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Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)
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I went to AutoZone, and after the check, the man said, "Your battery is toast."
I then went to Sears, and told them that after one week, the DieHard was dead. The man at Sears asked who had tested it, and I told him, "AutoZone." He smirked (I kid you not), and told the mechanic to test it on THEIR machine. 60 seconds into the test, the readout said, "Replace battery." Ha! I didn't smirk, but I did do a bit of internal gloating.
Anyway, the battery was the problem. Why the Honda shop couldn't tell that, I don't know.
Perhaps Sears should rename it the "DOA."
I owe you one.
Craig
I'm glad I helped you but more importantly I'm glad you are up and running again. I went through this with several DieHards on different vehicles (all covered under warranty) but enough was enough and I'll never buy another one... It seems you'll get one that'll last 6-8 years, or one that will last 6 months -1 year...
So it's true, they don't make them like they used to!
-juice
I do like the Delco that my Ody came with.
Larck
http://money.cnn.com/2001/12/27/companies/wires/searsbatt_re/index.htm
Looks like their old batteries were not that great either.
Larck - wasn't their a controversy with Johnson regarding women on their battery manufacturing plants. IIRC Johnson did not let women of child bearing age work on the assembly line because the chemicals could cause health issues. I believe They got sued under equal opportunity guidelines.
My Ody has a Delco as does my 98 Accord. My 91 Accord came with a Delco was traded in with that orignal battery. Haven't had the need to deal with that issue in 10 years.
The first thing to go wrong on our 2001 Odyssey (EX, now 18,000 miles) was the driver's side sliding door. It wouldn't latch shut after it had closed. I ended up pushing on the door and got it latched so that I could drive it to the dealership (an hour away). It dented the door - but they repaired the dent under warranty.
A month later, the window on the door suddenly shattered. We were driving on the freeway with no cars around us (we live in rural Utah). And with a loud bang, the whole window was cracked. It stayed in one piece and we got out to look at it. No marks on the outside of the window. But by the time we got to the dealership, pieces of the window had fallen out and they claimed that a rock hit it! (Has anyone ever heard of a rock breaking a side window on a car? Without leaving a mark on the outside?) After a lot of phone calls to the regional manager and a lot of complaining, they finally agreed to cover half of my insurance deductible to repair the glass. (Oh yes, during the replacement process they spilled glass in the sliding door tracks - that crunching sounded great! I wonder what damage it's done to the motor in the door?)
Shortly after this the fuel gauge started registering full when the car was turned off; on occasion we could watch the needle moving up and down as we drove. We were so fed up with repairing this van, that we just watched our miles and didn't bother to repair it until the next breakdown - which happened about a month later.
Now the passenger's side sliding door wouldn't latch. I didn't dare push on it this time, and the trick they told me (just turn off the automatic doors and close it manually) didn't work. My husband had to hold the door closed on the hour drive to the dealership (yes, it's the closest one)! To repair the gas gauge, they had to install a new circuit board which reset our miles to zero. So now we have to remember to always add 18,161 miles to our odometer reading - lovely!
After our third experience with rental cars (and it being a busy holiday time), you may understand why I've opted not to take my car back in for the malfunctioning dome light (it usually won't come on when you open the driver's door) and the dash that was improperly put back after the circuit board was changed to fix the fuel gauge so that now all the lights on our instrument panel are crooked and improperly illuminated - oh, and they cracked the dash, too. I'm now negotiating with Honda about selling this 'possessed car' (as our service manger called it) back, and getting a new one that wasn't built on a 'three-day-weekend Friday' or a 'hang-over Monday.'
By the way, my brakes also squeak when backing up. One of my seat belts wouldn't retract even after messing with it for an hour while at a drive-in movie (but the dealer couldn't duplicate the problem). My transmission thunks when shifting out of Park on an incline (putting the parking brake on before you release the foot brake helps with this). And I've noticed an annoying clicking sound in the engine area in front of the steering wheel on occasion - anyone know what that is?
If we don't buy a Toyota Sienna instead, we hope that our next Odyssey will be relatively trouble free. I've had experience with numerous Honda's, both mine and my extended families (my sister's had three new Odysseys, one every year) and no one's ever had anything beyond maintenance. So I think I've just got a dud.
Sorry this was so long, but thanks for letting me get it out.
1. I've had on-going problems since about the 2nd month with both auto sliding doors either buzzing (the sensors think the door is not shut when it really is) or, the doors won't completely close the first time (esp during cold weather). I've had it to the dealership probably 6 times over 2 years. Now I just 'deal with it'. I turn the master switch to OFF to stop the buzzing and then later turn it back on. Usually after a 24 hour period, it's fine again for a month or so but always returns. As far as the doors not closely the first time, I just put up with trying 2 or 3 times until it shuts. I got so tired of the dealership saying they could not find anything wrong with the switches/sensors.
2. Metallic rattling noise under the hood. After about 3 trips over 12 months, they replaced the idler pulley and then later the belt tensioner and noise seems to have finally gone away. When this first happened less than 3 months after I purchased it, they said this was a known problem but Honda no 'fix' for it yet so I just dealt with it for about the first 9 months. Then I got so fed up I demanded they fix it. So far so good.
3. Air Conditioner not cooling - they replaced the compressor but that one was a 'bad' one and had to be replaced again after 2 days. Then about 4 months later the cooling was still not good. They said it was a leaking low side hose and was unrelated to the earlier problem (warranty had run out). I the took it to an independent shop who said the hose was fine and replaced a switch. Problem seems to be resolved.
