Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)

Kirstie_H

A magazine writer would like to talk with car owners who have experienced auto repair fraud or incompetence. Please send your name, contact info and a few lines briefly telling your story to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Friday, August 12, 2005.

breinders

Here is an update (hopefully the final one):

As I mentioned in a previous post, Honda agreed to provide me with the 7/100/0 warranty and the 30K service in the interest of goodwill for having the engine replaced in a new van. They were not amenable to replacing the van. Customer service was not alway prompt at responding and often did not call back when promised. They did not make me feel overly valued despite referencing that our second car is an Accord, member of Odyclub, etc.

The engine replacement (full replacement of block and both heads) was completed yesterday. The van spent nearly three weeks at the dealer (it had only spent two at our house). The engine replacement seems to have gone well and I have not noticed anything amiss visually or mechanically.

Two items occurred at the dealer that will be remedied:
- a foot long scratch/gash in the front bumper just in front of the tire. May have occurred when the vehicle was towed in. Van goes back on Wed for repair/replacement .
- several grease spots in the drivers floor mat to be cleaned when it is in for the bumper work

I was glad to have not found other scratches/dings, etc. around the engine compartment (or anywhere else after three weeks at the garage). Looks like some care was taken.

Final note: IMHO Unless we see more posts of engine replacements, this is a rare defect and not a quality issue. Anyone using this incident to bash Honda quality is either illogical or works for Toyota. Please keep things in context.

jackiel

I also have a 2005 EXL-RES Odyssey. I have been experiencing tire vibration at 60-75 mph from the second we drove it off the lot with 3 miles on it. We returned immediately, they balanced tires and said all was fine. When we took it again we were in heavy traffic and could not try it out right away. Vibration continued, they sent us to another dealer since we were from out of town and 50-60 miles away now. They rebalanced tires and said yes, they were out of balance and all was fine now. We got the van back at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday evening and began to head home, 400 miles away. Vibration continued and started to notice very loud growling noises at 40 mph and 62 mph. Took vehicle to dealership in my hometown and not suprisingly, they could not hear anything or feel vibration. Took to tire shop and they confirmed tires perfectly fine, balance fine, and said they felt it was transmission. Returned to Honda dealer and took Service Manager for a ride myself and amazingly, he felt vibration and saw steering wheel vibrate and heard growling noises. He said he thought was probably transmission but to schedule appt. and they would check it all out. They tried to find problem all day and came up with it being the catalytic converter. Seems a little odd to me but car is in shop as we speak getting catalytic converter replaced. Hope this works but don't know how it will. Sliding doors on both sides have also quit working at times and gas mileage absolutely sucks (16 mpg). That is why I purchased this, have always had Nissans in the past with absolutely no problems. Never buy another Honda again. Anyone with any comments or suggestions, please let me know! Thanks. :mad:

jackiel

I purchased my 05 EXL-RES July 1 and within two weeks, my doors were doing the same. Technician cleaned the tracks, oiled the tracks and said no big deal, they get dirty and need cleaned and oiled once in awhile. Come on, I had less than 500 miles on the van. They just repeated the same thing this week and it is in shop for major repairs on catalytic converter, possible transmission, etc. What a piece of garbage if you ask me. I have had Nissans forever and never had problems, guess I should have stuck with them. :mad:

jipster

hey, thanks for the update breinders. A 7/100/0 extended warranty is nothing to sneeze at. Will give you seven years of peace of mind. So, relax and enjoy that new Ody with it's brand spanking new engine.

vanman12

Speaking of grey market... now that Ody is made in US. I am in Canada and was looking at buying an Ody in US given price and extra options/colors that we can't get. Does anyone know if it voids the warranty if I need warranty work in Cda. I heard Subaru honours warranty throughout North Am Has anyone in Canada tried to buy a new Ody ( dealer or Ebay ) in the US and bring it back ?

cartergr

We got rear-ended in our '05 Odyssey and when the body shop disconnected the battery to fix the van, the DVD player stopped working. We took it to the dealer, and they replaced the DVD player. All was well until we shipped the van, the battery was disconnected and when re-connected the DVD player won't work again. If you find a solution that doesn't involve taking the van to the dealer (we're in Germany now) please let me know.

Thanks

jpmiller99

I have a low pitched growling/rumbling sound coming from the front end at between
about 40 and 60 mph.

I'm taking it to the dealer to be looked at Friday. Anyone heard of this?
My guess is that it's the tires starting to wear a bit, but it only has 2500 miles on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

douglasg

Brugg, any resolution. I have the same problem

vince_lmt

That's certainly good news that the engine swap has been completed. After the gash is repaired and the floor mats have been cleaned you and your family can finally begin to enjoy your new minivan for many years to come. The Honda Care coverage will also add to that enjoyment.

