Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Kudos to Honda to finally figure this one out.
Steve, Host
The dealer said that the transmission needed to be flushed and would solve the problem. I have owned many cars in my life and have never had to flush the tranny at 38000 miles.
amigo_john "Isuzu Trooper" Jun 30, 2003 10:46am
Hope yours gets better, Mike395.
Steve, Host
The August/September issue of Budget Living magazine has a story about buying a car. In a breakout box on the best used cars is the following:
"Minivan: Honda Odyssey - Post '99 models are rock solid."
What say this group? The address for letters to the editor is letters@budgetlivingmedia.com
did the 30000 mile service. It has been a week since the service department did the flush and the problem has returned. My wife almost got in an accident last night while she was trying to merge with traffic. Tranny started jumping around so bad that she said it felt like it was in neutral. Will take it back to Honda this weekend and see what they say.
Has Honda extended the 7/100000/$0 warranty to 2002 Odysseys like they have for Acuras?
My plan was to get a hitch and buy a bike rack to attach to the hitch. My problem is that, I am afraid that once I have the hitch, I am more inclined to tow things. So this plan is secondary or on the back burner.
Anyway, is there any advantage to get an ATF cooler even though I won't be towing anything at all?
I have a 15 month old 02 odyssey with 2800 miles. About, 500 miles ago/ 4 weeks ago, the van began "bucking" at 50 to 65 mph in 5th at 1500 to 1800 rpm. At first it was subtle but now is obvious. We took to the dealer [where all its maintenance has been performed] and were told it was the tranmission fluid. We had just had its 23000 mile service. The 15000 mile checklist includes checking "all fluids." They replaced/ flushed the fluid out "3" times one week ago and yet the problem remains. We were then told it was the "egr valve." What the egr valve has to do with these problems I don't know.? Thus far the dealer service has been poor. I have had to call multiple times just to get them to service, and then its several days to a week from then - at their scheduling convenience.
I am concerned that this transmission will blow up.
Is 2% failure acceptable in other consumer products?? Would a medicine with a 2% liver failure or death rate be on the market?!
If the number is "only 2%" it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. The lawyers would have a field day with this.
The 03 4 cylinder Accord the dealer gave as a loaner already ahd its check engine light on at les than 20000 miles.
I originally bought the van due to Honda's good reputation, but now I have lost confidence in them.
Thanks for the articles, websites, and numbers to call.
If you search the other Odyssey message boards, you'll find that other people are experiencing the same problem.
I'm fairly convinced that it's an engine miss and not a transmission problem. If you watch the tachometer when the car starts bucking, it swings up and down between 1300-1600 RPM.
The problem is that no one who has posted a similar problem has been able to get the dealer to fix the problem.
Anyone out there with a suggestion?
Anyway...
They replaced the EGR Valve and lo and behold the shuddering I described in post 287 is gone.
I hope this will be a permanent fix.
Hondavanman I hope your problem gets fixed also
I still think that a 2% rate of transmission problems is unacceptable.
Any thoughts on whether this should be covered by Honda under the extended 7 year/100,000 mile transmision warranty.
Thanks!
Last week, my 2002 EX experienced transmission failure @ 61,000 mi. (slipping gears, jerkiness, check eng. light, flashing "D", etc.) I immediately drove it to the dealership the next day and they gave the official word that I needed a new transmission to the tune of $5400.
They told me to call American Honda and ask for assistance, since I was over 36K mi. They returned my call within 2 business days and to my surprise and delight Honda authorized a free replacement of the tranny (parts & labor). Before I could grasp the reality of the good news, a new transmission was on its way to my dealership.
Their reasons for doing this include: one owner vehicle, complaints @ 29K mi regarding shift quality and choice of gears when downshifting, and a good service/maintenance record.
Although this is the first time a Honda product has really disappointed me, I give corporate two thumbs up for how I was treated and the fact that the van was only out of service at the dealership for two days (had the original rear brake pads changed while the tranny was being replaced). I'm sharing my experience because Edmunds.com (and the Odyssey Townhalls especially) have been an invaluable resource to me and I think that others need to be aware of potential problems that may surface.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that I will not have to replace my new tranny at some future date and I'm also driving a bit more gently.
that while the engine is from US, the transmission
is listed as made in Japan. Are all the Ody
transmissions (99-03)always made in Japan, or
some made in US?
Back today for a transmission leak. Dealer couldn't locate leak. Dealer wants to run a few more tests in morning, then probably get another transmission.
45,000 miles, 50 months old.
Update tomorrow to follow.
