Thoughts on the Honda Odyssey

[Pip]

When I met dh he was driving an Accord and I was driving an Acura. We loved our Hondas. We replaced his Accord with another Accord. We drove our Accords past 250K miles. Last time I heard anything about my Acura (I sold it to my boss) it was over 300K.

 

We got an Odyssey, used, in 2003. My sister also got an Odyssey about this time. Very disappointed. We just sold the Odyssey and found that we have put almost $10,000 in repairs into that car, including a new transmission and catalytic converter. When I told my sister we got rid of the Odyssey, she said "I wonder if I am the only person who is NOT having problems with their Odyssey aging? Of course the new engine and transmission help."

 

When I look at Consumer Reports April issue (the car issue) I see they are not aging well.

 

My mechanic is very disappointed in them and does not recommend them. The man who replaced our transmission is disappointed in them. He said they have a very obvious design flaw in the transmission and he is shocked Honda hasn't fixed it.

 

Are any of you who own them disappointed in them?

[gardening momma]

I hadn't heard about that. I thought they were long-lived. What year is your Odyssey?

[Shelly in the Country]

We have a 2005. No problems with the transmission yet, but then ours is fairly new.

[specialmama]

It depends on the year of manufacture. Ours was awesome, but it was the last year they tested great. I am *horrible* with remembering dates, but I believe the 92s or 93s were where they started to go downhill.

 

We're Honda lovers too! :o) Dh has had an Acura Integra for 15 yrs, still going strong when we donated it a few years ago. Then the Odyssey, now we have a Fit. Love it, although it is much smaller than the Odyssey. ;) I love the quality in Honda vehicles, you can feel it even when you open the door. Of course, there's other cars I would love to own, but Honda is more in our price range. ;)

[gardening momma]

We have a 2007. No problems (yet!!). :)

[Orthodox6]

Thank you for this information ! We never bought an Odyssey because our research persuaded us that the Toyota Sienna was every bit as good, but cost less. So we have been Sienna people for ten years now.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

And here is what he tells me.

 

Honda had some problems with some transmissions. My dh said customers have come into his dealership and left with a new transmission. Depending on the miles, Honda is willing to fix it at some sort of split between HOnda and the owner. Honda has extended the warranty on the transmissions to 108K. Catalytic converters are warranted for 7/70 or 8/80 depending on the year.

 

If you are having a problem with your Odyssey, I would take it to a reputable dealer.

 

hth

K

[Puma Mom]

We have a 2000 Odyssey with 180k+ miles. Last month we had the transmission replaced, but that is the first big repair we've had to do.

[Mommyof4ks]

Mine is 6 years old and has 93,000 miles on it. We have had to replace the brakes (under warranty) and the little window regulator on the passenger's side (also under warranty). Those are the only things outside of routine mait. like new tires and oil changes. We love ours and hope to keep it for at least 3-4 more years.

[AFwife Claire]

We have a 2000 Odyssey with 155,000 miles--so it looks like 2000 was a good year! We have never had any problems with ours either. We also have a 2007 Toyota Sienna, but that was because we had another baby,and we needed the 8-seater. We've been very pleased with it as well. We've had another baby since then, so we also have a 12 passenger van, but my dh drives the Ody to work, and I drive the Sienna around town with the kids (1 in the front means we all fit and I don't have to drive the huge beast around D.C.!).

[Sara R]

I just bought a 1997 Honda Odyssey with 147,000 miles. If the history I got is right, it's the original transmission. There was a recall for some electrical system problem, but otherwise it's just been routine maintenance.

 

Those 1st generation Odysseys are a lot different than the 2nd generation, though. The 1st generation ones are smaller, don't have sliding doors, 4 cylinder engines, and get better gas mileage. They were built on the Accord chassis, so they are like a tall Accord 7 seater wagon.

[Beth in OH]

We have a 2000 Odyssey with 155,000 miles--so it looks like 2000 was a good year!

 

:iagree: Our 2000 Odyssey has 255,000 miles, no major repairs. I've been prepared to buy a new car for the past year, but I'll wait until this one begins costing us money. I'm very pleased with how our Odyssey is aging.

