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Honda Odyssey Droning/Humming Noise

yeppoyeppo Member Posts: 17
2006 EX-L

Its been now 2 weeks since I have had my Odyssey. I keep getting a loud droning noise at around 40mph (somtimes) and between 59-64 mph (always). This goes away at speeds higher than that. Given that at an average we drive around that speed, it is painful. Is this a known issue as I don't want to take the car to the dealer for nothing.

Thanks,

Yeppo
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Comments

  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    I have a 2006EX with the same problem,4,000 miles.
    It seems lots of others do to,I don,t know if anyone
    knows the fix,
  • jntjnt Member Posts: 316
    Yeppo,

    Many people have complained about this same booming sound problem on EX-L and Touring models since 05 Model Year. So it is a carried over problem. If you also look at the Tach , you should also notice the sound typically happens between 2200- 2500 RPM. At high speed (above 70 MPH), the problem goes away. My 05 has it from the first day we got the vehicle. It sounds like air induction resonant noise and it spoils the overall very nice and quiet powertrain. No one has reported any word from Honda yet. They probably deny the problem at first.

    jt
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    I told my dealer about my 2006ex with the Humming/droning noise and he said this is the first he heard about it,
    I told him Honda is suppose to be working on a fix for it.
    I hope they can fix it,I had a 2000 and 2003 and this
    will be my last Honda if they can't fix it.
  • chemosensorchemosensor Member Posts: 2
    I have the exactly same noise problem with my 06 EX-L. The humming resonating sound is really annoying. I have contacted a local dealer but haven't heard back from them yet. :mad:
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    I forgot the vibration that comes with it,do you have the vibration?
  • fred222fred222 Member Posts: 200
    Its been now 2 weeks since I have had my Odyssey. I keep getting a loud droning noise at around 40mph (somtimes) and between 59-64 mph (always). This goes away at speeds higher than that. Given that at an average we drive around that speed, it is painful. Is this a known issue as I don't want to take the car to the dealer for nothing.
    The Odyssey EX-L and Touring have special active engine mounts and active noise cancellation through the stereo to help negate the out of balance condition which is present when the VCM system is operating. This is a characteristic of this engine and is not going to change. I was aware of this prior to purchasing the vehicle and am actually surprised how well the system works considering that half of the cylinders, all on one side are not firing when the VCM operates.
  • badger800badger800 Member Posts: 2
    I think most of us would be a little more tolerant of the droning noise and the noticeable activation/deactivation of the VCM if our Honda's gave us all the mileage we were expecting. I've only got 6K so far, so I'm hoping that by the time I have 10K and the weather warms up a bit my mileage will improve but I'm not holding my breath. I do agree with the last post about the ABS (no biggy).
  • ac2000ac2000 Member Posts: 36
    but the noise AND vibration are there even if VCM is not kicked in (ECO light is off and full 6 cylinders are active). I think it is a design flaw, not what it suppose to do.
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    I have a 2006EX Without VCM And still have the
    Humming/droning and vibration.
    This is my third Odyssey with the ABS noise and no
    brake problems.
  • jen123jen123 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 06 EXL with 800 miles. I can feel the fine engine vibration from the steering wheel and break pedal.When I stop at traffic light I can feel the break pedal's very fine vibration.I think this is probably normal for odyssey. I had honda civic,accord and acura vigor before, never felt such vibration. I try to ignore it. I also noticed the ABS sound or noise a few second after the van starts to move. I think this is normal too.
  • jntjnt Member Posts: 316
    I have a 2006EX Without VCM And still have the
    Humming/droning and vibration.
    This is my third Odyssey with the ABS noise and no
    brake problems.


