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Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems
1281 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 10:52 AM
You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Replying to: blackexv6 (Dec 28, 2006 9:02 am) All makes profess to be reliable. Statistically you're going to have breakdowns that will occur anytime with any vehicle. When you pass 100,000 miles mark you're well into the period of increasing problems and that's why most manufacturers stop warrantee's on vehicles well before that threshold(Hyundai's only offering it to buy market share and to overcome a lot reliability issues they've had with earlier models.). Throw in drivers who tow more weight than the transmissions are designed for and the reliability question becomes even more murky. Chevy's are a poor comparison because while they have some issues; there power train isn't one of them. The GM 4 speed transmission gets critqued for being old, but it's darn reliable and shifts fairly smooth. I've owned a lot of them and 200,000 to 300,000 miles is very easy to do. Now they have problems with intake manifolds and electronics, something the Honda doesn't. I'm not saying your transmission should be failing. I am saying it's unreasonable to expect Honda to foot the whole bill on a vehicle with that many miles. Besides while the light has come on, I think you said it's still working. If you think you can't live with it, trade it while it's still working, get the legendary Honda resale value, and buy that Chevy Venture. 
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Replying to: bobber1 (Dec 28, 2006 5:38 pm) I agree with most of your points. Manufacturers can't warranty a car forever for free. However, the Honda V6 transmissions were defective with very high failure rates. I had 2 replacements in 100k miles on my 2000 Odyssey. What people don't know is when Honda replaces your transmission, you get back the same defective design. Problem not solved just delayed again for another early failure. I can't comprehend why Honda didn't force Aisin (transmission supplier) to come up with an engineering fix for the problem. This class action suit may not be the last we hear of this debacle. People are going to be upset again when their "replacement" transmission fails agiain after 30k miles. The fact that Honda took responsibility for a design error shows great integrity. They extended the warranty to 100k before the class action suit. Other manufacturers probably would wait until a law suit occurred before fixing a design error. Hence, why I still buy Hondas after having tranny failures on my Odyssey & '03 Accord. Tell a prospective Honda buyer that the transmission in their new Odyssey/Accord/Pilot will probably not last much past 100k. You would see a dramatic drop in Honda sales - guaranteed. Also, The Hondas of the past ran 200k miles usually without major mechancial problems. Hence how they built their reputation. We started buying Hondas for this very reason.
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After reading all these posts about the transmission problems on Odysseys, I'm not so sure that I want to bother, but would I be covered by Honda's 109k tranny warranty if: 1) I buy used '03 Odyssey 2) I buy from a NON-Honda dealership 3) I don't go to a Honda dealership to have tranny fluids changed Also, is there a way to determine if one particular Odyssey is problematic vs. another simply by looking at the VIN number? Or would Honda give me this information if I called them? Any opinions or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Replying to: veenstra56 (Dec 29, 2006 6:20 am) I bought my '00 Odyssey used from a Toyota dealer & they replaced my transmission twice with no questions asked. It helps if you establish a repoir with a local Honda dealer & use them for service maintenance, oil changes, etc. Also, most of the transmission failures occurred on the '99-'01 Odyssey's with the 4-speed auto. The '02+ Odysseys have a 5speed transmission. My opinion you should buy the car if you like it. The '03 & '04's are probably the best Odysseys to buy. They hold their value so be prepared to pay $$$$. A new '07 EX costs around $26k so weigh it out. I personally think the '03,'04's are built much better than the new ones (I own a '00 & '06 Ody). My new one has a droning defect that cannot be fixed & it is truly a shame we have to live with an otherwise great car. If you have the VIN# you can check the coverage on the Honda transmission settlement webite. Here's the link link title |
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Replying to: blackexv6 (Dec 29, 2006 7:13 am) Good posts. I'm just curious why the heck you hung onto your Odyssey after the first transmission went out?? Especially since you know there is a design flaw. I would have dropped it like a ton of bricks after getting it fixed and moved onto bigger and better things(and yes probably would have switched to a Toyota who has had none of these problems) Knocking on wood, I'm glad I just bought a new 2007 Honda Odyssey EX.