 

Beth

[Evergreen State Sue]

We have a 2006 Honda Odyssey with no problems yet. It still has fairly low mileage though.

[Ali in OR]

We're at about 104,000 miles on our 2000 Odyssey. The only repair we've ever had was something obscure, an air intake thing or charcoal canister or something like that dh says. It was a known problem that Honda fixed for free (and we were on vacation in another town--really excellent service from the Honda folks on that one). I love my Odyssey.

[Tree Frog]

"I wonder if I am the only person who is NOT having problems with their Odyssey aging? Of course the new engine and transmission help."

 

When I look at Consumer Reports April issue (the car issue) I see they are not aging well.

 

My mechanic is very disappointed in them and does not recommend them. The man who replaced our transmission is disappointed in them. He said they have a very obvious design flaw in the transmission and he is shocked Honda hasn't fixed it.

 

Are any of you who own them disappointed in them?

 

We have owned Hondas since I began driving. We loved them! Our Accord had well over 100k miles. We have owned 3 Odysseys. The first we had no problems with. Our second one was a 2005 or 2006 model. Once it began having electrical problems that couldn't easily be remedied, we decided to get a new one, a 2008. We have owned this one for 18 months; it has 36,000 miles on it. Both of our sliding doors rattle frequently (but not frequently enough that our service tech can hear them consistantly when we take the van in :glare:), sometimes our front driver's window rolls up too far and squeaks when the glass is pushed into the top, same driver's window rattles, and the transmission makes funny sounds when it's going between 40-50 mph (I've been told this is because the vehicle doesn't know which gear to stay in. I understand that concept, but when we got the van, it only made that sound at 43 mph. Now it sounds like this anywhere between 40-50 mph. Why would the gears change inconsistantly?), and the transmission is no longer shifting smoothly. We're not comfortable keeping this vehicle, but we can't replace it yet. We probably won't get another Odyssey because of the problems we've had with the last 2. The quality of the vehicle isn't what it used to be.

 

Part of the problem for us is our service techs. We take the van in to a Honda dealership for service because we have very few mechanics here who are experts on Hondas. Our service manager has told us not to follow the service recommendations in our owner's manual; we should follow his recs instead. I'm not comfortable scrapping the info I have directly from Honda in favor of spending many extra $$'s. He has also told us he can't check to see if there are any problems with 2008 Odysseys that we might want to be aware of. That info has been given to us at other dealerships without even asking for it.

 

I'm not sure this post makes much sense. It's late and I'm tired, but I did want to say I've been very disappointed with the last 2 Odysseys we've owned. (And if anyone has any info re: transmissions for 2008's, I'd love to hear it. The local service manager just pooh-poohs my concerns.)

Edited July 24, 2009 by wilrunner

[WTMCassandra]

Rut-roh. We just bought an 2007 Odyssey (was a fleet vehicle) less than two months ago. We are hoping to keep this a loooong time. I hope they've fixed their quality assurance issues . . .

 

I'm sorry you're having trouble with yours. Once we had a Ford minivan that was nothing but trouble, and it was a miserable experience.

[lilbean05]

I had an Accord and LOVED it!!! But, our growing family needed a bigger vehicle and after months of research, we too learned that our beloved Honda brand (re: Odyssey) had major transmission problems, and when the company splits the cost with you to fix it, they are giving you a rebuilt (they don't replace with new) transmission for roughly 3k out of your pocket. Many reviews have said that the replaced transmission also junked out and they had to fork over another chunk of money to get ANOTHER transmission. Consumer Reports also discussed this in a very recent issue (I don't remember which one..sorry!) and we ended up going with a Toyota Sienna. It wasn't my first choice, but in the end seems to have been the better choice of the two.

[jeri]

At about 55,000 miles (maybe 2006?), the transmission went. We argued back and forth with Honda for months trying to get them to pay for the repair. They never did and we will never buy a Honda again on principle. Fast forward to the next six months--we traded it in for a wonderful Toyota Sienna! LOVE this car, even more than the Odyssey!

 

I think what really annoyed us is that we heard that many people had problems like this with their 2002 Odysseys and Honda did not stand by their product.