    It is informative to know this humming noise is also present to non-VCM vehicles. I suspect it is related to the air induction system resonant frequency. Hopefully it is not misprogramming of the transmission (shift to wrong gear that bog down the engine).

    jt
  • clarkesodyclarkesody Member Posts: 1
    I Have a 2005 Touring Ody (second Ody in all) and I must say, there is no droning sound, my side doors work fine after 15,000 miles and other than the PAX tires being too hard to grip anything but a dry road, the car is rock-solid and drives like a BMW 5-series. Of course, I also live up at 5000 feet mean sea level and am not producing the engine power you low-landers may (25% less due to decrease of air density). I came to this board to see if anyone else had issues with the tires....but no. However, I did also have the rubber around the windshield replaced due to wind noise that is now gone. If I was to do it again..I wonder if I'd get a EX with Leather just so I could decide on the tires vs getting those PAX tires...which corner great...but are too hard to grip anything. Good luck to you all. John :P
  • ac2000ac2000 Member Posts: 36
    try the followings to see if you have the same problem with me:
    1. turn of the headlight and AC, drive to a normal speed, say 45 mph, and stop the car slowly. you should hear noise when the car is close to a complete stop. When the car is in complete stop, you can feel very high freq engine vibration from the steering wheel and break pedal. You can make the vibration go away by simply pulling the power window switch (open or close, it doesn't matter)

    2. get you engine rpm to ~2500 in driving, the engine vibration is so bad that i can feel it from the steering wheel, gas pedal, and even the turn signal switch. rpm higher or lower than 2500 don't produce the same intensity of vibration

    The vibration and noise really bother me a lot, especially driving long distance. The vibration at high speed (~75mph) makes my palm numb sometimes. I actually wish i have tire noise problem instead of vibration since i can always buy better tires to fix it. However, i can't do anything with the vibration and humming noise. By the way, i visited 3 different dealers in my area, and none of them can fix or diagnoise the problem. Honda American customer services is also helpless. I actually suggest 2 of my friends not to buy ody because of this problem (+ a whinning PS pump when the outside temp is low)
  • hi_there_hi_there_ Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 EX Cloth (without VCM) has the same problem. I took it to the Dealer today. They are very helpful. During the test drive, the mechanic told me that it comes from the pipe. The air resonates in the pipe at around 2.2K RPM. He's heard lots of complaints about this with Odyssey. He told me that it is not a defect and it will not get worse. Let's hope that he is right.
  • moses7moses7 Member Posts: 25
    I too have a similar problem with my '05 EX, my vehicle makes a "louder than normal" sound when trying to maintain a constant speed or on slight acceleration. And it doesn't seem to be MPH range specific. This sound is very annoying, it sounds like the trans is lugging or a leak in the air intake, or both.

    Wondering if it would help if everyone complained to Honda USA. There has to be a fix for this problem....

    I am very disgruntled!!!
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    I think I have good news for some of you who have this resonating humming noise.

    But first, I would like to describe the problem I had in my 2006 EX-L Odyssey with less than 2K miles.

    Under acceleration, at any speed, if the rpm is between 2100 and 2300, the front of the car started to vibrate more than usual. If the rpm is maintained in the range, the vibration caused a humming noise that filtered into the cabin. The noise resembles the noise you make when you hum. It is a low frequency noise and could get really loud and was very annoying.

    I took it the my dealer twice. I had a mechanic sit with me for a test drive and he could hear the noise. He did a throughout checkout of the car, from engine mounts, to transmission, to exhaust system but did not find anything obvious. The plan was to call Honda hotline to see whether there was a resolution to a similar problem. Two weeks later, I took it back and left it at the dealer for 3 days. They finally figured out what the problem was.

    The problem came from the A-pipe. I am no mechanic I have to admit. The A-pipe is a pipe somewhere between the exhaust manifold and muffler. The mesh of the A-pipe was loose according to the description of the resolution. It was replaced and the humming noise and vibration are now history.

    Hopefully, those who have a similar problem can have it fixed as easily as mine.

    Cheers,
  • jntjnt Member Posts: 316
    stn5900,

    Thanks for the info. That will help many of us who have experienced this problem for quite a while.

    jt
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    This sounds like great news,this being my third Odyssey
    and being the nicest of them all.
    But the vibration/droning spoils it,In the mountains its horrible.
    I've been on this forum 6 years and it bothers me that
    the Honda sales people want us to think were nuts.
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    rob123,

    I think you might have the same problem. The noise in my car was particularly worse under acceleration and especially uphill. In that case, it became almost unbearable. The entire cabin resonated so much that even kids noticed it.

