Honda Odyssey 1999 - 2004

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Comments

  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    Even in the dry winter, a significant portion of the air sent to the defroster is internally recirculated (even when the recirc is turned off) in order to keep the air warmer. When you have 4 or 5 people in the van, this recirculated air gets moist quickly. The A/C ensures this reculated air is also dry. If there are only one or two people in the van, or the outside temp is not too cold, this feature becomes less necessary.
  • fencepostmusicfencepostmusic Member Posts: 5
    Hello, we are military living in Germany (we're
    not from Florida, so our votes were counted). We
    are awaiting delivery of a 2001LX in the next 14
    days. We are not obligated to accept it until
    after test driving and approving.

    My question is this: what should we look for?
    What should we do during the test drive? We have 4
    kids and can't afford to pay $25,074 for a van
    that is going to break down. We have owned Honda
    Civics twice and loved them, but it seems that the
    Odysseys have a lot of bad posts here.

    I would really appreciate your help. They also
    have a Sienna we could have, but it is $7,000 more.
    The only other option is to buy American and we
    want to steer clear of doing that.

    Thanks so much for your help, it is very much
    appreciated.
  • andy34andy34 Member Posts: 1
    I too had a problem with output from the windshield washer. Check the hose to the nozzles under the hood. If it is looped wrong it will be pinched when you close the hood and reduce the performance of the washers.
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    I am on my 5th new car and have never test drove any of them. In my opinion it is probably a waste of time. The Odyssey comes with a bumper to bumper warranty for three years or 36,000 miles. You might drive it around the block to see if there is anything obvious. I guess if you bought the car and then couldn't drive it away you would not be happy.

    What you need to spend time looking for is any dents or paint scraps or defects in the glass or tears or spots in the upholstery or floor mat. After you drive it away the dealer may say you put those in there and he may not fix them. I asked the dealer to look the car over for me and he found one dent and fixed it. He was able to eliminate the dent with out painting over it. I looked the car over for about 30 minutes and found nothing wrong. For all my other four American cars I always found a list of things wrong.

    By the way all the overseas votes which came in within 10 days after the November 7 election have been added to the two candidates total, in accordance with Florida law.
  • shaganastyshaganasty Member Posts: 23
    All I can say, is to test drive the Odyssey and see how nice it is.
    I work for Toyota Motor Sales (Headquartars in Torrance, Ca.) and am able to purchase any Toyota or Lexus about $3-4 hundred over what dealers pay and we opt for the Honda Odyssey EX.
    I ride (and get to sometimes drive)in the Sienna everyday to and fro the different buildings that there are in Torrance (shuttle service for us) and the Sienna bottom out over speed bumps and dips. That and they are a little smaller, and don't have the 3rd seat that drops and hides. But other wise, it is a good van.
    If you get the Odyssey, use this checkout form to check your Odyssey before driving off the lot.
    good luck
    Dick
    http://www.1netweb.com/checklist.htm
  • msibillemsibille Member Posts: 275
    If you could bring the bulletin number, that would be great.

    The wife is taking it in for the door sticking, excessive frnt tire wear and an explanation as to what Honda is doing about the tranny noise above 45mph. (I'm still getting the,"We're waiting to hear from Honda TechLine" story. - I called the regional office Friday and it took over an hour to get the guy to commit (?) to having someone contact the dealer and TechLIne to get me an update different from the above. Its been about 7months and the same line is getting old. I'd like to at least hear what they've decided it's not.)
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    Thats a good list shaganasty. Now I know why my visor lights don't work. I need to have the headlights on.

    Interesting observation on the Sienna ride. Consumer Reports rates the ride as very good whereas for the Odyssey as good. I also prefer the Odyssey ride to the Ford Windstar ride which is rated very good. That is another indication that the ride on a car is somewhat subjective and one persons good ride will be another persons very good ride.

    I use to work in El Segundo next door to Torrance.
  • skiptomelooskiptomeloo Member Posts: 12
    Thousands of spam artists are real. However, you are real-ly unwelcome here and real-ly distasteful, by blatantly soliciting business.

    Unlike Trevor, et al, who offer much helpful info and advice to the posters here, you offer nothing but your self-serving desire to sell more cars.

    Please take your sales pitches elsewhere.
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    On the other hand perhaps if an auto dealer wanted to guarantee a price on his Odysseys, something below MSRP, and also guaranteed a low price on his extended warranties, maybe he would be doing a service to us. Perhaps that is against the board rules.

