Are you a current Michigan-based car shopper? A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/2 for details.
Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions (2005+ Models)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Again, thanks for your help.
It takes a few tries then it becomes second nature and you don't even pay attention to it
Interesting observation! I always wonder why sometimes the sliding door doesn't open all the way.
As some other people pointed out, it's a safety measure to prevent kids from sticking their heads out the windows and the doors slide open.
Heads roll!
If you don't have the time or the patience to read the manual, I highly recommend the DVD, keeping the manual with you for more detail of something that gets your attention.
We had 1999, 2000, 2002 Odys.
ALL had tranny issues -though the 2002 was by far the best- they were actually able to identify the problem and fix it. (gear cooling issue, resolved by adding an additional cooling jet to apply fluid direction to the gear set in question.) Each of those vehicles had a different tranny. I mean physical difference that was obvious when you viewed it without disassembly. And each had problems.
The first two had shifting issues that were never fully resolved.
I would NOT buy a used 1999-2001 Ody, no matter how "good of a deal" it was. The 2002, after the retrofit recall, was another story. Still a little nerve racking, but at least it was identified. It's part of why we traded our 2002 at 81k miles (we had a 7yr/100k mile warranty and could get significantly more back for it w/ 81k than 100k).
My hope is that "the 4 time is the charm".
Just out of curiosity, out of all the vans did you have to pay for new transmissions out of pocket, or did Honda take care of you?
a) wife REALLY loves the features of the van and claims she is more comfortable and feels more in control driving the Odys than any other vehicle. She spent two days at the auto show trying to find something else she would like and came up with something "acceptable".
b) the dealer made it such an economically good thing I couldn't choose otherwise. Would cost me more to go to another vehicle. I looked at each one on a cost per mile basis. Was at 15c/mile without ttl and xtnded warranty. W/ 8yr/120k/0Ded warranty +TTL, it came to under 18c/mile.
I could go to something cheaper (that my wife didn't like), but couldn't get the same trade in, so the cost would be nearly as much in $$$ and much higher in WDI (wife dissatisfaction index).
All tranny issues each time were either under orig 36/36 warranty or the HondaCare, so not out of pocket directly, but not due to any noble act of Honda.
(OTOH, many of my biggest prblms were when svc techs screwed up.)
Its funny, but we (wife and I) drove practically all the vans on the market and we both concur with your wife in that the Odyssey was the most comfortable vehicle (not just the seats) and that we felt more in control with the vehicle. Reminded me much more of a sedan than a minivan.
The nice thing about the 06 Odyssey is that the tranny is covered for 5yr/60K miles, so I felt pretty comfortable (I rarely keep a vehicle more than 5-6 years or 50-70K (we only put about 8-10K miles on our vehicles a year).
Sounds to me like you bought the right vehicle based on your needs, and with the extended warranty you will be covered for a long time. Lets all hope that Honda has put these transmission issues behind them.
TSB info:
www.alldata.com/tsb
Is there a specific speed that these noise will amplify or it's mostly constant and obvious at freeway speed?
Can you substantiate that statement, for any brand of car? Someone in a discussion long ago found that the only thing special about Honda breakin oil was a high molybdenum content, which is true of some oils, nothing special.
What's your source that all companies use a 'special' oil for the factory fill?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Duper - I first noticed it going over an overpass on a windy day. Sounds like it is coming from the driverside and just over the steering wheel (lower left corner). Traveling at highway speeds. I also noticed it right after putting up the window. It was so loud I thought my window did not close properly.
I'm glad I found other people in this forum with the same problem or I probably would have just lived with the noise and never questioned it.
I've never noticed it in any of my previous cars (3 Hondas and 1 Ford) but none of them had ABS so I guess it makes sense that it never happened before.
Thanks for posting about it!
Holy smokes! You've already got a million miles on your Ody?
:P
In any event, thanks so much for taking the time to respond.
Salesman told me to have the oil changed at 1000 (1K) miles. I'm reading here that others were told to change it at 3500. Also, the salesguy said the interval is to change the oil every 7500 miles. I have yet to find this or any number in the manual as to when to change it. I guess the oil life indicator is set to 7500 miles ???
