Are there any problems with the 08 Odysseys?
Hi all!
I am considering purchasing a 2008 mini van for my wife some time between July and Setember of 2008. Are there any known issues, reported, with the '08s that I ned to be aware of?
Thanks for the replies.
I am considering purchasing a 2008 mini van for my wife some time between July and Setember of 2008. Are there any known issues, reported, with the '08s that I ned to be aware of?
Thanks for the replies.
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All Odyssey models from 99, 2000,2001,2003,2004,2005,2006, 20007 have faulty transmissions.
2008 - 100% chance
check the facts!
Dont make the same mistake....
My sister-in-law has a 2002, no problems (you did missed 2002 in your post). She has HondaCare coverage.
My neighbor has a 2000, no problems with no HondaCare coverage.
My '05 hasn't had a problem. The transmission was revised in '07.
1st time. - The rear right side tire was totally out. They said it was probably road hazard, but still replaced it for free
2nd time - The check engine light and VSA light came on and the engine was making weird noises while idling and with burning rubber smell. Took it to the dealership. They checked out and send they found engine code P1659 and it was just a temporary loss of traction, please watch and advise. I said fine and took it back.
3rd time - The same problem, this time additionally the power locks and the rear right sliding door stopped working. Came back home and thr door started working again. Took it back to the dealer, they said engine code P1659 showed up again and had to replace some sort of relay switch. Additionally they found a body code and couldn't diagnose what really the problem was since its working now.
4th time - Again VSA light and check engine light went on. This time to make matters worse, gas pedal wouldn't respond at all.Also power locks and sliding door didn't work also. Had to get the vehicle towed back to the dealership. Now the vehicle is with the dealer and I would be hearing from them on Monday. WIll keep this thread updated about progress.
The last sounds like a transmission issue to me. Buyers beware. I hope no one ever has my kind aof experience. Mean while I am considering invoking my CALIFORNIA lemon law rights Any advise?
However, problems are VERY rare for a million Odyssey owners who have love their Odyssey.
We are thinking of trading it in for a 2008 touring. In our 05, we have had a constant rattle in the power sliding doors since day one. Repeated attempts to fix it by our dealer did not solve the problem. Anyone have this problem? Anyone know if there is a fix for the 08 model?
Steering knock - problem found at U-joint in steering spline. Special grease applied fixed problem for 2 weeks, but problem has resurfaced and the clicking noise is annoying again.
Alignment - car pulls lightly to right at freeway speeds. Unable to correct with adjustments. Not bad enough to effect tire wear, but not perfect either.
Engine Ping/Knock - This is the most worrisome as of course a pinging engine will eventually punch holes in the valves. Knocks at low rpms under acceleration and especially up hills, same knock as a manual would make when using too high a gear. Have not brought this in for service yet, but I am not encouraged by reading about others with the same problem. Sounds like a typical timing issue to me, but these cars use software to control timing. Could mean that the timing belt is off a by a tooth, but good luck getting Honda to correct that.
Rattle from front right door at highway speeds with cross winds. I think it is the door molding on top which is not flush and juts out and flaps in strong winds. Not serviced for this yet either.
Our last new car was a 2000 Dodge Caravan which had virtually no issues for several years. And during the 8 years we owned it, only minor issues surfaced due to normal wear and tear. Frankly I am astonished that our new one-month old Honda Odyssey already has so many issues.
Now I am hoping that Honda can fix these problems, because the car drives great (engine knock notwithstanding), whether around town or hauling a loaded down car up a twisty mountain road. But I am already looking at Siennas now to replace the Odyssey. Yeah they may not drive like an Odyssey, but it seems that Toyota quality is much higher than Honda's right now. At least the Odyssey has a very high resale value, which will make it easier to part with.
CR rates these two vans the best, but reliability is definitely on Toyota's side now. The Odyssey scored an average rating, something that most Honda's almost never score, usually abover average or excellent.