    However for an auto dealer to come on this board and just say he is "Honest Abe, trust me", adds no information, that anyone here could get any benefit out of, and could be accurately labeled spam.
  • alexmishalexmish Member Posts: 47
    Does anyone know where to get (or has) an outside digital temperature gauge for 01EX-NAVI ? I am looking for an elegant design, but not the one which comes with a rearview mirror.

    Thanks
  • barrvanbarrvan Member Posts: 8
    I don't know about the 2000 Ody - but the 2001 has metal anchors built into the frame of both second row seats. The two mentioned carseats have metal hooks that attach to the built in seat anchors - so you don't use the seat belt to attach the car seats.

    If you do a search on google or yahoo using carseat and LATCH you'll get an article or several that describe the system. Consumer Reports' most recent evaluation of carseats also covers this topic.

    The Cosco Triad seat is for children up to 35 lbs. rearfacing, and 22 to 40 pounds forward facing.

    Hope this helps!

    Susan
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    The Y2K Ody's don't have the ISOFIX/LATCH hooks. The Y2K Windstar had them and was seriously in the running due to that (and the adjustable pedals). Decided on the Ody for a number of other reasons, but I have yet to see a LATCH compatible car seat.

    Getting a regular seat into the Ody isn't bad and the seats same to stay in safely. The LATCH/ISOFIX should have happened a long time ago for all cars and seats. I hate those clips/towels/pool noodles/readjusting it takes to keep the car seats in right. The one time it was perfect was when my town had checkpoint at the mall. A huge state trooper climed into my Accord, put all his weight on the seat and another pulled on the belt so tightly. It was rock solid and stayed that way for 6 months since I refused to take it out.
  • odyhopefulodyhopeful Member Posts: 2
    We just recently ordered your Seat Back Organizer for our 2000 Odyssey.
    Your advertisement says that the 2001 Models have handles on the back of the front seats
    at the top that are in the way of the organizer, and it will not fit as shown.
    However, our 2000 model has handles on the back of the front seats also, so the organizer
    hangs almost to the floor and will not work as shown in your picture.
    Also, we wonder if the picture on your website is actually showing the organizer in an Odyssey,
    because the headrests are different than in our van.
    We are very disappointed that this organizer does not work in our van as shown, and regret that we will have to return it.
    You may want to consider re-wording your description of this item on your web site.
  • chet7chet7 Member Posts: 13
    Just received them for my 2000 LX. They fit beautifully and securely within the original cupholders and make them much more useful and spill-resistant. A pop can is still somewhat loose in them, but is now prevented from tipping over.

    I highly recommend them. Best $8 I ever spent.
  • jack998jack998 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 EX Nav and want to add a Cassette Player. Has anyone done this? Where does it go?
    Any ideas welcome.
    Thank you.
  • markdsmarkds Member Posts: 3
    I finally got my EX w/nav two days ago and love it. I've been waiting a LONG time for the van and during that time have read everything that I could get my hands on. This forum is a great source of info (thanks everyone). Now that my van has finally arrived, however, I've found another wonderful information source that I wish I could have read months ago. I am of course referring to the owner's manual.

    A suggestion to Honda or perhaps to Honda dealers: Give customers who put down a deposit a copy of the manuals. It would give them something to read/drool over while they wait. When the van arrives, you can replace your copy with the manual that arrives with the van.
  • rochester0rochester0 Member Posts: 2
    I've had my EX for a couple months now and just noticed that there is no light in the glove box.
    I know it's minor but I was a little shocked, as every vehicle I have ever owned has had a glove box light.
  • vanquest1vanquest1 Member Posts: 2
    We are trying to decide between the LX and EX. After studying the feature differences and test-driving an EX (LX was not available to test-drive), the only EX feature that we think we might need is the power-adjustable driver seat, but we're not sure it justifies paying $2500 more for the EX. We read that the LX seat is manually height-adjustable; can it be adjusted in any other way (besides forward-backward)? Does it have the same lumbar support as the EX seat? Also, we were told that the EX fabric is higher quality than the LX. Are LX owners generally happy with the fabric? Are the manual sliding doors very heavy to close? Is the LX audio system significantly worse than the EX? Thanks in advance for your help!
  • dlh2dlh2 Member Posts: 18
    I mounted an outside temp gauge at the top of the windshield above the rearview mirror with a small piece of double-sided tape. I routed the sensor wire under the front edge of the headliner (pushed it under the headliner using a thin piece of cardboard) over to the driver's side A-pillar. I then routed the sensor wire down underneath the A-pillar interior trim to the bottom of the dash. (that piece of trim simply snaps off) The wire then goes under the driver's side door jam gasket and the sensor sticks near the outside edge of the door jam. Got the unit at either Walmart or an auto parts store. It was under $20 but works great.
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    The LX has 2 height adjustments for the front and back of the seat. The knobs are easy to use. No other adjustments other than forward/back and recline. The lumbar support is fair, and not adjustable. I'm not sure if it is different from the EX. No complaints about the seat fabric in our 2001 LX. I find the manual doors easy to operate, though there have been complaints of sticking manual doors (sometimes solved with the proper grease). The LX has a standard cassette, the EX has a standard CD and 2 additional speakers (tweeters I think). You can easily add CD to the LX or Cassette to the EX (as long as there is no NAV unit). The EX has some other features for your $2500 including Remote Keyless entry, security system, Homelink remote, alloy wheels, climate control, steering wheel audio controls, extra seatback pockets, sliding storage tray under passenger seat, rear cargo net, power sliding doors, body-color side moldings and mirrors, auto-off headlights, and probably some other things I missed.