ON my '05, it has gone just about 5k each time (3 oil changes so far), which worked out to about 5 months each.
I wouldn't go past 5K or 6 months, no matter what the indicator says. Of course, it is only pretty recently that I was willing to give up on the tradtional 3K intervals!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
In short, go by what the oil life indicator tells you; not by what the salesman tells you (particularly if you find nothing in the owner's manual about an early change).
Can you call around to a few local dealers and describe your problem? Maybe one of them will actually listen to you and do some extensive testing to see if something is amiss.
The tech says...
There engine has porous metal parts. So they had to seal it. to prevent the porous ness. It is like that when they casted that part in the mold.
They are saying they contacted the honda corporate and they advices then what to do....
I sent the lemon letter to Honda anyway. Since this is a critical part (engine) and the manufacturing defect, I will be asking them to replace the engine with new or give me a new van.. I only have 7k on it..
The tech gave me a TSB also. Apparantly this is on going problem at Honda... :lemon:
OK the TSB is 01-009 issued 02/2004. ...
I know,,, i know.... like i said before, this is what honda corp directed the dealer to do.. and he says he did find the leak thru porous engine block...
it effects all v6 engines of accord , ody, and pilot...
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread/t-4188.html
That would make it special.
It is probably some additives and not the oil itself. Molibdinum Disulfide is a high performance lubrication additive. When engines are assembled, an assembly lube is used to coat all of the wear surfaces. This assembly lube would remain in the oil until the first oil change.
Also, it would make no sense to specify a minimum number of miles before the first oil change except to give a good break in.
but after adjusting the A/C vents above the 2nd Row seats, the plastic tabs keep popping off (even when gently moving the tabs) and it seems that I need to "snap" the tabs back into place. Having the van for only a few hours, and seeing this happen is concerning. Is this supposed to occur with such little force? (In trying to fix the tabs, I mangaged to accidently pull out several other vent tabs during the process!!!)
Anyone else encounter this problem?
thanks :surprise:
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My advice is to follow what Honda tells you and wait until the oil indicator lets you know it is time for an oil change. Someone else mentioned that Honda recommended that you not change the oil the first time before 3500 miles.
I have an Acura 2000 w/Nav and it's accurate at any distance so it's not a general problem with the Alpine system.
I think it's default to Direct Route and that sometimes takes you into smaller streets or separate highways which result in slower time.
I think it also take the speed limit into account when calculate routes.
* The manual specifically says not to change the oil early.
(I don't have it in front of me to quote, but you can look it up.) You don't have to be an expert in tribology to understand and follow the mfr's recommendation.
* Changing the oil less frequently than recommended can affect your warranty coverage, but changing at the mfr's recommendation can only reinforce any claim.
The mfr has designed, tested, and studied the vehicle.
True, the engineers can make, and have made, mistakes. But with all the information, technical resources and testing at their disposal, I'd say you have a better chance following the mfr's recommendation than taking your own guess without any data. However, if you still want to second-guess the mfr, the following might be the start of a logical approach:
-Take an oil sample and have it analyzed. If the lab results indicate that the oil viscosity, contaminant levels, additive package depletion, pH, etc. are all fine, don't change it early. If one or more are not good, then you have reason to change it.
-If you're worried about metal particles from break-in: Your filter should catch anything large, and even so, smaller particles will show up as iron or aluminum contaminants in the above oil analysis. If you absolutely must do something to sleep at night, just change the oil filter after 1000 miles and top off the shortfall of engine oil.
Anything more than the above is wasting oil at best, removing add'l break-in lubricants at worst.
So you're trying to say that changing the oil earlier than 10K mi is going to affect your warranty claim?
No thanks. I'll change at reasonable intervals.
Remember the company is in the business of selling new cars and service on the ones they've already sold. If they are given extra care they last longer; fewer car sales if customers return to your brand.
>removing add'l break-in lubricants at worst.
