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

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Comments

  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Well the gas cap has been replaced three times in a year.

    Last year I bought a generic one. Then the dealership said the reason my Ody was failing emissions was because the gas cap wasn't OEM. So they put on an OEM cap.

    Perhaps I should put the old gas cap back on.
    Then again, the smell isn't there anymore now. And I saw an ad in the paper for 1.9APR on all remaining 05 Siennas...

    Perhaps I should push my minivan purchase early...
  • wht1986wht1986 Member Posts: 4
    Well I am right at 30k miles. Just took it in for servicing and tuneup too. It happened before and after the tuneup. I havent really noticed if it coincided with raining yet or not, I'll keep an eye on that.

    I have noticed lately that if the A/C is off on days that it is running flaky it will shut off going from park to drive. When the A/C is on, it doesnt shut off. Hopefully we can pinpoint a way to make it reproducable by the time we get to the dealer heh.
  • dgensdgens Member Posts: 2
    How do you remove the clock in a 02 ody in order to replace the light bulb?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    To repeat myself:

    Message #3894 in this forum addressed one user's method to fix the light on the clock.

    Other posters have indicated that a tap next to the clock on the dash sometimes fixes the illumination problem, but i don't know if this is a permanent fix.
  • dgensdgens Member Posts: 2
    Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to know. :)
  • kyanceykyancey Member Posts: 1
    Me too! I have a 99 that I just hate, and this is the newest problem. Happens quite often actually, its really fun when I am going 75 on the interstate. Twice today so far. I am out of my extended warranty so I am not feeling great about taking it in, I need to be able to pay my mortgage this month. Mine is close to 100,000 miles, but Hondas are supposed to be so great. Mine is far from great... 2 replaced transmissions since 60,000 (when I bought it) and I have problems with both sliders.

    Hopefully someone will come up with a solution to this!
  • hockeymikehockeymike Member Posts: 2
    I have an 04 ody w/ 26k miles on it and it has been doing the following.The idle will fluctuate from 500 to 1100 rpm's on it's own,espcially at a red light. It also has been getting about 15 mpg for a while. I took it to the dealer two weeks ago and they replaced a coolant sensor and said it was fixed. I pick it up only for it to continue. I road tested it with their lead tech and he said it was some type of air/fuel metering valve which becomes carbonized. They replaced that valve and said it was fixed. It was not. They tested the car and found no error codes. They couldn't find anything, then the car did what i said it was doing ( the revving and fluctating of rpm's) for them. They decided it was the main computer (not sure of the acronym for it) and that it needed replacing. this was on 11/5. They got a new computer and then had trouble downloading the information off the old one and onto the new computer. They can't get the old computer to accept any codes. They have called HOA techs and they are baffled, and they still have my car. The only good thing they did was get me a rental minivan (chevy uplander/ crap!).Has anyone had this type of issue? What would you do if it was yours? I'm thinking of trading it on a new one or something else. I'll take any input you may have. Thanks!
  • woolleywoolley Member Posts: 1
    Speed control was intermittent late this Summer and quit in the Fall. The dashboard indicator light is lit, but the speed control will not set. Dealer tried replacing the speed control servo and that did not fix the problem. Fuses check good and horn works, one of the diagnostic tests. Any ideas?
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    Have you looked into the Lemon Laws in your state. It sounds as if you may be getting close to qualifying. Something like three or four strikes and they are out! Otherwise, obviously you have two options: Get it fixed and get rid of it or get it fixed and keep it. Odds are once it is fixed you will never experience the same problem again. The key is to get it fixed. Good luck.
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    Four years old and only 30,000 miles. Do you get this van out on the highway very much. The old "Italian Tune Up" I believe it was called.
    When you say flaky, what else does it do? Does it run like normal and shut off or is there some hesitation or roughness as well? As for the A/C, most vehicles change the engine management when the A/C is on to account for the extra draw on the engine. This usually results in a higher idle which would mitigate stalling.
    BYW, I have a 1995 Suburban with 146,000 miles that I have just replaced with a 2006 Odyssey EX-L. I never had any issues with the Suburban, other that replacing what you would expect to wear out. I hope that I have not done myself a dis-service by buying the Honda. Also, my eleven year old Suburban has controls for the rear heater at the front, something that my EX-L Odyssey does not. Had I realized that, I probably would not have purchased the Odyssey!
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    that's not a lot of miles. How often do you drive it?

    Mine's got 83K miles and except for a new tranny its been pretty good.
  • soupboysoupboy Member Posts: 15
    So, I trade in my beloved WRX for an Odyssey to appease the wife. Go full tilt. Get the Touring with everything...figure why not? Went with Honda based on prior experience and reputation. Whoops.

