be good if you are buying from a Honda dealer.
    See the following from my Waterloo dealer site-
    Honda Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles
    You know every Honda is green, safe and fun. And a certified used Honda is no exception. You get all the benefits of a new Honda, including peace of mind and the confidence that comes with a factory warranty. That’s because every Certified Used Honda must pass a series of dealer inspections to ensure it meets the most stringent Honda standards. That means every Certified Used Honda upholds the same dependability, quality and reliability Honda is known for.
    Here are some highlights of the
    Honda Certified Used program:
    6-year/120,000km transferable Powertrain warranty coverage, with option to upgrade to a comprehensive extended warranty
    7 days/1000km exchange privilege
    100 point inspection
    Carproof© Vehicle History Report (carproof.com
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    As a former owner of a Honda Ody, I would stay as far away from this vehicle as possible. It is a ticking time bomb and there is no doubt the transmission will fail. The dealer won't even tell you if the transmission is bad. He wants to move it from the lot. Even if the transmission has been replaced, it has been replaced with a already defective transmission by Honda. This is a no win situtation. One in which you will regret. I only had 70000 miles when my failed. The dealer told me there was nothing they could do. Honda lost a multi-million $$ class action lawsuit over these transmissions. Not to mention that the motor mounts were broke and the sliding doors would not function properly. Run as fast as you can!
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    keep in mind that the transmission you just purchased from Honda for $3800 is the same defective transmssion that they just took out. Get rid of the vehicle before you have to replace again.
  • mykiddosmykiddos Member Posts: 3
    Make sure when you get the transmissions fixed, you fix it with non-Honda parts or you will have the same problem. I wish I would have researched before buying my van. I thought they were supposed to have fixed all the problems with the 2005 model. I was wrong 85k miles and $3,100 later I now have a non-Honda transmission and a warranty to go with it. Honda lost this very loyal customer. Oh, and one other thing. The ac is a problem as well. Had mine go out completely in the middle of summer in Texas. Fortunately I had purchased the extended warranty and that was covered. The transmission was not. Honda's response. Remeber "you have all thiose miles on your car." They kept repeating it. I think they thought if they said it enough either they or myself would actually believe it.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    my SIL had a problem today. on the highway, car starting "chugging" (her description, total non-car savvy person). Says the TCS and check engine light now on. Pulled into a rest stop and couldn't find someone to really look at it, but after a rest managed to complete trip (another 150 or so miles) OK, but I don't think it was likely running right.

    145K or so on it, and at some point I think she had the tranny done, but she has no clue what was done, other than it was expensive.

    I have a feeling I know what it is, but any input appreciated.

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

  • richcarichca Member Posts: 1
    I am an original owner of a 2001 Odyssey with 79K miles and the transmission went. Why doesn't Honda recoginze the magnitude of the problems and replace the transmissions? Because they don't stand by their products period!!!

    Honda is just turning their heads to this problem. When is the government going to step in and deal with it...when a life is lost!
  • vanwaanabevanwaanabe Member Posts: 15
    I used to be a loyal Honda buyer; no more, I will never purchase another car from Honda again.

    Make sure you post your experiences on the Honda and Honda Odyssey page on Facebook.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >Make sure you post your experiences on the Honda and Honda Odyssey page on Facebook.

    Do those negative comments stay or do they get removed on Facebook....?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    I too had a 2001 Odyssey and Honda turned their back on me. It only had 70000 miles and they wanted $5000 to replace the transmission. The motor mounts were broke as well. The bad part about this is that Honda will replace your current transmssion with the same transmission that has already failed. It is useless, so you are stuck with a vehicle that in the end is still useless and unsafe. Tell your story on Facebook and other all related sites. I have. Some consumers still think this is a great vehicle and they need to know the true story. Report your concerns to the NHSTA as well. If you remember, there was a class action lawsuit on these vehicles that Honda lost to the tune of about $90 million.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    These is no class action lawsuit for everyone; only Americans.
  • geburtongeburton Member Posts: 1
    Our transmission story. About 3 weeks ago - just over 100K miles. Transmissions fails on freeway. Fortunately it failed at an exit and not in the middle of nowhere. A few calls and we get in touch with the best independent transmission repair in our neighborhood. A long tow, two weeks, a rental car to get home, and $4,000 (!) later we're back on the road with a rebuilt transmission.

