Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

rduel · January 2007

I bought my 2000 Odyssey EX in November 1999. In January 2007 at 116,000 miles, I noticed oil leaking from under engine area. Dealer said it was tranny, and that the fix required a new (rebuilt) transmission. I have never had a transmission fail on any car I've owned before, and felt that due to "Honda's reliability" claim, I certainly wouldn't have to worry with the Ody, especially since every recommended service in the manual was performed by my Honda dealer,everything except new tires, including the transmission fluid flushes,etc., which I've not done to any of my other vehicles. At 116k miles, dealer says the tranny replacement cost is $2700, however, because I was such a good customer, I only have to pay half that cost. I'm thinking.........with all the tranny problems with this premium vehicle, we shouldn't have to pay squat. But what's a guy to do? You need the vehicle and can't trade it that way. Then you read where a rep advises someone else that Honda will cover the replacement if you yell enough.(?) Anyway, so much for following service recommendations on the tranny. I could have saved that money toward the eventual tranny replacement cost. Now I'll sit back and wait for the replacement tranny to fail, as other postings have indicated.

glennkhoury · January 2007

Our reimbursement was opposite for bad tranny. We paid $800 and American Honda picked up the rest.

hondalova · February 2007

One other thing, when parking the car after it is warmed up, I've noticed what seems to be a longer than average delay in the transmission's engagement when shifting into reverse or drive. Its as if the car hangs out a second or two longer than it should in neutral before engaging. Discovered this the hard way when I shifted and applied throttle (after a normal seeming period when the tranny should've been engaged) only to have the engine rpm climb in neutral and the tranny then engage with modest thunk.

Anybody else have this and, if so, what's the remedy :confuse: ?

-FS

jwb18t · February 2007

I had the same thing on the tire pressure light....cold temps caused it where I am. Also have had the same experience with the transmission. Does not seem to happen everytime...will be waiting and watching to see if it continues though. Thx.

rsmiedema · February 2007

Hey everyone. I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey with just over 44,000 miles on it. Has anyone else had an issue with shifting from park to reverse first thing in the morning, especially when it is cold? Mine is making a loud clunk when it shifts into reverse. I did check, and it only does it when shift into reverse and not drive and also first thing in the morning. After that first time, it works great. Has anyone else had this issue? If so, what was the cause of your problem and your fix? Right now, I'm thinking I need to get it serviced and then maybe I can see what's wrong. I appreciate any help.

justaveragejoe · February 2007

Wait 10-15 seconds after starting before shifting to be sure that all fluids are lubricating all of the components. Has the transmission been serviced?

rduel · February 2007

Classic pre-transmission replacement sound.

rsmiedema · February 2007

The transmission has not been serviced, but I plan to have it done this week. This way, I can have some one look at it that is not related to a dealer. Thanks for your help.

hondalova · February 2007

It seems to me that it happens more once the car is fully warmed to operating temperature. On cold starts, the shift is near instantaneous when engaging reverse to back out of the garage and then drive to start moving forward for the first time that trip.

Have you noticed the same?

-FS

sml2 · February 2007

We have an '04, it currently has 48K. For the past 8K miles or so we have heard a grinding type of sound when we cross the 1500 RPM mark. My mechanic told me to bring it to my Honda dealer, who basically charged my $100 to tell me that they could not find anything. Now the problem is becoming more obvious.

My mechanic tells me that the transmissions on these cars is not very good and they have a history of problems. He also told me that he knows of people for whom Honda has replaced the Transmission past warranty. Has anyone had any luck getting this done? If so how do you go about it?

txbud · March 2007

Failure to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. Transmission went out with wife & 4 kids stuck on freeway at night. Not good. Took it to my certified mechanic who tested and found PO730 incorrect gear ratio and PO845 3rd clutch pressure switch. changed selinoid and check engine light went out but tranny still does'nt shift 2-3. Took it to dealer. Diagnosed code P1750..."Hyro control failure" Transmission needs replaced. Quoted $5,895! I about fell over. (Honda Cars of McKinney...history of poor service...if in north texas avoid at all costs!) Called Honda. Gave me following process to follow: 1. get formal diagnosis from Dealer; 2. Call Honda and give info from invoice; 3. Honda will submit a case for review and then get back to w/in 72 hours with decision on what, if any, help will be offered. Just completed my part of process...I'll keep everyone posted on their response.

sml2 · March 2007

Here is an update on our '04. We called Honda USA who asked to go to another dealer. The new dealer determined that the Transmission needed to be replaced. I was told that the Torque Convertor (I am not a car guy so this may be wrong) was falling apart and getting cught up in the transmission. The dealer called Honda USA, and lo and behold they agreed to replace the transmission with a Honda rebuilt one.

