2011 Honda Odyssey Discussion

grdanes · January 2011

I want to kill someone at honda right now.......my van isnt even 2 months old and Im also getting low battery warnings......I expect that from a battery that is 3 years old, not a few months. What crap. of course there is nobody to talk to today, but come Monday, oh boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, nice to know there are plenty of others having same issue......I dont feel so silly when talking to repiar people and they start making it seem like it is your fault battery sucks after 2 months instead of 2 deades....my old mpv had the same battery for almost 7 years before it needed to be replaced

toramo1 · January 2011

My wife and I are in our mid-40's and this is our first minivan. We replaced a 2002 Acura MDX that had 125K miles on it.

That was a great car but fundamentally we outgrew the MDX. The 3rd row seats in the MDX, and all cars of that SUV class, are too small for teenagers and adults.

Of course we never saw ourselves as "minivan people". I had my sights set on Toyota Sequoia until I spent a day in one traveling to a sporting event with two families. The ride, the electronics, and mileage, are so compromised in that car that it really opened our eyes to something else.

We were concerned about the all-weather capabilities of a minivan. Weather isn't too much of a concern here in Northern Virginia but my wife and I have jobs that don't permit "snow days." The 30" blizzard last winter didn't help our decision making.

To make a long story short, we closed a deal on a 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite in Smokey Topaz in November.

The new Sienna was an obvious alternative. My kids thought the 2nd row seating was more comfortable in the Sienna, but otherwise the Odyssey was better in almost all respects for us. For me, the deciding factors were the quality of interior materials and the ride quality. The Odyssey interior has a hardy, modern interior quality as compared to the Sienna, IMHO.

The ride quality is no comparison. I'm "a car guy" (my other car is an Audi S5) so the floaty, isolated feel of the Sienna was a turn-off from the moment I test drove it.

On the other hand the handling of the Odyssey is outstanding. It is a big car, no doubt about that. I'm still overrunning curbs in it when i turn. But the road feel, responsiveness, and overall Noise, Vibration, and Harshness, are incredible.

As far as all-weather capabilities are concerned, I mounted a set of Dunlop Winter Sport 3D's on our Odyssey a few weeks after delivery. We've had a couple mild snowfalls and the car has performed exceptionally well. Front-wheel-drive + Snow tires = perfect for the mid-Atlantic.

I won't say I look forward to driving the Odyssey over my S5, but I don't avoid it.

OK: I actually look forward to driving the Odyssey when it comes to trips over 30 minutes with my two kids.

From my perspective, this Odyssey is the best engineered car I have ever owned. It is not perfect. At this price point, the lack of an auto-tilt-telescoping steering wheel and key-less start is ridiculous. Also, the Bluetooth functions are buggy, at best. I'm hoping for an update at the dealer soon.

The looks are in the eye of the beholder. My wife and I were turned off at the first pictures but now we absolutely love the look of this car. I understand how polarizing the 2011 could be but for us, we think it is fantastic.

My kids (14 and 11) are now planning long road trips this summer when they hated going anywhere over four hours in the MDX. Maybe that's the best testimonial.

tifighter · January 2011

Good review; thanks for posting it.

mfletou1 · January 2011

I have 2000 miles on ours and we haven't had the battery issue at all. However, the more I read about it, the more I'm convinced that it isn't actually a battery issue at all, but rather the fault of a new monitoring system--the new battery monitoring system (BMS). From the sounds of it, the BMS software has some bugs and is triggering the low battery warnings when they aren't warranted. I've seen this happen with tire pressure monitoring systems (not on this vehicle, but when they were newer technology.)

Obviously you still don't want a warning light coming on in your van, but by suspicion is that Honda shortly will have a software update that dealers will be able to perform on these that will elimate the problem.

deltheking · January 2011

A very good review. Thanks. Even though I like the floaty ,isolated Toyota ride - the interior cabin materials is a step down from the previous Sienna. The new Sienna's exterior styling is better than Odyssey IMHO, this is subjective though. But the hard plastic dashboard even in the Sienna XLE and Limited trims is inferior to the Odyssey.

