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Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna

5220 messages,  Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 3:36 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Car Comparisons, Van


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#4739 of 5220
Think again about buying an Odessey!! by g3guy
Feb 25, 2009 (8:50 pm)
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OK, everyone go to the top of the webpage and click on "vans", and on "Honda Odessey", and on "Odessey transmission problems" and read the posts. Especially the 600 to 900 numbers, which describe the horrible transmission problems that everyone, not just the older-van owners have had with the Ody, and the two class-action suits and recalls. I have a 2000 Ody, now on its third transmission and waiting for me to trade it off, and that's why I'm on the Toyota forum tonight. I'm doing some homework that I wish I could have done before I bought the Ody. I love the thing: it is beautiful, drives like a dream, has lots of room, and so on, but it eats transmissions. And no, Honda doesn't like to admit it, and their service is terrible. I was lucky and had a helpful Service Manager at my local dealer, but after reading the posts on the Odessey transmission forum, I think I was the only one. Caveat emptor!! (translates to LOOK OUT!!)
#4740 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [g3guy] by thegraduate
Feb 26, 2009 (10:17 am)
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Replying to: g3guy (Feb 25, 2009 8:50 pm)

You don't think some things have changed in 5 years?
#4741 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [g3guy] by ateixeira
Feb 26, 2009 (11:45 am)
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Replying to: g3guy (Feb 25, 2009 8:50 pm)

The class action settlement appplied to 99-01 models, quite some time ago:
 
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0fa11e/920
 
Reading down a bit further they say the 07s got a new trans from the Ridgeline. Do you have evidence of a pattern of failure on the 07 or later?
 
Otherwise, welcome to 3 years ago.
#4742 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [ateixeira] by berri
Feb 26, 2009 (5:39 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 26, 2009 11:45 am)

You can also talk about Toyota engine sludge a few years back. Here's the thing though, Honda and Toyota stood up to their issues on properly maintained cars after the original warranty expired. D3 would have told you tough luck. I've experienced both. It isn't just product, but also customer focus that has slammed D3. Just like in business, I'll go with the vendor that is upfront when there is a problem and stands behind it for a reasonable period of time. I don't need a bunch of bunk and maybe (If they are feeling generous that day) a rebate offer on a new car, I want my current ride taken care of.
#4743 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [thegraduate] by g3guy
Feb 26, 2009 (9:29 pm)
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Replying to: thegraduate (Feb 26, 2009 10:17 am)

Grad: I'm not sure what you mean by your reference to things changing in five years, but I know that Honda is getting less and less amiable and willing to help out the customers who bought their Odys in good faith, Over the years, my family has owned four Honda sedans, one Accura, and now the Ody. We loved all of them, but when the tranny went on the van and we got nowhere with American Honda, the bad feelings started. If it had not been for the forceful assistance of a mechanic standing up to a service manager in the first instance and an honest service manager in the second, we would have had to eat the full cost of the transmission replacement. That's not good business for Honda, and this forum is full of examples of their unwillingness to act on behafl of people who trusted them with their money and their lives. So, no, I don't think much has changed with Honda, in the last five years, or the last ten. Though I'd love to buy a new Odyessy, I just can't bring myself to have faith in Honda again. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the issue, as I really do love my Ody; I just wish I could trust it.
#4744 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [g3guy] by thegraduate
Feb 26, 2009 (9:38 pm)
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Replying to: g3guy (Feb 26, 2009 9:29 pm)

So, no, I don't think much has changed with Honda, in the last five years, or the last ten. Though I'd love to buy a new Odyessy, I just can't bring myself to have faith in Honda again. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the issue, as I really do love my Ody; I just wish I could trust it.
 
Thank you for being so thorough in your reply, and sorry about mine being so short, I was limited for time when I made it.
 
For background info,
We had a 2000 Odyssey, which we kept for 5.5 years. We liked it, didn't love it (it IS a van, after all). I have a 2006 Accord (which has had its share of little defects in the 45,000 miles I've had it), and a 1996 Accord which turned over 189k miles tonight.
 
What I meant to ask was about the transmission in particular. In the time since your Odyssey, drastic changes have been made to the transmissions in Odyssey vans. As another poster pointed out, the heavier-duty Ridgeline transmission is now in the Odyssey. I've actually not heard of transmission problems since the current model debuted in 2005. No issues with Accord or Pilot transmissions in the last five years (that I know of) either.
 
