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Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions (2005+ Models)
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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 sporadic. 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 truly trouble-free?
4. Power steering problems? What power steering problems?
As a first time Honda buyer (bought an 06 Odyssey EX-L) I was a little concerned about the previous generation's tranny issues. However I was pretty happy with the 5yr/60Kmpowertrain warranty.. From what I read, it also seemed that Honda really took care of most folks who had tranny problems (even outside of the warranty period).
The wife and I can either not hear the droning issue, or our van does not have it. At any rate, I am not quite sure if this is an issue that should stop folks from test driving/buying the van.
We have had zero issues with our van to date. It is the most comfortable/function vehicle we have owned. I definitely recommend that folks drive the Odyssey when shopping for a minivan. There is a good reason why it constantly wins awards year after year...
I think you are answering your own question. Would you buy a car that has at least 4 major mechanical problems?
Also, if you are mechanically savy you will notice all of the design flaws & problems. My wife turns the radio up and doesn't notice anything until I show her. She is problably part of the majority that is happy with their Ody.
We bought our '06 Odyssey to get out of a first year lemon '03 Accord EXV6. Little did I know that a second year Odyssey has just as many problems.
Here is my laundry list for our '06 EXL/RES+NAV w/2k miles that the dealer is working on:
1. Droning noise at 2000rpm.
2. Power steering rack clunking when backing up + parking.
3. Transmission slamming on downshift to first (pushed the car forward with the brake applied at stoplight).
4. Passenger & driver slider door handles difficult (almost impossible) to open - power mechanisms o.k.)
5. Front Door hinges clunking, not smooth operation.
My dealer said Honda will reimburse my car payment for the month. The car sat at the dealership for over a week and none of the problems are resolved yet.
I would unload this lemon also except I am unwilling to take a $4k-5k loss after two months of ownership. If the Pilot was available w/both RES & NAV, I would beg the dealer to make a fair deal on a trade.
Sorry, but if I were you I would stay away from Honda period. I had a lemon VW and would not consider buying another VW for some time....
I am sorry to hear about all your issues, our Odyssey does not have any of the issues you listed. So far our Honda has lived up to its reputation.
All makes and models are going to have some problems. I look at Consumer Reports for a car's reliability as they have 100s of people responding to their annual surveys.
BTW I did get the extended warranty just for my piece of mind.
I was wondering the exact same thing. Maybe he's a glutton for punishment.
No...just a guy with bad luck. I'm just looking for the cheapest way out of a bad situation. Honda for Honda will be the easiest way out.
Also, my brother-in-law has a Pilot and it seems to be pretty reliable - no problems yet w/20k. The transmission has the upgraded 4 shaft design.
1. Droning noise at 2000rpm.
2. Power steering rack clunking when backing up + parking.
3. Transmission slamming on downshift to first (pushed the car forward with the brake applied at stoplight).
4. Passenger & driver slider door handles difficult (almost impossible) to open - power mechanisms o.k.)
5. Front Door hinges clunking, not smooth operation."
Has your service advisor acknowledged that these 5 items are issues which are not 'normal' for the Odyssey?
That's fine but not what I meant. Has your service advisor ACKNOWLEDGED that each of those issues are bonafide problems and not simply 'characteristic' of Odyssey's in general?
For instance - the difficult to operate slider door handles. Are they any more difficult to operate than other Odyssey's or are they essentially the same?
He is choosing to work on one problem at a time? Why? For what possible reason would they have for waiting on a part to address a droning issue without looking at the steering rack? Or the slider door handles? That makes little sense... :confuse:
Just took a 900 mile trip in my wife's 05 EX. I rarely drive it cause its always loaded with kid and school stuff. When everyone falls asleep after a few hours on the road and the radio's off and its just me and the van rolling along at 80 mph, you have a real sense of the vehicle you're driving. This van is solid. Great machine.
There were no lights on anywhere. As I stated, I had turned off all interior lights using the dash switch.