    The story we got is that Honda Oddy's transmissions generally fail by 100K or so. The recommendation we went with was to buy a rebuilt (not by Honda) transmission with a 3 year warranty. We were adviced to avoid used transmissions because they all fail around this point anyway.

    This is our first Honda and I was looking forward to a car we could get 100K+ miles without problems. Didn't happen. Our last two mini-vans were Chev/GMC. I guess we should have saved some money up front and stuck with Chevy.
  • cgonzales1cgonzales1 Member Posts: 1
    This all started last summer when my A/C compressor and clutch and coil went out I had to fork out over 600 bucks even though there were numerous complaints about his issue and yes it was in July and very hot with a three year old and of course we were out of town. Now my transmission seems to be stuttering between 40-50 mph kinda shakes at the same time two days ago received a steering wheel recall and had to fight with the dealership because the warranty said 7 years or 100.000 miles well mine was at 104,000 the dealership said no I said check service bulletin 06-085 still gave me hassle. I said this was a class action lawsuit which gave me another 5,000 miles warranty. They finally excepted. I believe we need to contact the BBB and file complaints. The dealership said they haven't heard of complaints yea right. I am getting ready to start my complaints I may even take to the lemon law site on the internet.
  • pinkyroopinkyroo Member Posts: 2
    We are going to dump the damn thing in the very near future. We were left with no choice but to fix the stupid thing given we were on vacation with our three kids. Dumping it and flying home would have been just as expensive if not more so and a giagantic logistical nightmare.

    As a follow up to this, it would seem that the dealer that FIXED it did something to the steering which hasn't been right since. I'm caught in Honda Hell that the US tells me I need to take it back to the dealer that fixed it and Canada says not our problem.
  • mzigglesworthmzigglesworth Member Posts: 1
    Sounds just like what has happened to my family today. Driving home from a holiday in our 2003 odyssey, which has 89000 miles. On the freeway, car starts to rev really high. This being the second time the transmission has gone, I knew what it probably was,and was able to pull into a construction area. Van towed to the shop, where we have been told it will be anywhere from $3-5000 . Got the rental car and are now waiting to hear the final total. Second transmission only lasted about 30k miles. I'll be selling it ( hopefully) when we get home and NOT buying another honda ! :mad:
  • usetolikehondausetolikehonda Member Posts: 5
    Well it happened to me also , got screwed by Honda . I have a 2002 odssey , bought new , loved it , great van except but now I will not recommend Honda to anybody , save your money . My van is in awesome shape , waxed and polished by my son (has a detail service) 68,000 mile (2002) tranny went out drove into Community Honda , estimate was $4500-5500 , then we would send a letter to Honda and maybe get $500 , I ended up walking out because of their price gouging (rear brakes $400 ) I ended up going to a transmission shop that has been in business for 30 years , he quoted me $2650 and a three year warranty. I got it done , filed a complaint to American Honda , took them 3 days to read my 4 page letter attached with photos and a letter from trasmission guy explaining the problem with there design . The spineless guy at Honda says he understands my frustration with my low miles and tranny replacement , but Honda will not help . I told him I will not buy Honda again and I will tell everyone that will listen . As a side note that tranny shop I went to had 4 hondas in the shop at the same time , he said his record was 6 . If anyone knows of actions against Honda or petetions , please post as i will not hesistate to sign . :lemon: Thanks for listening Honda .....I will not be back to Community Honda either
  • rfreitasrfreitas Member Posts: 63
    Did you post your story here?

    http://www.odysseytransmission.com/
  • usetolikehondausetolikehonda Member Posts: 5
    edited August 2011
    Thank you , I will :lemon:
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    There are about one dozen Community Honda dealers. Which one & city, state did you buy from? I take it the transmission shop is a franzise; what's their name? I too have a 2002 (bought new) in Canada. Transmision replaced at 184,000 kms. Honda paid half the cost. Currently have 283,000 kms. Last August I put in a after-market (not Honda type) transmission cooler. Over the last several months changed the transmission fluid to Honda's synthetic. You should write to the Amerian Honda President.
  • usetolikehondausetolikehonda Member Posts: 5
    Community honda in waterloo , iowa . Which cooler did you put in ? That was my next move . The tranny place was Metro transmission the owner was a great guy , they got the rebuilt from Chicago . Do you have the presidents address , I got no where with the posted address , if you dont feel comfortable with posting it , i can send you my email address , even though a few thousand letter would not hurt him....... :lemon:
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    The Honda story continues.