    Less than a few hundred miles in I notice what I can best describe as the tranny slipping. Particularly during gradual acceleration from 35-50mph and while cruising and encountering slight grades. It was almost like it couldn't make up its mind as to whether or not to downshift or remain in OD. It feels like you are driving on a perpetual rumble strip.

    I go to the dealer. Service manager goes for a spin. I ride shotty. He's not even on the freeway and he notices it. You can not only feel through the throttle but also the seat of your pants. He also points out wind noise due to a bad seal(s).

    Diagnosis? New tranny and new windshield seals. Shocking to me. I bought this for its vaunted reliability and I need a new trans inside of first 90 days...WTF?!

    Dealership with nice, thorough and accomodating. Told me they see "...lots..." of these. Apparently attributable to a bad run of trannies from one vendor. Per the dealership they haven't seen any issues with the replacement trannies they are using.

    Disappointing.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    I have a 2002 Odyssey which I bought new. I had problems this :) very hot summer with squeaks, but they went away on their own after 2 months. I currently have 136,000 kilometers (82,870 miles). There has never been a problem with acceleration or idling. What all vehicles need is to be taken, at least, once a week, on a short, 50 mile, highway trip, pushing the accelerator to the floor and using passing gear to get the 'carbon' out of the engine. Think of this weekly journey as a Forum-I trip around the track. My dealer told me I had the right idea and "do not baby the Odyssey; it's meant' to be driven hard". Oh, I had the transmission recall '2nd gear oiler device', but I still have the original transmission.
  • thehingethehinge Member Posts: 11
    Hi, the 2001 Honda is $11500 with 83k miles on it (EX). The other is an 2002 Honda EX with 38k miles on it and it is $16500.

    From what I can tell they are both "good" buys, but was wondering what someone else thought.

    I know the engine and transmission was changed in 2002 to 240 HP and 5 spd. transmission. The Side Air Bag was added in 2002 (but it appears to be only for the driver and passenger, nothing for the back rows.) The NHTSA gives the same rating for safety for both vehicles (does SAB not add something?)

    The recalls on the 2002 are for the transmission and engine coolant, and I can find no recalls at all for the 2001.

    The cabin size is the same. In fact, aside from the engine's horsepower, they appear to be identical vehicles.

    How does the transmission hold up in these kind of vehicles? My Accord has 157K miles on it.

    Thanks for helping me. :)

    Still, 38,000 miles is good. I just wanted to get some opinions.
  • bomoor12bomoor12 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1998 Honda Odyssey with under 45,000 miles and am the original owner of this van.
    When I got in it this morning and turned on ignition, nothing happened not even a click. I assumed the battery was bad and took it to auto store, and they checked the battery and it showed bad, so I bought new one. I replaced it and there was no corrosion on cables, but still the car does not crank. The dash lights come on and the headlights burn bright, but when you turn ignition to crank, nothing happens, not even click. I returned to auto store, and they said I need to check starter, but why would starter with so low mileage be bad, and I do not trust them very much after them selling me battery which I did not need. This car does have Viper alarm system, which I had installed, and works fine. Anything else, I could check? thanks
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    The vehicle is 8 years old so it could be the starter. However, I would follow up on the electrical side of things. I have had several vehicles where there was plenty of juice to run the accessories (lights etc.) but not enough to make the starter even click. I would suspect the connections to the battery. Do whatever you can to assure a good connection. Clean them with sandpaper, make sure that they are not loose. Also, your new battery will probably need a charge now. If you don't have a charger, after you have cleaned and connected the terminals to the best of you ability, hook up jumper cables use and try to start the van. This helps to charge the battery and connecting the jumper cables directly to the cables from the van will guarantee pretty good electrical current to the starter irrespective of the condition of the connections to the battery. If you do all of this and you still don't get a click out of the starter, you probably need a new starter. If it turns even a little bit, you need more current.
    Good luck
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Highly unlikely it's your starter. On Hondas they rarely go bad even after a lot of miles.

    I have a strong dislke for aftermarket alarm systems and I suspect that could be the problem.
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    I did not realize that you have an alarm. This should have a starter kill circuit which will kill the starter. A blown fuse or a malfunction in the alarm could be disabling your vehicle. You did have a bad battery though.
    Let us know when you get it fixed.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    I would check to make sure that the 2002 wasn't one of the first ones to roll off the line.

    The main differences between the 01 and 02 (besides mileage) are the 4 wheel disc brakes on the 2002, side airbags, cupholders on the sides of the second row bucket seats, grocery bag hooks on the back of the third row, a different alloy wheel design, and the bigger engine and transmission.