So as I contemplate leasing these two, I have my concerns with the Odyssey, even if it is covered under warranty. I'll probably end up with the Sienna again, but I kinda wanted something different this time.
We like our 07 Honda. It's been trouble free so far. Sounds like Toyota has treated you pretty well. If I were in your shoes and liked the van, I'd keep driving Toyota.
If you're happy with the Sienna, I'd stay with a new Sienna. Also seems like the Sienna has the quality edge right now compared to the Odyssey (I have already posted problems with our new '08 Odyssey).
It just started this weekend after 1200 miles. the trim was loose and I put it
back in, but I still heard it. Pretty dissappointing for having owned 1 month.
I haven't had any engine issues, but the van does pull to the right. I will
have these items addressed at the first service interval. I wish I would have
kept my nearly paid off 2003 Nissan Pathfinder, 70K miles, built in Japan,
never an issue.
My 2000 EXL was driven over 105,000 miles, with never a single problem. I did not experience any transmission problems despite the high mileage.
My next Odyssey was a 2005 EXL. I drove it for 40k miles and really liked it. The 05 was the redesigned edition, and I purchased it the first month it came out. It had a sticking automatic right side sliding door when it was brand new, and it took 2 visits to the dealer to fix it. After the repair, I never had any other problems with the van.
I bought a new 08 EXL last week. It runs great, and has a lot of nice new features that the '05 did not, like the backup camera, the more advanced variable cylinder management, and programmable automatic door locks. So far, I have not had any mechanical problems.
One disappointment, however, the '05 had 3 power outlets, 2 on the dash and one in the cargo area. There are still 2 little doors for outlets on the dash, so I assumed it would be the same terrific set up, but there is now only one dash outlet, with a metal button behind the second cover. I was pretty disappointed today, as it was great in the '05, with my dash mounted gps and my cell phone each having an outlet, without a need to fumble with the plugs. I wonder why they removed this great feature.
Joel
They have changed the front seats so that they are very uncomfortable. They are so bad that on a 3.5 hr ride two weeks ago we were both leaning forward to give our backs a rest from the pressure points.
My service manager gave me his 2006 EX-L to drive and he took my car. After a long drive in it he also concluded that the seats were not as comfortable as his car but fell short or outright calling them uncomfortable. Since me and my wife both feel the seats are so bad we can't enjoy this car for it's intended "Touring" purpose we can't recommend one until this problem is resolved. We love the car otherwise and have had no other issues with it in the 2 months or ownership.
BTW, the 2006 odyssey he loaned me was far more comfortable than our 2008. I have sat in a cloth version of the 2008 and it has similar problems with the firmness and location of the lumbar support but is not quite as bad for the driver, while the passanger seat is just as bad as our leather version. One experiment you can do is get in a 2008 odyssey and lean the seats back a bit farther than would comfortable drive. This highlights the problem. Put both front seats in this 45 degree recline and go back and forth between the two front seats and you will feel the problem area. Obviously dial out all of the drivers lumbar support to be fair. In the cars I've tested the passenger seat has a very prominent and firm lumbar support that is just too low making in more like sacral support. Mid-back support is lacking. This is just the opposite of the previous models which are slightly more compliant and support concentrates in you mid-back not the hard sacral bone.
The problem is not immediately noticable during a short test drive and you may even feel you are adjusting to the new seats if you only drive 20-30 minutes at a time. But start to exceed 45 minutes and it just gets really bad and keeps getting worse.
So please make sure you like the seats before you buy a 2008. Maybe there was a bad early batch and most are now okay. Just protect yourself and check first.
I frankly can't understand how anyone who had owned an earlier version and is now driving a new leather 2008 would not notice this problem right away. Perhaps there is variability in the new seats.
SInce its such a surprise that the seats should be so bad all of a sudden, it's easy to blame the addition of active head restraints to the front seats since that is presumably the only change. That's my opinion anyway.
Meanwhile I'm hoping my dealer works out a fix. But please don't get yourself into this pickle. Take a good long test drive and don't play with the destracting bells and whistles!