 

 

jeri

[momofkhm]

I was still happy with it but dh wasn't happy with the noises it was making. I can't remember what the noises were because it's been over a year now. We hadn't replaced anything major but I think dh was thinking it was soon.

[TraceyS/FL]

I drive a 2005 with about 80,000 miles on it. Haven't checked lately.

 

The fan clutch (or something) went on the AC last month, but that is the only thing that has had to be done to it aside from routine maint (oil, brakes, tires).

 

I would say the transmission is seeming "rough" at time - enough i was going to mention it on the next service.

 

It only goes to one dealer to get serviced, and only to one service writer and his team. IT's my parents van actually, and they went rounds and rounds with Honda on some service issues - and Bob is the one that worked with Honda to sort it out (to the post higher up - part of that was over service intervals, Honda said in no way to follow the printed sheet from the dealer, to follow the cars prompts).

 

My biggest beef with it is the gas mileage. IT's killing me.... it sucks! LOL!!! I'm averaging 18-20 and driving all over to the doctors at 55-65 miles each way. I don't get alloted much cash for gas, so that means we stick close to home otherwise.

 

We do have an extended warranty until 100k miles though, so that helps feel comfy with the issues i've been hearing about.

 

Oh and despite the issues, my parents bought a 2nd one, 2008, so obviously it didn't deter them!

[blessed3x]

We had an Odyssey and ended up trading it in because we, too, were sinking a lot of money into it. It is the only Honda that was a major thorn in my side.

We also had the transmission replaced, and had problems with the sliding drivers side sliding door either opening on its own or not closing properly. Even after the recall and Honda 'fixing' it, it did not work correctly. Another friend of mine also has the Odyssey and is having the same problems with her sliding doors!

If anyone out there has the Odyssey, I would recommend going to the Honda dealer and checking for recalls that they will fix without charge for you. When we took ours in for the transmission there were other recalls that they took care of that we were unaware of. At least the service was good!

[chiguirre]

I have a 2003 Odyssey with 105000 miles on it. The only repair issues we've had are with electronic sensors. One for the brakes and one for the doors. I'd like to keep this car for a while but dh is uncomfortable with a car that has more than 100K on it, so I think we'll trade it in this year or next.

 

I have changed the brake pads a couple of times and the timing belt at 75K (that was about $450 but it is scheduled maintenance, not a repair). I've been happy with the Odyssey, but I guess we'll have to investigate a bit more before getting another.

[tinag]

The power steering pump had to be replaced twice. They wanted me to pay($600) for it the second time after only having the car for 2 years. It would make a horrible grinding noise when I turned when the weather was cold. I called Honda directly and they paid for it, since I told them I did a google search and this was a problem known to them.

I also had to have the brakes replaced early since they were warped. I have some kind of loud pitchy noise when I step on the gas when the weather is warm. I have the navigation system that has never worked right.

[Tree Frog]

It only goes to one dealer to get serviced, and only to one service writer and his team. IT's my parents van actually, and they went rounds and rounds with Honda on some service issues - and Bob is the one that worked with Honda to sort it out (to the post higher up - part of that was over service intervals, Honda said in no way to follow the printed sheet from the dealer, to follow the cars prompts).

 

That's good to know. I need to contact Honda directly over this because what the service mgr is telling us is that we need to follow his advice, not follow the owner's manual/vehicle prompts.

 

If anyone out there has the Odyssey, I would recommend going to the Honda dealer and checking for recalls that they will fix without charge for you. When we took ours in for the transmission there were other recalls that they took care of that we were unaware of. At least the service was good!

 

Our dealer won't do that. Other dealerships have done this for us in the past, but this one tells me they don't have access to that information. They have also told me that even if they are working on an issue covered by the warrenty, once the warrenty expires, Honda will no longer repair that issue for free. We would need to pay for any future repairs. Unless Honda has recently changed its policy, that is also inaccurate info.

 

Unfortunately, this is the closest dealership. They opened this past spring and we haven't been comfortable with the service they offered. The next closest dealership is 90 mi. away. Both dealerships are owned by the same company, so I'm not sure we'd receive any better service from the one far away, either.