I feel Sienna cut costs in visible places- plastic dashboard and interior,cheap headliner but they are better equipped with keyless ignition ,HID headlights,Laser cruise, standard backup cam even in base LE trim, 6 speed AT with a more powerful engine. Odyssey cut costs where it is less visible- no keyless ignition, 5 speed AT except in top trim Touring,no laser cruise and no back up cam in base trim. But the dashboard materials quality is much better. Also road noise is supposed to be less than the previous version. But it costs more too. :shades:

So I think it comes down to personal preferences. I dont need a minivan anytime soon [non-permissible content removed] I have a Lexus GX and Camry but I am eagerly awaiting the new larger Prius [ maybe a wagon or mini-minivan] . Maybe 3 yrs down the line I may buy one of those especially if its fuel economy is closer to 50 mpg and it has a 3rd row. Would love sliding doors on it instead of regular doors !! :P

deltheking · January 2011

Boy , that TPMS tire system was a real pain when it was first introduced. I dont know why the makers dont conduct more research and stricter tests for these new electronic systems before dumping them on the public . :lemon:

msbach · January 2011

Well, I turned in my keys to my trusty 13 year old Subaru Outback to purchase a mini-van that would ensure I would not get stuck in a broken down car with my toddler and soon to be born twins. On the drive home from the dealership in my new 2011 Odyssey, the Low battery signal came on. I called them, they admitted to seeing the signal before handing over the vehicle to me. How disturbing. They said Honda said it just needs to be driven.
Well it has been 3 days, it is still on. I took to dealership, they charged the battery. Warning is still on. I had an emotional breakdown at the dealership, it doesn't help that I am way pregnant, and that I emptied my savings account to purchase this car.
Now what? Do I worry? Do I ignore the signal? If my Subaru would fit 3 car seats, twin stroller and diaper bags, I would have kept it. Now I am wondering if I should have squished us all in there.

nymom1 · January 2011

Don't worry too much... my warning has been on for 3 weeks... every time I open a car door it comes on... so don't worry about the car not starting, I don't think that will happen.

After talking with friends who "know a little about cars" they suggested it is probably a defective sensor in the car setting off an alarm and that the battery itself is plenty charged and not going to die anytime soon. Like I said I have been driving the car 3 weeks like this with not one problem. Doors still open and teh car still starts.

I think what we all need to do is go to the dealer for service. not only to make them aware of the problem, but also to establish a record for ourselves. I will take this car in every time the warning goes, until they have it fixed. By having a record of a problem it protects us from future costs when the warranty runs out.

Good luck with the car and lots of luck with the babies!!

ericfh · January 2011

Great to hear an S5 owner (the BEST all-around high performance coupe on the market, IMHO) thinks so highly of the '11 Odyssey. Thanks for the review!

whodey · January 2011

Thanks for the great review. We're also located in northern VA and looking forward to replacing our 2002 Odyssey in the coming months. My wife's #1 choice is an '11 or '12 Odyssey so I'd be very interested in how your negotiations with the dealer went and if you have any recommendation on dealers to visit and avoid.

Thanks!

cheerioboy26 · January 2011

I've owned my Touring Elite since mid-October, and the low battery light has come on three times. Over at odyclub.com they talked about resetting the battery management system software. I had my car into the dealer on 12/23 to get this done, and the light hasn't returned since, in about 400 miles driving since then.

arbys · January 2011

Anyone have a NJ-area OTD price for a recent purchase of either of these vehicles? (Dealt with Autosport Honda in Bridgewater 3 years ago for my previous purchases.) Thanks a lot.

dreyfus1 · January 2011

Consumer Reports have the full report up on their web site. They rate the 2011 Odyssey higher than the 2011 Sienna. Advantage Honda!

erik_h · January 2011

Do you have an AmEx card or belong to usaa? I used the car buying service and got a good deal. It's around invoice last time I checked. No negotiating needed, just email from service and dealers make their offers.

deltheking · January 2011

Ody has 83 points and Sienna has 80. So probably not a big difference. Road noise s till present but much less than previous version Interior is also cheapened . Even Sienna's interior is full of plastic . Dont know why they are cheapening the interiors inspite of prices touching 40k. :surprise:

dulne · January 2011

Request the dealer to replace NEW battery for you. It's still under warranty. If they don't, request to talk to Service Manager. If they still insist, tell them you will report to BBB. Good luck

toramo1 · January 2011

I bought my 2011 Touring Elite for $42,500 (cash) from Criswell Honda in Germantown, MD. I don't consider that a great deal, but it was in stock and i got to close the deal on October 30 so they were somewhat motivated. At that point in time there were very few touring elites, and even fewer Smokey Topazes (the color my wife wanted). You might do better these days though it is still a pretty rare car.