Good luck with it.
Vince

barknfish

Just got my new 05 Odyssey and have the same issue. My wife noticed it first and I confirmed it later on the highway. I plan to take it to the dealer tomorrow, but based on other reports, this seems to be a common problem that Honda can't fix.

kbon

We have an 01 Odyssey EX with 60K miles and are having some electrical issues. We are occasionally having an engine surge at idle. We just went on about a 200 mile round trip and started having problems with the lights. When I turn on the turn signal, the lights in the vanity mirrors flash with the signals. The recirc light for the a/c does the same thing when it automatically goes into that mode. When the turn signals are on, the brakelights also flash opposite the signals. When I push the brake pedal, the dash lights come on. If I have the ignition off and the key out and press the brake pedal, the lights on chime sounds. I'm calling my local dealer in the morning. Anyone else with these problems? :confuse:

pcsr

I purchased a 2005 Odyssey in January. I appear to be experiencing similar problems. Vibration over 60 mph, same bad gas mileage (16-17 combine city/highway, 22-23 highway). I have brought the car in twice for brakes grinding and am going back to the dealer on Tuesday.

My car also has a low "humming" vibration sound between 2,000 - 2,500 RPM's, are you getting this as well? I brought it back to the dealer and they do not believe this is a problem.....I think there is something wrong with my catalytic converter - but they said no. I am very interested in how you make out and if it corrects your issues. This car really upsets me when I have to drive it - something I try not to do....terrible thing to say after spending $30K.

I am a very unhappy and frustrated Odyssey owner. PCsr

pcsr

Yes, we have the same problem between 2k-2,500 RPMs. I cannot stand this noise. Took it to the dealer and they said they are all like that and it is OK. I find two different noises - very loud road (tire) noise and the engine vibration noise.

It may be OK, but it is not acceptable. I cannot stand the noise. Please update with what your dealer tells you. I think it is a problem with the catalytic converter.

I am going back to the dealer on Tuesday for grinding brakes (3rd trip back) and am going to speak with the service manager. I am very unhappy with the road noise and the engine noise - it is way too loud.

Thanks.

pcsr

We had this problem with the AM radio. They replaced the antenna cable/wire. It is better, but I do not believe the radio is performing well. Good luck.

jpmiller99

Yeah, it stinks in what otherwise is a great van. I'm going to ask them to check the tires/wheel bearings/transmission. If they can't find anything, then it's just a loud van, like you guys are experiencing. I can live with it, as long as I know, it's not going to break down.

I put Yokohama Avid Touring tires on my Buick. Quietest ride that I ever had.

naobunni

the 02 ody had a recall on the transmission which I took back to the dealership and they fixed. when i took it in for the flashing "d" they said it was a temp. sensor on the transmission and i would have to pay to get it done. my car has under 26k on it and i don't think i ever received any notification of extending the tran warranty to 8 years/100k. is there somewhere i can find that document?

im going to take it to another dealership because I am getting peeved at the one that sold it to me.

Also, i truly couldnt find any indication in the manual - unless i totally missed it....which could happen

naobunni

bob26
i think this problem was part of a recall that honda for the 02 ody which was sposed to be totally covered....check their recalls and make them pay for it...

user777

it happens. it's in there. it's the major means to indicate there is something wrong as detected by the monitoring of the transmission.

i cannot say if the '02s had an extension to the transmission warrenty. you could call Honda in your owner's manual. did you try to google the subject? hopefully someone else here will help you.

at 26K on the vehicle, are you just outside the 3yr mark on ownership? I would think Honda would take care of you, specially if you got all the maintenance work done under warrenty at a dealership.

crimsonlizard

I posted earlier - I had the same -- or possibly the same problem. My dealer replaced the right front wheel bearing - the growling noise is gone, but the minor steering wheel vibrations remain. The noise started after a hard brake. It was noticeable from about 40 but got worse around 65 mph. I hope this takes care of things for a while. The steering wheel still vibrates slightly - and there's a lot of road noise - but the growling noise is gone.