    Whether it's worth the cost really varies by individual preferences. I think I read 60% of Odysseys are EX models, so most people think the extras are worth it. We preferred NOT to have the power doors and body-color mirrors and moldings, based mostly on personal experiences and also comments I've seen in reviews and forums. We did add the remote keyless entry, cargo net and alloy wheels for a combined cost of about $800 installed, so we still saved $1700 and got all the options we needed. Others have commented that they wouldn't do without the climate control or power doors, so you might make an extra effort to see both the LX and EX if you can. If the 2001 LX hadn't gotten the traction control and seat height adjusters, we'd have gone with the EX.
  • butch11butch11 Member Posts: 153
    Looked at Oddy's this weekend-no info on weight carrying capacity for the oddy-anybody have an answer.

    I know some suv's have a lower weight carrying capacity than many sedans-scarey.
  • barrvanbarrvan Member Posts: 8
    Just wanted to add my 2 cents to the discussion.

    Before getting our EX I really leaned toward the LX - purely for the cost factor. It was a (gulp) to spend this much money on a van -

    Finally we decided to bite the bullet and get the EX - now I'm really glad we did. I would pay the extra money just for the power doors - they are that convenient. Really. I'm surprised at how easy they make getting in and out and getting stuff and kids in and out. Power doors rule!
  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    we waited and waited for an LX (7 months) but then changed our minds and got the EX and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. if you have kids, the power doors are a real boon. also, if you live in bad weather areas...just open the doors from a distance and run in! excellent. also, my sister-in-law who has LX with manual doors just had someone close one of the sliders on her head...fortunately, it was a kid closing the door and he didn't have that much strength.
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    Also I have yet to hear that anyone has been injured by the power doors. There was a troll that came on the board and claimed all kinds of outragous things, but he was lying of course.

    The EX is only about 10% more and you get so many more extras for that. Lets say you had a 5 year loan at 10%. That $3,000 extra for the EX is only $64/mnth, extra.
  • chanhnchanhn Member Posts: 6
    I had a check engine light lit up this past week-end on my 2001 Ex, at 1300 miles. I followed
    instructions in the manual to re-tight the gas cap and to drive around for a couple of trips to reset the light. The light still lit after a couple of trips. I'm ready to bring it to a dealer. Please
    fill me in if you have any experiences with this problem, whether benign or serious.