    Honda Motor said Friday it will recall more than two million vehicles in the United States and China to update the software that controls their automatic transmission.

    Honda said in a press release on its US site that the vehicles in the voluntary recall will include Accord, CR-V and Element models.

    No injuries or deaths have been reported, the statement said.

    Honda China said in a statement on its website it had notified the nation's quality watchdog that from Monday, it would recall 760,515 cars to update the software that controls their automatic transmission.

    The auto giant said the vehicles in the recall would include Accord, Odyssey and Spirior models, manufactured between July 2004 and November 2009.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    I just did a lot of Googling to find your information. I am in Canada; where rhe Honda President is for Canada. In the USA it's a differernt President.
    The site I found has all the information you need.
    Go to
    http://www.nada.org/Advocacy+Outreach/IndustryRelations/Yearbooks/NADA+Yearbook/- honda.htm
  • usetolikehondausetolikehonda Member Posts: 5
    THANKS , I will give it a shot , at this point I dont have much to lose , let me know if you see anything else happening that will help our case..... :lemon:
  • julecat1julecat1 Member Posts: 2
    This is my second Odyssey, both bought used from dealers who are family. My '99 bought in '03 lasted 3yrs and the trans was going-it had only 72,000 mi on it. So in '07 we traded for the '04 with 63,000 mi on it. Perfect condition and history-and have kept it as such through out. No problems for an almost 7yr old vehicle that has 127,000mi now. In the last week, I cant' get the car to shift into drive normally and when I do, the car doesn't move fro about 10 seconds. Shift into Reverse, car wont move. When it finally moved, I hear whining noises. Driving down the road yesterday, it seemed like the engine was revving and I wasn't going steady at 30mph, but felt like I was going to shut down any second. I tried to shift down to D3, wouldn't let me. NOt sure what I was doing, but I thank God that me and my little ones made it home. Husband comes home and manages to get the car to a recommended trans shop where they tell him that it's completely shot, torque converter, 3rd drum and whatever else they said that I can't recall right now. I am about to be $2500=Tax poorer for a rebuilt. Had we had to have it towed, it would've been $3 grand+. I would never take it to the Honda dealer as I would be ripped of to the tune of $4-5 grand. I also will never buy a Honda again-a very hard decision for us as we have always been a Honda family :(
  • jmnygaardjmnygaard Member Posts: 48
    My 2002 tranny went out at 126,000 miles. I took it to an independent shop and got a new one for $2400. My ex drives a Toyota Tundra. He had to get a new tranny at 80,000 miles. His best friend drives a Toyota Tacoma and got a new tranny last week at 60,000 miles. Prior to purchasing my Odyssey, I drove a Mazda 626. I loved that car, but by 115,000 miles, it was costing me thousands of dollars a year to keep it running. When I finally got rid of it at 142,000 miles, I felt it was dangerous to drive.

    My van now has 139,000+ miles on it. I took it in yesterday for a new timing belt. The mechanic kept telling me what great shape the vehicle was in and that I should get another 100,000 miles out of it. This surprised me, because I don't take real good care of it. I know the Odysseys have issues, but I still feel like my van is a safe, solid vehicle, and overall I am pleased with it.
  • phu4phu4 Member Posts: 3
    I purchased my 2003 Honda Odyssey in the summer of 2002. It has about 98,000 miles mostly on high way. It gave me a few minor problems in 9 years until very recently. All of a sudden, the car jerked 3-4 times when going up hill at about 40 miles/h with A/C on the day before yesterday. I never had this before and was hoping that the jerk was caused by a sudden on/off of its air condition. After that, the car started to have difficulty to shift its gears at about 40 mile/h (from 4th to 5th gear?) especially going up hill even without air condition.

    Does the car have a transmission problem? Should I get it fixed or get rid of the car? What can I expect if I contact American Honda or local Honda dealers.

    It looks like 0.1% of Honda Odyssey have had transmission problem.

    http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/03/honda-odyssey-owners-report-transmission-tro- ubles-inconsistent-response-from-maker.html

    Thanks.

    Paul
  • longo2longo2 Member Posts: 347
    Yes it 'could be worse', much worse.
    You now have 13,000 miles on the re-built and as you mentioned you, "don't take real good care of it."
    For less than a hundred bucks you can have a "drain and fill" with Honda's new DW1 synthetic done on your a/t re-build to clean out any debris from the overhaul.
    I'll bet the shop that did the re-build would be delighted that you want to do it, or it's a pretty easy DIY project that might just give you that extra 100,000 miles.

