Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

cwalti

Hello, I am NOT from your kick off group, but I have a few questions since you too have owned the Ody since '98. I got our Ody in April of '99. I have read a lot about transmitions going south... Has yours? Mine is still fine at 75.000+ miles. What is the highest milage you know of one of these trannies has run?
Also my LH latch motor just quit on me, has this happened to anyone, what is the replacement cost? Fuse 13 does NOT fix the problem, BTW the "fuse 13 trick" is extensively described in the official Honda manual. (I always buy the full factory manual when I buy a new car. For the first five to ten years it just lays in a corner, but then it really pays off!)

Chris...

fezo

Checkin - a couple of points. While I don't have one of the first Odys (mine is a 2002 with just over 100K on the clock) it did the 66K transmision dance at no cost to me (honda even picked up the rental) and otherthan maintenence which is admittedly pricey there have been no issues.

As to the old timer you inquired about drop me a line and maybe I can help. His 99 Ody must be approaching 15K. He doesn't travel much.

pat84

I had a 99, too. One day my check engine light came on at 68K miles. The Ody was locked in 2nd gear. I drove it to my dealer, who had maintained it since it was a baby. The transmission was bad with no reverse.
They do not replace bad transmissions with Honda transmissions. They put in rebuilt trannys.
It took over 3 weeks to get a rebuilt tranny. The first two rebuilts both had problems. It took a 3rd one to get one that worked. Honda paid for it, although at the time 99's were not included in the replacement tranny list. They even covered a tiny rental car.
I traded it in a week after i got it back.
Marjoe has been thrown out of here for good.
Some of us keep in touch with him. Check the link with Fezo. :lemon:

checkin2

Health kinda kicked my yuppers so I only have 76K on my '99 Ody. I did do the transmission warranty replacement dilly-bob at about 68K(if I remember correctly, it wasn't a rebuilt but some pieces and parts replaced internally-I'll have to check). I didn't sense a big problem(a couple short shift delays), but my concerns were apparently enough for my wise local Honda Ser. Dept. to honor thy warranty to little checkin. The passenger power door had a bout of tantrums by not wanting to close all the way, but would act like the perfect child whenever I headed towards Honda. But one day I caught up with the brat right before the extended warranty expired(worth every dime of the $855) and they replaced the motor on the door($276). Oh, and I had the back brakes replaced (Opinion: I still don't believe they needed it), but not bad considering the way I rely on this 7 1/2 year old. For me, getting me there was my top priority, so far it has(knock on plastic). Sorry for some of your nightmares; I KNOW the feeling as I owned a Dodge Caravan.
Marjoe...you didn't? It's one thing to go "transie" but to a DC?!?!?!?! Trans, DC and booted to boot? No Way! I can't take it. I am going to roll over if I'm told our dear KarenS toasted your hinny(SOMEONE lead me to the chapter..)Holy, things DO change. It probably won't take me long then.
Margiekish35: You don't happen to be one of those that..you know...hang out on MySpace do you?

user777

they do replace transmissions with Honda transmissions. they may be rebuilts, but rebuilts are essentially all new components minus the transmission enclosure which is re-used.

i'm surprised you got 2 rebuilts that didn't work. perhaps this happened as a result of poor shipping or poor installation.

one of the reasons manufacturers replace the whole thing is that making changes to a few parts internally requires all sorts of equipment and knowlege - it's better to have that work done by a qualified team and let the dealerships manage replacement of the entire unit.

fezo

That hapened because it was pat. He seems to attract these things. Ask him about his computer.

There seems to be no doubt that there is something on the trannies, but like others here they replaced mine with a Honda rebuild. I am now playing the odds that tranny number 2 (not 4 like pat) lasts as least as long as tranny number 1. If it does then the whole thing has been worth it.