I believe sebring95 is correct...the open door must send a continuous electrical signal to the computer, thus draining the battery after 3 days.
Has anyone left their Ody with everything turned off and locked up for a week or two, say at an airport or in the garage while they were away? If so, was the battery dead or alive after this period?
Thanks.
hondaturtle
The owners manual says to not leave the headlights in the "on" position if the vehicle is going to sit for awhile. I normally run with them "on" all the time so I have to remember to shut them down before leaving it sit.
Technically (as in, on paper) that could be an acceptable use. However, if it's an engine type that's not known for using oil, I'd have a hard time accepting it. There are motors out there that tend to use oil, but it usually effects ALL of that type of motor. These 3.5L Honda motors are not known for using oil and if one is doing so, I'd be concerned about it. But it's hard to get the dealer to do anything because the technical poeple build those big variances in there (1qt/1000 miles) to allow for build variances.
However, 1qt in 3k miles could be a lot of things and I wouldn't get too worked up until there is a pattern. When was the oil changed originally (i assume around 5k miles?). If so, are you sure the oil was topped off after the oil change? It could have been a quart low right from the start if the tech didn't change it correctly. If it consistently uses 1qt every 3k miles then it would be smart to investigate further.
Anyone else face this and what was the diagnosis? Thanks.
It has to do with improper wear or seating of the oil ring on the piston(s). My 05 Odys EX does not have problem. Neither does my GM van.
So it is just luck on any normal vehicle. Unless if it is the Nissan's 2.5L 4 cylinder engine being used on Sentra or Altima: they have to recall these vehicles due to excessive oil consumption and potential of engine fire.
jt
Does anyone had this experience before? Is it really just "normal" during the break-in period? Any tip is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, today I noticed that the drives side sliding door does not lock at all--not with the remote or by locking with the switch from the inside. It will unlock with the remote, as well as the switch, but to lock it you have to manually push the lock down. I was really upset to discover this and I don't know if it's been like this since I bought it or not.
A few days ago, I did lightly bump into my husbands truck while backing up and it scratched the bumper a little, but that's all. The damage to the bumper is on the same side that the lock malfunction is. My husband said they prob. won't fix the lock now, even though it should be under warranty, because they will see the oh so minor damage on the bumper and say that I caused the problem with the lock when I did that. Any advice? I am upset to have something go wrong so soon.
time to bring your vehicle right back in (and possibly to another dealership).
I have seen this happen numerous times, where the estimated time to destination is not very reliable. I guess I've just never gotten too worked up over this little foible. It's easy to calculate in my own head what the time to destination should be, so I've always just ignored this on the navi systems I've encountered. I guess I'm trying to say that it's relatively common and I wouldn't get too worked up over it, as long as the system is working otherwise.
I realize that this is not a very technical answer to your question, but I just wanted to say that I've experienced this numerous times in Hondas and non-Hondas.
Have an 06 EXL for eight months and it has been great. Our first Honda van after many (6) domestic models (4 kids)
The power on this van is soooooo much better than the GM's and Chrysler. Driving thru the hills of WV on our way to Florida was a breeze. Mileage OK also. The only issue I have had is the paint on the rear bumper is falling off. Really bad and getting the run-a-round from the dealer (whats new!)
I too wasn't sure which to buy, the Honda or the Toyota. My decision was made for me when I questioned a driver of a brand new Toyota at a stopped traffic light. Asked him if he had to do it over again, Honda or Toyota? He said Honda.....
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Hmmm....The Odyssey is a V6. Not a 4cylinder and definetly not a 2 cylinder! It's not a motor cycle. :surprise:
We have a new 2006 ODY EX-L with about 1000 miles, and have noticed that every time we start the car, and within the first 10 seconds of moving (usually happens right after a turn) a "grinding" noise and feel is noticed on our feet (driver's side) when accellerating on the foot pedal. The noise lasts for about 1/2 second, then never occurs again,...until the car's ignition is completely shut down, and restarted later.