    You need to be persistent and bug your dealer. After all, it is theirs obligations to fix it. If many of us report the same problem, Honda will eventually issue a recall. This seems to be a design issue with the exhaust system. I drove 2 more Odysseys, a friend's and a coworker's. One of them, a 06 model, bought a month earlier than mine has a much less noticeable noise while the other, a 05 model, was fine.

    Good luck.
  • moses7moses7 Member Posts: 25
    stn5900,

    Thank you for a most infomative reply. I can take this information to my Dealer and be persistant on a fix....
    Again thank you !!!!!!

    Regards,
  • ac2000ac2000 Member Posts: 36
    stn5900,
    is it possible for you to scan and post your service record so that we can take it to our dealers? I have tried 3+ times to fix the vibration problem but all i am getting is "there is nothing wrong. it's a characteristic of my van"..thanks
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    ac2000,

    I don't have a scanner but I will provide all the details that are in my service record, including part numbers and descriptions of the problem and resolution as reported by the technician who fixed the problem.

    If the noise you hear is mild, the dealer might not do anything. But if you feel the vibrations under acceleration and they turn into the loud humming noise, you definitely need to bug you dealer. I my case, it happened at any speed regardless of the VCM state and especially bad uphill because the engine and transmission seemed to be working harder.

    I'll give the details this evening as I don't have the record with me now.
  • greenvangreenvan Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 EXL RES with the droning humming noise. It happens at different RPMs. It happens when you are at a constant speed, not under accerlerations or underrun. At 1500 RPM it happens a lot. The dealer said they all do it, but my friends 2005 with VCM does not do it. Please post a solution if you have repaired the problem.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    I have 2006 ODY EXL-RES. I was unable to reproduce this or at least not sure i was trying correctly. I tried with two ways. Raise gas when car is in P and brind RPM between 2100-2300 but no humming or vibration. The second way is when car is running and did not notice this. Am I doing this correctly?
    Thanks for all reply.
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    bhola,

    Does your Ody have the humming noise? If so, you should be able to hear it easily. After you notice the noise, glance at the tachmeter. Next time try to keep the rpm around that range.

    Not all Ody have the problem.
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    ac2000,

    Here is the information you requested.

    The description of the resolution:

    A Pipe has loose internel mesh piping.
    Replace A-Pipe Assembly and seals. Road test to verify repair.

    The list of parts are:

    QTY Number Description
    1 18210-SHJ-A01 Pipe A, E
    1 18393-SDB-A00 Gasket, P
    2 18212-SA7-003 Gasket, E
    6 90212-671-005 Nut 10mm

    I hope this will help.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    I was not able to reproduce humming noise. Is this only comes during driving? I tried both idle car by pressing gas padal and during driving.-B
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    Mine made the humming noise under normal driving condition when the rpm was between 2100 and 2300 under acceleration. I never tried to rev the engine up in neutral. A few times I pushed the button on the gear shift to set to D3 but failed to reproduce it. It seems to me that when engine's rev is high enough there is enough power. Under normal driving conditions, my guess is, the transmission tries to choose the best gear for the situations.

    Anyhow, if you haven't notice a loud humming noise, chances are that your car is just fine.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    stn5900,

    Thanks for your response. The question is what speed you drive to get rpm between 2100 and 2300? I tried this with speed up to 65mph and my rpm is still or at 2100.-B
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    bhola,

    Almost at any gear and speed, when you accelerate the rpm usually crosses this range. The trick is to keep it in the range as soon as you notice a humming noise. If you are not light on your right foot, the rpm tends to move out of the range fairly quickly, in which case you would not easily detect it. I could hear the noise in city driving as well as on highways. Mine was most noticeable under acceleration and uphill when the engine works harder than when cruising. The noise went away as soon as I eased myy foot off the accelerator.