Will I look about the market more next time around but am hoping to delay that by at least 3 or 4 years. Will hit no car payments at all in October and would like to keep it taht way for a while.

pat84

My point was it is not a new factory built transmission.
The first bad transmission did not have all the parts. I do not know where they got it. The second rebuilt was from Illinois. It had water inside it. They apparently expected my dealer to rebuild it. The third rebuilt tranny, the one that was good, was from CA. My dealer would receive and then send the bad transmission back and order a new one.
My Odyssey was in the shop a little over 3 weeks. I was driving a rental Chevy Cavileer for those 3+ weeks. Honda picked up they rental, but not the rental insurance.
At the time, Honda had excluded 99's from their 100K mile transmission replacement warranty.
According to my dealer, a new Honda rebuild would cost $6K plus labor. I figured Honda would not spring for a 2nd tranny for my 99. (Later I found they did include the 99's like all the other year's tranny warranties.)
But, I had already traded it in on a Toyota 4 Runner. A great decision. I have the Sport V-8, 4 Runner. Aside from having a real sound system, and stopping 60 to 0 in 128 feet, I take it out on the beach. All that for 1.2 MPG less than the Odyssey.
As Fezo noted, I have a Dell 8700. It has had 2 major software problems, a blown mother board and fried hard drive. DELL's technical support are mahouts, who were pulling teak logs out of the jungle with their elephants last week. Now they work for Mike Dell.
"Disconnect all the connections to your computer. Turn it on its side and open it like a suitcase. Take out all the memory sticks and all the printed circuit cards. Now plug it in and tell me what lights are lit on the back of the computer. Ah, you have a bad mother board." Actual conversation with a DELL mahout.
They came out and replaced it. I had to buy a new anti- virus program. The one I had, left with old mother board.
When the hard drive failed, I got a computer geek friend to recover most of the data. My pictures and music were recovered. All Office files were lost. I got a totally blank hard drive. I had to load windows XP, my anti virus, Outlook, my e-mail ISP program and IE6 from Microsoft's web sites. I loaded most every other program too. I had CD's from Dell for most of what was on my computer. Fortunately, I am fairly computer literate. Unfortunately, some of the programs I had, are no longer supported by DELL. So I have less capability. No Video drivers are available, so my TV tuner, that I paid considerable extra for, is now a non funtional POS.
Compared to my DELL, my Odyssey was a wonderful mechanical marvel.

user777

i don't think any manufacturer puts in a replacement which is a new unit do they?

i doubt the people in Illinois expected your dealership to do any rebuilding.

sounds like this might have all happened when the problem was first comming to light? maybe not.

pat84

I don't know what other manufactures do.
The fact that a transmission was sent with water in it and rusted inside, making it totally unusable as is, could not have been an oversight.
I made the assumption that they expected my dealer to rebuild it. Perhaps, they were just incompetent and stupid and thought my dealer would just put in in and call me.
This was well after Honda knew they had Odyssey transmission problems. It was a 99, that I had 68 K miles on it in DEC 2003, when the tranny failed. As I pointed out, Honda excluded 99's at first, but did cover mine any way. I bought my 4 Runner on Dec 31, 2003. Later, Honda did cover 99's with the same transmission warranty as they had previously covered later years. So Honda knew they had transmission problems when my 99 failed.
I even had a dealer installed towing kit with a transmission oil cooler in my 99. I never towed anything. I had it installed for more transmission reliability.
Coming home from work, the check engine light and ABS lights both came on. The Odyssey was locked in 2nd gear.
i went straight to my honda dealer. That's when i was quoted $6k plus labor. My Dealer went to bat for me with Honda to get them to cover it.
The funniest part about this whole thing is the Honda service rep who helped me, came to work for Toyota in their service department.

maltb

I never owned an Odyssey but if I did I know it wouldn't be a rare and valuable DVBP.

fezo

You do lead an interesting life, Pat. I thin of you when I hear the expression "would you buy a used car from this man?"

margie35

My rare & valuable Deep Velvet Blue Pearl '99 Ody EX is prob'ly worth > $100,000 at auction at Sotheby's. Even more if I didn't have so many miles on it.

Yup, just blew right thru 14,500 and may hit 15,000 by Christmas.

maltb

"Yup, just blew right thru 14,500 and may hit 15,000 by Christmas."

Yeah, but how many miles do you have on your Rascal?