All that said, I can't say I wouldn't be reluctant either, having had issues with your current ride. I'm not condemning the second thoughts at all; its a lot of money you're spending. Just know that no car is perfect coming off the assembly line!
#4745 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [berri] by ateixeira
Feb 27, 2009 (10:06 am)
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Replying to: berri (Feb 26, 2009 5:39 pm)

Toyota engine sludge a few years back
 
More than a few...that engine dates back to 2003.
 
Even the V6 (3.3l) that replaced that sludge-prone V6 (3.0l) has been replaced with a new V6 (3.5l)!
 
Phew, say that fast 10 times.
 
Any how, their engines have been great for 2 whole generations now.
 
Looking back, Toyota tried to bury it, blame consumers, and that backfired on them big time. They ended up extending coverage for 100k miles for owners who could prove they did at least one oil change per year.
 
So in the end the customers did OK, though it did take the power of the internet to bring a giant manufacturer to its knees. Let's be real here - these are for-profit companies. Toyota didn't extend coverage out of the goodness of their hearts. They did so because their bean counters calculated that the damage to their reputation would be bigger than the cost of fixing the problem. Period.
 
Probably why we see a lot of people being very vocal about their Honda trannies. Let's just be specific and qualify what model years we're talking about.
#4746 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [ateixeira] by berri
Feb 27, 2009 (6:03 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 27, 2009 10:06 am)

My point is that Toyota and Honda seem more receptive to owning up to problems than D3. You don't continue to make good profits by screwing over your customers when you mess up. Just look at D3. Toyota and Honda have developed good quality cars and better customer responsiveness than Detroit. That's why they can sell cars for a higher profit margin. I'll bet that a lot of people complaining about Honda trannies had high mileage or didn't do the scheduled maintainance. But maintaining your car doesn't seem to matter when something goes unreasonably bad at D3. My belief is that things like engine gaskets and components, steering racks, trannies,etc. should last 100K if maintained, otherwise the car is either inferior in engineering or has cheap quality parts. If major unreasonable problems happen and the car is maintained, then the company should step up for at least part of the cost. I don't want to hear the excuse that stuff happens, because with modern day statistical QA this is no longer likely if the item was properly designed and produced by a quality vendor. That line may have been acceptable 10 years ago, but not today. And yes, Toyota learned a lesson about the power of the Internet, but D3 still needs to get up to date there. Maybe it will happen at Ford since they brought in an outsider to run it, but I'm not confident about the other two.
 
PS - its nice to have higher mileage cars that don't leak fluids on the garage floor as well!
#4747 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [berri] by ateixeira
Mar 02, 2009 (12:08 pm)
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Replying to: berri (Feb 27, 2009 6:03 pm)

I hear you, I still daily-drive a 1993 Miata.
 
Ford has improved, and GM and Chrysler both have long warranties now. It's a shame they may not all survive long enough to change public perception about their new vehicles, though.
#4748 of 5220
Re: Think again about buying an Odessey!! [ateixeira] by 1983gti
Mar 09, 2009 (10:16 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Mar 02, 2009 12:08 pm)

We bought a 2000 Honda Odyssey EX with 3K miles on it in June 2000 from a Honda Dealer. At the time, it was a total seller's market for the Odyssey, they were being built at only one factory as I recall, in Canada, in fairly small numbers and supply was tight. I pains me to say it but I think we paid almost sticker price for the thing, even with 3K on it already. We just had to have it, it was a HONDA after all, it was the hottest thing going in mini-vans at the time and the 2000 Sienna (1st generation) was . . . how do I put it . . . UGLY.
 
We have been generally disappointed by our 2000 Ody. We have had the transmission replaced twice: the first time at 86K miles (which Honda covered) and most recently last week at 130K miles (Honda put up 1K we paid the remaining $2,400). Each of the power sliding doors has been repaired AT LEAST four times. The engine mounts have all been replaced twice and the catalytic converter had to be replaced.
 
We are fed up with the transmission problems and are looking for another mini-van (NEW). I think the Sienna XLE FWD is the way to go, although I am confident that Honda has improved the Ody's quality since the 2000 model. I am interested in receiving any feedback you might have.

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