I would ask your dealer to inspect the wheel bearings - might be a totally unrelated problem, but you never know.

jackiel

I posted earlier regarding the rumbling noise at varying speeds and also steering wheel vibration. Dealer replaced catalytic converter Friday, amazingly it DID NOT fix it, as expected. Now they believe it is the A-Pipe. Neither of these things have anything to do with a rumbling noise and vibration if you ask me. The vehicle has 2100 miles on it, 7 trips into the shop within a month, I am totally disgusted with this vehicle. If anyone has found out anything further, please let me know. I will suggest a wheel bearing to the service manager but I believe they checked all of this out at the tire shop previously. :mad:

jackiel

HI, thanks for writing in. I am sorry to hear you are having what seems to be the same problems as I am. I had it at dealership Friday and they replaced the catalytic converter, not the problem though. They are now going to replace the A-pipe, a pipe in front of the catalytic converter. My husband and I do not see how this could cause the rumbling noises and also the vibration, but have been giving them plenty of chances to fix the problem (just does not seem to me that they know what the problem is)! It has been in shop 7 times now and I have reported these problems to Honda (the corporation 800-999-1009) and have a case manager who has been in contact with the dealership. I am supposed to hear from them today, so we will see how that goes. I believe they should replace the vehicle and fix it on their own time and give me one without problems. I can guarantee I will never purchase another Honda again and if I had the choice, I would take my money back and buy a Nissan. JackieL

naobunni

went to the dealership and spoke to the svc mgr (who was a great guy and very mechanically inclined)

he tested it and said it was the temperature sensor to the transmission and he was going to have me pay just for warranteed labor when i get it done.

nice guy made it all better

and the price is right

thanks everyone :shades:

elaine11

thank you - you are a genius! we had exactly the same problem that everyone is describing. I just went outside, looked under the car where you described, and gently poked a screwdriver into the tube. lots of water came out. thank you again - I called the dealer yesterday and they referred me to the local body shop which just sounded like the kiss of death to me. you also just saved me a bunch of money. elaine

tukanglibas

Hi, have you figured out about switching the center console between the first and second row ? I would like them to be switch since I found it useless for not having center console compartment in the firs row.

Thanks.

bee7

Several Times, power doors won't work, one time door wouldn't latch.

Several fixes, motors, relays, latch replaced.

Wind noise problem, defrost problem, etc.

This is my first Honda, and my last. My neighbor got a new Touring model, and is really pissed. Same problems, and paid MSRP, while I saved over 4K.

Now another recall????

Honda quality and reliability, what a joke!!!!!

Piece of crap!!!!

sebring95

This is my first Honda, and my last.

What about your Pilot?? Surprised you'd buy one if the Ody was such a piece.

jpmiller99

Thanks for the reply. I'm just make sure that the bearings and trans are checked on Friday. If all that's OK, I can probably just live with it. (Other than that, we really like this van.)

Thanks for your response.

i_wanitfixed

Purchased in March. Have about 2500 miles. Battery has gone dead 4 times.

1st after hwy driving for about 2 hrs, left in garage. Went to drive it a week later was totally dead (no click, no lights).

2nd after hwy driving 8hrs, left in garage, went to drive it 1 wk later totally dead.

3rd time was a week later, totally dead again.

4th time about 4 days later, interior and dash lights went on when door opened, sliding door opened on power but seemed slow, starter relay would click, but not crank. (That was about 2 hours before I posted this).

Took in to have checked after 1st and 3rd time at 2 different dealers. Checked charging system, battery, and parasitic load (at least at 2nd dealer, not sure what they checked at 1st). All checked out OK.

The first time I thought maybe had left an inside light on somehow, but nothing was on after I fully charged the battery. Have been very careful since then to check that nothing is on (car has normally been driven in daytime so no need for lights anyway) when I park it. Each time I've charged it, I checked after to see if something was on to explain why it was drained. Nothing was.

Wasn't allowed to talk to technician at dealer. Svc mgr wouldn't give me time of day. Said there was nothing more he could do.

Still waiting to hear from Honda Cust Svc. Not at all happy with the service. Doesn't seem like dealer is interested in finding the problem.

I usually keep my cars well maintained and keep them for 8-10 years with low mileage. This might be the first one I sell when the warranty is up, maybe even before.

I know it doesn't get much use, but it gets enough to keep it charged for a week. All my previous cars were driven with the same pattern, none of them had this problem.

