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Comments
"SOmeone who rode in the back asked about the small cubby hole on the spare tire side (said the top didn't open far enough to be useful). I'm not even aware that there was something back there!"
I think the 'cubby' being refered to is the top handle for removal of the spare tire cover. This top handle has a swing in cover and I can see how this would be confused with some sort of miniscule storage area.
Hope this helps.
A question better answered by Honda and not us. If they sell 100k Odysseys and receive complaints from 100 owners, should that warrant a seat change? I dunno. A seat change which would satisfy those 100 owners could easily make the seats UNcomfortable for 1000 out of the next 100k units sold. Have you ever seen a seat which was comfortable for EVERYONE (100%) who sat in it? I haven't.
"He insinuated that because HE PERSONALLY has not received a complaint, then it must not be a legitimate issue." I've read a good many of isells posts and I didn't perceive this insinuation. I've found that 'insinuations' can be as much in the mind of the party on the receiving end as the one making the statement. Remember my comment regarding BS-colored glasses? You seem to take virtually EVERYTHING isell says as BS. At least, that's the way I perceive it....
Lumbar support as the source of irritation? Certainly possible. By it's very nature, lumbar support applies pressure to a given area of the lumbar region (hence the 'support'). I would not be surprised in the slightest if, no matter WHAT sort of lumbar support was provided, a percentage of owners would experience some discomfort.
Bottom line, regardless of the vehicle, always give a THOROUGH test drive before purchase. If you experience a LITTLE discomfort 5 minutes into a test drive, just imagine how it might feel after 5 hours.
They do, however have to please the masses.
This "seat comfort" subject has been beat to death at this point and I'm done.
The wind noise issue seems to be most common on the early builds. If it bothers you, take it in to the dealer for warranty work.
I have nothing to gain here by stating my opinions and real world experience and it looks like you recognize that.
I've insinuated nothing.
Some here don't always seem to have a "firm grip" on the obvious. They assume that if one person complains it must be a widespread problem.
I hope Honda can, in fact, design a seat that pleases everyone!
You have to press it really deep down for it to click and stick at the ON position. I had my finger at horizontal position - as most people normally would do - I couldn't turn it on.
I wonder if it's an installation issue. Has anyone have this problem. Mine is the EXL-RES. Thanks.
I think that depends on how many complaints are typical per new car. If, say, for every new car model introduced there are typically three complaint areas with 50 complaints for each area, then getting 50 complaints is pretty meaningless. It just means that there are always these 50 people who complain about one thing or another no matter what you do. If there are 1,000 complaints when there are usually 50, then that IS relevant.
Nope. They take them home and discover the discomfort AFTER extended driving periods.I guess it would be nice if Honda let you take the van on a 2 or 3 hour test drive.Instead of the 15 minute test drive all dealers usually give you.Sitting in a seat that is uncomfortable is one thing...sitting in one that causes you pain is another.The Ody is one of the better vans on the market.Hopefully Honda will look at this issue and not discount it as some people are doing.
We purchased a new '05 Odyssey after considerable research, etc. We have owned nothing but Toyotas (5) for twenty-five years -our trade was a 1991 Previa with 214,000k. It served us well and was generally a great vehicle. Our choice to buy a Honda was a well-considered risk for us.
Our new Odyssey rides well and although generally a bit more noisy ( road noise) than the Sienna we drove, our perception was that the ride was tighter and more predictable than the Sienna. It had more included options, plus safety and comfort features than the Sienna at for the same "decent" price- if anyone considers $29,000.00 plus a decent price for any car.
Ok, I'll get to the point. We bought the Odyssey based upon our conclusion that the quality of the Honda van paralleled the Toyota. Now we have doubts. The Odyssey has been at the dealer for two weeks. After putting 500 miles on it in light driving, a problem developed with the driver's side door. At first, it would unlock but not open. Then it would open after the car was warmed up, but not latch upon being closed resulting in the door flying open as I turned onto the road in front of my house. Scary .
The dealer's first fix was to lubricate the latch mechanism with dry lubricant. This sounded less than permanent to me but logical. Honda America indicated that they would do nothing unless the problem could be duplicated.