Did you ever know a rascal in cleveland?

margie35

I gotchur rascal rat cheer.

checkin2

I scwuwed up door cost! If I did not have the extended warranty, the paperwork shows the door close motor and junction switches installed would have been a whopping $560 for the power slide door fix. The transmission replacement warranty dilly-bob shows A/T Kit...wondering if that means my service dept. has all sorts of equipment and knowledge? Hmm. When I took it in for oil change, I asked about a few things like wheel alignment, etc. Since I have Toyo's "Leshy" would have done it free. I was curious to some of the expenses and checking the worth to my time. Well, lets just say Honda ended up apologizing and reimbursing me over $70 in a quick manner...I'm a little shy about price checking anymore.

But I have bigger problems! I've been a member here since '98...I was short changed 3 yrs!

Hey, "Old Friends" I'm hot on your trail BUT "Cheesh!"...ya' sure know how to test a girls patience! It's all coming back to me why I lost touch...the "grinder" that I use to post about could beat the Rascal anyday, but now my Ody is even newer...

Speaking of getting older; I could take anyone a 'round of "quirks & clouds". But here's a fun trivia for ya': A few weeks back a state driver parks big bus-mobile too close to checkin's Ody (they guessed her age an '02**purrr*). Checkin laughs very hard that operator drops handicap lift right down the side of Ody. I am still laughing hard, hard, hard.... Can anyone guess why? LOL..

user777

pat - certainly Honda didn't ship a transmission with water in it and rust on purpose. most likely the shipping people left it out in the rain rather than processing it through their facility like other items. i'm sure after the dealership received it, Honda contacted the shipper about it.

anyway - from what i've always been led to believe - transmissions that are new go in new vehicles. the ones encountering issues are typically sent to a repair / refurbishment center where they are rebuilt with new parts. this is not a unique situation to Honda.

southernjones

My 2002 Odyssey is having a problem with the ac temp at low speeds or idling. As long as I am going at a hwy speed, the air will cool (though not all the way). When slow or idling, it is equivalent to outside air. Fan seems to be running. Any guesses as to what the problem is?

cwalti

Check again, this sounds like the classic sign of a fan NOT running... There are two fans that need to run when the AC is on...

viva3m

Mr. donvan11,
It happened to my Odyssey also. When the engine check light was on, Honda Pasadena charge me $84 to check. Then they charge me $9 to replace fuel cap.
Then 3 weeks later the engine light was on again (7/19/06).
This time I brought it to another Honda dealer ($90 inspection charge). Most likely Transmission failed again after been replaces at 53000 and at 80000 miles.

amistry

I recently discovered that the winshiled washer tube that sits under the hood of my odyssey is severed. I wonder how could that have happened. I had seen that tube coming out of the clamp before. It appears that it may have come off and brushed against the running belt wheel outside engine which caused the tube to tear.
I had taken the van to the dealer to replace the SRS unit before this. Everything was fine before it. The dealer obviously said they got nothing to do with it. On top of it, they quoted me $134+tax to replace this. I believe the dealer is trying to get me to replace the entire hose assembly. I checked on hondaparts.com, the section of tube I need to be replaced only costs about $12.xx.

Has anyone seen this happening before? Is this tube easy to replace? Any information would be very helpful

Thank you.

spruchman1

Is anyone having problems with the back windows opening and closing and the and the stereo controls on the wheel?

user777

if you are having a problem with the radio controls on the steering wheel, i'd suspect something called the clock-spring, which mounts on the steering shaft and maintains electrical continuity to the devices mounted on the wheel (radio, cruise, horn, airbag) and the wiring harnesses dedicated to those functions when you turn the wheel from one extent to the other.

having trouble opening and closing your back windows on the '03, that sounds like a switch / wiring harness issue with the driver's door.

hangaralf1

i have a 99 ody lx with 100949 miles on it (no more warranty). i loved it, but my wife decided to turn into a parking post resulting in a repair involving replacing the right side front door, right side sliding door, and the rear quarter panel as well as part of the B-pillar. i.e. - $6500 to fix - which i believe is almost as much as the van is worth. it still runs fine - i've been meticulous with 3000 mile engine castrol oil changes and 15k honda tranny fluid changes ("new" tranny at 75000 miles - runs better than when new). as a trade in i'll get between $1000 and 2000 for it.