Any suggestions.

vince_lmt

Maybe the battery is defective and can't hold a charge for very long.

user777

my thinking too. it's rare but it could happen. i'd take it to one of those parts places like an autozone that check the battery and alternator for you.

i suppose i'd demand a new battery and perhaps alternator to see if the problem is corrected.

it could always be an intermittent in a power seat or radio or something in a wire harness.

absolutely positively certain that a little one isn't leaving on one of the overhead lights, and you haven't got the switch on the dash in some position other than "all off"?

kjo

My neighbor has a 2002 ody ex that he just paid over $2000 to replace the transmission as it had over 70k on it and was out of warranty.

is2002

You were right on track. It seems a few more people have had this problem. Our Honda service rep said no one had complained about it before. Now the know what I was talking about. They recommended I run the van through a car wash with undercarriage cleaning to prevent the line clogging up in the future. Thanks,

robr2

Glad I could help.

hsong

I just got the new odyssey today. Mine also has the gap. Looks
like a rubber thing is holding this gap. I did not pay much attention to
it. However, if is good if anyone can share some success story of
adjusting it.

mich_chow

Got mine yesterday. Mine has the gap as well. Heard that all 05 Ody is this way - haven't heard anything about how to fix it. I will probably leave it like this unless the dealer has a way of fixing it (will ask them periodically when I take it in for scheduled services).

aggie76

There are a couple of black topped phillips head screws that need to be loosened and then you can realign the box very easily. Took me about five minutes on my Touring to get it done last evening and it looks much better. I read about how to fix it on another board just for Odyssey's that many of us also participate on.

runaround

What a headache. I purchased my 2001 Honda Odyssey from an American Dealer who because 2001 Odyssey's were such a hot commodity, went to Canada to bring some back to the US to sell. Now my vehicle is having transmission problems, which I am told warranty has been extended to 100,000 both in Canada and US..... because there were so many problems. Our vehicle has 98,000 miles on it. I have been told since it was a vehicle from Canada, that Canada should stand behind it. Canada says it is not registered in Canada and therefore is not Canadian vehicle. The Dealer says now it is a "grey market" car and will not stand behind the warranty either. My theory is a Honda is a Honda and since there are problems with the transmission, and Honda has extended the warranty, it shouldn't matter where you buy the vehicle. Just wondering has anyone else been given this run around?

imidazol97

I assume you still have your paperwork from the US dealer from whom you purchased the vehicle. I'd contact my state Attorney General office and notify the dealer and Honda exactly what you're telling them.

runaround

Yes we still have the paperwork, we have contacted the dealer, but we have since moved from the state and are no longer having our vehicle worked on at that dealership. They pretty much figure that we will not be purchasing any other vehicles from them so they could care less about taking care of our transmission. Canada wants nothing to do with it,since it has not been registered in that country. The dealer where we have it serviced now, suggested we take it up with a Service Representative in California. While they are all passing the buck, my van sits idle in the garage. I am afraid to drive it. I am not fond of making payments on a car I cannot drive. They also say that there are so many of these vehicles, with faulty transmissions, that there are not enough rebuilt transmissions to fix them. They say we may have to search salvage yards for a replacement since they are no longer making new ones. This leaves me with an uneasy feeling also. Whatever happened to companies who stand behind their products? I have been told that this case is going to be reviewed. Thank you for your suggestion...... To be continued........

i_wanitfixed

I agree, the three most likely possibilities are: 1) the battery is defective and won't hold a charge, 2) The alternator or other parts of the charging system are defective and not charging the battery, or 3) the parasitic drain (current used by audio system, locking system, ... when engine is off) is too high, i.e. something that's not supposed to be taking current is or is taking more than it should.

But supposedly, the dealer has tested all three of these and they all test ok.

The switch on the dash is in the door position. The interior lights go on when the door opens and time out. I thought maybe the timeout was failing intermittently and the lights had stayed on more than 30 secs. But the last time it died, I locked it with the key fob so I could be sure the lights were out. Died anyway so I don't think that's it.

The theory of the little ones leaving a light on is a good one, but I don't have any little ones. In fact, usually I'm the only one in the car. Sometimes someone is in the front passenger seat. Rarely have anyone in the 2nd or 3rd row.

Also, I've been very carefully checking to make sure no interior lights are on when I park it lately - just to be sure, and its still going dead. Happened again after my last post. And another thing. I haven't been driving it at night when this happens (except the very first time). No reason to have any lights on in the first place.

Right now my best guess is 1) something is draining more power than it should intermittently (maybe temperature variation/vibration is causing an intermittent short somewhere), 2) Charging system is failing intermittently (but then wouldn't I get a dash indicator?).

Just thought maybe someone had a similar experience.

i_wanitfixed

Sounds like the Traction Control System. I don't recall if I hear this in my Ody, I think all models have traction control. But my Ford Crown Vic does this. Maybe I don't hear it in the Ody because I'm used to the Ford, and the Ford is probably noisier.

After you drive a short distance in Drive after starting the engine, the TCS will adjust. On the Ford, I think a dash light flashes on for a sec when it happens, but don't recall.