The dealer could not duplicate the problem and was ready to send the car back to us when , luckily, I guess, ...the problem re-occurred. Coincidentally, the next day the service manager at the dealer received a fax from Honda America to check all the lock mechanisms of the remaining new Odysseys on their lot. Two other Odysseys on the lot and one they had sold had the problem. I immediately assumed that Honda America has discovered a systemic problem with Odyssey lock mechanisms. The driver who took me home from the dealer said the 04's had a problem with the sliding side doors. It is now two weeks later. The dealer is waiting for a fix from Honda "engineers." The problem seems to stem from water entering the mechansim and freezing a cable when temps drop. My concern is long term. I am not an engineer or a mechanic but I have enough hands-on experience with mechanical systems to know that repairs may or may not be effective, and if not designed-in from the get go, run the risk of failing due to not being part of the original design, untested materials failure, or improper or ineffective installation. OK, I understand that original parts run the same risk but I am wondering what these Honda "engineers' are doing. Are they fabricating a new part? Are they going to test it before they prescribe it? Is it going to come with a detailed installation procedure? And since the passenger door has the same locking mechanism, are they going retro fit that door as well? My greatest fear is that they will jury-rig something that will deteriorate and fail one mile after the warranty expires three years down the road. So, fellow Honda owners, although I own a Honda snowblower, lawn mower, and motorcycle, this is my first Honda auto, so please fill me in. Has anyone had a problem with their doors? Has anyone had a problem like this with a new Odyssey that Honda finally fixed?
Any suggestions are appreciated. Meanwhile, it appears that this problem involves more than these three vehicles so tell your friends who may be considering one.
Note: As of now I am less than thrilled with Honda America's response. They seem cool on the phone responding with stock replies when they have responded at all. One rep. actually asked me as a final question ( she was obviously reading it from a list ) : "What would you like Honda of America to do for you at this point?" .....Uh, hello? How about fixing my brand new van and returning it to me. And, oh yeah, extending the warranty to cover the fix past three years would be professional and go a long way towards keeping me as a customer. There seems to be little communication between Honda America's Customer Service division and the dealer. To be fair, the dealer has made an effort to keep us happy with a loaner car after a rough few minutes when I thought they were going to insist we take the van back after they couldn't duplicate the problem the first time. Nonetheless, we feel as if we are at the mercy of two separate entities now: Honda America and the dealer. We are already starting to see some tendency to pass the buck.
-MS
Um, no.
And, no, I don't know isellhondas either.
8^)
I'm 6 foot 1 for what's worth.
The Sienna? It's not an option as they do NOT come with navigation in Canada.
1. I have heard from numerous sources that Honda is very good about warranty repairs, including "goodwill" repairs after the warranty expires. (They offered to chip in for an out-of-warranty repair for my old Prelude.)
2. According to a prior post, a Chicago-area Odyssey had a similar problem. Our '05 Odyssey had a similar problem 2 days after delivery on a very cold Pennsylvania day; dealer adjusted door 4 days ago and no recurrence yet; service writer at dealership mentioned that a number of people have been in with power door issues.
3. Forget about dealing with customer service on the phone. My experience in dealing with them (at least 4 reps) on general questions regarding the Odyssey--both before and after purchase--was abysmal. If the information is not listed on Honda.com, they can't help without creating a "case" to have someone call you the next day with negligible information. Perhaps your dealer's service dep't can put you in touch with a regional manager. (Perhaps you can express your concerns to your dealer's general manager or owner, who can ensure that the dealership keeps on top of Honda.) Otherwise, put your concerns in a fax to Honda (incredible that they do not accept email), and then attempt to speak with a supervisor when you receive a return call.
4. From which dealership did you purchase the vehicle?
5. Although Toyota's reliability appears to be beyond reproach, no doubt you will hear comparable anecdotes from Honda owners. In addition to my Prelude, which I unfortunately had to get rid of a few months ago after 16 wonderful years, family members have happily owned another Prelude, another Odyssey, and a Pilot--no problems at all.
Please keep us posted. I'm sure you will have many happy years ahead with the Odyssey.
When you start the car, instead of getting the introduction screen where you can press OK to get into the navi system, it jumps straight to a map of local roads. The icon showing our position is there as well. The problem is that you cannot get off this screen to enter a destination address. The system will not respond to any of the buttons (cancel, menu, zoom, etc) You are just stuck with a screen showing your current location.
This is frustrating since on some days my wife will not take directions with her since she has the navi system...then it fails and she ends up late getting to various appointments.
This happens 3 or 4 times a week (out of 20 to 30 times a week that the car is started.