The problem is consistent, and is felt on the foot pedal when it occurs.
Does anyone know what this may be, or if it is normal? THANKS
I noticed the same thing a did a quick search which revealed that all the Odysseys do this.
very normal stuff.
In addition to repairing the window, I had them install fog lights and a day/night mirror. The carpet, floor mats and drivers door well area has also been blackened. The dash plastic has been dinged up as well.
My salesman told me last week when I bought the car: "Price may be why you bought the first car here, the service department is why you will buy the next car here."
:confuse: Really?! LOL!
Don't worry, I don't give up easy. I'll be back tomorrow morning at 7:00AM to speak to the Service Manager. I am leaving the car as is till show and tell.
I can't wait to fill out a Honda customer survey!
Jeff
:sick:
I really don't know what I am supposed to do now. I guess I will just keep driving it to see if the problem will just go away. But the thing is, if the problem only happens 1 out of 10 times, chances are the dealer won't be able to catch it even if I bring it back. Any tips or suggestion?
The dealerhip fixed it twice in the first 3 months of the puchase by - balancing the tires.
But the problem started again as soon as I had a tire rotation done.
They rebalanced it again (3rd time) in less than 10 months. I am surprised and worried that a Brand new Vehicle is giving me problems.
Please advise ? Could this be a lemon ?
"I am following up with you in regards to a phone call that you received from American Honda. In that call you stated you intermittently feel a glitch in the pedals. If this is a slight buzzing sensation felt when you first start moving, it is actually normal. Your ABS pump activates when moving forward between 6 to 9mph, it does this to pump the system up to make sure it is pressurized in case it is needed. The sensation you are feeling is the pump motor running for a few seconds. If you have any questions or you feel this is not an accurate description, please call or email me at the number below. "
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you got different explaination from your dealer. Thanks, and enjoy your new toy!
Steven23, the fact that you at least brought it to the dealer is the right move. They now have documented the issue in their computer and seem very willing to work with you.
It may not be anything. If it is a transmission problem, you will know in due time. Transmission issues (slipping) will definitely get worse over time.
Hopefully you will not have the problem again, but if you do it sounds like you have a dealer that is trying to help you out.
Good luck.
No owner has actually done something about this. Why don't you use the lemon law? I wrote to Honda headquarters in Japan and they are denying this issue. Use the lemon law because it is impossible to fix this because it's in the design of these vehicles.
:lemon:
Many doesn't mean all.
I don't recall seeing the same problem posted on any other forums.
Honda sold close (or even more than) to 60k Odyssey and I wonder how MANY is MANY. I personally know 6 people own '05 and none has this issue. :confuse:
My Pathfinder had shimmy at freeway speed and it turned out to be tire balance. I took it to America's Tires and they had the Hunter9000(sp?) system and they were all good.
QUICK! What is the commonality between the Pilot, the '04 Odyssey, and the '05 Odyssey??????
Um, maybe it's the TIRES??? :surprise:
Nah, tires couldn't have anything to do with steering wheel vibrations. It MUST be the van....
i remember driving through a muddy field. some mud dried on the inside of one of my rims.
can you say vibration?
but seriously, i wonder if there was a sudden onset of vibration for some users. if so, it's always possible balancing weights have been moved or lost because of curb scrapes.
yeah, bad tires or alignment would be other possibilities.
Three of the posts mentioned actually gave some detail and mentioned a "slight vibration" at highway speeds around 70+ miles an hour..
I am no mechanic, but to me that sounds like an unbalanced wheel or a tire issue (not enough air, defect, etc).
I think it is unfair of you to claim that this is happening to "MANY, many" Odysseys.. Unfortunately many potential buyers may see this post and think there is a major issue with the 05+ Odysseys. Clearly there is not. Doesn't it seem logical that out of the thousands and thousand of Honda Odysseys on the road a select few may have unbalanced tires?
For the record, my 06 Odyssey does not exhibit any "shimming" at highway speeds....