That's a lot to pay for a minivan. I know. But remember I was replacing an Acura MDX. We test drove a 2011 MDX with similar options and it stickered for $54K.

After New Years, I loaded up the minivan with donations to Goodwill and recyclables for the dump. The space in that car was freakin' incredible (don't snicker previous minivan owners). I have to admit I had the 500-watt stereo crankin' and the sunroof open as I made my rounds. What a great car.

gosaints · January 2011

How is the Touring Elite model distinguishable from the Touring model on the street? They both seem to have the same "Touring" badge.

Also, does the nav system allow manual input while the vehicle is underway?

coolmazda5 · January 2011

At night you'll see HIDs on the Elite, I believe that is pretty much it

gosaints · January 2011

What are some opinions on the body side molding accessory? I can't decide if they make the sides of the Odyssey look too busy. The main reason I am considering them is to help prevent door dings, which is what Honda says they are meant to do. Does anyone have these installed? Please give me your opinion.

sinct · January 2011

I ordered mine from Bernardi and put them on myself. They look fine, even break up the look of the massive door. They also stick out enough to prevent dings. Easy installation and way cheaper than the dealer.

jchen101 · January 2011

Just curious, how much do dealers want for it?

I saw it's about $142 on Bernardi the other day and thought it's still expensive for 4 pieces of plastic sticks.

gosaints · January 2011

I was quoted $240 installed. I will likely follow your lead and order/install them myself. Was it a pain to get them perfectly even and level?

odyssey4us · January 2011

They come with a template where the tabs stick in between the doors, so it is hard to mess up. Just do it slowly and be patient. Most important is to make sure you fold the red plastic strips back that cover the tape so that you can reach it and pull it off when you are ready to stick it on. Also, make sure the molding is resting on the template, which is thin cardboard, and that it does not slip down and rest on the two-sided tape, causing it to be a little uneven. When I did ours, I thought it was too low to protect, so I raised it up about three inches, which I would not do again because the molding is meant to be level with the ground, so to me, ours looks odd next to all of the downward angles on the side. Good luck.

pup975 · January 2011

I've got a 2011 Touring. After 3 days of driving it, my wife experience a sudden jerking motion when the car shifted from 1st to 2nd gear and from 2nd to 3rd gear. I told her to pull over and restart the car. Once she pulled over, the check engine light came on but the jerking stopped. We took it to the dealer and they found nothing wrong after checking all of the connections and even calling Honda to make sure there was nothing else they could do.

However, since then, we've noticed a few things that we aren't sure are normal:

1) When the car downshifts from 4th to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd, the tachometer jumps a little. You can't feel anything when braking but when you're coasting, you can feel the car give a slight "pull back" feeling which is the only way I can describe it. It's probably a jerk but since the jump is slight, it doesn't feel like a full jerk.

2) When the car is driving around 30-40 mph, at times the tachometer revs up to about 2-2.5K RMPs and then will suddenly drop by about 1K RPMs. The shifting just doesn't seem as smooth. However, I can't always reproduce this and don't know if it's just the way I'm driving.

Since we only had it a few days before the check engine light came on, we didn't really pay attention too much to how it drove. We've put about 1000 miles on it since the check engine light came on and it hasn't reappeared and otherwise seems to be driving ok. Are these driving experiences normal with the Odysseys?

lrin · January 2011

Purchased a 2011 Odyssey in Oct 2010 and have had multiple problems with it. There is a knocking noise when breaking and turning right- say into a driveway.
Front passenger door is out of alignment.
2nd row seat behind driver gets stuck and unable to move seat forward to get to 3rd row.
2nd row seat behind passenger doesn't latch back into place after moved forward to get into 3rd row.
Believe temperature gauge is inaccurate, as well.
Have had this in to dealer 3 times to have problems fixed and they are still problems. Bringing back for fourth time on Tuesday.
Has anyone else had problems with their 2011 Odyssey, other than battery light (i fortunately haven't experienced that).