I must say that we are pleased that Honda took responsiblity, and lived up to what I expected.

devs01 · March 2007

I have the same exact issue with my '04 Odyssey and it has 31,000 miles. Could you please post the outcome of your service call. Thank you.

rsmiedema · March 2007

Sure. No problem. I took my Odyssey to a reputable shop for a transmission service. They serviced the transmission and called the Honda dealership to check on the issue; which I did not expect. The local Honda dealership stated that there was little they could do if the transmission is not slipping. Once it starts to slip, then they can look at taking action to diagnose the issue. The reason for this is because they would not be able to duplicate it since it only happens the first time you shift to reverse that day. After having my transmission service, the cluck is not as loud or prevalent as before, but it is still there when I shift into reverse first thing in the morning. All I could recommend is to get your transmission serviced to see if it helps, but that sucks since you only have 31K and the manual recommends that it be done at 45K for normal use. The good thing is that they should be able to tell you if there is unusual wear and tear on the gears because they will see the metal shavings in the pan when they drop it. I hope this helps.

devs01 · March 2007

Thank you for taking the time to report on the outcome of your service - I really appreciate it.

txbud · April 2007

Sorry for the delayed response/update. Up front, I appologize for the length...unbelievable Bitter-sweet experience with Honda. Basically, here's how my situation evolved. Tranny stopped shifting 2nd to 3rd ('02 Odyssey 82k). Reputable independent mechanic told me to take it to Honda as there were known problems. Took to my local dealer where i purchased the Odyssey, they diagnosed that the transmission needed replaced. while i waited for their quote I did research and found tons of info on failure. Printed 15 or so pages and took with me. Dealer quoted $6000 to replace. They said they hadn't seen any of these issues previously. I showed them all the documentation. Approached service manager about issue and asked for his help in getting this replaced through Honda. He told me...exact quote: "You're not my customer...you haven't had this Honda serviced here." I explained that not only had i purchased the Odyssey but that this dealer had paid me three referral fees for referring friends that in turn bought 2 Odyssey's and a Civic. His response: "I run a service business. You want to talk to sales, they're located on the other side of the building." (btw: Honda Card of McKinney texas...STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!!)I was stunned. I took their diagnosis and called Honda USA and opened case after two weeks of Honda haggling with Honda of McKinney they finally agreed to offer me "50% of warranty replacement cost" when i asked how much that was Honda USA referred me to dealer but assured that dealer knew the situation and would have a price. Returned to dealer and asked about their "offer" and requested the price. Blank stare. was told it would take 3 hours of paper work to figure out. I said fine, but i need to know before i agree to work. 1 full day later and two additional visits, they finally called my wife with quote of $1800 to replace the tranny...and told me that i needed a new AC for a mere $3500. (Just had the AC replaced two months earlier.) Better price but didn't feel right. Made a phone call to Honda dealer in neighboring town (David McDavid Honda of Frisco). Immediatly they said that they see this problem all the time and would gladly take care of the problem. Two phone calls and vehicle site-unseen, they quoted me labor cost of $800 to replace tranny. Needless to say I immediatly pulled Odyssey from Honda of McKinney and took to David McDavid. Three days later, all work completed for amount quoted. Awesome experience. Amazing contrast in dealers. BTW...they checked the AC for me and said it was in perfect working order. Lessons learned: 1. definately pays to be educated and informed; 2. Near as i can tell, Honda always covers the cost of the part as it is a known, well documented defect...DEALER HAS COMPLETE DESCRETION ON HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE YOU; 3. Don't be afraid of pulling business and going to competitive dealership...I had ZERO push back from Honda USA and it was clear that the dealer made the call on how to deal with customer. (in case you're wondering, i never raised my voice, no tantrums, firm but polite...I actually surprised myself :-) Hope this info may help some other that are dealing with same issue.

bobber1 · April 2007

That's a great story. It sounds like Honda has good and poor dealers just like everyone else. I'm surprised they let them get way with it however.

Thanks!

pgnagel · April 2007

I have to make a few statements about transmission servicing. We own a 1999 Odyssey with 130,000 miles and the original transmission. We purchased the van in October, 2003 with 55,000 miles and a tranny that was reluctant to shift.

