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Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • martha07martha07 Member Posts: 4
    Hi-
    We have an 07 Odyssey that has already had some transmission issues at 55k miles. A few other repairs, too, but they were covered under warranty. The Odysseys are not as reliable as other Hondas. If you can fit your kids in it, the CR-Vs are much more reliable, and used ones should be a bit cheaper than the vans. We have an 04 CR-V with 166k miles and it's never had the issues the van has. Good luck!
  • jaybee9jaybee9 Member Posts: 12
    Well i finally got my answer from HOA. tranny repairs at my local dealer $4800..HOA "generously" offered to pay 20% leaving me with a bill of $3065!

    I will just sell or donate it and be rid of the problem, as it's also costing me for insurance .

    like all the others I only bought Hondas, ( I presently have an '09 Accord) and am extremely disappointed in their response.

    I am buying an extended warranty for my Accor from Bernardi for 7yrs/70k for $950, and will ditch the Accord if any trouble arises.

    By the way, we bought a 2010Subaru Forester ltd, and the wife loves it.
  • bartman227bartman227 Member Posts: 5
    I can't say I blame you on that decision. However if you put a rebuilt trans in there I'm pretty sure you'd get another 75-90k out of it easy. That might give you the time you need to consider your next option.
    By the way all of the car dealers now run carfax reports on vehicles and use any small infraction as an excuse to lower what they will give you on a trade. (See below how I know this)
    Honda offering to pay anything at all is nice.
    Making decisions about vehicles can be emotional, but its important to calm down and think critically! :)
    By the way we've test driven the following vehicles this weekend:
    GMC Traverse 4cyl --> low on power. no V6's available anywhere (yet)
    Toyota Rav 4 limited V6 (OMG loads of power). what a nice vehicle.
    Subaru Forrestor 2.5Xt (turbo). load of power but not so many features
    Subaru forrestor 2.5 limited. Nice interior but no power.
    Subaru outback 2.5 limited. Gorgeous! waitiing for an H6 so we can test.
    My wife prefers the RAV4. I prefer the subie.
    We shall see.....
    :lemon:
  • rghondarghonda Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I have a 2005 Honda Odyssey with 106K. I get it serviced religiously. Just recently got a oil change with Honda, their policy is to check all fluids to make sure that everything is ok, they failed to do that.

    After a week following the oil change, the car would start but would not move when you pressed on the gas pedal. And then the engine light came on. I checked all the fluid and saw that the transmission fluid was running on empty, this would kill the transmission quickly and I drive almost 100 miles per day going to work. I went to Bill Page Honda in VA with the car asking them for advice. They said that there might be leak, well I said there was no liquid on the driveway. Anyhow I bought transmission fluid from Honda and filled the car. After that the car was moving which is great. But the service light was on.

    Took the car to Bill Page Honda the next day, they were feeding me a lot of BS about how it was not their fault that the fluid was gone in the car and then they blamed me for putting too much fluid which burned, then they blamed me saying that I put generic fluid from else where (which I have never done since I only take the car to Honda) and they based that solely on the smell of the fluid after the flush. And then they charged me $133 to tell me that I need a new transmission and that it would cost me $4,000. After spending hours at Honda trying to get this situated they would not help, they didn't even talk to the manager. I don't have $4,000 to spend towards a new car or to fix the transmission.
    I was hoping that they(Bill page) would contact Honda of America and ask them about the good will service since we are diligent about taking the car to Honda every time, etc.

    I am having a hard time trying to get in touch with Honda of America, can someone give me the number, I tired this 1-800-999-1009 but they only have 9 options and none to talk to the operator. Please help.
    It sucks living in VA with no car and a sucky service from Honda. I would've liked them a lot more if they didn't treat me like I was stupid and give me BS reasons for the transmission replacement.
  • jaybee9jaybee9 Member Posts: 12
    Thx for the advice bartman. I did try to find a rebuilt tranny, but no go ( have they ALL been taken by victims like me?).I will give it one more try before dumping car.

