Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)

1…8586889091…126

Comments

  • 03babymover03babymover Member Posts: 10
    I do have another suggestion. Try finding some real good quality sheepskin full seat covers. The need to be the real good thick kind. The full cut ones look much better also. I did this on a car with hard seats a number of years back, and they worked great. Made all the difference in the world.
  • nwngnwng Member Posts: 663
    you'll have to sit in an upright position when driving in this van in order to reach the wheel( which is suppose to be the correct posture to drive). Many people are used to have their seat back reclined and kind of slump on the seat bottom while driving. I was not comfortable at all in the beginning, but I raised the seat bottom as high as i could and have the seat back in an upright position and I was fine.

    So to the folks who are having back pain while driving this van, does this describe your situation?
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,509
    I agree that the seat is designed to have you sit straight up (sort of like sitting in a wood back chair). It doesn't encourage slouching, and I think this is why some of us notice the seat at first (pushing or supporting), but feel good after a long drive.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • skysaabskysaab Member Posts: 32
    Believe me, straight up posture is the best when car is in spinning. One accident happened before, one truck hit on car rear side made car spinning. Car spinning for 180 degree was not much but save me for no hurt.
  • cmaxwellcmaxwell Member Posts: 9
    So, we are not able to put a car seat in the middle seat? Seems like our dealer should have told us that as we told him we were expecting twins and he saw our 2 year old. I am not really happy about this. :mad:
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    You have the 2 piece belt right? You should be able to use the lap belt in conjunction with a belt clip to hold it in place.

    Or - stop by your local police or fire department. Many officers and jakes are certified to properly install car seats. Ask them for help but be prepared to never remove the seat again. They put them in perfectly.

    Good Luck.
  • jimhajimha Member Posts: 4
    I've just been told that the transmission has failed on our 2000 Odyssey at 114k miles. I'm astonished that a Honda product would fail so early in it's life. I see a number of postings on this site about transmission problems. What success have others had, with cars of a similar vintage/mileage, getting Honda to help with the replacement???
  • toyotafan2003toyotafan2003 Member Posts: 1
    We were on the market for a minivan (replace 97 Mercury Villager) in 2003, and set to Odyssey since Sienna was redesigned and hot (months of waiting just like Odyssey few months ago). We got good price on the LX ($300 below invoice, feel sorry for these paid $$$$ over MSRP). The first month the van was back to dealership twice for both front struts. Few months later, the AC was broken, then the clock light. Last month, the engine speed went up and down (between 2000 to 4000) while idling. The dealer replaced the idle control unit. The rear brakes always make noise, but the dealer says it is normal. We now have 23k m on the van, it has been in shop SEVEN(7) times. We have never had any problem with our Toyotas and the Villager.

    The Odyssey just does not live on Honda's reputation. My friend's Ody is on its third transmission already. We are glad we bought the extended warranty for our Odyssey. For sure, no more Hondas again.
  • sandylsandyl Member Posts: 42
    I have a 2001 Odyssey with the VCD I-RES. something happened to the
    autotracking recently and it wont play tapes anymore. I went to get the remote
    to try to fix it, and my remote is missing. I have checked online and cannot
    find anyplace selling replacement remotes. I guess its off to the dealer then?
    Has anyone else ever had to replace their remote?

    sandy
  • littlejakelittlejake Member Posts: 1
    I have the sam exact problem with my 2004 ODY. It's currently at the dealer for the 2nd time trying to fix this same problem. Did they ever identify your problem and fix it? Please let me know. Thanks
  • vanfindervanfinder Member Posts: 3
    Left interior lights on and battery was dead . So i got a jump from from another car. Now the odyssey runs ok. Have driver over 20 miles. But, audio screen in odyssey says "code". ? Dont know what that means ? Cant play music now. ALso, power doors don't work either. How do I fix audio code and power doors ? Thanks
  • rockycow33rockycow33 Member Posts: 76
    You should have received a credit card sized card from you delivering dealer that contained your code for the audio. Check the paperwork and owners manual that you got from the dealer. Regarding the doors, call your dealer and ask them what you must do to reset the doors. I don't have an 05, but maybe your owner's manual will give you a clue regarding the doors.
  • tanya2tanya2 Member Posts: 29
    What does your dealer say about the condition of this vehicle? You were smart to get the extended warranty. Make sure you keep up to date on all required service, such as oil and filter changes. Keep all your service receipts. Better yet, let the Honda dealer perform all the required service. This sounds like a problem vehicle. If I owned this vehicle, I would trade it or sell it as soon as possible. See if the dealer will make you a good deal on another Odyssey. Remember, there is always a lemon law in your state! Tanya
  • irishelvisirishelvis Member Posts: 4
    The third row middle seat has latch and was designed for a car seat.