I have serviced that transmission myself at least six times. What's my point? My point is that a 45,000 service interval for ANY automatic transmission is bunk, despite what the service manual says. In my opinion the MAXIMUM mileage for service should be 24,000 miles or two years. I personally think all Odyssey transmissions should be serviced annually. The transmission has no filter, only a magnetic drain plug and two internal filter screens that are not serviceable. My opinion again, but that is irresponsible engineering, and smacks of planned obsolescence.

Servicing the transmission annually will greatly reduce the amount of sludge and junk inside the transmission and will significantly prolong the life of any automatic transmission.

To service your Odyssey tranmission you will need three and a half quarts of Honda transmission fluid and a new crush washer. The fluid is about six dollars a quart, and crush washers are usually about two for a dollar. The net cost is about twenty dollars a year. In my book that is cheap insurance and is your best bet against an expensive repair bill. The whole operation can be done with simple hand tools and a drain pan. Even if you have no tools, your total investment in tools for this project is less than thirty dollars.

By the way, our TCS light does come on occasionally for no apparent reason, along with the Check Engine light. I know this is a pretty good sign of pending failure, but I am just going to grit my teeth and keep plugging along until it fails. Also, every time I service that transmission the van shifts smoother for months.

I hope this helps.

waveposer · April 2007

I have read the messages but still have a question. My Honda with 125k , while in cruise control and going up a slight incline reaved RPM from 2k to arounf 4k. I thought my wife hit a patch of ice and she pulled over to let me drive. The tranny slipped while taking off and then would slip shifting from 1-2 and 3-4. By the time I got it to the next exit, It would only drive in 2nd gear and would not even shift into reverse. Took it to the dealer they stated a code P0730 and need 900.00 to replace all solenoids.They flushed tranny and replaced fluids and tranny shifts harder than normal but is driveable while I make my decision on how to handle the issue. Talked to a few tranny repair places they stated that the solenoid problem is only a symptom but not the problem. they stated that debris in the tranny is sticking to the solenoid causing the problems with the solenoids and my tranny is on the way out. Has anybody tried replacing just the solenoid or had this diagnosis? Everybody I talk to outside of Honda tells me to throw my money at a rebuild rather than the solenoids.

txbud · April 2007

I had at least one solenoid replaced and though all others tested to be working fine, the transmission suffered a complete failure just days later. About three months before this i had a complete transmission flush/recondition which may have postponed the issue but obviously didn't prevent the inevitable. Given the history of this tranny, and the nature of the problems you discribed...i'd say your tranny is on it's death bed.

justaveragejoe · April 2007

Honda does not recommend transmission flushes. As shown in the owners manual, they recommend drain and refilling 4 times in a row to purge all of the fluid out. Apparently, the "power flush" can actually stir up debris that will run through the system. The only place to catch and remove this debris is on the drain plug magnet.

If everything else is good with the car and you are still happy with it, then invest in rebuilding the transmission. To help justify the cost, just think that the rebuild will be the same as around 4 new car payments.

heuken · April 2007

I have a '03 Odyssey with 51,000 mi. In the last 1,500 miles,when the car shifts to 2nd gear, it then chatters or feels like I am driving over a washboard. This is noticeable only when slowly accelerating. I don't know if this is slipping or not.

jinda1 · April 2007

hello, i have the same problem with my 2002 odyssey with 75000 miles, did you get honda to help cover the repairs ??, my dealership does not want to make any phone calls to America Honda .. and want me to pay $ 4400 for a new transmission, any advice would be appreciated, thanks jinda

blackexv6 · April 2007

Hello jinda1 -

Absolutely do not pay for a transmission replacement.

First check this website to see if your car's VIN# is part of the Honda class action suit for early transmission failures: link title

After that, call American Honda and open a case number. They will most likely do a goodwill for you since '00-'02 & early '03 Honda V6 cars had major failure rates.

Last resort, find another Honda dealer and explain that you are aware of the Class Action Suit & mass transmission failures.