    My wife also liked the Rav 4, but I HATE Toyotas pricing . It's too confusing, and even on Emunds its not as clear as Honda's pricing. That said, however, she LIKES the Subaru, and I have likely bought my last Honda.
  • r93401r93401 Member Posts: 2
    We have a 2008 ODY EX-L and have started experiencing the shuddering at 21k miles. We're bringing our van into the shop tomorrow. The honda dealer has already performed the computer update per the Honda TSB. We expect that they'll soon be replacing the Torque Converter. Thank you for your advice. The symptoms are exactly as you describe. I'll let you know! Hopefully they don't try to give me trouble. :sick:
  • tessinhoustontessinhouston Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey, and had transmittion problems. They tried to download the recall solution, only to have the car's computer refuse the download. As a result, they had to replace the whole thing. I have roughly 50K miles on the car.

    The problem I am now dealing with is the noise that the rear brakes make. I replaced the front brakes (that had squeaked a bit a little over a year ago), but then the rear brakes (emergency reserve brakes, I was told) got much worse. When I took it to the dealer from whom I bought it, the dealership was angry at HOA for refusing to cover the brakes (I have 3-4 more mos. on them). It is in the dealership's shop right now, they will take everything apart to analyze the problem, and they assured me that they want HOA to stand behind their car.

    I don't know what will happen THIS time, but I am getting tired of all of the problems (I had had another problem with tires in the past). I feel that this car is causing way too much trouble at only 3 years and 50K miles. I think when the problem is fixed, it is time to buy a Lexus (the kids are grown, so I can move back to a sedan).
  • watermom22watermom22 Member Posts: 2
    My rear brakes squeak as well, although they've been checked out and still have good life left on them. My local mechanic (who I trust WAY more than the dealership) couldn't locate the source. Let us know what you find out.
  • bigdadi118bigdadi118 Member Posts: 1,207
    I ditched the
    07 Ody, and 08 Pilot
    now I am driving 07 Subie Outback wagon limited and love it more than two ex-Honda...
  • jaybee9jaybee9 Member Posts: 12
    Congrats on the Subaru....did you check out subaru forums? I got a really good price on my Ext warr by playing hardball with the dealer...

    Too bad HOA does'nt seem to get it....
  • denver5357denver5357 Member Posts: 319
    Had a 2007 Outback. Traded it in within a year because:
    - Had issues starting at altitude (above 9000 feet); we live in Colorado;
    - Excessive brake grinding; dealer said it was dust, but one month after cleaning it was back (as was co-worker's Outback);
    - 4 cyl transmission downshifted at weird times and became an acceleration issue;
    - Not enough room in back seat for kids in car seats;
    - Vent design under front-row seats allowed rolling object into the vent and somewhere under the seat; had to take seat out to get to it;
    - Design of driver's side "cockpit" was difficult to get into and out of, even at 8-inch ground clearance.

    It did drive well in snow, though.
  • honduhondu Member Posts: 1
    My 2007 Odyssey had the same problem. Dealer just turned the rotors (to remove the brake pad glaze that had built up) and put new pads on for free. Squeak went away instantly.
  • bartman227bartman227 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks everyone for contributing. We traded our '07 ODY for a 10 Mazda CX-7 turbo and couldn't be happier.
    Cheers
  • davidwmdavidwm Member Posts: 2
    Wow, I'm really shocked that Honda isn't willing to own up to their faulty transmission problem. My wife's '02 Odyssey just had the tranny fail this weekend. It was the same story that everyone else has been reporting on this list -- 95k on the odometer and the van suddenly won't shift correctly. Took it to Honda dealer and they tell us it has failed and needs to be replaced. Cost to replace is $4,750. Honda Corp's offer is to contribute $2k toward repair cost. I REALLY don't think that's very reasonable after what I've learned reading the posts on this site and others. I guess I will be spending the next few days trying to talk some sense into Honda USA. If anyone out there has recently fought the battle with Honda and prevailed I would love to hear what you did to convince them.

    Through all my previous experiences with Honda I've felt they were one of the best car makers out there, but after this I am really disappointed. Don't they realize the reason people buy Hondas is so that they don't have to worry about ending up in this type of situation. Time to go look at the Subaru, Mitsubishi and Fords.
  • davejcdavejc Member Posts: 1
    our 3rd tranny just went on our '01
    the original at about 60,000, replaced by dealer
    the 2nd 40,000 later, replaced by dealer
    the 3rd at 60,000 , too bad, so sad
    they think since we've had all these " free " trannys,
    that Honda bears no responsibility.
    4 trannys in 166,000 miles
    I'm smelling something like lemons,
  • captainrmw1captainrmw1 Member Posts: 3
    Honda Odyssey Owners unite.

    We should ride the WAVE with the Toyata recalls and file a complaint with the NHSTA. Transmission failure is a serious safety issue, worst is that Honda does not address the problem as it appears that they have not upgraded the faulty transmission design and they give you back the same transmission that was rebuit.

    The window of opportunity is now, let us let Honda do right by the consumer!
  • rfreitasrfreitas Member Posts: 63
    I hear ya! There is a thread going on here with a similar topic:

    http://www.odysseytransmission.com//ProblemCases?msgId=301
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    It would be wonderful if you can have the NHSTA get a recall. Any recalls in the USA are automatically applied to the Canadian customers,
  • gigs727gigs727 Member Posts: 1
    My '02 Odyssey transmission failed at 80,000 miles. My local mechanic said he had seen the same problem time after time around that mileage, and it is clearly a design flaw. Honda dealer said $6,500 to replace it! Of course I bought a Honda to avoid this problem. After numerous calls to Honda USA, they offered the $2,000 assistance. I demanded that they help more than that. They ended up offering to replace the trans for a contribution of $2,000 on my part, and that included tax. I settled for that, and it included 3 years or 36k miles warranty on the trans. I still may never buy another Honda.
  • tmock13tmock13 Member Posts: 38
    edited February 2010
    "I demanded that they help more than that" Wow, you've got a mean streak in you if you approached Honda USA like that. Hey, I also own a 02 Odyssey but my transmission failed over this past summer at only 41500 miles. Far less than your 80000 miles and cost me $3200 at AAMCO transmission repair shop. Honda dealers gave me quotes between $5000-$6500. I also call Honda USA to complained and ended up with only a $1000 reimbursement. My case manager at Honda USA admittedly acknowledged that there were numerous complaints about the faulty transmissions on the 1999-2004 Odysseys. I was told that they were handling this widespread defect on a case by case basis instead of a recall. Recalling on all of these transmissions would cost them through the roof just like what Toyota is experiencing now with their gas pedal acceleration situation. Hey gigs727, at least you got some assistance from Honda USA with a new 3 years/36000 miles warranty on the repaired transmission. Honda USA didn't need to do that since your van is already way over the 3 years/36000 miles warranty you got when you purchased it. What other car company would do that. So, don't say you may never buy another Honda again.
    It could be worse like if you own a Toyota right now. :surprise:
  • 4grandsons4grandsons Member Posts: 22
    tmock13, I don't understand your statement "Honda USA didn't need to do that since your van is already way over the 3 years/36000 miles warranty you got when you purchased it." Honda's powertrain warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles. The 3 year/36,000 warranty is the "bumper-to-bumper" warranty. Do you really think it's acceptable for any automaker to sell vehicles that have major mechanical issues like this? For heaven's sake, Honda has known about this for a decade and has decided not to do anything about it! You'd think after more than a decade of this Honda would address it by now. From my perspective that's the real issue. Let alone you spend $30K+ for a vehicle that the manufacturer knows has inherent mechanical design flaws! That's just shameful and to me ranks right up there with Toyota's current problems.
  • rfreitasrfreitas Member Posts: 63
    I have a Toyota with the gas pedal recall, and I also have a 2002 Odyssey with a piece of crap transmission that went out and had to pay $3000 to replace it. And my case manager tried to tell me there are no known problems with the 2002 Odyssey Transmission other than the recall work which was supposed to fix the issue in the 99-01's (which it didn't).

    I would buy another Toyota any day, at least they care enough to have the recall and get these cars fixed even if they do lose money. Honda on the other hand is doing nothing. I will never buy another Honda.

    You said "Recalling on all of these transmissions would cost them through the roof"

    So what? They should have to pay through the roof! They screwed up the transmission not us. What is it going to take a family to die before they have a recall?
  • flexmickflexmick Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Odyssey EXL...with around 30k miles.. I've bought Honda's for some time.. but the Odyssey is horrible... its already had front wheel bearings... the brakes squeak when cold ( fairly normal I was told )... sometimes from cold there is a loud clicking... and then there is the transmission !!! if I pull away slowly from 30mph - 50mph I sometimes get the shudder... but even worse.. ifI drive with at a constant cruising speed the rev counter sometimes goes up around 200rpm and it sounds like its changing gear.. for absolutely no reason.. and the very worst is that sometimes it does this while slowing down to a stop... and gives the impression of an acceleration... very unnerving... it goes in tomorrow to be checked out... honestly I don't want it back... I was going to keep it forever... but would trade it in if I could think of something else....
  • 4grandsons4grandsons Member Posts: 22
    flexmick, ask your dealer to check the power steering reservoir. There is a known problem where air can get into the system, causing the symptoms you are describing with the clicking noise, etc.. Also, the issue you are experiencing at cruising speeds is caused by cavitations in the transmission torque converter. This happens when the torque converter slips out of lockup mode. My dealer told me a quick tap on the gas will correct it, which I think is a load of crap. I doubt your front wheel bearings really needed to be replaced, I'm willing to bet the real problem is the torque converter lockup problem. We had a 2007 Odyssey EX-L and replacing the torque converter only fixed the problem temporarily.

    Like you I've owned many Hondas, but only one Odyssey and will not buy another one. Honda has known about transmission problems in the Odyssey for over a decade and hasn't taken steps to fix it.
  • tmock13tmock13 Member Posts: 38
    Yes, you are right that the transmission is covered under the powertrain warranty of 5 years/60,000 miles for the Odyssey. The Odyssey in this discussion is a 02 Odyssey with 80,000 miles on it. This vehicle is 3 years over the 5 year limit and 20,000 miles over the allowed mileage. Again, Honda can simply blow you off and not even provide any monetary assistance to the defective transmission. Honda is not obligated to do anything for you when a warranty is no longer in effect. Honda did help me when my transmission on my 02 Odyssey went bad at 41500 miles. Yes, I was upset and angry that this happened. I paid MSRP for this van back in 02 when demand exceeded supply. But, I was also grateful that Honda reimbursed me $1000 towards my $3200 bill from AAMCO. Think about this, I no longer had a warranty but Honda still agreed to do something for their customer. :surprise:
  • 4grandsons4grandsons Member Posts: 22
    I see your point and I agree. I just think that after a decade Honda would do something to fix the problem permanently. We were very disappointed to learn that not only had the problem not been addressed by the 2007 model year, but was in some aspects even worse. Our local dealer was very good about working with us on a variety of issues, including the torque converter. I just think that any vehicle costing $30K+ should not have those kinds of mechanical issues even within the warranty period, let alone at 80,000 miles or more.
  • vanmom6vanmom6 Member Posts: 12
    I bought my '01 Odyssey for top dollar back when there was a waiting list to get one. I did so because I wanted stellar customer service and quality that I could feel confident driving my family around in! I got neither.
    Atleast Toyota is acknowledging their mistake.... Honda's lack of integrity is very disappointing!
  • jonc1964jonc1964 Member Posts: 1
    My '01 Odyssey transmission just failed (slipping between shifts when cold, no codes in the computer) at 85K, about 40K miles after the warranty replacement.

    According to the Honda dealer here, if American Honda pays anything toward the transmission replacement the warranty on the new transmission reduces from 3yr/36K miles to 1yr/12K miles. They said that if Honda contributed it would be replaced under 'warranty' and those are only good for 1yr/12K miles.

    Anyone run into this? Is this for real? Thanks.
  • hogan773hogan773 Member Posts: 255
    any indication on whether these transmission problems have been fixed by now? I just bought a new 2010.......have they changed anything mechanically between the 2005 and the 2010?
  • dbtdbt Member Posts: 298
    have they changed anything mechanically between the 2005 and the 2010?
    Yes, in 2007, Honda changed its automatic in the Odyssey from the 3-shaft to the heavier-duty 4-shaft version developed for the Ridgeline.
  • hogan773hogan773 Member Posts: 255
    oh sweet - so maybe I have a better chance at avoiding tranny failures then. thanks
  • 4grandsons4grandsons Member Posts: 22
    We thought so too when we bought a 2007 Odyssey EX-L, however, if you read through the posts you will unfortunately find that many problems have been reported with the 2007 model year and up. For your sake I hope Honda has made some improvements, but transmission problems in the Odyssey seems to be prevalent since the 2000 model year.
  • neil5neil5 Member Posts: 118
    I read a lot on my 2006 eco roughness and slight surge at 47mph or so. Went to private shop they said mounts were OK, then went to Dealer and was tough on them. 85000 miles OUW so I made top tech ride with me first. He said mounts..then hooked it to computer. The rear mounts are electronic(i didn't know it). All side mounts and rears were replaced, fronts were deemed soft but OK. I got them to throw in discount and was and oil change and got out for a few hundred. I must tell others that it DID make car drive new again, better shifting and smoother in eco with no vibration or hum. I was ready to give it up! Now pretty happy with this car again....I also own toyota avalon and feel this has similar deal with problems but Avalon now fixed by dealer out of warranty....hope this helps someone
  • davidwmdavidwm Member Posts: 2
    -- UPDATE to Post 1366 --

    Thankfully Honda USA has agreed to contribute another $640. towards the bill leaving us to pick up a balance of $2,090. That helps restore a little bit of confidence ...but not all. I think I would buy another Accord but I definitely would not buy another Odyssey [it was great while it lasted, but it didn't last long enough].

    Next purchase will probably be a small SUV and before this episode I would have picked the CR-V without hesitation. Now I'm thinking that the Mitsubishi Outlander is looking real good with it's 10 yr/100,000 mi powertrain warranty and track record showing good reliability. If I had to buy another van I would probably go with the Sienna (even though I'm not a Toyota fan). I'm writting this in hope that it will help other consumers out there make better, more informed choices when shopping for a new car.

    ....AND, in case any Honda Marketing folks are reading these posts, think about how this type of issue hurts Honda's reputation and effects future car sales. Wouldn't it have made more sense to make the necessary changes back when the problem first became apparent around 2000? It certainly can't be good for business when a person Googles 'Honda Odyssey' and "transmission problems" show up at the top of the results list.
  • autowriteautowrite Member Posts: 226
    I would check the vehcile owers' feedback at Consumers Reports (dots). I don't believe that Mitsubishi is all that good as far as their vehcles division goes. Once upon a time, about 5-7 years ago they were suppose to get out of building vehicles. Anything you GOOGLE stays ontop. Put in Chrysler and tranmssions and you get Dodge transmission recalls - -on top. A person on ODYCLUB.COM bought a 2006 Odyssey after having had 3 transmiisons replaced in an early model; because he liked the Odyssey in all it's other best things. People buy high price BMWs amd MBs and keep them in top shap with odoodles of money because they love their cars features and performance. I currently have 245,000 kms (149,500 miles) on my Odyssey and I will try to keep it "forever"

    2002 Honda Odyssey EX
    1992 Ford Taurus L 4 door 300 cu in long-stroke
    1982 Ford E150 Customized by Triple-E travel Van 351 cu ins V8
    1979 Mercury Zephyr 6 cylinder 4-door sedan
    1972 Datsun 510 4-door automatic
    1967 Plymount Valiant 2-door sedan large-V6
    1965 Morris 1100
    1963 Austin 850 mini
  • ciao888ciao888 Member Posts: 24
    On a new 2010 LX Odyssey I have noticed a vibration I can turn on and off.

    I can get rid of the vibration (feels like you're driving on a washboard) by turning off the overdrive. At 80KMH I can feel it the most and turning off and on the overdrive will turn off and on the vibration. On a slight incline I have the same vibration at about 60 KMH. This was verified by the HONDA mechanic who said to me it was the transmission trying to find the right gear. He had suggested that I turn off the overdrive. There was a 2009 courtesy Odyssey that we test drove and it had the same condition. In the end, he said this was not the judder noted in the TSB calling for a program or torque converter change.

    Now I have the same droning noise when I have a "cold" start and it lasts for a few minutes. Do you have the same issue, that it is temporary?

    So far I have BS from CSR and Case Manager who tell me this is a "normal" operating characteristic of the vehicle. Obviously if I can turn on and off the vibration by turning on and off the overdrive, it tells me there is a direct link or cause, especially if the HONDA tech tells me the transmission is trying to find the right gear. The game that is played is the dealership cannot replace parts if they cannot root cause the issue properly as HONDA will not compensate them if it doesn't fix the issue. I know this as I initially had the vibration issue and they re-balanced the tires. Issue is still there and they have not sent me my "work" order. They told me once HONDA gives approval for the dealership, I'll get the work order. So if there is no TSB (or product update), they may not get compensated for work done if it does not solve the issue.

    I'll be escalating this issue to the next level. Anyone else have the same issue.
  • g3guyg3guy Member Posts: 31
    This is not true. Any replacement of your transmission by a Honda dealer, whether they pay part of it or not, gives you a 3-year, 36,000 mile warranty. Your dealer is BSing you, again.......don't let them do it to you. Go to another dealer for a second opinion.
  • hogan773hogan773 Member Posts: 255
    I notice a little drone right around 30mph when cruising on local streets.....for me its not too big of a deal and I think I'm primed to hear it after reading some of these boards.....is 30mph one of the drones you're referring to?
  • dcoitdcoit Member Posts: 1
    hey all, help. I have a 2004 odessey ex w/174,000 miles. traction control light has come on and doesn't go off.also check engine light is on. add in the engine is bucking big time. does this sound like a tranny problem?
  • 4grandsons4grandsons Member Posts: 22
    It certainly sounds like it could be a transmission problem. When we took our 2007 Odyssey to the dealer even the technician who drove it called it a "bucking bronco."
  • nash1234nash1234 Member Posts: 22
    It's too bad to see Toyota going through all these problems that they are facing nowadays, I thought their safety record and keeping customer safety as #1 priority was solid. However, maybe it is not so. It is hard to believe that a company that would replace their trucks because some of the components would rust prematurely would allegedly try to hide the fact that there are mechanical faults with their parts which causes the sudden acceleration problem.

    However, my issue is a bit different. If the whole world can subpoena the heck out of Toyota's execs for documents about this issue since there were some complaints (well, there were some fatalities too, but...), can't the same people subpoena the heck out of Honda's Odyssey transmission issues? Maybe there were no fatalities (thank God yet) but some people reported coming close when their van got stuck in the middle of the expressway. And also considering that there are numerous complaints to NHTSA, maybe it is not out of reach... I wish someone did this and the faulty transmissions would be recalled. I own a 07 EX and am worried that my trans will also go south in a few years.
  • ark_honda_fanark_honda_fan Member Posts: 5
    Hi all, new to the board here.

    I bought a 2001 Odyssey a few months back. It has 79,000 and was a one owner vehicle until I bought it. All service and maintenance was done at the dealer on schedule and the owner said he never had any transmission problems, I have not had any problems with the transmission yet in the 4 months/4000 miles I have put on it.

    For those that have been through the whole recall process, can you tell me whether or not I am still covered by the warranty extension? When I put my VIN number into the Honda site, it said I was covered (in a 2002 letter to owners), but that the extension was only good until 7 years after purchase or 100,000 miles (whichever is first). So its now 2 years after the 7 year window and I am wondering if I am covered or not. I thought I had read somewhere that Honda extended it again to 110,000 but I am not sure. Also, as I already said, I have not had any problems with the tranny yet - but am wondering what Honda's protocol is for the recall if I am still covered - do I just wait until it breaks and then get it replaced or can I be proactive and get it replaced now.

    Also - any Odyssey owners out there NOT have tranny problems? I would like to think that since I haven't had problems yet, maybe I won't, but I've read enough comments on here to know that it could go at anytime.

    Thanks.
  • lonestarmomlonestarmom Member Posts: 20
    We may be one of the exceptions, as we have not had any transmission problems with our 2000 Odyssey. We currently have 270k miles on it. Before purchasing our van my husband had read some complaints about the transmission. So, when we went to purchase our Odyssey we paid to have an ATF cooler installed. Now, whether or not that has had anything at all to do with our good fortune, I can't really say. Anyway, it certaintly didn't hurt.
  • hogan773hogan773 Member Posts: 255
    edited February 2010
    "Also - any Odyssey owners out there NOT have tranny problems? I would like to think that since I haven't had problems yet, maybe I won't, but I've read enough comments on here to know that it could go at anytime."