Honda Village ordered transmission. Doesn't want me to drive it out, so has arranged a free rental.
Much better service this week compared to when I brought it in a month ago. Then they told me there was nothing wrong with the van. Today they say it is dangerous to drive. Amazing.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
MD
I was told that the warranty on this new transmission is 12/12000. What has anyone else been told?
"we had to take our 01 Odyssey to the Honda dealer to replace the transmission for the third time. Like clockwork every 15000 to 20000 miles this car needs a new transmission. Is there anything we all can do to eliminate this annoying problem forever."
We got the car back couple of days ago, but yesterday we faced the same problem of leaky transmission fluid and it came to complete halt. We had to tow it to the dealer. Is it possible that they never changed the transmission?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mahyar
I bought my '98 Odyssey in Nov. '97 when they first came out. At 6500 miles the Check Engine light came on and the computer indicated a clutch systems failure. As the dealer could find nothing wrong with the transmission they reset the computer and said the computer might be defective. At 8900 miles the light went on again and the dealer found a clutch failure code. They replaced the computer. The van was under ten months old at this time.
At 63,000 miles the Check Engine light went on again and the code indicated the torque converter clutch had a problem. The dealer said if the code reappears the vehicle may need a transmission. This happened four months ago. It is now out of warranty, of course. All service has been done on schedule and at the Honda or Accura dealers and I have all the paperwork.
If anyone has any suggestions or information that could help me, I'd really appreciate your input. Thanks!
bill. I wrote Honda but to no avail. Reading this forum, it was suggested I entered a complaint in the NHTSA web site. Apparently enough people must have done this because I received a letter from Honda this weekend stating that the warranty for 99 Honda Odysseys has been extended to 7yrs 100,000 miles! I sent in all the
paper work and receipts pronto and am hoping that may labor costs will be refunded.
Thanks for the suggestion and I am glad that enough people took the time to complain. Sometimes I guess the system actually works!
We didn't notice the "clunk" in reverse until a few days after we bought it. It turns out to be a symptom of the tranny problems many have experienced. The other tranny issue is the jerky deceleration when coasting down an incline, which the Honda explains as "grade logic".
When we first reported the problem to Honda at 122k, they said it fit the description of a defective transmission, but it was out of the 60k warranty. Now we're at 130k and they have extended the warranty to 100k, so we're still out.
I bought a Honda Odyssey because I believed Honda makes the best cars that can go a lot of miles. I feel like I got a lemon (see my other post re:Catalytic Converter).
My question: Does anybody think I have any hope of getting Honda to pay for even a portion of the tranny replacement?
Because it is so far out of warranty, and even very far out of the extended 100K warranty, Honda is under no obligation to help you in any way, and it would be an "above and beyond" if they give you any assistance. Remember that they get loads of claims every day, and yours is just one of many, but the difference is that yours is very high mileage (avg 26K per year).
kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
The engineering fix for it took effect starting from the early/mid-2002 model year. No idea if this fix was retroed to the refurbished transmissions.
We call the dealer where we bought it from which happens to be right up where we are going (where all my family lives). Because we are going straight to the wake I can't drop it off that night and the best I can do is noonish the nest day and that's only by dropping in between the cemetery and lunch together afterwards. We tell him we expect a loaner and he tells us that they don't have that but will rent us a vehicle. We say there's 6 of us so it darn well better seat 6.
Well, the next day we indeed drop the car at that hour but he hasn't told the guy from the rental agency to get here yet but we end up in and out in an hour. Due to the circumstances we expected better but at least didn't miss all of the family time later. OK - back to the dealer here. Enterprise comes by with a Windstall! As a former owner of the dreaded Windstall I am appalled and then find out this is only what he came to fetch us in but once he realizes what he's dealing with decides he'd better put us in it since the alternative might have been trying to squeeze us all in a Crown Vic or something. Anyway, it's on Honda's pickle.
As I write it is 2:35 the day following and I have no report. We are due to leave for a week's vacation on Saturday in the van. Will keep you posted.
By the way, even though that light was blinking the Ody trans was still shifting smoothly and accurately - something I can not say about the Windstall. In fact, having lived in the WWindstall for a day now I have yet to find one thing I can say "Ya know, they thought this part out really well" about, as opposed to teh time I rented a Grand Caravan and there were several things I actually thought Honda should take note of.
Oh, well. I do note that while the van has 41,000 on it they never even asked if I had an extended warranty (I do - specifically because of worry about the transmission) and they are all set to repair as warranty and cover the rental.
Stay tuned. After Friday night I'll be gone about 8 days so be sure to return for the thrilling conclusion.