options as i see them -

1. Fix (but if the tranny goes again, we are screwed)
2. buy a 2004 LX - (were tranny issues resolved at this point? and this is a huge factor) and spend/finance an extra $8000 -10000 on top of insurance money?
3. buy a used 2005 LX and spend even more.

now, for the record, i don't care for all the electronics - they're nice to have when they work, but they're more of a pain when they don't and i'd rather just not have it. i have four kids, so i really like side curtain air bags in the'05 (Big plus)- however, after rolling a previous minivan(ford windstar-so happy - another story), my kids don't go anywhere w/o being properly strapped in.

i really can't afford new, but am leary of the transmission issues with second gen ody. input appreciated

joet2

My 92 Odyssey makes a very annoying, high pitched whistling type sound from the engine compartment after it warms up at speeds of 55MPM and above. It does not make the noise with the engine at idle and the sound is only heard while driving at highway speed and stepping on the gas pedal (or with the cruise on) The sound stops when I take my foot off the pedal. I took it into my local dealer and he couldn't hear the noise.

It makes me think of a vacuum leak, but the engine is so covered in plastic protective coverings, that I can't even find a vacuum hose. I've had the problem for over a year and it doesn't seem to hurt anything but my ears.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

user777

take the plastic coverings off and look underneath.

user777

is there anyway to shop the repair estimate around? i mean we are talking about a front door and a manual slider right? maybe a re-paint? can they pull out the damage? does it need to look pretty?

OK, links to the doors (check out the prices):
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&cat- - cgry1=Odyssey&catcgry2=1999&catcgry3=5DR+LX+7&catcgry4=KA4AT&catcgry5=FRONT+DOOR- - +PANELS

and:
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&cat- - cgry1=Odyssey&catcgry2=1999&catcgry3=5DR+LX+7&catcgry4=KA4AT&catcgry5=SLIDING+DO- - OR+PANELS

can't help you on the '04 and reliability of the transmission. i'm at somewhere like 60K in my '03 with the applied jet kit, and hoping all will be well for the life of the vehicle.

i'm with you on the side-curtains and the vehicle stability control. ultimately though, i think keeping myself alert, having the vehicle in excellent mechanical condition and driving defensively lowers the risk of injury.

i do like the fact the '03 has ABS. it's already proven itself a few times. it's also got the side-airbags for the front passenger seats.

sams2

How do you access the clock light bulb on the 2003 odyssey? I've heard everything from prying the clock out with a screw driver to removing the entire dash cover plate that surrounds the instrument cluster and clock. Anybody know what to do and how to do it?

cwalti

It is actually a little of both. Yes, you will need to peel off the whole dang dash board, and then you will need to thread the rice-kernel size light bulb into a custom socket. Not too difficult, just a pain in the butt to do. The whole thing can be done in well under an hour, just a pain in the ...

user777

you should search in this forum for it, or google it. you don't need to remove the whole dash...

rockycow33

Clock light replacement for 1999 ody don't know if it is the same for 2003: remove ground wire from the battery. This prevents shorting out clock when the bulb assembly is removed/replaced. 1. Use thin putty knife to remove facia over radio. On 1999 Ody the heater and A/C knobs do not need to be removed. 2. Once the facia over the radio/heater is removed, remove 4 screws securing the top facia containing the a/c outlets and the 2 screws on the securing facia over the speedometer bezel. The Shift lever should be in the very down position and remember to place the emergency brake on. Also, you will need the radio code because the battery cable is removed. 3. pull the upper facia loose and you should have access to the tiny bulb assembly on the clock. genly use screw driver to remove bulb assembly. It is not necessary to remove the upper assembly from the dash, just pull it back to where you can access the small bulb assembly on the clock (about half the size of a dime and it is plastic. Cost of new bulb assembly about $2 at the dealer. But you can replace the bulbs with Radio Shack 272-1092; #7219 mini bulbs package comes with two. About $2.00. Just observe how the wires are fed through the small assembly before removing the bulb. The dealer's bulb comes preassembled. once you place the bulb assembly into its socket turn about 1/4 turn clockwise to secure. Gently use screw driver. replace everything in reverse order.

fibber2

Quite often it sounds like the bulbs have lost contact in their sockets, and not actually blown. So before you go to the trouble of replacing them, try this time honored mechanical remedy - a sharp rap of the open palm on the dash in the immediate vicinity of the clock. It worked for me on my '02, and quite a number of others on this board!