    The Side Airbags simply add a little peace of mind, IMO.
  • msewardmseward Member Posts: 1
    Is it normal for the engine mounts on my 2003 Odyssey to break with only 45,000 miles? I do live in a city.
  • thehingethehinge Member Posts: 11
    How do I know if it is one of the first to "roll off the line"? What do I check? Thanks.
  • hondaconvert1hondaconvert1 Member Posts: 60
    Stay faaaaaaaaaaar away from HONDA, I know I will get rid of my 05 Odyssey what a piece oh junk... I am planning to trade it in for a Toyota...
  • hondaconvert1hondaconvert1 Member Posts: 60
    Yep, never ever again HONDA, lessons learned... I tried to go with Lemmon Law with all the issues I had, but I will trade my 05 Ody in for a Toyota Sienna since my health is more important that getting stressed out about it...
  • thehingethehinge Member Posts: 11
    I will probably purchase it tomorrow. There seems to be arguments on both sides of the car "thing." Many satisfied customers though and it is still highly rated by CR and other places. I'm tired of researching (but thanks). I have just seen both sides. I hope I don't get a lemon. Going with the 2002 EX Sport Van 38k miles. 16,977.
  • thehingethehinge Member Posts: 11
    I see some as EX and some as EX Sport van. What's the difference? I can't find the information on it anywhere. Thanks.
  • thehingethehinge Member Posts: 11
    I really spoke prematurely a minute ago. Sorry. Everywhere I look I see folks with transmission problems (for most all years). I can find no transmission problems reported by consumers for the Toyota Sienna 2004 (year it got big enough inside to consider). I am going to test drive it, but I've really got bad vibes off these vehicles now. Yeah, I said bad vibes. I make many decisions on those. Thanks for your help.
  • hsonghsong Member Posts: 11
    With only 1900 miles, my car got these serviced:
    1. air bag tightening (noise),
    2. windshield noise, yesterday,
    3. WOOOOM (high freqency) noise, technican took a look yesterday. The fix did not seem to work.

    The WOOOOM noice is very annoying. It happens around 35-40mph, especially bad at speed of 60-65mph. The noice seems to come from engine. It does that at both
    acceleration and deceleration.

    Anyone talking or having the same problem? :sick:
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    I am not sure of the production numbers, but I believe that Honda sold several hundred thousand Odysseys each year. Dissatisfied people complain, satisfied people stay quiet. the early 90's Dodge Minivans were notorious for their bad transmissions, but I had one that went 170, 000 miles and was still running fine. Some of it is luck of the draw, some of it is how and where you drive and some of it is maintenance. It would be really enlightening to see some hard numbers on this type of information. It is all statistics and percentages until it affects you and then it is 100%.
  • aaykayaaykay Member Posts: 539
    My 05 Odyssey EX-L with NAV and RES, has been mostly trouble-free (14,500 miles) till date.

    Couple of issues:
    a) Grating sound from the brakes at low speeds - dealer changed the pads and turned the rotors - fixed.
    b) Whistling sound from the windshield. Dealer has ordered a part to fix it.

    Nothing else...till date.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Check the assembly date. If it was built before 2002, I'd be a little more cautious. That year was the first year of the new 5 speed automatic and the big boost in horsepower and torque.

    The date should be on the driver's door pillar on a sticker with all sorts of information. Where it was built. When was it built. Etc.

    Like from my door pillar sticker, I know that mine was built 12/01 in Alliston, Ontario.

    Good luck, and so far mine's been OK, save a few things, but still, sometimes its luck of the draw.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    WARNING!! You should not get any of those because they both have transmission problems. The 2001 and 2002 Odyssey has a engine that was new, it was a engine they made up. That's why it has problems. You should only get the Odyssey with the rear amber turn signals (2003 - 05), because those had a better, and more reliable engine.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    RESPONSE TO ODDYSSEY WILL NOT CRANCK
    Hi there! The best suggestion that I have for you is honestly, TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE DEALER!! The dealer will check your car, and find the true problem. The mechanics on the street aren't the best thing when you have serious mechanical problems like this. Please respond so I know that you read my messege.
    Good Luck!
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    You are off a year. '99-'01 had the 4spd tranny, 210 hp version of the 3.5 liter, red turn signals, rear drum brakes, no side airbags, 5 spoke wheels, etc. '02 thru '04 was the revamped version of the model, and had the 5spd mated to the 240hp / 3.5 liter engine with the other good stuff added.