And what are those "add'l break-in lubricants" and please be specific when you list them. Any tribologists will have that answer readily at hand. LOL
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
presuming there is no restriction in the air intake, and there is no obvious hose issues and no CEL/codes...
i'd probably consider the following:
a). Faulty MAF (mass airflow sensor)
b). Faulty Engine Temp Sensor
c). Bad Catalytic Convertor (if clogged for example)
d). Bad 02 sensor(s)
e). A sticking fuel injector
i'm not sure how you'd go about diagnosing each of these, but i'd research it. perhaps an independent shop would be willing to swap some stuff for you with you tracking your MPG before and after.
if they'd been hooking your vehicle up to scanners and running diagnostics, looking for sensors in the nominal range, ask how they'd diagnose a bad/defective catalytic convertor.
have they ruled out the possibility that your parking brake is not fully disengaging or you may have a stuck caliper? with the vehicle up and in neutral (for front wheels), do all spin without resistance? after driving and stopping does one wheel feel specially hot?
LESS FREQUENTLY means not as often. So, yes, if you change LESS FREQUENTLY (i.e. not as often) then you can void your warranty. I did not say changing more freqently would void your warranty.
That question was answered in general terms by several of the earlier posters. I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you were truly looking for answers instead of an argument. No, not "any tribologist" will have that answer readily at hand. [Before you ask, I am not a tribologist, but I am a mechanical engineer that designs machinery (gears, bearings, hydraulic power and control systems, etc.) and I specify the lubricants used in assembly and maintenance of those systems, using those lubricants as the lubricant mfr recommends.] You would have to know specifically what assembly lubricants Honda uses, and what oil is used to fill the case at the factory. I don't, and I don't need to know. I only need to know what the mfr recommends and maybe why. You've been given that info. If you need more than that, you should review the shop manual in case it is given in the rebuild section, or contact Amer Honda.
So until someone comes up with a real reason the oil is special, noone seems to know. So I'll change mine when I feel it's ready to be changed, 7.5k or 10k miles meaning nothing other than the manual suggests it. I recall the days everyone was told they could only have their oil changed at the dealer of that brand and they could only use that brand's oil filter and other replacement parts...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
1. Transmission problems appear to be endemic to the previous generation Odyssey. I'm unaware of indications that Honda hasn't fixed this problem with the current generation.
2. The humming/droning issue appears to be either a) highly subjective (most don't hear a thing) and/or b) fairly uncommon. Honestly, we've got nearly 25k miles on our '06 and I have NO idea what humming/droning noise other people are hearing. Maybe I'm just not very sensitive.
3. Sliding door malfunctions - also appear to be sporatic. I think the mechanism is more prone to dirt gumming up the works than it should be and the sliders could have been better integrated into the body. We had an early issue with a noisy slider but it was caused to dirt buildup in the mechanism (we've since had no issues) BUT, I think virtually all minivan makes report SOME problems with their sliders. Are any of these truely trouble-free?
4. Power steering problems? What power steering problems?
How many other failures are out there that don't hit the forums? That's a big unknown...but the simple fact is something that is a major problem will show up in many other places (the evening news...recalls...TSB's). And this applies to every brand out there, not just Honda.
It's fairly well known that earlier Honda transmissions were problematic. How do we know? Honda recalled/extended the warranty on them and tried to make it right. Dodge has done this with their transmissions as well. So have many others. I've read of quite a few problems on here and overall have had nothing to complain about with my Ody in 13 months/13k miles.
After charging the battery I took the van to a local Honda dealer who checked the battery and showed me that it was fine. One service tech told me leaving the sliding door open would not put a drain on the battery, while a second tech told me it would.
I guess it does.
Many other vehicles have had this feature for years. My 1996 Caravan has this and it has saved me a discharged battery a few times over the years.
I've never left a door open, so I feel the battery saver offered by other manufacturers is better. Honda missed that one, but they do have some form of battery saver.
IMHO, the door being left open could be reporting to the computer that it's open. That may have been enough to drain the battery. The doors work completely seperate from the keyed ignition, so there is always power to them. I'm just guessing, but it's obvious leaving the door open must have drained the battery. Now if it happens with the doors shut...then it must be something else.
Gotta agree with you. On three separate occassions I've gone out to the garage and discovered that the kids had turned on EVERY one of the interior dome lights. I don't know WHY overhead lights are so much fun for 4 and 6 year olds to mess with.
Why Honda's 'battery saver' ONLY works on the overhead dome lights with the doors open is a mystery to me.