    I am glad you are pleased with your Ody, even tho the original tranny needed a re-build at 126,000 miles. (Many Odys' didn't make it that far)
  • jmnygaardjmnygaard Member Posts: 48
    :) Thanks.
  • pbmanpbman Member Posts: 1
    My 2002-Odyssey ( 108K miles) started giving some serious jerky motion while driving over 45 mph. Took it to the Honda dealer today to learn that it is a transmission issue and the damage would be close $5,400. Any help to fix this at lower cost would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    I forgot to mention that the cooler I put in was Tru-Cool #4452 that cost me $226 taxes (13%) included; bought from Sauder's Camping in St. Jacobs, Ontario near Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • ibeplatoibeplato Member Posts: 13
    have your dealer call Honda and see if they will help out. We got the same price quote and Honda of America offered to kick in $1k. We still ended up getting rid of the van and buying a new one.
  • jmnygaardjmnygaard Member Posts: 48
    See if you can find an independent transmission place. Mine cost $2400.
  • usetolikehondausetolikehonda Member Posts: 5
    What ever you do dont go to Honda Dealer , find a good transmission place that has been around it will be half the money and better warranty . Honda is losing alot of customers over this deal . They dont care ....Toyotas from now on......... :lemon:
  • mdeshmukhmdeshmukh Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 Honda has 115K miles on it. I have taken care of it meticulously by doing regular oil changes and major mile services at Honda dealers. I found out that the transmission now needs replacement. The quote from the dealer is for $4600! I am really rethinking whether Hondas are as dependable as we thought. This is our second bad experience with a Honda. The first one was when an alternator went out on our fairly new Accord (just a month past warranty expiration date) and put a hole in our pocket
  • sww2sww2 Member Posts: 9
    Be sure to tell your stories on facebook and the "new car buying experience? page on this forum to let people know.
  • surfsalterpathsurfsalterpath Member Posts: 20
    .....what is the facebook link?
  • mielandthadmielandthad Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2011
    Howdy,

    After a complete service, we started on a three-week loop through the Southwest in late July in our 2000 Odyssey with 127,000 miles on it. On the first leg from the San Francisco Bay Area down to Los Angeles the check engine light came on; a trip to a dealership service department in Anaheim got us the diagnosis of impending transmission failure. $5,200 later we were back on our way with a remanufactured transmission.

    When we got home I called Honda of America and got the old "Gee, we're so sorry, but too bad." If this is what we have to expect from Honda from one of their top vehicles, we'll never buy Honda again. We had an '88 Civic that had 280,000 miles on it and only ended up in the junkyard after the third rear-ending, and so were really sold on Hondas. No longer. Buy at your own peril!
  • rfreitasrfreitas Member Posts: 63
    Facebook page is here:
    http://www.facebook.com/hondaodyssey

    Post your story here too:
    http://www.odysseytransmission.com/
  • phu4phu4 Member Posts: 3
    My 2003 Odyssey tranny started to slip. Took it to a dealer and got a quote for over 5K. American Honda provided a "goodwill" help for about $1000. We eventually traded it in. I would be very careful buying any Honda big cars with automatic transmission. Smaller Honda cars seem to be doing fine. I still own a manual Civic. It has been doing fine.
  • edfamilyhondaedfamilyhonda Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2004 honda odyssey with 111,111 miles and we currently live overseas in England. My check engine and TCS light came on five days ago and since then it has been down hill. It has trouble getting into reverse and now it is scipping really bad in 2nd and 3rd gear. I took it to the UK honda and since it is US spec and has to ship the transmission from the states it will cost 7500 pounds and with the exchange rate it would be about 12000 dollars. We do not have many choices as they are not many shops that will work on american spec cars. We loved the van up until this all staredWe have to make the choice to get rid of the car as it is not worth that much. We are really in a bind as we are a family of six and this is our only transportation. I think we will go with a Toyota the next time.
  • donethat_1donethat_1 Member Posts: 66
    get rid of the car now why there is still some value. I went to trade mine in and the first thing they asked mme was "have you had work done to the transmission." It is a well known issue that Honda is wlaking away from unfortunately. Like you, I bought something other than a Honda. I will no longer buy any of their products.
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