Steve

jchan2

Well I think the transmission issues were resolved by 2004- I think the last of the issues were resolved by the end of the 2002 production run.

The 2005 will have all the latest safety gadgets, but I feel pretty safe in my 2002 EX. And I think the 2005 Odysseys had some issues, but I am not certain.

Your best bet is probably going with the 2004. I do recommend doing some cross-shopping with the 2004-2006 Toyota Sienna and the 2006 Kia Sedona, especially if you don't want all the latest gadgets.

Good Luck

wartree

What tires did you end up getting. We have an 03 and are looking for repalcement tires as well. We live in the midwest.

cwalti

Michelin Hydro Edge!
Smooth ride, good cornering control, 90,000 mile wear, it's a Michelin...

fezo

Good suggestion! These have been great on my 02 LX.

Van is up to 110K. Tranny at 65K. I am, for better or worse, sticking with the thing and hoping that the tranny that got put in holds up better than the one it replaced. Can't tell by how the things acts. The original worked great right until it fell apart. It did hold up well enough to limp home and to the dealer. I give Honda credit for one thing - it didn't cost me a nickel to fix.

Well, I had the extended warranty which I bought specifically for the tranny so I was good there, but the rental exceeded the cost limits of the warranty and Honda waived that. (The rental was a Ford Explorer. Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous!)

I did take the van in for its 105K service at 99,800 miles and told the dealer to look and find anything wrong that was covered under warranty. Got a new set of struts out of it anyway.

cwalti

I too got a new tranny at 8oK miles. I never had anything beyond the stock 3/36. Honda replaced it after a test drive with a tech and also replaced the ignition switch and a set of power door lock interfaces, - all at $0.00 to me. I cannot imagine that another manufacturer would back up their products like Honda does. My van is a '99 and at the time of the tranny dituation it was already 7.5 years old. For my next car to buy the only question will be "Which Honda?"
P.S. I own 3 Hondas already, and they are all delivering good service EVERY day!!!

fezo

I had a 95 Windstar, now not affectionately known at the Windstall. It had all the classic Windstar problems - popping engine seals, collapse of the transmission piston, all within 85K. After a couple of these and getting no help from the dealer other than "we fixed it; here's the bill" we started calling Ford customer service. They treated us like lepers. I am not one quick to anger but I ended up in a shouting match with them. My wife asks for the phone, figuring that a nice, calm new person will be useful. Within a couple of minutes she was yelling louder than I was.

Can't comment on other companies beyond that.

I'm on Honda #4. Three Accords over the years - 80, 85 and 00 and the Ody.

sbpceap

Fibber- thanks loads for your tip! I was gearing up to take my '03 Ody dash apart when my clock lite when out, as it does in so many Hondas. I read your post, hit it with my palm, and hi-ho; my clock lite came on for the first time in a year!!!

deda

My rear seat seems to be stuck in the folded position. Is there some secret switch I dotn know about to get the rear bench seat to unpo back outof the recessed area.

doncas1

We previously owned a 96 Windstar. The transmission needed replaced at 72,000 miles. Ford covered all the costs. No transmission should fail that fast if you perform the maintenance. Yesterday we found out that our 2003 Odyssey LX (80,000 miles) needs a new transmission. Honda is going to cover the cost even though we do not have an extended warranty.

We sold the Windstar because we wanted a van that was more reliable and we really liked the Odyssey. So far on our Odyssey we have had to have the front driver side strut replaced, the EGR valve replaced, transmission recalled for modification, and now a new transmission. Not that reliable, although we have not had to pay anything for the repairs, which is good.

blackexv6

My experience with Honda is the same as yours...not as reliable as the reports/rumors indicate.