Thanks!

markrt06 · January 2011

Easy Solution Really, Should purchase a 2011 Chrysler T&C or Grand Caravan...totally redone. Actually, I really believe these deserve consideration now with all the technical & user upgrades.

engr Mark

babsmiller · January 2011

What is the difference between the HID lights on the Touring vs. Touring Elite? The brochure says "auto on/of" on the Elite. Does the Touring have HID? What exactly does "auto on/off" mean?

odysseybuyer1 · January 2011

I finished a deal today at Chicagoland for EX-L for $31500+taxes which is $485 below invoice. Out the road is $34200. I have to wait for a week or two to get the color I wanted. There may be others getting better deal. But, I thought this was a good deal considering more demand for the new odyssey

odysseybuyer1 · January 2011

Can you let me know what you guys paid for all weather package (floor mats, cargo mats & spalash guards)? Anyone has any experiecne in buying online and installing themselves? Appreciate your insight to this

avn06us · January 2011

Pup975,

I kinda had the same problem with my transmission on my 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring. When the vehicle downshifted from 3-2 and 2-1 there was a slight judder, not very noticeable per say but apparent none the less. The slight judder did not occur all the time but maybe 30-50% of the time.

I brought it into the Honda Dealer, after the service rep, service manager and parts manager all test drove my vehicle and called the Honda Engineer rep and this is the conclusion they came up with: When the transmission downshifts this is so happen when the engine goes into the variable cyclinder management (i.e. switches from 6 cylinders to 4 or 3), the slight judder is caused by the downshift of the transmission and the deactivation of the cyclinders. What also supports this statement is the"eco" light comes on when it judders therefore indicating the deactivation of the cylinders. Well I am not sure if I believe them but their argument is logical i guess. Also the service manager / parts manager test drove other 2011 Touring / Touring Elites that same morning and according to them the transmission did the same.

Did not ever have a check engine light or problems upshifting though.

Hope this helps.

avn06us · January 2011

Hello all,

Thought I would share a couple things concerning the 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring:

1. Slight judder when downshifting from 3-2 and 2-1. Read my previous post to Pup975. I found this very interesting, don't necessarily agree with the engineers that designed the vehicle like this but at least I dont think this is a problem.

2. Convex Side Mirrors. Believe it or not! I would consider myself a detailed oriented individual and I noticed when driving the 2011 Odyssey the side mirrors were a little distorted toward the outside edges. When I brought the vehicle into the Honda Dealership they told me the mirrors were actually slightly convex so you could have a wider angle to see more of your blind spot and further to the left/right. I haven't bought a car in 10 years and I thought wow, the engineers really were thinking when they built this vehicle. So if you have a Honda Touring (not sure on the other model 2011s Odyssey) look closely at objects through your side mirrors and you will see a slight distorted picture because of the convex mirrors.

Of course maybe the Honda Dealership was telling me this stuff to get me off their back......

Did anybody else notice these things and/or confirm with their Honda dealer?

odyssey4us · January 2011

I bought our splash guards online and installed them, same as I did for our 2004. It is a little work to put them on, but when I compared the $60 or so I paid from Bernardi to the $400 our local dealer charged to put a set on, I was willing to go to a lot of trouble to put them on. As for the mats, certainly buying online will beat the dealer price, and I assume they do not charge to install them, do they?

odysseybuyer1 · January 2011

Thanks so much. This helps and I will do the same

blackexv6 · January 2011

Pup975,

The VCM system is not a transparent or seamless system despite what the Honda literature tells you. I have the first generation '06 Odyssey and '10 Pilot both with VCM.

What I can say is the vibrations will become more noticeable as the car gets older. My '06 Odyssey has 80k miles and the VCM & transmission issues are getting to the point where we are considering a new vehicle.

I bought the Pilot when our Odyssey's VCM quirks were somewhat acceptable. If I would have known the system would degrade to the point of embarrassment when driving with people I would have stayed away.

The VCM system is not worth all of the issues for a lousy 1 or 2 mpg.

audreym · January 2011

The HID lights on the Touring Elite have a super white, almost blue color. You can probably pick out other cars with this feature on other cars while driving at night.

The other models have Halogen lights - which I find to be pleasantly bright and completely functional.

Auto on/off means the headlights will turn on automatically at night and off when you shut the car off and after daylight is bright enough. You can turn this off and control the lights manually.

ciao888 · January 2011

How do you know whether it is the torque converter shudder or VCM causing the vibration?

babsmiller · January 2011

Thanks for your reply. The dealers seem to be saying that both the Touring and Touring Elite have the same HID and the only difference is the auto on/off feature. Granted, they have the Touring in stock and don't have the Elites so they are probably talking down any advantage of going Elite.

queenv1 · January 2011

It has finally happened. Today I received the low battery signal. This is after over 4500km of driving. I wasn't surprised after reading all the posts on this site. So off to the dealer I go. I'm not impressed!