    Thanks
  • lisahhhlisahhh Member Posts: 22
    I was backing out of a driveway the other day, and when I put the brakes on, I heard a loud "clink" (for lack of a better word). Anyone experience anything like this?
  • mschafermschafer Member Posts: 317
    See my response in the Honda Problems forum for the solution.
  • skiptomelooskiptomeloo Member Posts: 12
    I swear.
  • phil47phil47 Member Posts: 394
    I thought I remembered reading here that the power doors did not stop or reverse once they began closing (or opening) if you hit the key fob or pulled the handle again. I was playing around with the key fob on my 2001 EX and they did stop (one push) and then reverse (push again) with the key fob and the handle. Is this new for 2001 or do the 99s and 2000s do this too??
  • donbroerdonbroer Member Posts: 15
    In response to Post 296 about the "Check Engine Light", it happened to me when I forgot to put the gas cap on awhile ago. After I put the gas cap on with multiple clicks,I drove for about a week, at least 200 miles, and put finally more gas in. After I added the gas, about 10 gals., the light went out.
    Hope this helps out.
    Don
  • mojo66mojo66 Member Posts: 83
    Was it a clink or a clunk? I'm hoping for your sake the sound was more like a loud thumping sound, which was probably gas sloshing around in the tank (a common Odyssey problem mentioned many times in this forum). A loud clink would make me wonder about the tranny, but since in occured when you applied the brakes, my guess is it's the gas tank.
  • mojo66mojo66 Member Posts: 83
    I was at a dealership today and sat in an '01 Accord EX. This car comes STANDARD with a cassette stereo and in-dash 6 CD changer (all one unit). Don't know how it sounds but it actually looks like it was designed within the last decade, unlike the unit in my '01 Odyssey EX. There is just no excuse to put such a poor stereo in a top-of-the-line model. I really like the audio controls on the steering wheel so I guess I'm stuck with the stereo, but I think we'll upgrade with aftermarket speakers after the holidays. Has anybody else out there done the same and if so, can you recommend specific speakers that fit the Odyssey?
  • kbivinskbivins Member Posts: 1
    We have had our 2000 EX for almost exactly one year and I'm still amazed at how much I love it. I wanted to let you know one of the things that I love so much about it is not available on the LX and you didn't even mention it. I just love the power sliding doors!!! We have two kids (ages 6 and 4) and with the power doors, they can get in and out of the back without any assistance. And even if they forget to close the door themselves, I can do it myself from two different places. If I'm in the car, there are buttons on the dash that will close/open the doors, and if I'm out of the car, the keyless-entry remote on my key ring also has buttons that will close/open the sliding doors.
    Also worth mentioning that I just found out was only available on the EX is radio controls on the steering wheel. They are great for letting you keep your hands on the wheel while still searching the radio or changing songs on the CD player, plus volume control.
    Whatever you choose, I think that the Odyssey is the best van on the market, hands down. Good Luck.
  • shaganastyshaganasty Member Posts: 23
    I read that it is 1200 lbs. people and cargo.
  • billg7billg7 Member Posts: 342
    Once again it is against board rules, but posting that you sell at MSRP and give 6 weeks delivery doesn't really help anyone, if you think about it.

    If you do feel the need to post, find some way to guarantee that 6 week delivery. Say be willing to send a valid contract to someone that says if they do not get their car in 6 weeks they get $100 off per week. Also, at least when I was looking for an Odyssey, I could always find dealers who would sell at MSRP and even some that would throw in some extras for that price, although to get the extras I would have had to buy from a far away dealer,which I did not want to do.

    I would say that few auto dealers are evil, but to expect us to take the word of some auto dealer,who we don't know....., I say how dumb do you think we are on this board?
  • minimanminiman Member Posts: 85
    I planned to install casette player in my EX but wife enlightened me (as she often does) to reality: casette $350 installed or about $200 from Web site and forfeit a Sunday installing it.
    In contrast, 10 new CD's cost about $150 and you keep the handy storage space in the dash. No brainer. We needed some new Sesame St stuff and had to get rid of the Barney and Rafi tapes anyway (before the 100th playing induced vomiting in adults) so a trip to a music store and a few CD's later we had some fresh tunes and still ahead on the $$. Plus we still have a great place to store tissues at the ready (it's a pain to open the draw under the passenger seat in a tissue-requiring emergency).
  • sfearingsfearing Member Posts: 31
    > we still have a great place to store tissues at
    > the ready (it's a pain to open the draw under the > passenger seat in a tissue-requiring emergency)

    Since we used the center area for a cassette for our EX, we found a better place for the tissues in the front door pockets, both driver's and passenger's side. Just buy them in those small flat boxes and you're set.
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    FYI, even if there is a guarantee of delivery within 6 weeks, solicitation is strictly prohibited in Townhall and the post will be removed.

    Drew/aling
    Edmunds.com Townhall host
  • alexmishalexmish Member Posts: 47
    It might not look good, but my wife and I are keeping tissue box (a large one) right on the top of the collapsible center console. Yes, it does take almost the whole surface space, but this is what we called always reachable and available, even for those seated in the 2nd row.

    Karen, do we need a special "Honda Odyssey - Tissue Box Placement" topic ? :) Just kidding...

    As for someone soliciting new cars on this conference (or any other Townhall conferences for that matter), you've got your audience figured out all wrong. This place is visited by educated consumers, who are looking for advice and doing their share of research and not looking for a bargain. For that, there are other means. Personally, a dealer like that would get on my "exclusion" list right away !
  • alingaling Member Posts: 598
    Ah ha, we've beaten you to that! There is an existing Honda Odyssey aftermarket add-ons topic. It hasn't been particularly active recently though.