    I have three kids and the oldest fits in the back just fine. By removing the plus one seat, getting in the back is a breeze. Through the middle or put the seats next to each other and get in either side.

    In addition the cavernous thirs seat well will fit two strollers no problem

    Hope this helps :)
  • jerryg1jerryg1 Member Posts: 1
    I too have been annoyed by rattling from both sliding doors on my '05 Odyssey EX. I've explored the problem extensively and determined that the sound is not coming from the shades, but somewhere inside the door. I experimented with pulling the shade up while someone else was driving and the same sound occured. I've had to move on to other issues I'm having with the vehicle, but I'll eventually go back to that one later. I've also thought the noise could be coming from the plastic-enclosed track at the bottom of each door - not too sure about that one though. Best of luck and please keep us posted.
  • avarkeyavarkey Member Posts: 15
    How can I check the interior temperature of Odyssey EX-L ? I know the outside temperature can be checked through the trip meter knob. :confuse:
  • bethmbethm Member Posts: 2
    I have an 05 Touring: The best gas mileage is 16.5 in city and 21 on the hwy. Dealership has no idea's on increasing this or possible causes for it. Anyone having the same problem?
  • dulnevdulnev Member Posts: 652
    My Touring with 2,800 miles gets 13-14 mpg in suburban driving. If that's not terrible, I don't know what is!
  • mungchucksmungchucks Member Posts: 2
    I also notice that too. I just got my EX three weeks ago. It has about 400mi on it. Is it something the dealer should check?
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    That's the ABS self check. All vehicles do it.
  • bethmbethm Member Posts: 2
    I read on odyclub.com a lot of complaints about 05 mileage being lower than posted. Hopefully something will be done by Honda. I still love my van.
  • nwngnwng Member Posts: 663
    I have about 1500 mi on my ex, gets about 18 in rush hour stop and go(yeah, everyday). I think the key is not to stomp on the gas. IMO, the engine is powerful enough that you don't need to stomp on it to get the van going, as compared to the 4 cyl cars I used to have and my wife still has.
  • rsblaskirsblaski Member Posts: 68
    My '05 Ody Touring was only getting about 15-16mpg until I had about 2500 miles on it. I then took a couple of 1000 mile trips, which included some mountains. During those two trips, I averaged 23.4 and then 24.3 mpg. After some fill-ups, on relatively flat stretches, I got over 26mpg. :)
    Since then, I have been getting about 18mpg around town, which has notoriously loooong stop lights.
    When I mix in some freeway mileage, it jumps to about 22-23mpg combined.
    I think, as some have stated, that the Hondas don't get their best mileage until they have some miles on them.

    If you get an opportunity to get some long interstate miles, see if it improves.

    Good luck,
    Rick
  • the57the57 Member Posts: 4
    help please. bought new o5 odyssey ex in january. nothing but problems. first door out of alignment , next leaking windshield, now cv boot leaking oil, transmission bumps right after 1st shift and transmissin is a little low. has only 2880 miles and 300 of those are back to dealer. any help is grealty appreciated as we are fearful to drive . thanks
  • li_285li_285 Member Posts: 29
    I only have had my 2005 EX for less than 4 months and already forgot how many times I went back to dealer. The dealer finally fixed the chirping noise from front suspension after working on my car for almost two weeks. Today I just realized I too seemed to get the passenger sliding door rattle problem many people has complained about. Mine sounded something is shaking from between sliding door and third row and happend when driving over rough pavement. I already tightened all seatbelts. Does anyone have the same problem from the same area? If so, can it be fixed? I am really tired of dealing with Honda now and would like to know some possible fixes before wasting more time. Again, this would be my first and last Honda purchase.
  • nycnyc Member Posts: 14
    I have a 05 EX and when i back out of my driveway and go foward there is a CLICKING noise??? ANY one know what that is ??? :confuse:

    THANKS NY
  • rogerdrogerd Member Posts: 1
    It's the ABS system doing its calibration. I know -- scared us to death first time it happened. I got out to see what I had run over. Apparently, you feel it more in some vans than others. Only half of the Honda service people I spoke to had heard about it. I figured it out for myself, but then I did find a service mgr who knew all about it. It's annoying, but maybe not harmful? We'll see in a couple years if it gets worse.
  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    After using the brakes while backing up, when youn apply the brakes moving forward the brake pads shift to the "forward" position and make a clinking sound. This only happens once after the backing up braking.
  • li_285li_285 Member Posts: 29
    Today I noticed another problem. When I looked at my 2005 EX from behind on a flat surface, I found that the driver side is slightly lower than the passenger side. I asked my neighbor to take a look and she saw the same. I did move the 8th seat and slide the passenger side second row seat to the middle. But this should not have a big effect as the seat is quite light compared to the body weight. My dealer replaced the front driver side strut for my chirping noise problem (which later proved they should not have done that as the noise is coming from elsewhere) and I am wonder if this has caused the problem. I checked the tire pressure and they seemed to be the same, maybe 1 psi difference since my pressure gauge is not accurate anyway. I did notice all tires were overinflated.

    Is this normal?
  • nycnyc Member Posts: 14
    THANK YOU

    NY
  • nycnyc Member Posts: 14
    I had a alarm put in my odyssey. When one door is open the alarm sets off. I have gone back to the dealer once so far?? I will go back this week and tell them if I have to come back again for the same problem I want the alarm taken out and my money back???

    NY :mad:
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    Are the rust spots little pin-points of rust on the paint down the sides of the van? When you run your fingers lightly over the paint - do you feel very tiny bumps or rough spots on the paint? If so, your problem could be "Rail Dust"

    If the van was shipped by train - tiny flecks of metal dust from the train rails land on the car and adhere to the paint. They don't show up on the hood or the wheels because Honda covers them with plastic during shipping. They don't come off easily by just washing the van. A couple months down the road they start to rust and make it appear that your van's paint is failing.

    The way to get rid of the rail dust is to detail the van with a Clay Bar - clay bar is non-abrasive and won't scour the clear coat finish off the van, yet it will lift the rail dust and all other junk off the surface. Once the paint has be "clayed" it will feel smooth as silk - like it's just been waxed. Meguiar's and few other car care companies sell clay bars - they're around $15-$20,
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    My 2000 Ody needs to have its brake rotors turned. The Honda Service manual says to turn the rotors while they're on the van with a special milling machine. This turns a $50 D.I.Y. brake job into a few hundred dollar trip to the dealer

    Does any one know if pulling the rotors and having them turned on an "old-fashioned" brake milling machine is okay? As long as the run out is okay, I can't imagine there would be a problem milling them off the van. Anyone know anything different? :confuse:
  • mgnolamgnola Member Posts: 2
    I've had a similar issue with my 2005 Odyssey, except the headphones are completely dead. The wired jacks die as well. First, the dealer replaced the headphones. They died again, so they took a week and replaced the radio. Now it's died again and is going back in the shop tomorrow. The local dealer has been really stumped, and their technical support at Honda appears to be stumped as well.
  • jeezaloojeezaloo Member Posts: 12
    Our EX-L has 2700+ miles on it and I have recorded 21.xx mpg for the last 2 tanks.
    I have stopped looking for the ECO light to come on since then... :)
    I guess it does not matter... we have stop and go traffic only during our commute for about 5-10 miles. The remaining 70-75 miles are spent cruising at 70 +/- 5 mph.
    So based on the speeds I would call 90+% as highway driving and expect close to 28 mpg.
    With gas prices these days!! it better live up to the expected mpg and reach there sooner than later. The mpg was one of the factors why we ended up with a Honda that too an EX-L with VCM.