    Did you ever notice a humming noise. Mine was terrible.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    stn5900,

    I will give it shot tonight as you mention. I have never heard or notice humming noise of course my car has only 640 miles. The question is do you have this noise form day one? I will post my results tonight after the test.-B
  • sparky15sparky15 Member Posts: 4
    Hey, join the club. See #133, right after you.
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    bhola,

    Mine had it since day one. I took it to the dealer when it had less than 1K miles. If you haven't heard the noise, your car is fine. You would not have missed. After I had it fixed, it is now pretty pleasant to drive.

    S.
  • bholabhola Member Posts: 15
    stm5900,

    I was unable to hear any humming or noise so my car seems fine for now. I will keep watching and report back. I am glad your car is fixed now.

    BTW, my milage also not so good- 17 mpg driving in city. Seems to be good then other people are posting but less then what Honda claims.-B
  • ash217ash217 Member Posts: 6
    What was the fix. My dealer is clueless. Thanks.
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    ash217,

    See message #106 where I described the problem I had.

    Good luck to you.
  • docsergeydocsergey Member Posts: 6
    Same here, very irritating nose under acceleration around 2100 rpm.
    This is not a NORMAL SOUND! How to make HONDA admit it.
  • samjaynessamjaynes Member Posts: 2
    I just purchased my Odyssey about two weeks ago, and noticed this noise shortly after. I have an appointment to take it to the dealer soon. The noise is as mentioned, typically around 60 mph.

    I called HONDA AMERICA as noted, and they show nothing on their records. HOWEVER, it seems that the number of customer complaints are not accounted for. The gentleman said that it is the dealer that needs to report the error to Honday serveral times on the same vehicle to invoke a Service Bulletin. So, the dealer looks like they need to start wheels turning. They would not give me a reference number to document my call.

    First new car, and what do I get in return... Nice looking, poor sounding.
  • moses7moses7 Member Posts: 25
    EVERYONE… I’ve called every service manager in Central Ohio
    trying to find a fix for my humming/droning Odyssey. All deny
    having any knowledge of a humming problem relating to the
    2005-2006 Odyssey.

    Today, I had my “A pipe” replaced to no avail.... Now get this, the service manager tells me that the Honda America engineers have solved this problem but wouldn’t be releasing a fix/recall until the 2007 model debut.

    Also, people plagued with this problem now would just have to wait.....

    I'm ticked off to say the least.....
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    This is very interesting. I am presently looking for a replacement for my 2003 Accord. I will either purchase another Accord, (2006 or 2007), or I might move up to an Odyssey, (2006 or 2007). I have been following all the repair issues related to the Odyssey; (trans, automatic doors and now the "HUMMING NOISE"!) I would love to own the Odyssey, but I do not want to purchase a problem vehicle, (even though I will put the maximum extended warranty that is available from Honda on this vehicle). Why do customers have to wait for a "fix"! Don't we pay enough for these vehicles????? ---- Best Regards. ----- Dwayne :confuse:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Didn't you have some other cars on your short list of replacement vehicles...