Hope this helps. I have first hand experience with this situation, my '00 Odyssey had 2 tranny replacements & my old '03 Accord had one at 40k miles.

ody02tjk · April 2007

We have a 02 Ody, that had the transmission die at 62K miles. It took me two weeks, and I had to contact Honda of NA, but if your dealer does not get Honda of North America to cover the cost, contact the NA offices in CA. We had to go around the dealer when he offered to cover "only" the cost of the materials. the only thing we paid for was the cost of shopping the transmission to our dealer on the East cost. They know the 02's have transmission issues as well, so push that fact. If you can document that you are a loyal Honda customer, it helps a lot also.

txbud · April 2007

Advise above is good. DO NOT PAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION. Honda knows there is a problem and they shouldn't give you any challenge. In my experience, the dealer makes all the difference. If your dealer is stonewalling, go to another dealer. I ended up paying $800 for labor but after 3.5 weeks of wasted time dealing with this, i was (or shall i say, my wife) was ready to get the vehicle fixed and move on. It is a competitive market place and Honda dealers, like any other business, should always be looking to win customers. If you move your business, be sure to let management (above just service dept.) of the dealer know why. Good luck...DON'T GIVE UP!

jchan2 · April 2007

Whatever you do, do not pay for the transmission. If your local dealer will not contact Honda North America, find another Honda dealer. Most will be extremely aware of the high failure rates of the transmissions on 2002 Odysseys, and be willing to contact Honda North America. If they won't do it, then you can contact Honda North America yourself and get the transmission.

Honda North America, through good faith, will typically pay for the transmission, and you can either pay the dealer to install it or do it yourself. For me they also covered the cost of a small rental car while the dealership is waiting for and installing the new transmission.

mkewi · April 2007

I have recently purchased a new 2006 (now has 9,500 miles on it) and am reading all these posts on transmission problems of the Odyssey. I was unaware that this was an issue with Honda Odysseys. Most of these posts are with older ones but should I expect similar problems occurring now with my 2006 or has the issue been resolved by Honda? Now I am wondering if my purchase was a wise one even though I did it based on Consumer Reports ratings, etc.

ody02tjk · April 2007

Honestly, none of our transmission issues occurred until our car hit 60K miles. It may too early yet to determine if there are continued transmission issues. You would really need to do some detailed research to determine if there have been fixes to address the design issues that plagued the earlier versions. While Consumer Reports recommends the new style Odyssey, the reliability ratings for the 2005-06 are now only "average". My best recommendation (to play it safe) would be to purchase an extended warranty for your van. We did.

bobber1 · April 2007

I've researched this a lot. The lion share of transmission failures were associated with the 1999 to 2004 models which had a design flaw. Reports of failures are much lower on the 2005 and newer models.

The 2005 model did have some first year model issues particularly with brakes and power steering pumps, but they were largely worked out by 2006. I have noted people have had some problems with droning sounds on the cylinder deaactivation models.

Extended warranties are always tempting. I've always shied away from them figuring the premium savings would help pay for repairs if needed. Also Honda has generally been pretty good at standing behind their products even past warrantee as exhibited by some of the transmission replacements they've done outside of warrantee on the 99-04 models. There are some dumb dealers however who will try to gouge you.

Hope this helps.

jipster · April 2007

My best recommendation...

Mine would be to change the trans. fluid twice as often as is recommended.

blackexv6 · April 2007

Don't lose sleep over the transmission issue. Honda will replace any failure up to 100k if you routinely the service the car at your dealership (oil, filter, & trans).

This advice is coming from someone who had 3 transmission failures ('03 Accord at 40k miles & '00 Odyssey at 95k + 100k) and still keeps buying Hondas.

snuzzardbuzzar · April 2007

Hello,
We have a 2000 Odyssey (103,00 miles) all normal servicing was done via the first owner @ dealership.
He did however change own oil and stated he used mobil 1 synthetic.
we recently aquired this 2000 Odyssey EX from it's previous one owner and feel like we got a great deal, as he was able to provide all previous service records from Honda. I was a bit concerned b/c of bad trannies, but he had Honda install one in Sept 06 at 80,000 miles under the recall.
also note, timing belt has YET to be serviced.
PROBLEM:
few weeks I drove about 10 miles, no problem, parked car and shut off, about 10 min. later, it would not start, like it was turning over too fast or something, as soon as we called the tow truck (1/2 hour or so later) boom! started right up and did not give me any PROBLEMS.

Took to the local community automotive college, they tested it and it came back as CAT EFF. Code
and TRANS code, they cleared them and asked me to return in a week to see if they came back and they did. They thought perhaps, when HONDA put in warrenty tranny, they forgot to clear codes.
Something about the third gear pressure plate was what came back on the tranny code, tech said it wouldn't affect driveability. THE CATALYIC code was the other.
BEEN DRIVING IT FINE TILL THIS WEEK,

Drove from work to gas station, fillled up with gas, got in and wouldn't start, tried to turn over and it seemed like it wasn't getting fuel, Made sure gas cap was on correctly (know they are sensitive). Tried several times that eve to get it started, no luck, then in the chilly morning, it fired up, so we returned later in afternoon to drive it to autozone, where it fired up (slowly) went to AZ, had them hook it up and same codes above were all that showed up.