    Drew/aling
    Edmunds.com Townhall host
  • lisahhhlisahhh Member Posts: 22
    It was a clink, and came from the front of the car (i think...). Kinda sounded like a ding on a piece of metal... Guess I'll brink it in for a check up. It almost one year old, and has about 20K miles. Sigh.
  • cj575cj575 Member Posts: 5
    It could be the slight play of the front brake caliper assembly. I find when changing directions (especially in reverse) that a clink can easily be heard. I believe if you listen during this condition that you'll hear the same.

    More play than I would wish for!
  • kimpskimps Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone installed a remote starter for Odyssey EX, which comes with keyless entry system? It has a embedded chip in the key and without that key it immobilizes the engine. Because of that, I've heard dealer may have to permanently "bury" one of your keys in order for the remote starter to work. Is this true? Should I get this installed at Honda dealer, who knows more about the minivan or professional installer, who would be more knowledgeable in remote starters? Would I be better off buying a off the market security system with remote start capability, in that case would that allow the sliding doors to open with remote? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
  • katmicalekatmicale Member Posts: 6
    I've had my ODY for about 1-1/2 months, but did a long road trip...it put a good 1500 miles on the car. I read in the manual that the first oil change should not be at the standard 3500 mark. I thought I remembered reading about that on this board at one point too. The dealer I bought my Ody from hand wrote in the front of my manual "1st oil change at 3500 miles"...and when they called after a month to see how everything was going, he mentioned it again. Is this right?
  • binkybarnesbinkybarnes Member Posts: 69
    it wasn't too long ago that cars did not come with built-in cup holders...remember those clip-on ones that hung from the window rails? maybe overhead tissue box dispensers will become the "next big thing" and manufacturers will be tripping over themselves to see can fit the most in their cars. btw, i do think it is rather amusing how automotive journalists make such a huge deal about the number, design, and placement of cupholders in the auto reviews.

    we use the standard dispenser size boxes of tissue in the glove box...works fine for us.
  • cavillercaviller Member Posts: 331
    Billg7-

    The NHTSA complaints site logs a few injuires for each model year 1999 and 2000 related to the power doors not retracting automatically. Of course, that is a very small number, and it is likely most of the injuries are minor, as the summaries are cutoff in many cases.

    Power sliding doors are a great convenience, but it's a good idea for anyone considering buying them should make sure to see exactly how they work and operate them in person. You may love them or find them annoying.

    The complaint index is interesting to see all the reported problems. Of course, before you condemn the Odyssey as a problem-ridden vehicle, take a look at any other minivan first...

    http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/compmmy1.cfm
  • timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    that the same concerns with safe function still apply to power windows; you need to be sure not to trap anyone's body parts in one! In fact, the safety and reliability concerns kept me from even wanting power windows for years (shows how old I am). I suspect the same will happen with the power doors as people learn that it really isn't very onerous to teach our kids (and ourselves!) to use them safely. Plus, just like most rear power windows, there is an off switch provided up front to help protect the kiddies from their innocent ignorance. FWIW....
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I keep my tissues on the floor. True the box slides around a lot;but, when I'm traveling in heavy traffic at 70 mph, I can start looking on the floor to find a tissue. It makes for more excitement, and keeps me from dozing off. :)
  • timothyadavistimothyadavis Member Posts: 322
    Don't forget to call someone on your cell phone to ask advice next time you have to grope for the tissue while driving.... ;-)
  • njody2k1njody2k1 Member Posts: 3
    I got my 2k1 Ody LX MB from NJ Dealer on 12/09. I
    didn't take test dirve before signing papers and
    while driving home noticed few problems:
    1. Steering is making clicking sound while turning
    at very low speed(< 20mph)
    2. There is rumbling sound in the rear every time
    I come to a stop for 2-3 times(Gas Sloshing???)

    I'd called my salesman immed. but it was about 9pm
    and he asked me to bring it on Monday(12/11). I
    promptly did that but after wasting few hours they
    gave it back to me with a note "Vehicle is driving
    as expected at this time" eventhough salesman and
    mechanic both verbally agreed there is abnormal
    noise.

    Can anyone help how to solve these peoblems?
    What options do I have as I still owe some money
    to dealer though I've signed credit papers?
    Is it worth compalining to Honda or under Lemon
    law?
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