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • ac2000ac2000 Member Posts: 36
    sounds like honda is going to address the issue for the 2007 model but not 05 and 06 owners. well, i suggested 2 of my friends not to buy ody because of the problems i am experiencing..and this will be my last honda (owned 2 hondas prior to ody). honda is losing their loyal customers if they don't take good care of them!!
  • rob123rob123 Member Posts: 21
    This is my third Odyssey,I almost bought the toyoto
    this time. I will the next time.
  • davidbhdavidbh Member Posts: 8
    I am not going to buy Honda also.
    DL
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    My list of possible replacement vehicles keeps changing as new vehicles hit the market and my needs change. I like the Honda Odyssey,the Chevrolet Impala, Buick and the Honda Accord, but I think Honda could do more for the consumer in terms of product quality. Certainly the Honda v6 transmission issue and the automatic door problem on the Odyssey has been in existance for a number of years.(Two small problems, that if corrected, could make for a fantastic product!)I also own a Ford Mustang that is my fun vehicle, and that has issues too! I would purchase a Toyota, but in doing so, I would loose my Honda dealer and their GREAT service. Recently, I had the windshield replaced at the Honda Dealer. They gave me a new Hyundai Sonata, (and Enterprise Car) to use for the day. (I pay for the insurance & fuel, and they pay for the vehicle). I really liked the Hyundai. I like it so much that I stopped at a Hyundai Dealership and talked to a sales person. The car was VERY comforatble, but later in the day, when I got it on the highway at 55 - to - 65 mph in a cross wind, it was no Honda Accord. There must be a weight difference, because there was a control issue with this vehicle in the wind. I was happy to get back into my Accord. -----Best reagrds. ----Dwayne ;)
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    if we are to believe the numbers on this site, it appears the hyundai tips the scale on weight.

    as far as controllability and crosswind sensitivity - one of the very attractive aspects of the Hondas i have driven is what i can expect from the cars re: road feedback, vehicle dynamics and stability, which for the accord and the odyssey is quite acceptable to me. this is an important consideration for some drivers when selecting a vehicle to own and operate on a daily basis.

    i too have been in rentals while on travel and have been "blown away" ;) by the different experience re: road feedback, steering response, and crosswind sensitivity to my accord. admittedly, i do not have any information w.r.t. crosswind sensitivity in my odyssey vs. some other van as i only have rented sedans and test drives of vans occured on pretty calm days.

    i assume vehicle weight is a factor, but suspension and steering setup probably play significant roles among others (perhaps tire size / inflation)? just guessing.

    if your lucky enough to have the opportunity, people should try to test drive a car on windy days. ;) you wouldn't want a car that is so sensitive you feel you're fighting the thing, specially if it's gusty. what a major pain that would be.
  • khoakhoa Member Posts: 64
    This is just sad for Honda, even worse for not trying to fix it or issue TSBs. If the Honda service doesn't know how to fix these problems, who would?
  • ac2000ac2000 Member Posts: 36
    update: I had the A-pipe replaced (plus the power steering pump) this Saturday. Wow, i can really hear the engine roaring now!! it's a day and night difference!! I can still feel a little bit vibration at ~1500 and ~2500 rpm but the humming noise is almost eliminated (not 100% though). Maybe the engine mount needs to be replaced as well. Anyone has their engine mount replaced? How do you describe your problem to dealer? thanks
  • stn5900stn5900 Member Posts: 21
    ac2000,

    It looks like the problem your car had was similar to mine.
    After I had my A-pipe replaced, the humming noise was virtually gone. Now after a few weeks, I can still hear it when the rpm is at about 2200. I would say the noise is now reduced by 90%. The vibrations can still be felt, specially on the front passenger side with your feet on the floor. I will keep bugging my dealer every time I take my can in for service to let them know that the problem is still there. There is a design flaw somewhere in the area of the exhaust system including the attached points.
  • mentoromentoro Member Posts: 11
    Today I took my 2006 Odyssey in to the dealership to try to resolve the humming (resonance) heard at 2100 (+-100) rpm. A mechanic took a ride with me and I demonstrated the problem. He agreed that he can feel and hear the hum. They kept the van for the day. They replaced the A-pipe with a stock car pipe but the sound persisted. They tested two other new stock cars on the lot and replicated the problem. Finally they called Honda tech line which informed them that this is neither a safety issue or a mechanical problem (I guess annoyance doesn't count). So essentially they cannot do anything about it since its 'part of normal operation of the vehicle'. I don't see CR reporting this when they picked the Odyssey as the best minivan - Hey buyer, as a bonus you get free humming sounds at 2100 rpm.

    My next step is contacting Honda and trying to convince them that this is a problem - maybe not a mechanical or safety issue, certainly an annoyance issue.

    If you have an issue with this humming / droning sound, call Honda and let them know.

    :confuse:
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