Naturally, since we had to shut it off at AutoZone, it would not restart till this morning, where we drove it home. Just a few min. ago, it started fine but as soon as I shut it off, it refused to restart.
auto zone said something about EGR valve (which I think is related to the CAT code).
ANY IDEAS? Obviously we have to go to the dealership, but we are a POOR family, my hubby is somewhat mechanically inclined. I just want to be pointed in the right direction.
By rights, since our oddy is still qualified under tranny warrenty (the extension to 109,000 miles depending on VIN number) HONDA should take care of the trans code, will they hassle me since, I am not the orig. owner but the second with all the orig. records showing honda servicing, ( I have heard Horror stories about different dealerships and warrenty coverage).
:shakehead

Apryl Brown

jchan2 · April 2007

It should be covered, and most dealers will not give you a headache over it.

However, you will need clear documentation that all maintenance was done at the recommended intervals.

But Honda should probably be willing to fix this. They have been very good with transmission work in recent model Hondas...

I would also get that timing belt replaced. Waiting until the van is past 100K worries me. Traditionally I've changed timing belts in the 90,000 mile range, but some people do it at 60K.

heuken · April 2007

My 2003 Odyssey transmission has a vibration that is gradually getting worse. I did not get the extended warrenty. The car has 51,000 miles on it. I brought it in to Honda service to get diagnosed. They said the TCS clutch is going out. They quoted me $5,000 for a 2year warrenty rebuilt and $7,000 for a 4year warrenty rebuilt tranny. I called Honda USA, they opened a case file, but I have not heared back in a couple days. I am not expecting much help from them.

bobber1 · April 2007

Actually Honda USA is very good at standing behind these. Shop around as it sounds like the dealer is trying to screw you. If you check these posts you'll note other folks who were quoted a high price for what you're doing and found another dealer to do it for a lot less.

It's hard to be positive when you're dealing with what you are, but you bought from the right company. They'll take care of you!

jchan2 · April 2007

Honda Corporate is very good about paying up for new transmissions. However, whether your local dealer is willing to go the extra mile to get the money out of Honda Corporate is another issue.

I would try another dealer, and tell them that you know that Honda North America will cover the cost of the transmission. It may not be parts and labor, but they should at least cover the parts.

There have been other Odysseys with far higher mileage that have qualified for new transmissions; myself being one of them.

harv2 · April 2007

I have an 02 whick I bought with 78K on it, I had the dealer check it out before I bought it and they told me there is arecall on the transmission. They apparently had problems with second gear. The recall consists of taking a picture through an inspection port in the transmission, sending it to Honda and seeing if they want to replace the transmission or add an oiler kit, they added the kit to mine. Around 125 K second gear starts to slip a bit and the drive (D) indicator flashes, this means tranny trouble. I call Honda they say they did not need to replace the transmission and since I do not have all records of Honda servicing the transmission, as recommended in the owners manual the vehicle is abused and they will not help me. I think we know who is being abused here, take the cheap fix on the recall and hope I get Honda to pay them to fix thir defective transmission.

stickguy · April 2007

at some point, components will wear out. An '03 with 51K? That they should cover. But 125K, without service records? That mileage is past the point of "defect" by most normal standards.

They should make a van with a manual tranny so I don't have to worry about this stuff (I have an '05)

blackexv6 · April 2007

Since your car has 125k with no service records, Honda is probably justified in not replacing the transmssion for free. You should try making a deal where you pay for the labor & Honda pays for the transmission.

Have you ever read this link title

Have you called American Honda or are you just workin with a local dealer? Call AMerican Honda and open a case#, they should give you some credit on $4000 tranny job.

heuken · April 2007

On advise of the service department I opened a case file with Honda Corporate. They have not gotten back to me yet,5 days. They did tell me that since I did not get the 6 year warrenty, I would probably not get any help from them.

jchan2 · April 2007

I think 125K is pushing it with Honda though; I had my transmission replaced at around 72Kish.

And even then, Honda did not pay for the labor to install the transmission for me. They simply paid for the parts.

I rememeber reading somewhere that the cutoff was 100K, but I'm not sure.

Try opening a case file with Honda; while it may be more difficult for you to get the transmission completely replaced for free, they may offer partial credit.