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Replying to: veenstra56 (Dec 29, 2006 6:20 am) 1) I buy used '03 Odyssey" Comments for USA market cars only, not Canada, not grey market. For USA market, some were made in Canada. Here is a link about the class action lawsuit. http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com/php/login.php No. Not 2003 model. Original warranty 3yrs 36000 miles on 2002-2004. Or per extended warranty if bought at extra cost, time and mileage limits vary with price of extra cost warranty options. On 99-2001, 7 years, 100,000 miles extended warranty for free on transmission only. Class action lawsuit is 109,000 miles or 93 months on 99-2001 Odyssey and several other Honda Acura transmissions. Not for 2002-2004 Odyssey. "2) I buy from a NON-Honda dealership." Possibly if it is within warranty or class action lawsuit. "3) I don't go to a Honda dealership to have tranny fluids changed " Maybe if Honda repair place believes you changed ATF by the recommended schedule. "Also, is there a way to determine if one particular Odyssey is problematic vs. another simply by looking at the VIN number? " Odysseys as a group for that year have problematic transmissions. Even if the recall repair was done. "Or would Honda give me this information if I called them?" Might deny everything. At least local dealer denied that any problem existed. |
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Replying to: bobber1 (Dec 29, 2006 5:44 pm) Basically, we kept the car because it is paid off & couldn't trade in with 100k miles. So...we are running it for free except gas & oil changes. Actually, I like it better than my wife's new '06 Odyssey EXL/NAV/RES...much smoother & quieter engine. I am leasing next time because Honda runs great money factor specials & they have probably the best lease programs (for moderately priced cars). |
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Replying to: blackexv6 (Dec 29, 2006 3:56 am) I have not talked to the dealer as of yet since this happen just before Christmas and I thought that I need to be talking to the service manager and he may be out this week due to vacation. So my plan is to go just after the new year and see what they have to say. I will update this when I have additional info. Another question for all - I still love this van and would like to keep it. If I need to put a transmission in it myself, what are my best options (costs, dependability etc.) and how dependable are the new transmissions as I see some having two or three replaced? Thanks for your help! One other question is I see many from 1999-2003 vans listed having this issue. Was this fixed in 2004 and newer? Mike |
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Replying to: blackexv6 (Dec 29, 2006 7:13 am) (An aside: Back in 2000, the EX was in high demand and there was a $5K market premium which I refused to pay to the dealer. Enter carsdirect.com. I ordered the car through the web site, chose my color, put down a $1K deposit on my credit card. Very cool. I paid MSRP but no market premium to carsdirect. When I took delivery of the minivan a couple of weeks later, I happened to see carsdirect.com's delivery papers and noted that online company had, in fact, paid a $3K market premium to the dealer from whom the Honda Odyssey was acquired. The cost of the premium was not passed on to me! Needless to say, the carsdirect does not directly sell cars anymore. End Aside.) Transmission failed at 108K in 2004 -> Took to a local dealer -> a repair rep was nice enough to whisper to me that this condition was quite common and well-known and if I raised a stink, Honda would cover the replacement. I did (create a stink), and they did (cover it 100%). Transmission failed again at 128K. Covered again, 100%. This one was tricky since, technically, the 12K/12 month warranty was expired. However, the dealer went to bat for me and Honda covered the cost 100%. Now the car has 158K and I am shopping for an '07 EX-L or Touring. Does anyone know if the transmission problem has been fixed definitively in the '07 Odyssey model? Or should I go w/ the Sienna XLE Limited AWD? Finally, I agree with the many previous posts which imply that Honda should be held to a higher standard than other automakers when it comes to quality. If a non-Honda tranny fails, on average, at around X miles, a Honda tranny should fail, on average, at Y miles, where Y miles is much larger than X miles. After all, Honda automobiles command a price premium and Honda has successfully built a strong brand on the back of its reliability history. The Honda brand is a promise (for you marketing experts) to us consumers which the Company needs to fulfill. If it can't deliver on that promise, either the brand needs to step off its pedestal or the prices need to come back to Earth (or both)... So, is the transmission fixed in the '07 models?
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Replying to: post4edmunds (Dec 30, 2006 9:56 pm) |
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