I've had several cars with ABS, but don't get this noise, just w/ TCS. In any case it sounds like its probably a "normal" noise. Your dealer should be able to tell you right off the bat if thats it.

rorr

I think the most likely cause of your problem is a defective battery. Once the battery was completely discharged (for whatever reason), then it could be damaged and have a hard time holding a charge after that.

i_wanitfixed

I've had excessive engine noise and steering wheel vibration at 1500-1600RPM and 50MPH. Took it in twice. Was told it is not a problem. I understand this is not an uncommon complaint, has to do with resonant frequency of manifold I think. No service bulletin (at least not with a fix) from what I understand.

Agree that this does not leave a quality impression, but at the moment I have more pressing problems. As long as its not the trans or something else that will cause a problem down the road, its on the back burner.

Also agree, tires ARE noisy. Everyone has their fav's and horror stories. I've had good luck with Goodyear. Just put a set of Comfortreads on my other car. Smooth quiet ride with good handling. Much better than factory Michelins. Of course the Ody's tires lean more toward handling than ride I expect.

desertkev

I have an 02 Oddyssey and haven't had any major problems. (***knocking on wood***). We purchased the Honda Care Extended warranty. We have 56,000 miles and the a/c is not working well. so we take it to Mike Piazza Honda in Langhorne (not very good service) and got the run around about having to pay $86 to diagnose and an additional $140 to recharge the system. The car is just now 3 years old and I need to recharge the A/c!!!. And I have to pay......This warranty sucks. Don't buy one as they have given me the run around with 2 issues regarding trim items as well. It doesn't state in the service contract that I have to pay to have problems diagnoses....so buyer beware.

imidazol97

I'd process some complaint paper in the state where the dealer sold it to you. And let Honda know--then try your local TV station that does the live customers complaints and tries to help them get their problems fixed...

quinandtwins

I've had this same water leaking issue in my '03 Ody ever since I've owned it, which was Sept. of '02. At the last visit, the dealer recommended that I take a screwdriver to remove the caked mud from the condensate line every so often. Geeez, I've never had to do this with any other vehicle. Is it just the Ody that has this line vulnerable to muddy conditions?

I've had some other things go wrong with the van, some minor, and some major. DVD player went out; they replaced it. Headphones went out; they replace them (though one of the replacements was cracked!) My last trip to the dealer cost me $1600 for a new cradle (which took them months to diagnose that was what was causing my steering to sway). On one visit they said it was that I needed an alignment. When that didn't fix it, then they said it was the tires. That didn't fix it. Neither did new brakes. Oh, wait. It was a rock that broke off a nut that holds the cradle in place. And now the struts are bad and you need an alignment again. There's more and I could go on, but I don't want to bore everyone...

At this point, this van is my first and last Honda product. I'm greatly disappointed in their quality and underbody design.

tomfelix

I have a '99 Odyssey with 93K miles. I too had the CEL come on and the dealer replaced the EGR as goodwill. The light came on again and I was charged $100 for replacing another part and now the CEL is on again and I have just been told it is the catalytic converter. I inquired about the emmission warranty but was told Honda is firm on the 80K miles coverage. I told the dealer not to replace the converter until I have time to think what to do. What are the risks with driving the van with the light on and not knowing if something else is going wrong? i.e. is this only an emmission issue or could there be other issues that would not be detected and cause other damage? Thanks.

jdill

Dear Runaround,
When I read your complaint to my husband, he asked if I had posted that message. We are in exactly the SAME spot except we bought a 3rd party extended warranty. When THEY found out it was a "gray market" vehicle, and that Honda had extended the warranty for USA and Canadian cars, they also washed their hands of it. Said they would only repair something that didn't have a recall or otherwise manufacturer's extended repair offer on it. I bought mine from a car broker at my credit union, and so called him. He's "looking into it". He thinks the extended warranty people should pick it up, but he's going to research his Honda dealers to find out where I stand. I'm supposed to hear today. I'm with you: a Honda is a Honda. But NO ONE wants to pay the $4000 they tell us it will cost. Including me. I don't want to pay it either. And we shouldn't. The car needs the new tranny whether it's registered with Honda USA or Canada. Honda should be getting some bad press on this one. :mad: :mad: :mad: jdill in Washington State

user777

yes, i have heard the same thing. the vehicle is under warrenty. why wouldnt they toss in a new battery?

my thinking is the type of testing done by the dealership might not actually be as good as that done with the testers at the automotive parts store. this could also be an issue with technician proficiency.

maybe i'd be looking at bringing it to another dealership. clearly your vehicle is still exhibiting the problem. what would they be out to put a fresh battery in there? You can get a Honda battery for $54.00 + shipping. Their cost must be far less.