QV

audreym · January 2011

Check out the specs page on Honda's site- right near the bottom: http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/specifications.aspx?group=exterior

I find the dealers really don't know every feature on every model.. I had one tell me the driving experience on the touring/elite is exactly the same as all other models. I had to remind him that the top 2 models have a 6 sp transmission..

He actually has it exactly backwards. I just got the Touring - it has the auto on/off which is really nice, but no HIDs. I don't miss them, but if you ware used them maybe you would.

blackexv6 · January 2011

It's hard to describe but I will give it a shot. The key is knowing whether VCM is on or off without looking at the ECO light this will help in your determination.

Torque converter judder will occur on acceleration when the VCM system is off (all cylinders firing). Typically happens around 1500 RPM under light load. The vibration is a pulsing or "wobbling" type action.

In my experience, VCM vibration does not shake the entire car. It is a buzzing or continuous noise felt through the steering wheel and heard behind the engine firewall. Again, it helps if you can identify when the engine goes in & out of ECO mode.

markrt06 · January 2011

Nice Honda Service I see. I bought a set of mud flaps for my Dodge pickup on line from Mopar & my local Dodge dealer put them on for nothing when I had an oil change. Who came out ahead?

patnic · January 2011

Good question, I would like to know as well. Luckily, my husband was able to change ours in our 2003 Honda van. We got really ticked off when we had to change it.

mainesail55 · January 2011

Virtually all, if not all, overhead cam engines use a timing belt which does require periodic replacement. Timing chains last the normal life of the engine. Since Honda engines are overhead cam design, they have a belt.

ciao888 · January 2011

There was a HONDA TSB on how to check for torque converter judder

DIAGNOSIS
Test-drive the vehicle on a smooth road, preferably one
with a slight incline, at speeds between 30 and 60 km/h
with the shift lever in D4. Let the vehicle shift into 4th
gear. While maintaining a steady speed, press lightly
on the accelerator pedal; this action causes the
transmission to rapidly engage/disengage the lock-up
clutch, placing the lock-up clutch in the partial lock-up
mode.

I believe I have this judder and it occurs at when holding RPM at 1500, incline works best but this can be duplicated on flat roads, key is to hold rpm steady at 1500, feels like driving over a washboard, turn overdrive off, rpm will ramp up and judder is gone

queenv1 · January 2011

For those of you who have had this problem already with your new 2011 Ody, do you have a remote starter? I don't want to be told at the dealer on Saturday that my remote starter is causing the problem because we all know that some dealers will grasp at any straw. Thanks.

QV

patnic · January 2011

I have a 2003 Honda Ody and of course, had my transmission replaced at 83K. I'm looking at the new 2011 Honda Ody, but wondering if they have changed or fixed the previous problems so I won't have this problem again.

odysseybuyer1 · January 2011

Can you guys share your experience on real world mileage with 2011 Odyssey? Thanks

pn334 · January 2011

Bought 2011 Odyssey EX-L late Nov '10. "Batt Low" "see manual" warning came on occasionally starting in early January when opening the side door before turning on the car, and when turning off the car with the key still in the ignition. It progressed to happening every time although it never failed to start.

On the phone, the service dept at the dealership where I bought it (in Pittsburgh) said it was happening because of the way we were using the car - lots of short trips - and I needed to drive it more, but I convinced them to let me take it in.

They serviced it this morning - at first it was the same story about "the way cars are these days." After taking a look, they said the battery charge was really low, and they would do diagnostics once it was charged (which was going to take 90 minutes). Maybe 30 minutes into the charge they said it was clear the battery was bad and they put in a new battery and said I should have no more problems. Drove it home - a 25 minute drive, 15 miles - and got the same "Batt Low" error message when I turned the car off. Tried a short drive a few minutes later and the same thing - "Batt Low" both when opening the side door and when turning the car off. Infuriating!

The service dept is closed now but I will call again Monday. I really regret buying this car, but maybe they will fix it somehow.

queenv1 · January 2011

I had a long discussion with my sales manager on Thursday night after attending an information night for new Honda owners. He told me that Honda is definitely aware of the problem but they don't know how to fix it yet. This is the first year they are using this technology. He is basically telling all new owners that there is a possibility for this to happen and to watch for it. They checked mine this morning because I have had this happen to me 2x and my battery, unlike yours was in great condition but I'm to keep on eye on this warning signal. Other than this glitch I have no regrets.

2011 Honda Odyssey Discussion

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