[jujsky]

We bought ours new in early 2004 (I'm not sure if it's a 2003 or 2004 model year) and we haven't had any problems with it, other than normal wear and tear. My DH is very diligent about car maintenance, so he always makes sure it goes in for servicing whenever it's supposed to.

[Tree Frog]

My biggest beef with it is the gas mileage. IT's killing me.... it sucks! LOL!!! I'm averaging 18-20 and driving all over to the doctors at 55-65 miles each way. I don't get alloted much cash for gas, so that means we stick close to home otherwise.

 

We just got back from a major, drive-halfway-across-the-country-and-back trip. We were getting 23 mpg consistantly on the way out, we stopped for an oil change at a dealership we'd dealt with in the past, and began getting 25 mpg immediately on our return trip. DH is convinced that oil change made the difference.

 

Might be worth trying!

[PiCO]

I have a 2003 Odyssey. I bought it used in 2005. I love it, never had to do anything but the regular maintenance.

[LarlaB]

We have a 2000 w/ 150K+ miles and other than an obscure oxygen intake sensor constantly getting clogged, it hasn't had any major mechanical problems. The doors are not my favorite and occasionally don't automatically slide open, but other than that, its a great vehicle, even 9 years old.

[TraceyS/FL]

That's good to know. I need to contact Honda directly over this because what the service mgr is telling us is that we need to follow his advice, not follow the owner's manual/vehicle prompts.

 

 

 

Our dealer won't do that. Other dealerships have done this for us in the past, but this one tells me they don't have access to that information. They have also told me that even if they are working on an issue covered by the warrenty, once the warrenty expires, Honda will no longer repair that issue for free. We would need to pay for any future repairs. Unless Honda has recently changed its policy, that is also inaccurate info.

 

Unfortunately, this is the closest dealership. They opened this past spring and we haven't been comfortable with the service they offered. The next closest dealership is 90 mi. away. Both dealerships are owned by the same company, so I'm not sure we'd receive any better service from the one far away, either.

Do call.

 

I'm sure my Dad has the contact info of the lady he worked with if you end up needing it. It went on for MONTHS, and the dealership ended up getting some hands slapped over it (oddly, they still go there - but Bob has been good and trustworthy so far, so they stuck with him).

 

They were very adamant that the CAR was to be followed. This was a new thing in the system, and up until this Van the dealers schedules (set to make THEM service money) were being "allowed". But overall, do what the wrench on the dash tells you, or follow the schedule in the warranty book.

 

UGH. I feel your pain.....

 

We just got back from a major, drive-halfway-across-the-country-and-back trip. We were getting 23 mpg consistantly on the way out, we stopped for an oil change at a dealership we'd dealt with in the past, and began getting 25 mpg immediately on our return trip. DH is convinced that oil change made the difference.

 

Might be worth trying!

Well, my parents improved theirs last trip from FL-CA-FL by using the SHell gas with Nitro in it. To the tune of 3-5 mpg. That station isn't easy for me to get too - and my current mix of town/highway is killing me. My straight in town driving is down around 14-16. We are SUPPOSED to be running Mobile 1 in it - but i have doubts on that being done each time. I'm never there when my Mom takes it over for service, and I forget until times like now about it. I should call Bob and ask him about it.

 

The head winds might have been in your favor too coming back. You see it in the extra time it takes flying across country too. One direction they are pushing you, the other are trying to stop you!

[Amy loves Bud]

I had a 2000 Odyssey that had about 60K on it when we were hit by a drunk driver. He was going about 70mph and rear ended us when we were going about 35-40. The kids were buckled in the back seat and the car was totalled, but none of us was injured.

 

Based on that we went out and bought a 2003 Odyssey - it had about 20K on it when we bought it, and now it is approaching 80K. No problems at all.

 

I'm a fan of the Odyssey, and I'm sorry to hear that you had to sink so much money into yours.

[Colleen in NS]

We have a 1995 Odyssey that we bought in 2004. We've had repairs done to it, but so far not the engine or transmission. It is showing its age, in rust and various repairs that come along, but so far it's cheaper for us than to buy another newer vehicle. It has about 360,000 km.