    :mad:
  • the57the57 Member Posts: 4
    could anyone please offer any suggestions to message 4527?
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    MPV owner here. I'll take the case since no Ody owner has stepped forward.
    Has the dealer completed these repairs to your satisfaction? If not then take it back until the problem is fixed.Sounds like you may have a case under the lemon law. So, check your states requirements for filing. You usually get a booklet from the dealer when you purchase your new car indicating what requirements are necessary to file in each case(i.e not being able to fix the problem after 3 attempts i.e your transmission, or having your vehicle out of service for a certain period of time.) The booklet should also give you numbers to Honda customer service if dealership is not handling to your satisfaction.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • lopcheunglopcheung Member Posts: 7
    Has anyone had any problems with the dvd player? When we first purchased our '05 Touring Odyssey about 5 weeks ago, the dvd player was working great. However, just this past weekend, the player went out on us. I can get audio but no video on the screen. I took it to the dealer this week and they said they would have to replace the dvd player. Does this sound like anybody's experience? Thanks for your input.
  • jptljptl Member Posts: 8
    Prior to posting this message, I did a search using "P0420" and "catalytic" in hopes to find a solution to my problem. I found the same symptoms, but my specific question wasn't answered:
    Is P0420 solely related to the catalytic converter?
    6+ months ago, the CEL in our 2000 Ody came on for 200 or 300 miles, then went off. A few hundred miles later, it came on and stayed on. I did a scan, and got one fault: P0420 (Catalyst system efficiency below Threshold).
    Since I had always thought that a cat should last the life of a vehicle (or at least more than 86k....yes, just beyond warranty) I stopped by the Honda service center.
    They said that they frequently replace cats in '99 - '02 Ody's. Too bad mine was out of warranty, and it would be $700+.
    Since we're on our third transmission in this car, I figured that the jarring/trauma of splitting the exhaust every time the trans was changed may have ruined the cat. Giving this van (quickly approaching Lemonhood) the benefit of the doubt, I replaced the cat and reset the PCM.
    This morning, my wife said that the CEL is back on! Admittedly, I haven't run a diagnostic on it yet, but I'm betting that it's going to come up P0420(Catalyst system efficiency below Threshold).
    Am I being too cynical? Just because my company car is a used Ford Explorer that I bought on eBay, in which I've put 75k absolutely trouble-free miles on, and we're driving a 2000 minivan that we took delivery of new, with slight body damage - but paid full price (not Honda's fault, I know), then had a rebuilt trans installed under warranty at 2,500k, then when that unit went bad at 59k had another installed. After needing a complete brake job (warped rotors) at 60k, using all Honda parts, it gets a full-blown shimmy above 60 mph....after 15k miles.
    Now, the dreaded CEL. I thought Hondas were more reliable than this :lemon:
  • gasman6gasman6 Member Posts: 1
    Is there anyway to limit how far the tailgate opens? When I open it in my garage, it hits the garage frame.
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    No, there is no such adjustment. I suppose it might be possible to buy prop struts that don't extend as far when the hatch is fully open but I'm at loss as to how to determine which one(s), if any, would work other than by the hit or miss method.

