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Over this past summer, we embarked on a 10k mile road trip in the odyssey. Prior to the trip, i had the basic tune-up performed (oil change, inspection) and had all 4 tires replaced. Also 2 motor mounts were replaced.
During this trip, we were driving through Texas during the heatwave and experienced a massive burst of oil from the front drivers side area. Driving with cruse control about 80mph, suddenly there was a loss of acceleration and the engine reved up over 4000rpm's. We were luckily planning to exit the interstate for gas/food and the off ramp was a few hundred feet ahead. When the loss of power occurred, I quickly ahifted to neutral. Upon limping (back in D but only idling speed) to the closest service station, i could see a lot of oil leaking. Again it seemed a bursting of oil due to the heat. Ill add the car was not overheating temp gauge wise and the a/c radio etc working fine.
So pretty concerned at what i saw, i took the car to different mechanics in the small town. They were not transmission specialist nor was there a honda dealer. They both basically told me that engine oil and atf levels were fine. One mechanic thought the atf was overfilled and "overflowed" but couldnt pinpoint where. The other mechanic mentioned a similar theory. The strange thing is after restarting the car after it cooled down, it seemed to run just fine. Although leary at first and driving quite conservatively, we made it from Texas back to Southern California without any problems or a repeat of the oil "burst" with odyssey performance quite normal.
Recently, im experiencing a clunking sound from the drivers side area. Like a metal to metal sound shaking inside an enclosure. It seems that the sound is at its worst when the car has not been driven for many hours (overnight) and hitting small bumps in the road. But after driving for approx 5-10 minutes the sound seems to reduce quite a bit. But lately, the sound persists constantly though always improving from the initial startup. Also I park on an incline with the front of the car up about about 25 degrees. My mechanic which has been very fair and reliable for many years cant explain it. I dont know if the oil bursting episode and the sound I'm hearing now are related. I'll also add that steering and breaking seem normal and the check engine ligjt is not lit.
Im not sure if this a transmission issue but trying my luck here. Any insight or any guidance to diagnose this would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Did they put it up on a rack to see where the oil came from?
Honda has had this issue for many years and thousands of consumers have been affected. Honda was invovled in a class action lawsuit over the ODY and lost a judgement of $$90 million. They knew of the issue when they made the van and still sold it to unsuspecting consumers. I called Honda and tried to work things out with them and they told me bascially, too bad so sad. There is nothing we can do. If I were you, I would get rid of the van now why it is still running. The rplacement transmission is of no use. It is the same one they put in originally which has failed again and again. For some owners, 6-7 times.
When I traded mine in they asked me if I had any transmssion issues with the van. That was the first questin they asked. That should tell you something.
I hope this helps. I got rid of my ODY and traded for another brand. I will never buy another Honda as long as I live nor will any family member or friends after this issue.
I'll add that there is no leaking now.... not even a drop.
If you go to fix it and they blow you off - and they will - calmly tell them you are going to post your experiences on Honda's facebook page.
They completely blew me off: Honda and the dealer (who couldn't find the problem until the moment it went off warranty).
I called corporate and they yawned it wasn't their problem. I explained I was going to post on Facebook and make it my mission to ensure the cost of blowing me off would greatly exceed the cost of a new transmission.
After a few days of me calling and directing them to my facebook posts they magically decided they could fix my transmission.
Every car company goes through a bad patch of years, Honda has been in trouble since the late 90's with their a/t problems. Sadly it's been bad enineering, cruel intentions and a denial brought on by puffed up pride in their brand that is part of the Odyssey's a/t issues (and other HOnda's that used the same tranny)
Someone once cynically said "Honda engineers must be the best, else how could they design vehicles that fall apart right after the warranty runs out"
Chrysler a/t's were once the benchmark of bad a/t engineering, and they too lost a class action lawsuit that cost them a kazzilion dollars in once loyal customers.
There are Ford F 150's that will blow the spark plugs right out of the engine. VW's that eat their camshaft and bearings. GM cars that hydrolock the motor from leaky intake manifold gaskets, Subarus with blown head gaskets, Toyota sludge monster engines, and the carnage goes on.
If I've missed any of your personal favorites , please add to this list. :lemon:
You absolutely need to dump the car! The replacement transmission is no better than the original that came with car. Honda knew about this defect when they sold us the van. Mine had 68K when it went out. There was a class action lawsuit on this and Honda lost the judgement to the tune of $90 million. Look at the Toyota or other brand. Even the latest report from Consumer Reports rates the ODY as below average. There are many stories of owners driving down the road and the transmission locking up on the almost causing an accident. People have been reporting the issue to the NHSTA. Don't waste your money trying to fix it. I suspect you will also need new motor mounts for they have cracked, too.