    Interestingly enough, I knew someone from work who had a very late production '01 model that must have been assembled during the line transition. It had amber rears and the newer 7 spoke alloys, over rear drums, and the rest of the regular '99-'01 hardware.

    Steve
  • bomoor12bomoor12 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the advice. I do have it in the shop and they have always fixed any problem. thanks, dm
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    The 2002-2004 Odyssey had Amber turn signals also. Mine has them.

    The 2002 has the same engine as the 2003-2004. It was virtually unchanged from year to year except for some minor things like color reshuffling.

    The 99-01 Odysseys were the ones without Amber turn signals.

    Just felt I had to correct you because I own a 2002 myself :)
  • soupboysoupboy Member Posts: 15
    Seems to work fine but for some reason the mechanical noise seems louder.

    They made my wind noise problem they were attempting to remedy exponentially worse. Gone is the high pitched sound at 50moh+. Now it sounds like I have an open window above 30mph.

    Back to the dealer this AM...

    So far this Honda has been a complete disappointment. And that disappoints me.

    Separately - from time to time I'll come back to the vehicle after it has been parked for a while and find all 4 windows down about 1-4"? Am I hitting something on the key fob that does this?
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Separately - from time to time I'll come back to the vehicle after it has been parked for a while and find all 4 windows down about 1-4"? Am I hitting something on the key fob that does this?

    You're probably holding the unlock button a bit too long. If you hold the button it will roll all the windows down.
  • soupboysoupboy Member Posts: 15
    Now I know what's going on. I was worrying about coming back to the car in the midst of a rain/snow storm and finding it a bit damp.

    Windnoise fixed...for now. The replacement side molding on the RH side had bad clips and had come loose. Replaced. We'll see how long they last.
  • jcyclejcycle Member Posts: 8
    Whistling sound seems to be quite common on Odysseys. Can anyone explain when do you notice this? I have a 05 Odyssey EX-L, noticed some sound only when it is windy on freeways. At low speeds I don't notice the sound.

    Thanks in advance
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    It may be your accessory belt.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    Hi. Take your car to the dealership to check it out - that would be the best thing to do.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    check what the recomended maintence says. Its in your owners manual and on edmunds website.
  • goodegggoodegg Member Posts: 905
    Interesting. My 05 does not make thia noise. Are your windows all the way up? Doubt this is "common".
  • fedup10fedup10 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 honda odyssey and have had serious problems with the transmission. It has been replaced 3 times (yes that is correct) and is currently at the dealer with what I suspect to be a transmission problem again. (ie. engine light and TCS light is illuminated. same thing occurred the past 3 times and resulted in having to change transmission). Transmission was last replaced at 60,000+ miles. Is this car a lemon? Anyone out there had similar problems and how does one proceed in a situation like this. Fortunately the transmissions have been replaced free of charge since warranty was still valid but my van currently has 76,000 miles and warranty was extended by Honda to 100,000 so am running out of time and miles and patience.

    Help! and Thanks
  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    Get it fixed one more time under the extended warranty, then trade it for some other brand. You have been much more patient than I would have ever been.

    (Owner of a 1996 Caravan now at 85K miles and still on the original transmission and running fine)
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Here's what I'd do.
    I'd get the transmission replaced now and maybe one more time before it hits 100K. (if it breaks again)

    Then go and trade it in immediately on a new van. Immediately. Like, the minute you drive out of the service department, go straight to the New Car sales department.
  • claxtonclaxton Member Posts: 1
    I've got an 03 Ody with the exact same problem. At the dealer now for the 4th time. First time they adjust the idle valve. Worked fine for a few days, then it started again. Brought it back and they found wire disconnected coming from the power steering pressure sensor... (I guess input required for variable assist power steering) A few weeks later. Same thing, but worse car would stall randomly and accelerate from idle randomly. I could get a little dicey while slowing for a light when the engine revs to 2000 when you have brake pressure applied for idle. Dealer "fixed" the wire again. Now I'm in for the 4th time and they can't duplicate the gripe. And won't change anything to see if it helps. Frustrating. I called Big Honda and let them know about the issue. They car has been great, but this is unacceptable. Let me know if they find a cure for yours...
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    Hockeymike, does your VIN fall into the range mentioned in this TSB? I don't know if a clogged EGR valve would create the symptoms you report, but it's worth a look:
    http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Honda/1121842800000_1123225200000_05-026/601.html
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    BTW I had a 1992 Grand Caravan which I got rid of with 170,000 miles with the original trans working fine.
  • hraohrao Member Posts: 78
    No wonder Honda scored so bad in the JDPower Quality survey
    image
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