2014 Hondy Odyssey Touring Transmission Problems @ 46K Miles

tonysnc

We purchased a new 2014 Honda Odyssey Touring with all the bells and whistles in Oct 2013. Over the past month, we have noticed a serious delay in shifting gears between 18-40 MPH. The significant delay is getting worse and we have had a local mechanic tell us that there is metal in the transmission fluid and that we need to take it to the dealership since we have 46K miles and it is still under warranty. I am not getting anywhere with Boyd Honda in Oxford, NC where we purchased it. They want to do a transmission service (replace fluids) and they said that will fix the problem (at our expense of course). I have left several messages for the Service Manager to call me back to discuss and still have yet to receive a call back 24hrs later. I confirmed he was in all day yesterday and today. I am not happy. This is our 3rd brand new Honda purchase in 9 yrs, not from this dealership, and I am shocked at the lack of customer service I am receiving to truly troubleshoot this problem. Any thoughts to help us through this the proper way?

stever

You could try opening a case with Honda describing the symptoms, your other diagnosis of metal in the fluid and the reluctance of the dealer to, in your opinion, fully investigate the problem. Emphasize that a failing transmission is a safety issue since the delay in shifting is dangerous and the transmission could also go into limp mode in the middle of traffic.

Or try another dealer.

In any case, you're likely looking at a diagnostic fee until they decide it's a warranty claim. And it may not be an issue at all - small quantities may be normal. But contacting Honda and otherwise raising a stink should at least help get the issue looked at, and your shifting issues make it sound like it's not normal.

hondaretailer

I'd raise a little he'll in the service department and Honda customer service.

Question: Do you tow?

vinnyg

How did the mechanic determine that there is metal in the fluid? Did he drain or draw any fluid at all? Did you perform a drain and fill at 30,000 miles? A good drain and fill and then another (it takes a little over 3 quarts per drain) may work wonders on your vehicle, and it is simple to do at home. Take a look at this video and you will see the accumulated debris on the magnetic plug:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ8D-FnNmU

tonysnc

Sorry for the delay in my response. I finally received a call from the Service Manager. The tone was incredibly different talking with the SM. After explaining my situation, the experience went from complete frustration and anger before the call, to excited that they were willing to completely help solve this problem. I told the SM about the problem and that I haven’t given permission to drain and service the transmission yet until I spoke to him. He said he would personally go out and drive my van to see exactly what the problem was. I received a call back hours later saying that he completely agreed with me and that he had ordered a new Torque Converter and even though the Transmission Service probably would have smoothed it out in the short term, it was not a long term fix. He ordered the Torque Converter, the service advisor called me 3 days later when the job was complete and he also apologized for not digging deeper into this problem. When I went in to pay, I was taken back to the SM’s office by the service advisor and the SM wanted to make sure I was happy with the service. They didn’t even make us pay for the Transmission Service which I fully expected to since it is a standard maintenance item. I am very impressed how they used this bad situation to showcase their customer service and their desire to build loyal customers. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Boyd Honda of Oxford, NC. Thanks for the comments everyone.

stever

Thanks for the update and good for Boyd. Feel free to write up a Dealer Review too. Different bunch of folks read those.