Try a google search on thius van and see what you find. There are hundred of thousands of former owners out there where the transmission failed, not to mention the $90 millio class action lawsuit that Honda lost.
The van is a disaster and Honda knew it. Shame on them!
The first question I would ask is "What's the warranty?". Somebody is on the ball if they want to replace the PCM as well. Tell him to find an ATRA member shop and he will get better service, all the latest and greatest updates, and a longer warranty. A lower price is questionable. The dealer isn't going to have the updates that fix the inherent design problems within the transmission. He'll be getting a transmission designed and build just like the one that failed. Here's the ATRA Shop Finder to where he can find the nearest ATRA shop. Let me know which one it is as I personally know many of them.http://www.atra.com/shopfinder?transmission
J. Larry Bloodworth Certified TransmissionsDraper, Utah 84020801-656-2794www.certifiedtrans.com
I'll post what happens.
The local Honda dealer gave me estimate of $5,7841 to fix it. I call American Honda and they said they will give 10% discount and nothing more, even though Honda knew about the problem and put a Band-Aid to cover up-to the warranty period. I started calling local Transmission shop and will get it done for $2,350 with 1 year warranty and 3 year warranty with additional $200. Will see how it turns out after the repair is done. Those crooks at Honda want to make money at your misery with over blown prices.
I am not buying Honda in the future. In fact I would file a complain about bad business practices, if I know how to do.
Some consumers have taken Honda to small claims on this issue and won as well.
Let me know if you want ore info.
http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews.com/class-action-lawsuit-complaints/honda-od- yssey-torque-converter-class-action-lawsuit-complaint/
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/11/09/Honda.pdf
SLIGHTLY WORSE?!
I think if this guy is on his 5th transmission he has every right go Postal on Honda.
I think a lot of the problem is Consumers Reports has looked at Honda with Rose Colored glasses for years and over looked the obvious transmission issues. They still have the 2001 02 and 03 automatic transmissions rated as "Excellant" Buyers expectations for their "recomended" vehicles are that they earned that rating and didn't get it because of politics or worse.
If CR blasted Honda for the 2000 to 2003 (and more) years, people wouldn't be so shocked when their Ody dies in the ditch.
I change 3 1/2 liters of a/t fluid my Ody 2003 a/t fluid every second oil change and run an extra magnifine filter on the return line for the a/t, but who knows when my luck will run out, when it does I won't be shocked.
As for the alternatives, yes they all have their issues too, I think a Honda Ridgeline will be the vehicle to replace my Ody.
I hear some intenet chatter that 2012 might be the last year for the Ridgeline.
We had a '10 pilot with engine pinging problems also. Traded it for a 4cyl CRV they are supposed up be reliable.
My neighbor has '05 Toyota sienna with 110k never had one problem with it. Personally I would buy Toyota for reliability. My issue with Toyota in the past was their ho-hum driving experience. We like our cars to have sporty handing with great ergonomics & interior finishes. Honda was our first choice in the past.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
In your shop do your also come across Siennas and Chryslers with replacement issues?
In this case, if it was driving fine when you bought it and for 5K after, I don't see it as the fault of either dealer. basically, there was nothing to find. And at that mileage, on a unit known for failures, you were playing with fire from the start.
I would, however, plead your case to Honda corporate to see if they will help out, and try to get one of both of the dealers on your side (especially the one that did all the maintenance). Hopefully you can at least get some relief from them.
Other than that, it should be fine for a while, and will have a warranty.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
They diagnosed it as a tranny failure, replacement would cost $5300. Did the dance with service rep, etc. Got American Honda involved, had to ask, offered replacement for $4320. Told them no thanks, will never buy a Honda again (unless they own this) and will discourage anyone else from doing so. They were actually going to charge me $80 for giving me the diagnosis that I now owned an $8200 paper weight! When I objected, they relented. About the only good thing I can say about the service reps effort and keeping me as a happy Honda consumer.
Took it to an approved Jasper Transmission installer and had them put in the recommended Jasper replacement (why in the world would I want the same product from Honda again?) Total bill just under $4K. We obviously don't drive our van much, but so far it is running perfectly. Jasper comes with 3yr/100,000mi warranty. I just discovered tonight that there is now a class-action lawsuit filed. Unfortunately it seems to cover only 2005/06 modely years. You can bet I will be contacting them to see if the suit can be expanded to additional years. There is also an Occupy Honda facebook page!
It is simply reprehensible that Honda is acting this way and they ought to be held accountable.