All 3 of my Hondas that I owned over the last few years had some pretty significant problems.

That being said, every time I look for a new car..I find myself back with Honda. They have the best gas mileage, safety ratings, ergonomics, & fit finish + will stand behind they product & fix problems when they occur.

I guess as a society we expect perfection for our hard earned money.

cwalti

That is what killed ford for me!!! I owned a Continental and had a blown trans a blown motor an needed a full suspension replacement. ford just gave me the single digit salute. No ford will ever pull into my driveway again. I made my mother in law park at the curb whn she owned a mercury, - now that she has a HONDA Accord I will make room in the driveway for her to pull up... :-)

rttaormina

Hi how did you go about doing this. I actually own a 2002 with only 55k on it. I went to trade it in today and while they were test driving it, the trans broke. they said they would not cover it. what dealer did you use.

rttaormina

Hi I have an 2002 with 55k that the trans actual broke while they were test driving it as i was going to trade it in for a new one. they said it would not be covered. can you tell me the dealer you used. I find it hard to believe honda wont standby their product.

cwalti

The Dealer is Norm Reeves Honda in Cedrritos California. They are most direct an no nonsense. I had a wad of paper in my hands ready for a fire dance. But as fast as I could explain it a tech was sent on a test drive with me confirming the need for a new trans. I had a new trans in two days, also I got the feeling they swapped it out in less than three hours. The car was not on the rack at noon, but I picked it up at four, these guys have the routine down!!! I had hard shift cycles in and out of second gear. Sometimes harder then others. I never had a trouble code come on but it was obviously shifting not right. The tech explained that they had torn down failed transmissions and found broken return springs in the solenoid-valve bodies. This explanation made a lot of sense also with all the owners who had trouble codes saying "Wrong Gear Ratio". Since the return spring may not excert enough return force once the power is off the solenoid's coil this may allow more than one clutch to be engaged and cause some of the lousy gas milage that was reported. Naturally all that wasted energy is turned into heat and........

rttaormina

thank you very much!!! I will be talking with them Monday..truly apprec feedback..this time of year $3500 really hurts..happy holidays

fezo

Mine was Causeway Honda in Manahawkin, NJ.

If you encounter trouble with the dealer, call American Honda at the toll free number in your manual. I think you'll do fine by saying if you wanted a can with a transmission taht only lasted 5K you'd have bought a Ford... While that may not be exactly how to word it make your case that you bought Honda on their reputation for reliability and for standing behind their product. I'll bet you get a good resolution.

Best of luck! What a time to have that happen....

colorado11

My minivan was recently hit in a parking lot and it now has a small hole (about the size of a dime) in the rear bumper. The estimator from the driver's insurance company is stopping by in a few days and I am trying to get a ball park figure on the cost of repair so I will know if I get low balled. I don't know if such a hole can be repaired or if the bumper needs to be replaced. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

cwalti

I am sure this has validity... I told them that I owned three Hondas because I believe that Hondas are superior to other vehicles. If I am proven wrong I WILL buy Toyotas next time. ford really let me hang with a lincoln. I will NEVER own a ford again, EVER!!! If they do not want to back the top tear brand, just imagine how they will sock it to you with a common ford product.

macakava

Similar experience here with Windstar. Winney lasted almost 8yrs with only 54,500 miles when engine developed loud knocking. This is despite rigorous PM. We had many other (mostly smaller & annoying) problems from since the first day we bought it new.

Replaced Winney with 2004 Ody. Difference of night and day with quality, reliability and driving fun! With about 32+K miles now, I never had to take it back to dealer for any warranty repairs. Who has time to waste on that? That is hassle free ownership! My son has the Ridgeline for about 14 months and with no problems as well. He just bought the '07 CR-V for his wife and new baby.

Infact the Ody never saw the dealer since because I do all of my PM myself. No problems to date. Besides the regular oil changes, I have changed the tranny oil, brake and power steering fluids at 25K miles. Next up is the coolant/antifreeze at 35K. Brakes are wearing fine - lots of life left. Front pads should make 60K and rear pads 100K minimum.

SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL!