Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

just4fun2

I have been at a loss to understand why people keep buying Honda's after getting a bad one with transmission problems. I was under the understanding that they bought a Honda Ody so they didn't have to know the service manager by his first name. If your are going to pay what Honda dealer demand and still have a van that has problems like any other van, what's the point? This is blind loyality and that isn't worth the cost of a Ody.

Just spin the wheel and take your chances in this case.

anonymousposts

What can you buy that you will be guaranteed to never visit the dealer for repairs. If you can name that car that has a flawless track record with no reported problems ever I will sell my Honda and go buy it tonight. If you can't do that then I will continue to enjoy my 04 Odyssey, 04 Accord, and 03 Civic.

cha

Honda has great press relationships, and most people just think Honda and Toyota have such great vehicles.

I have also heard of many more Acura MDX's having the transmission problems, again with High Mileage.

Subaru's depending on how hard you drive them, usually last around 200K miles. However if you drive hard, and or tow, that might not be that great.

Don't know how many Odyssey's have same problem, but there is indeed a problem, and the new 2005 Odyssey's have the same transmission as far as I know.

So get a better handling vehicle, on all conditions, and can also go off road.

Get an Outback!!!

just4fun2

The point is not to name what car will not have problems, it makes more sense to steer clear of a vehicle that is having problems that are well known. I see people here buying a Ody knowing about the transmission problems and say I'll just keep my fingers crossed. If you are having good luck with Honda Ody good, but if you are the one that get the lemon, why are you so willing to go back?

You have an 04, what mileage? Come back when you get 80-90k and let us know how it held up. The problem I always see is that when someone buys a new vehicle they can't say enough good things about it, the honeymoon is still going on.

xfactor

I find this back and forth fascinating.

To Isellhondas:

In response to a previous post you made. 100,000 miles is not alot of driving. I would allow that it is probably about 2/3 the life of the car.

To all:

As for warranties here is my take. I expect the cost of any car to be $.20 per a mile over the life of a car including repair costs (excluding gas/ins etc). So $30,000 spent for the original purchase plus repairs equals about 150,000 miles of driving. Honda has stood behind their product (A good thing). The problem with the 100,000 mile warranty is its a cliff. I always felt that you should get 100% coverage to 100,000 and prorated coverage after 100,000 miles. something like a 20% reduction in warranty coverage for every 10,000 miles thereafter. At 100,001-110,000 the manufacturer would cover 80% of the cost. At 110,001 - 120,000 60% would be covered. Better yet a scaling down of coverage of 1% every 500 miles after 100,000 miles. This would add greater economic certainty to the cost analysis of the car at purchase. Obviously the manufacturer would have to control the list prices for repairs as the dealer may inflate the price to get more from the customer.

As for the $.20 cost per mile if I get more great if I get less the question becomes would I have done better buying something else. Quite frankly, other cars (own 2 Hondas now) I have owned were cheaper and pretty good cars but my cost per mile was higher and my Lumina lasted to about 109,000 miles but my repair bills were pretty high.

Just4fun

I do not understand the MSRP comments. Yes I paid MSRP for my 1999 HO but MSRP is just a number on a strip of paper. If manufacturer "A" sets MSRP at $28,000 and the dealer actually sells it at $25,000 vs. manufacturer "B" who sells the same exact car but sets MSRP at $25,000 and the dealer sells it at that price what is the difference? There is none.

Now I compared the 1999 HO lX cost to buy which happened to be MSRP to every other MV's cost to buy which was at a discount off MSRP. I also listed standard feature for all MV's on the market and standardized the features (as best I could) by adding packages that caused say a Sienna with package X1 to approximate the HO lx standard features. The HO faired fairly well in this analysis.

That's without getting into all the design benefits the 1999 HO had over its competitors (Flip & Fold seat etc).

My point is a potential buyer saying I will not pay MSRP and thus will not buy car X or Y without doing some fundamental analysis is simply naive.

Now the MV market is more difficult today because the competition is closer. I recently analyzed the 2004 HO EXL with DVD and found it to be a great bargain vs. the competition on price.

I think the KIA Sedona is a great bargain on price. If the cost difference is $10,000 for the Honda and lets say 6,000 is for reliability I expect to get 30,000 miles more from the Honda vs. the Sedona. If I do not it just means that I did not make the most economically prudent choice and not necessarily a terrible one. For me the HO, Sienna, and Toyota, DC, are tops on my list and when I look to buy and I map everything out price will be the equalizer regardless if that price is called MSRP or $200 above dealer invoice.

Please note this is only the price analysis and performed only on MV's that meet my minimum design standards for usability. I.E. I cannot purchase an MPV as cargo capacity is to small for my needs although I think it is a great MV but at $12,000 off MSRP it would still be unusable except as a 2nd car.

anonymousposts

And my point is that EVERY manufacturer has demonstrated that ANY models can have problems. What if those 05 Siennas have a transmission problem? There are people with Camrys complaining about their transmissions and several people have had theirs replaced in their 02+ Camry. The LS430 was also recalled for a couple of things. There is NO such thing as a perfect car. At least we know the problem with the Ody and we know that Honda is standing behind their product for a reasonable period of time. And in some cases where failures have occurred after the warranty period is up Honda has still footed part of the bill.

pepsico

After replacing mine 2 weeks ago at 49,000 miles, went back a few days later with tranny fluild leak due to a loose 'inspection' bolt. A couple days later, went back again for fluid leak, caused by another loose bolt. Tech said the factory shipped replacement transmission to dealership without tightening all the bolts. I think the Honda shop doing the work should have inspected their work before and after their job was complete.

just4fun2

Your company A&B could be Honda vs. Chrysler on their mini vans. Now, if you want the Honda because it suits your needs better than the Chrysler that is understandable. Now, if you believe that the Honda has better reliability and will hold up better than the Chrysler and are willing to pay MSRP knowing Honda's transmission problems, that is where I have a hard time understanding this.

The Chrysler T/C will have rebates that will make it less expensive to purchase over the Honda Ody that sells at MSRP or over. People are willing to give Honda/dealer this premium in price because they expect the Honda Ody to be a more reliable van. The money paid to buy the Ody over the T/C is thousands of dollars and for that you get transmissions that are iffy.

So, what was the advantage to pay MSRP for a Ody when it isn't living up to it's expectation?

Again, I am not picking on the Ody we all drive what we like. I just thought that people wanted to stay away from the service department as much as possible, didn't want to end up like those people that didn't buy a Honda.

MSRP is only a number, but there should be a good reason to choose that number and not be too forgiving just because a company will fix it for free. Free is good, that just happens to be my favorite word.

anonymousposts

But Chrysler has had their fair share of transmission problems as well. Transmission problems that were NOT covered by an extended warranty like those in the Odyssey. Ford had engine and transmission problems. Toyot had problems with sludge. There is something every where you look. Buy the one you like. I would bet though your average Odyssey is more reliable than your average T&C.

stever

A rough count using the Discussion search in the Chrysler minivans transmission problems discussion flops up ten members who had two trannies fail versus just a couple in the Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems discussion.

But only two DC owners had three failures while 7 Honda owners seem to have had three trannies fail on their Odysseys (and Pat didn't post about his three).

All of which proves nothing, but still an interesting exercise.

Steve, Host

just4fun2

Is that the Chrysler owners are having problems that are brought on by the wrong transmission fluid or a private repair shop not knowing what they were doing when working on the Chryslers transmissions. The wrong transmission fluid for the Chryslers has been brougt up many times. By taking your vehicles to a "Quick Lube" place that doesn't know what they are doing looks like one of the reasons for Chryslers tranmission problems.

Honda's transmission problems is more of a design failure and not on the part of the owners maintenance procedures, so Honda should take care of their customers.

isellhondas

What they think of Chrysler mini van transmsisions. They will tell you these have a VERY high failure rate.

Speaking of value...try comparing the trade in values of a 1999 Odyssey with a domestic minivan!

hayneldan

I would like to know when you last talked to a transmission shop. Percentage wise I believe DC transmissions have a lower failure rate based on total volume sold. Most honda owners will take their minivans to a Honda dealer for service. Would you go back to the service department and ask how many transmissions have been repaired/replaced in your service department vs the total numbers sold by your dealership. Actual numbers please, no guesses.

hansienna

Edmunds 1999 Odyssey EX depreciated $7,970 in 2 years. The 1999 Odyssey trade in value is NOT as high as hyped.
    Read the Edmunds Long Term Test of their 1999 Odyssey EX. Edmunds paid $29,970 for their 1999 Odyssey EX and sold it 2 years later for $22,000.
    When comparing depreciation, the actual amount is the difference between price paid and amount received at trade in. MSRP has virtually nothing to do with actual depreciation.

norne

remember he is only a salesperson and I seriously doubt he can back up anything he says on edmunds.

imidazol97

transmission failures. I agree the maintenance on many of the Chrysler corporation minivans is probably much more lax or damaging than for the Odysseys. Honda has always been successful with the mantra that all work must be done by a Honda dealer and at their timetable. That insures better maintainance but at a much high price.

Many who buy the Chrysler group minivans drive like the Fords in the 60s. "Gas and go." Little if any maintenance service, like tranny oil changes, doesn't get done. On the Oddy, the 'mandated' dealer visits and 'required' maintenance schedules mean better maintenance, which is a good thin.

Can't compare rates of failures between the two.

isellhondas

Of course, I have no empiracal data to back up my feelings. I keep hearing that Chrysler tansmissions are much improved since 2001 and that well may be the case. Prior to that, however, they had some major problems. And, I do know a guy who owns an independant transmission shop.

A lot of these failures have been blamed on using the wrong transmission fluid and I suppose that, too, is possible. It just doesn't seem, to me, anyway, that would happen all that often.

just4fun2

With the explosion of "Quick Lube" place in the last 15 years people must be using them. I stopped by my local quick lube place and ask if they carry "ALL" the car manufactures required transmission fluids and here was the answer.... We have a 500 gallon "BULK" tank filled with Dextron transmission fluid and we just add an additive package to make it compatible with your vehicle. Now, by adding this "Mystery" package to Dextron fluid will not make it work with all vehicles.

I believe that they "top" off all fluids when you are there for your oil change and by adding the wrong fluid isn't going to help make a transmission last very long, sort of like a slow death. My 2000 Chrysler Sebring Convertible requires that I use Chryslers ATF-4 fluid and it can only be purchased at Chrysler. It is a "SYN" transmission fluid and the transmission will not take kindly to anything else. People complain about the cost of this fluid, all I can say is, look at the cost of using something else!

So, I believe that by using these quick lube joints and some local mechanics that think transmissions fluid is transmission fluid is part of the reason for Chryslers problems.

If you think that I am just blowing smoke, visit your local quick lube place and ask to see "Chryslers" ATF-4 fluid and not some immitation. I don't think they can produce the actual product and here lies the problem.

masterpaul1

I totally agree with you. We have a 2001 GC and it's about time to have the trans. fluid and filter changed. I spoke to the Daimlerchrysler mechanic that works on our minivan and was told that only chrysler makes the ATF-4 which is used in our trans. Just out of curiosity, I called around to other fast lub places to see if they carried the fluid needed to change in our minivan. All of them told me they did, but didn't specify what type of fluid. Daimlerchrysler wanted about $149.00 for a fluid and filter change. Other places wanted about $100.00 for the same thing. So given the above information, I can see why a lot of owners of Daimlerchrysler minivans ran into the trans. problems. You figure you are saving about $50.00 going some place else, instead of a Daimlerchrysler mechanic. Since I have been an Edmunds member, I have learned a lot of things about our vechicles. The biggest thing is to take our vechicles back to the dealer for service, (this doesn't include brake work), instead of the other places. We'd rather pay the extra money for the job to be done right, then to have to deal with the aggravation of someone else doing something wrong then having to take it back to the dealer to fix the problem. Another way to look at it, is that with today's vechicle technology, the service mechanics at the dealerships are always being trained to service your vechicle better.

johnnyrf

pepsico: Same thing happened with my 2nd time back with my 2nd transmission. 1st trip in, it was leaking from the pressure switch, this last trip in, it was leaking from what they called a "plug" which they had to remove and re-install with some sort of potting material.
Regarding Honda loyalty, I am planning on trading in my Ody and I know Honda will give me more $$ than their competition. This is my 3rd Honda vehicle. My other 2 (Civic & CRV) I never have had any problems with.
I may lease this next time (3 yrs. 45K miles) so I can return the vehicle before the problems occur. The other more cost effective option is to buy vehicle plus the 7 yr. 100K mile warranty and just bring the vehicle in when it has problems like I am doing with the Ody.

just4fun2

Let's see, you pay more to buy a Honda, so Honda will give you more in trade! Now you want to spend even more money and buy the extended warranty so this Honda Ody won't nickle and dime you to death in repairs.

With that way of thinking, we could just buy a G/C, Toy, Ody or whatever, as long as you purchase the extended warranty.

So when ask, how good is your Ody, would you recommend one?, the answer is....Great van, just don't own it over 45k without the extended warranty.

hansienna

BUT frankly I do not believe either company had as many problems as CR claimed for DC or the internet claims for the Ody.

amykk

Anyone knows who and where those recalled transmissions were built? in Japan or in the US here?
Thanks

hpan

They were GM transmissions. Honda also says the tranny on '05 Ody are shipped from outside of its Lincoln factory. The only other item that's shipped from outside of the factory is the seats.

amykkbc

"Honda Transmission Mfg. of America (HTM). Within two years, HTM surpassed the output of its mother plant in Japan, making it the largest automatic transmission production center for Honda in the world." by Steve, Host

Any new finding?

Can "outside of its Lincoln factory" mean from GM or HTM?

Will there be any built quality difference between the US HTM and its mother plant in Japan if the design and the material used are/were the same?

hansienna

May not be any built quality difference between US HTM and mother plant in Japan but America bashers will proclaim there is. Just read in earlier postings of many forums where the myth of "Built in Japan" is revered.

camerauser

Quote:

Anyone knows who and where those recalled transmissions were built? in Japan or in the US here?

If you mean Odyssey transmissions, all through 2004 were made in Japan. Have not seen the 2005.
General Motors does not make Honda transmissions.

steinbrecher

Lincoln is Lincoln AL. It's the new plant right near Talladega.

All the Ody's before that were manufactured in Canada.

vinfisher

thinking of buying a 2000 odyssey no tran pbob at 74k what would the job cost if it went bad after 100k warranty?

camerauser

Some owners have been quoted $5000-$6000.
Expensive. Odyssey resale values may drop when owners have to start paying for repairs. Used car dealers will start realizing that transmission repairs are too frequent and too expensive and give less for trade in Odysseys.

anonymousposts

It should be noted though that Honda is being very generous with repair assistance even for those who are outside the 100,000 mile warranty period.

ace1000

Anonymousposts points out that Honda dealers are being generous about transmission repairs, which raises a question for me about the extended warranty or service contract as Honda calls it.

I just bought a 2005 Odyssey with a 7 year Honda Care service contract that is fully refundable if not used. I wonder if the service contract can end up costing more because dealers will probably charge the repair against the service contract rather than give me the same deal as someone without a service contract? Has anyone had to use the extended warranty to fix the transmission, or has Honda taken care of the problems so that the extended warranty really hasn't been necessary?

anonymousposts

That's a tough question ace .. and you will probably get a different answer for every person you talk to. However, I think that if there is an extended warranty from the manufacturer on a specific component that that particular component would be covered by their extended warranty not the one you purchased from the dealer.

isellhondas

ALL automatic transmissions are expensive to overhaul these days! Not just Hondas!

imidazol97

I checked with my GM dealer in case my LeSabre transmission were to go out to have an idea whether I wanted to just replace it and keep it or ditch it without repair...
A Goodwrench GM rebuilt would only be $2500 -- I assume that was installed.

just4fun2

The best advice that I can give you is to call a Honda dealer yourself and ask them. With the number of Honda Ody transmission that seem to need replaced they should be able to give you the answer at the speed of light.

Of course, I would call more than one Honda dealer to get prices, as most of us know it is hard to trust dealers.

zzz

I am about to buy a 2002 ody lx. it has 42k miles on it, so there will be no warranty. The current owner took the car to the dealer and had the transmission inspected for the recall problems. They didn't find any problems with it, but did put in a new old pump?

my question is that if later (after i take possession) it has a transmission problem, will honda still honor it as good will to fix the problem?

pat84

I bought a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. The transmission began having problems at 72 K miles .I had had it dealer maintained it's whole life.
 I traded it in on a 99 Odyssey EX. I had the factory installed transmission oil cooler, although I never towed anything. That transmission failed at 68 K miles. It failed with no reverse. At least I could still drive the Dodge to the Honda dealer. The 3rd rebuilt transmission was OK to install after 2 that were not OK. The 2nd rebuilt (no good)was done in IL. The one that was OK was from CA. I have no idea where the 1st rebuilt (no good) was done.
  MY ODY transmission failed before they extended the warranty on 99's although they had extended the 00 and 01 transmissions to 100K miles at the time. Honda extended the 100K mile to 99 transmissions later, after mine failed. They did cover the cost of replacement on my 99. The dealer quoted me $6K plus labor. The dealer went to bat for me and got Honda to pay for my transmission. Honda paid part of my rental car bill since they had my van for 22 days, trying to find a rebuilt tranny that wasn't a POS. I also had the ODY dealer maintained all it's too short life.
   I traded the ODY in a week after I got it back on a Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner weighs as much as the ODY -about 4300 lbs- but has huge 4 w disk brakes. It stops 60-0 in 128 feet, and I have had off road where no ODY could go.
   One other thing. I told the Toyota dealer he should send his service department down the street to the Honda dealer to learn how a service department is supposed to be run.
  Honda definitely has a better service department than Toyota.

stickguy

depend on the dealer. I just got back from a Toyota service department, and it was probably the best service experience I have ever had. Friendly, efficient, called right on time, explained everything, no waits, etc.

It probably helps that this is a smaller local dealer (family owned still), not a mega-chain place. SOrt of like the difference between Walgreens and the local small town pharmacy.

pat84

Both my former Honda dealer and Toyota dealer are small family owned dealerships.
 The Honda service people put paper covers on the seats and plastic protectors on the floor. They washed my Odyssey , even if it was just in for an oil change. They did allow scheduling oil changes.
 My Toyota dealer service people, do not put any protection on the seat or floor. My steering wheel and gear shift lever are greasy from mechanic's greasy hands. The Toyota dealer frequently sends me coupons that say "If you have to wait over 29 minutes for an oil change it's free." I have never had a Toyota oil change in under 29 milutes. When I asked about it, I was told , "The 29 minutes starts when we get your 4Runner in the shop. We had other vehicles ahead of you.."
The Toyota dealer does not accept scheduling oil changes, because it "only takes a few minutes."
 My not schedulable oil changes typically take an hour or more.
 This kind of lackadaisical approach to service to someone who bought a vehicle there, is drastically different from my experience with Honda.
  The most amazing part of this is both dealers are in the same town less than a 1/4 mile apart on the same highway.

stever

Sounds like the type of false advertising the BBB or local AG's office would be interested in. Gotta keep those folks employed you know :-)

Steve, Host

hangaralf1

back on page 44, you were discussing transmission oil changes - It's REALLY easy on an Ody - Just buy 6 or 7 quarts of the Honda stuff for $18. (and a long narrow funnel)- $25 and gaskets for the fill and drain plugs.

transmission takes 3.1 quarts for a change (or capacity _ i can't remember) mine took 3 quarts
 
warm the engine till the fan comes on - (go get some milk at the local quickie mart)

open the fill plug with a 17mm socket and open the drain with - get this - a 3/8 socket wrench (not the socket - the hole is square like the back side of a socket) and drain. you might want to cover the surface opposite the drain plug since it comes out pretty strongly when you first pull the plug. and have some cardboard on the floor in case you miss the oil canister - fortunately my garage floor is epoxied.

there is no filter to change - no gaskets to replace easy in easy out

it is recommended that you do this at least twice since you never get all the oil out with just one change. (go get some more milk after your first change) i didn't ask for anything when i got my 99 ody, but i did ask for a service manual.

this was easier than changing oil and i saved about $50. and holy cow - its like a new trans.

I used 6 Quarts and 1 set of gaskets (aluminum washers)

i am however experiencing problems with my trans - honda stuck it on a diagnosis machine and came up with two lockup solenoids being faulty - to fixed at $585.00 (about $350 for the solenoids) - i know where they are, and what to do, but is it worth $200.......

something else, ever since i bought the ody in 99, i have noticed that when in D4, the transmission always tries to achieve the D4 overdrive gear - at a cost of sending the engine into really low rpm's which isn't good for the engine - then you have to step on the gas and the transmission has to change into a lower gear causing the engine to rev and weird transmission shifts - now my point - back in 99, complaints were made that the shift lever had a preference for D3 - i have to wonder about whether or not this was designed to this since, around town, i leave in D3 - i only use D4 on the highway - it seems to be easier on the engine and the transmission - any thoughts?

bob26

I purchased 2002 EXL Odyssey in April 2002. At 60,000 miles (Mar 2004) I had the transmission drained and flushed at dealer recommendation. During Nov 2004 (66,000 miles) I noticed a flashing "D" indicator light on the dash. The dealer advised that the transmission needed replacing. The van was never towed and was never used for towing--only driven by a 70 year old locally and on trips. Dealer talked to Honda District Manager who advised that I would have to pay part of the cost of a new transmission.i.e., I would have to pay $826. So much for a "quality" Honda product. Even a Kia gives you a 100,000 mile drive train warranty.

apla

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/

I recently purchased a Honda Corporation Certified 2002 Honda Odyssey EXL. As soon as I took possession of the car, I was told they wanted to inspect the transmission because of a corporation recall. I have since had it checked out by the dealer. They also paid for a rental of a mini-van for the day that it was in the shop at now expense to me.

It would appear that you should not have had to pay anything at all to have your transmission repaired or replaced! I would definitely look into this and get your money back!

I have included the link to many of the TSB (technical service bulletins) and recalls associated with the Honda Odyssey. Hope you find this website helpful. Good luck!

hangaralf1

i'm back. i took my ody to another dealer, they are going to replace the transmission - no problems. i have to wonder about the fact that one dealer wanted to charge 585.00 before Honda would handle any warranty repairs. but after the stories i'm hearing, i wonder too if getting a reman tranny isn't jumping out of the pot into the fire.

steinbrecher

If you have a tranny problem the warranty should go with the car to 100K.

Call 1-800-HONDA9 and ask them.

steinbrecher

Call Honda & see if they will pick it up.

Barring that pay for it and then see about getting the 585 re-imbursed from Honda.

If that doesn't work complain (have all your facts straight). The last thing that Honda wants is a problem with there dealers.

We paid 1500 to get our 99 Ody fixed and Honda sent us a check later.