    Of course, you could just build a bigger garage. ;)
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    Nope, haven't had any problem with the RES on my Touring. If an electronic device is defective, the failure usually happens early, as happened here. It's a simple fix to just swap new for old if the problem is in DVD player. However, since you're still getting audio, it could be something else, perhaps a loose connection or a bad screen.
  • jptljptl Member Posts: 8
    I'm really starting to get tired of this car. (see yesterday's post re: cat converter).
    There is no power to the Pass. power sliding door in any position and/or by using all controls (remote, driver's switch, handles, etc). The Driver's side door works fine. With the pass. door fully closed, the "Sliding Door" light stays on, until I 'lock' them with the on/off switch on the driver's door. The light then goes off, and I can drive. This does not appear to be a 'closed door' contact issue (spring contacts at door closed position).
    I checked the fuse (#5-passenger side interior fuse block) and it's fine.
    I did notice that the little plastic switch that is activated by the int/ext. handles when the door is in the open position seems to be sticking, and it's 'clicking' sound is erratic.
    Assuming that this switch is bad, can a faulty switch disable - or throw out of sequence the door's electronics?
    I want to avoid paying for the dealer to troubleshoot this problem by throwing parts at it, as they have done previously with our two bad transmissions, bad rear wiper motor, etc. I'm guessing that the repair bill will be astronomical.
    I plan to start by replacing the switch, solely because it seems to be sticking. After the replacement, of course I hope to get power back to the door.
    I'm hoping that there's an electrical disable feature that cuts power to the door in the event of an out-of-sequence switch. That would explain everything....but is there a way to reset, 're-sequence' or re-program the door's electronics after a faulty switch has been replaced, or has the bad switch fried some control circuitry that would also need to be replaced?
    Thanks,
    J.P.
  • beckyinmabeckyinma Member Posts: 2
    Anyone know where the Automatic Transmission Fluid fill is located in the '04 Odyssey (12,5K)? I can find the guage and the drain but not the fill location... I have a "WHIRR" sound when accelorating between 1700-2300rpm, only when the vehicle is in gear, moving or not...perhaps the torque converter, sounds like a hole in the exhaust, possibly the manifold, but the fact that it doesn't make the sound in park or neutral when I rev the engine kinda rules that out... Wondering if it's low ATF...

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Becky~
  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    The fill plug is located on the top of the tranny toward the firewall and has ATF stamped on it. If you have a retrofit to the tranny that goes into the refill plug. What someone suggested then is to fill the tranny through its dipstick, which is what I did, tho it is slow. I used a small funnel at the dipstick hole and a tube to reach it with a funnel at the top of the tube. Remember, patience is a virtue and you will need it.
  • mwg100mwg100 Member Posts: 6
    Has anyone noticed unusual transmission noise/vibration on the 2005 Odyssey EX? It appears when holding a constant speed in the 45 to 54 mph range. Have driven 3 new vehicles and each has the same sound (drone, groan) and steering wheel vibration. I can't be the only one that's noticed this. Please help.

    Thanks,
  • onboost91onboost91 Member Posts: 86
    Before they replace the DVD player have them check the fuse. When my 05 was delivered it also played the sound but I couldn't get an image. It turned out in mine (and in others that I have read about) they forgot to put the fuse in. It sounds similar to your problem, so maybe your fuse is defective or blown.
  • macakavamacakava Member Posts: 775
    The tranny may be just at the point in 5th gear where it can/want to downshift to 4th.

    If it is in 5th gear, the engine RPM will likely be between 1400 -1800 at 45 to 54mph and this low RPM may be giving that sensation as the engine is looking for a command (i.e. your hitting the X) to downshift to 4th.

    Just a theory...
  • briwill21briwill21 Member Posts: 7
    Hilarious - I just returned from the dealership with a similar scenario. I heard the grinding (I called it vibrating) noise at about 10 miles an hour usually when it shifts from 1st to 2nd (roughly). I stopped at the dealership, described what was happening, and the shop foreman said "It's probably your ABS doing it's initial check, but let's drive it and confirm." I pulled out of the bay, drove off, and sure enough it happened...he said "yep, that's it." I guess at 12 MPH it does a check that will create a vibration or noise. I pulled back around and dropped him off. Maybe these notes can save someone else a trip. I should've checked the boards before taking it in.
  • bearmanbearman Member Posts: 1
    I'm getting some hassle from my Honda service advisor about whether my Code 1457 (evap system leak) is covered by my Honda Care Extended warranty. Does anyone have any ideas about this. 2000 Odyssey 74K miles. TIA.
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.