And to the person who has a case number and has not received a reply, try calling them back to check on your case, or maybe get the dealership to.

cock · May 2007

I just bought my 1999 Odyssey last week at a Honda Dealership. Not long afterwords, I noticed a hesitation in the transmission. I thought maybe the fluid was low. Nope all was ok! My Odyssey has 136,000 miles. I am outraged to see all these transmissions issues. Not to mention the class action suit too. It hessitates going into gear sometimes, rumbles sometimes on slow takes offs etc. I found out that all recalls were done except for the big one..yup the trannie! I bought the car as is. I did not know about any of these issues. I am gonna call Honda tomorrow and plea with them to see if they will cover this. Is there a chance in hell? I know the law suit states that they will cover up to 109k. I will let you all know what happens here. Wish me luck!

cock · May 2007

Before I even got it to the dealer today, the car damn near left me stranded. It would barely get out of 1st gear! I took it to Planet Honda in Golden Colorado. The dealership gave me an option to change out to another car or allow them to contact Honda. Well keep in mind that my Odyssey has 136k miles.

I got a call later in the day stating that Honda agreed to cover the new transmission (rebuilt) and the dealership will cover the labor. It was too good to be true. In fact I asked for it in writing. In fact, I did receive a faxed copy in writing! Now, I could have received a different vehicle. However, there was nothing on the lot that I liked. Well within my price range.. So I will have a rental car for a week now (the dealership is paying for that too!).

I will keep you all posted on the final outcome..the fixed ride!

jipster · May 2007

Good for you, but I'm wondering where Honda's head is in providing a new transmission, at no cost, on a 8 year old minivan with 136,000 miles.

blackexv6 · May 2007

Good for you, but I'm wondering where Honda's head is in providing a new transmission, at no cost, on a 8 year old minivan with 136,000 miles.

They are covering themselves for an embarassing & huge design error. Did you read the class action law suit?link title

Honda is trying to save its "legendary reliability" reputation as published in their new car literature.

I hope the previous poster realizes his transmission troubles are not over. Honda replaces the defective unit with another "rebuilt" defective unit (no design mods).

We had 2 transmissions put in our '00 Odyssey, one at 95k and one at 100k. It now has 142k but I keep my fingers crossed that we can squeak another 10-20k. The transmission acts the same as the first two (slipping 1st to 2nd).

blackexv6 · May 2007

As an owner of a 2000 Odyssey with 142k miles & 2 transmission replacements, I recommend returning the car back to the dealer.

Your transmssion will be replaced with another rebuilt (defective) tranny. Odysseys are great cars otherwise but you need to know there is a good probability of failure in the near future. Search this site for repeat failure rateslink title

Maybe try a Sienna, they have great reliability ratings according to Consumer Reports.

jipster · May 2007

Yeah, I heard about the class action suit. But, I thought it only covered up till 109,000 miles. Honda must think it will help their bottom line in the long run by replacing all these transmission at no cost to owner. But, I would be a bit hesitant to be a repeat buyer. Do you plan on buying Honda again?

I thought the transmission was modified a few years back by some type of device that pumped more trans fluid over the second gear... something along those lines.

That said, we came close to buying the 2004 Ody... choose the Mazda MPV instead. I do like the redesign of the Ody, and despite past trans. problems the current generation Ody seems to be doing very well.

bobber1 · May 2007

Honda did a major redesign on the transmission in 2005 and transmission problems have dropped sharply. The main problems are associated with the 99 to 04 transmission.

I'm amazed Honda is willing to put a new one in at their expense for a vehicle with that many miles. Most manufacturers(Including GM & Toyota) will only warantee their transmissions to 60,000 or 100,000 miles at most.

I'd say Honda is definetly going beyond the call of duty on this one.

blackexv6 · May 2007

jipster-

The transmission was modified late 2003. I know this because our old 2003 Accord V6 (same tranmission as Ody) had the recall for second gear lubrication.

They inspected the second gear for discoloration with a camera through an inspection port. It passed, no discoloration & they installed the lubrication kit. Then at 35k the tranny started slipping...failed at 42k & replaced for free - no questions asked (out of warranty). Traded the car for a new '06 Odyssey.

The 2004 Ody does have reported failures but not that frequent. As for the '05+ it is too early to tell. They put a new 4-shaft design in the '07's (same as Pilot & Ridgeline). So...maybe there will still be some failures.

And yes, I probably will buy another Honda since they build cars that fit my tastes. Good gas mileage, safety, ergonomics, & handling (could do without the road noise & road shock).

Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

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