On 4/11/2008, the exact same problem re-occured, VSA light, check engine light, no response to throttle, slide door not working. I've logged a case with Honda and has been provided with a case # today. I've requested for either a buy back or a replace ment. It sounds like a definite lemon to me.
Will update this thread once I get a response.
Meanwhile any advice from anyone who has filed lemon claims? :lemon:
We have had other problems that surfaced within the 1st 1000 miles - steering spline knock, front door rattle, engine ping at low rpms (all discussed elsewhere in this forum) - but the horrible front seats are really the show stoppers for us.
Definitely take a long test drive if you are considering the Odyssey and I agree - forget about all the bells & whistles. I am already looking to replace this car next year.
not like first class cabin seats I had in my Armada. the killer for me are the
rattles and creaks on this new van. It is horrible. the left side of my dash
is constantly creaking going over bumps, i hear rattles from the rear doors
constantly, and all of this under 2K miles. I really like the van, but built in
the USA is showing, and my next car will be from Japan, or Germany
(new Audi A4 Wagon)
It might seem like a minor issue, but the lack of 12V outlets actually killed the deal for us.
To replicate your problems, please ask them to take your car for 2 days and let the mechanic to drive home/work for nailing these problems.
The initial quality on these cars is more typical of an '80's car built in Detroit. But then these are built in Alabama and it shows! We will keep it for a year or two, then unload it and let someone else deal with the burnt valves some day. I am just glad the resale values are so high. However, given the obvious deterioration in Honda quality, the now plentiful supply of Odysseys (this was a big factor in the high resale values), and the huge surge in gas prices, I don't expect resale values to hold up as well in the future.
Any pointers or similar experiences?
The downshifting you are experiencing is probably normal. These cars don't "gilde" at lower speeds like other autos I've driven. They will stay in lower gears below say 30 mph and this causes a "drag" effect or slowing of the car.
Take the car to an upholstery shop and have them expose the back of the seat (it doesn't have to be removed. I have leather which has a zipper, so I'm not sure how it works for cloth. Maybe its the same). All you do is disconnect a couple of firm wires near the bottom of the back of the seat that hold the active head restraint system together and watch the lumbar support reduce by 2 inches. The wires can easily be reinstalled later if you sell or decide you'd rather have low back pain vs whiplash. The seats still aren't as good as the 2007 and earlier models (which do not have active head restraints), but you will at least be comfortable. I'm hoping for a recall and replacement but for some reason complaints don't seem to be widespread and some people seem to love the seats. They must have had really bad seats before to like these or they just don't spend more than 20-30 minutes on each ride.
One note. The system is not the same for driver and passenger sides. The passenger side has a single wire and the drivers side has two. If you want to start with one side as an experiment I'd pick the passenger seat since that has no lumbar adjustment mechanism.
The shop shouldn't charge you more than 100-200 bucks.
I would never recommend buying a 2008 until the seats are fixed.
I have not had any other problems and now that I can sit in the car I like it very much. Good luck.
Finally opened a case with BBB about a month ago.
And Honda has now agreed to re-purchase the vehicle at the Purchase price - with no usage charges.
Any advice or thoughts on this issue would be appreciated. Thanks!
You need to take what you read here with a little grain of salt. There's no way of knowing if the person who's writing the post is a salesperson for one of the other van companies. Also some of the people appear to have no common sense. Some people do have legitimate problems with their vans, but I think you'll find complaints about most every company on this site.
We looked at this site when we were looking. Consumer Report data was more compelling for us however and we also felt a bit more objective. Last but certainly not least we just took each van on the road and picked the one we liked the best both from a driving as well as style standpoint.
The Sienna's a good van(it was our second choice), however I wouldn't be afraid of the Honda at all.
No excuse me I need to head to WalMart and buy some common sense, per your post I'm apparently all out.
How is the 07 bad with Leather and a carpeted back? If the back was leather as well, it'd be marred when you loaded gear on top of it in the stowed position.