No, you miss my point. And there IS an answer to your question, which I gave earlier. I'll explain. Any given product will have complaints. Why? Because some people will always complain. At my company, it doesn't matter how our comp and benefits people improve the various benefits plans ... there are ALWAYS people who will complain, either because there is some minutia involving only them or just because they complain about lots of things. That's true everywhere. You could give away $100 bills to passersby, and at some point someone will ask why it isn't more than $100, or if they can have more than $100.
Now, back to Honda. They know people will complain no matter what they do with their cars. They have a sense of how many complaints are "typical" ... i.e., how many complaints will happen regardless. If that number is 50, then 50 complaints won't cause them to pay much attention. They will assume that there are always 50 people out there who complain. If that number is 1,000, then they will get on it, because that is far out of the norm and indicates there is a real problem.
The numbers 50 and 1,000 are only my examples. I don't know what the real statistical analysis says. But I bet Honda has one. So, how many complaints does Honda need to hear about something before acting? Depends on their statistical analysis on this. [BTW, this deals largely with "perception issues," such as seat comfort. If van doors start flying open on their own, I am sure only a handful of complaints will get Honda's attention.]
while i know some people are complaining of lumbar issues, personally, i find my Accord and ODY seats very comfortable, and yet sometimes, i end up removing my wallet from my pocket because it's getting loaded with stuff and i notice it.
gee- if it was only cash
seriously, if there are a class of people complaining of leg or "seat of the pants" discomfort, maybe they have a wallet that needs a checkup or they need to see if the front of the seat is adjusted properly.
Thanks
my wallet is probably the only place i get to "park" stuff and find it later without much hunting, since either my wife or my kids tend to relo just about everything else i might call my own.
Seat comfort depends on the shape and size of your rear end. LOL.
SO some would complain and others would be happy.
There is big difference between simple plain noise and a big explosion! SO the minor complaints are ignored in favor of bigger issues.
One thing with the Ody is, how the seat feels (to me) can change greatly by how it is adjusted. Tilting up the front makes a big difference. You also might need to sit differently (some people sit straight up, some slouch, etc.).
I do notice the seat has a bit more pronounced lumbar bulge than I would prefer, but I get used to it pretty quick, and it didn't bother me at all on a 5 hour trip.
For issues with legs getting numb, that could be how the seat is angled. Try tilting it up to change the support and angle of the legs (or lower it I guess).
But, some seats just don't work for some people I guess.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If you seat hurts you, it hurts you...period!
I think many of us sympathize ... :-) I actually hide my stuff, and so far I usually can remember where I hid it!
I once heard a chef talk about making soup.
He said that putting the exact amount of salt in the soup was almost an art. Too much and some will complain it's too salty. Not enough,some will complain it's too bland.
He said, that even when it's "just right" there will still be complainers. A few people will send it back and others will reach for the salt shaker.
And you are correct, some people just love to complain about everything. That's how they go through life...complaining and whining.
I've learned to avoid these people like the plague since it's infectious.
Great post!
It's really unfortunate that you don't take anyone's complaint here seriously, because I'm sure some of them are valid and real. I obviously can't know which ones, but I certainly wouldn't dismiss them all.
One last thought of this seat comfort issue. I don't think it is exclusive to the Honda Ody. Any van out there that appeals to people who fall for the "lumbar support" pitch...is going to have "some" problems.It's just the way the things are designed.Though Ody's probably just need a minor adjustment in location.
Back to my scroll wheel...sorry, I knew better.
I apologize in advance for being too lazy to read back over the many prior posts. We are currently not really interested in, at least we cannot now afford to be interest in, any more vehicles. My wife and I even now find the looks of the prior "new" Odyssey to be the very best looking minivan yet conceived. I've held off commenting since it often seems that it takes me a while to get used to new designs and that, quite frequently, they "grow" on me until I cannot imagine anything better looking.
OK, you must know what's coming now. Sorry to all who love the looks, but I must say that my wife and I (try as we might!) simply cannot stand the looks of the new Odyssey. The blunt nose alone conjures up images of Ventures, Windstars, and -- shuddddddeeerrrrr, cringe -- Nissan's wacky design efforts. It's certainly a personal opinion, but for me and mine, the redesign has taken the Odyssey off of any wish list we might secretly be drooling over.
So, how many others were lost over the looks? Have some simply worn blinders until they get inside (something I considered when I was mulling over whether to "grin and bear it" in a new Sienna just to get 8 seats)? Is the answer simply, "It's a minivan, for Pete's sake! Looks aren't really a consideration!"?
I'll leave quietly now.....