    Yes of course MOST Odyssey owners have not had tranny problems. I realize you're using hyperbole, but I think its safe to say that the vast majority of Odysseys out there have not had tranny failures. Don't you think if like 90% were failing you'd hear more about it? There is already a negative bias on boards like this, as the first or second thing many people do when they have a problem is Google it, and then they find their way to these boards and post about how horrible it is. Most of the soccer moms out there aren't bothering to post "hey, another great day with my Odyssey -- its still running perfectly!"
  • ark_honda_fanark_honda_fan Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the reply. I know that not all Odyssey owners have had problems, and I assume you are correct in saying that most have not. I really did not mean to imply that every Odyssey tranny was going to fail - I'm just trying to gauge how widespread the problem is. This is my first Odyssey so I am trying to learn about the problem. What I have read multiple times is that the tranny failure has to do with a design failure and that several people who are having problems still end up having problems down the road even with the replacement tranny because Honda hasn't really fixed the problem. If that's the case, then I am assuming the same design-flawed tranny found in someone else's van is probably also in mine - thus there is a decent chance of me having the same problem at some point. If it's a deign problem, why would some owners have problems and others not? If you are correct that most owners aren't having problems - then I feel better about this. But, as I said, if the problem is a design flaw and that same flawed tranny is in my van that is on these other posters' vans that have gone bad, then I need to keep that in mind.
  • hogan773hogan773 Member Posts: 255
    I dont know for sure, but I had the same worries before just deciding to go with the Ody. Risk on reading these boards are that we over-assume the percentages. There are probably 1 million + Odysseys on the road in the US right now? Having a very loud 1 person, or 10 people, posting back and forth about their specific problems makes for a long message thread and so we extrapolate that......but I have trouble believing that hundreds of thousands of transmissions are really failing prematurely. That said, there probably is something to this, but I guess all I'm saying is don't assign a 100% probability to the chances. Maybe 1% or 5% - who knows. Its like the Toyota issues - you get a few hundred reports (some of which are probably true, and some of which are probably operator error) across an base of million vehicles, and all of the sudden "EVERY" Toyota is a diabolical gremlin machine he[[ bent on destroying us......
  • ea7576ea7576 Member Posts: 10
    Just my 2 cents - I have been in the automotive industry for much of my career and have spent the last 7 years working for a large fleet leasing company. This job gives me the opportunity to drive many different makes and models of cars on the road today. In my garage I currently have a 2007 Honda Odyssey EX that I leased for my wife and a 2010 Chrysler T&C Touring (my company car).

    As for the Odyssey - the paint started peeling on the rear bumper 3 months into the lease (repainted under warranty). 18 months into lease the trans quit, totally dead (11,000 miles). "repaired" under warranty. Van has never been the same - surges between 1500 and 2250 rpm at 40MPH. Dealer says all is "OK" Very scary - lease is up in 3 months - can't wait to give it back.

    Bottom line - The Odyssey is an impressive vehicle when working. It drives like a car and has impressive road manners however its mechanical gremlins are real and need to be addressed by Honda. Car's today are built with cost cutting in mind. Combine this with advanced electronics and hardware and you have a recipe for disaster (think Toyota) It does not help that Edmund's makes it sound like the Odyssey can do no wrong. The beauty of the T&C I am driving is that it's electronics and engine are archaic and very dated. Less pleasing driving experience but it is fairly reliable.

    In my opinion Japanese cars of the 1990's were better built when compared to their 2010 counterparts.
  • felipe9felipe9 Member Posts: 1
    can any one help me with my van i am having transmission problems took it to a tranny shop said it was solenoid problems code po740 and p1750 so now i am trying to find out if i can get it replaced bought it from a friend it has a salvaged title wondering if dealer will help me cause it is under the class action suit HELP PLEASE!!!!!1
  • ciao888ciao888 Member Posts: 24
    The drone is when I turn on the engine with no car movement. I can get a vibration (as though driving on a gentle washboard) at about 60 KM/H (ie. about 35 MPH) and notice it more at 80 KM/H. If you turn off your overdrive, does your droning turn off? And is it a drone or a vibration you are having an issue with?
  • bigdadi118bigdadi118 Member Posts: 1,207
    Salvage title ? I think Honda won't help.
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