4. Cabin noise - I echo many of the other postings in that the cabin noise is much louder than I expected, esp after they bragged about it so much.
Sorry this took too long but I waited too long to start posting issues. I won't mention the power steering pump issue as that seems to be fixed).
MSRP was the best he could do, with a wait. He too said that College Park Honda advertised a low price and then added a bunch of accessories at nose bleed prices that actually made it cost more.
-juice
A friend had AT3s on his Forester and had similar problems. They replaced all four, and even the new set is creating problems for him.
I'd avoid these tires until Goodyear figures it out.
-juice
Rick
I run with a continuously heavy load on the back; and, as a result, the rear wheels/tires are always splayed out at the bottom because of the independent rear suspension. This puts the entire load of the vehicle on the inside edges of the tires; and, I think, is the reason that the scalloping/cupping is on the inside edges and is worse when they come off the back.
I plan to install load levelling springs to get those back tires standing straight up again. Hopefully, this will minimize or eliminate the uneven wear.
On the doors, there were some recalls issued, so Honda struggled with those for a while. I think that's kind of lame, because I recall when the Ody came out, they said they didn't hide the door tracks on the outside precisely because they wanted them to be sturdy. So you have problematic doors and exposed tracks. FWIW, GM also had problems with their sliding doors (my friend owns a Venture that never worked right).
As far as the road noise goes, that's something you could have discovered on a long test drive. Can't really blame Honda for not noticing that.
You could shop for quiet tires next time around, that does make a difference. Look at the Tire Rack ratings for tire noise before you buy.
-juice
Majariwr, It's possible your alignment wasn't done correctly
Try selling to CarMax, or privately. You'll get the most money selling privately, no doubt.
-juice
I was armed with all the other info on this board about this problem when I went to the dealer--thank you to everyone for discussing the problem and the solution. After checking the van, the dealer acknowledged the problem and ordered the part(s). The invoice states "Will have to order pipe kit for intake."
Here's what's interesting--the "kit" is on backorder and the dealer estimated that it could be 1 to 2 months before it comes in. The dealer indicated that these were in hot demand since Honda sent out the notice a few months ago. Until the part comes in, I was told that there would be no harm done by driving it with the TCS and CEL on.
This feels like deja vu all over again for me. I had a 86 Accord LX-i Hatchback that had the Program Fuel Injection light come on at 60K in 1990. The dealer couldn't fix it and said the last resort would be to replace the computer with no guarantee the problem would be fixed. The problem was associated with emission controls also and I was told that driving it with the PR-FI light on wouldn't damage it. I didn't replace the computer. I drove the car until it had 186K miles (with no problems) when it was traded in for the Odyssey.
With driving it for 1-2 months waiting for the part, I wonder what the failure rate is on the bulbs for the TCS and CEL . . . probably 7.0001 years or 100,001 miles. :-)
The second fix works, and I have't had the first flicker of either of those lights since.
BTW, it is for sure that driving with the lights on will not hurt anything - except, perhaps, the bulbs for the lights. *:o))
I gather that fix #3 involves removing the intake manifold and cleaning the port and then "relining" it with a stainless steel insert. The stainless apparently resists the build up of carbon more effectively if not completely.
I'd guess that if you have this problem again and take it back to Honda, you'll end up with a stainless liner in the port.
Like I said, not 100% sure, but I have gleaned this from other recent postings here and at Odyclub.
Just got my 2002 EX, and love it! However, one thing that I noticed was some wind noise / whistling sound at speeds greater than 65 - but only on certain occasions.
Has anyone experienced this, and if so, what did you do about it?
Thanks - Bob
An hor and a half later, AFTER I called to cancel them, Honda Care showed up.
Honda is claiming that it is battery problem.
As I was driving to Dealer, heard strange electrical"pops" coming overr radio speakers. Then all warning lights came on. Maint Reqd, brake lights, ABS.
Is this unusual? 2 batteries in less than 24,000 miles and less than 2 years?
Anybody else have battery/ electrical problems with 2000 Odyssey?
2000 LX w/34K miles
At idle the engine makes a pronounced dieseling sound. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the belt/pulley area. It's definitely not a performance issue, just an 'odd' sound. Based on the fact that we are nearing the end of the warranty period I had thought about taking the van in to be checked for this. I have this bad feeling that the dealer will either consider this a "wear item" or "normal feature" as they have done with other nit-picky things I've brought to their attention. Has anyone else experienced this? - I saw one message about the pulley and idler arm replacement but not much else...
It's definitely not a noise that you would notice in the cabin, just one that you hear standing outside of the van.
As a side note we were without the van from before xmas to yesterday due to an incident with a deer (the deer lost). We had a Chevy Venture rental during that time. Granted the Venture was really stripped down but it felt so unrefined and truck-like compared to the Ody. We were very happy to be back in the Ody again!
-keith
Warrenton, VA
-juice
I wonder if owners who purchase a Honda or Toyota because of their quality reputation may not be as meticulous about maintenance? I've owned vehicles from each of the Big 3 US manufacturers and beyond problems with Chrysler's air conditioning I've had few problems, but I'm pretty much a stickler for maintenance.
Has anyone else experienced this problem? Any suggestions?
My noise is definitely not a squeak. I'll check my belts a little closer and make sure there are no problems with them as the sound is definitely that clunky diesel-engine-at-idle sound.