10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
116,140 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Honda Odyssey drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2003 Honda Odyssey Owner Comments (Page 10 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #23

Nov 022011

Odyssey

  • 164,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving my daughter to school, accelerating from 35 to 40+, transmission locked up! extremely dangerous!!! could have been in a serious accident since we were merging onto a busy highway. Next day, another lock up + slipping between 25 & 35 mph and @ 50 pm. Transmission slips and gear shift will get stuck in park, reverse & drive. RPM revs high. Honda dealer diagnosed today as "internal transmission failure" 164,000 highway miles, serviced @ dealer, babied with oil changes, etc. Now $4,000 quote for transmission 3 yrs/36,000 mile warranty. I have been a loyal Honda owner since 1990, but will not consider buying any future Honda.

- Easton, MD, USA

problem #22

Oct 312011

Odyssey

  • miles
I was stopped @ a red light on a 50 mph speed limit road & when the light turn green I pushed the accl the van rolled on but will not accelerate further engine kept revving & a big construction truck almost rear ended me looks like the transmission stalls the vehicle.

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

problem #21

Oct 022011

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 123,000 miles
In stop and go traffic, when I pres the brake pedal, the vehicle jerks. When I press the gas pedal, on some occasions, the vehicle (still in drive) does not move but the engine revs up. I have to shift down and then back again to drive before it would move. There was a transmission recall on this car in 2004 and the dealer had installed a kit of some sort. However, this fix has not been permanent. Looks like I have lost the transmission altogether.

- Suygar Land, TX, USA

problem #20

Sep 012011

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 78,838 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Transmission failed at under 80K miles. There are numerous complaints about these mini vans. We serviced our vehicle appropriately and also brought the car in to be checked when the transmissions were recalled. At that time they installed a trans jet kit which would solve the transmission problem. We even installed a transmission cooler. Honda is unwilling to provide much assistance at all with this repair and I think they should have done a full recall on these transmissions, as they knowingly sold a poor product.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #19

Oct 022011

Odyssey

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated the gear would not release from park and that the rear brake lights failed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 100,000.

- Huntsville , AL, USA

problem #18

Aug 152011

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 138,000 miles
While driving at highway speeds the transmission froze and released repeatedly nearly causing a rear end crash. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic were it was diagnosed as transmission failure. What is important here is that the vehicle was recalled and the work done in 2005. However, it is blatantly apparent that the "fix" Honda did for the recall was not to correct the problem but only a temporary patch. All the recall did was delay the failure, it didn't correct the problem. Honda has simply moved the mileage at which the transmission will fail so they don't have to take full responsibility and fix what they sold. Sadly we paid an addition $4,000 to $5,000 for the Honda name so we wouldn't have issues. Now we are not only out that money but Honda still believes that their name deserves more money for a rebuilt transmission that has been shown to still fail. We have been quoted an additional $2,500 to $3,000 more than what it would cost to fix a competing american company transmission. It is unconscionable that Honda knows it has an issue, then only patched it to delay responsibility. This is especially troubling when you consider that the transmissions fail at high speed on the highway. A definite risk to peoples lives.

- Riverton, UT, USA

problem #17

May 122011

Odyssey

  • 88,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 40 mph the vehicle stalled and would not shift into gear. The check engine and traction control lights were illuminated. The contact towed the vehicle to a local mechanic where the mechanic stated that the transmission failed. The contact called the manufacturer and the manufacturer advised that the vehicle was not under the warranty so there was nothing they could do to assist. The failure mileage was 88,000.

- Berlin, CT, USA

problem #16

Jul 122007

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
My wife was driving along when the RPM's started going up and the speed of the van started slowing down. The street she was on is a fairly heavy traveled street so she pulled off to the side of the street and waited a few minutes. She called me and told me what had happened and then proceeded to drive very slowly home. The next morning after coming home from work, I took the van out for a drive and sure enough, it started acting up on me. It got so bad, that I went ahead and drove it over to a transmission shop, taking me about 3 times as long as it should have. The van would only allow me to go several hundred yards before the engine would rev up and the van would basically stop. I would put it in park and wait a few minutes, then proceed alittle further not going more than 20 mph. After the shop looked at it, they advised me that Honda has had trouble with the transmissions and that mine needed to be replaced. They also stated that this particular transmission wasn't the right one for this particular engine that was in the van.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #15

Sep 192011

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 108,992 miles
On the freeway when all of a sudden without warning slipped and lost power. Very scary with small children in the car and was barley able to make it off the freeway without getting into an accident. Only by the grace of god did we make it safely off the freeway. Honda dealer said we needed a new transmission. I had the extended warranty up to 106,000. Just a few thousand miles over warranty and Honda would only grant %50 coverage. Still cost me $2797. Honda of America knows all about this transmission problem but still does not compensate loyal Honda customers. My dealer replaced this transmission (that had a previous recall in 2003) with a "re-manufactured transmission" now on September 19, 2011 the tcs light came on with the engine warning light and the car "shuddered" badly at 30 mph. Brought to the dealer but they are denying that it is a transmission problem? we bought the Honda Odyssey for its safety features and reliability. Honda and their dealer are not standing behind their product. I will look elsewhere for my next car purchase.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #14

Sep 162011

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 154,444 miles
2003 Odyssey left my wife in a terrible situation. It suddenly failed when she was in the middle of traffic with children in the car. With no warning, it would not move the vehicle and ground to a stop, leaving her almost out of control of the vehicle. Honda is supposed to be a manufacturer with well designed, reliable products, but it is not so with this transmission. When a manufacturer realizes there is a problem with a vehicle, but year after year after year does nothing to remedy the problem, it is irresponsible and reckless to continue to manufacture the vehicle with the problematic transmission.

- Grayson, GA, USA

problem #13

Nov 272010

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 110,613 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My transmission failed on my 2003 Honda Odyssey shortly after the warranty expired. It had the recall update done years before but that didn't work. The transmission fluid was burnt causing the transmission to slip. There was not an accident, just a transmission that was failing. It seems this is more the rule than the exception with the Odyssey. I had to get it replaced and after doing research, I decided to get a jasper transmission instead of having the dealer replace it with another faulty Honda transmission.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #12

Aug 042011

Odyssey

  • 114,721 miles
I was driving down a two lane road and the transmission down shifted on its own in a violent manor. The rps jumped up. I let off the gas and the auto went back to normal. 10 minutes later I was on the highway running 70mph and the auto down shifted again in the same fashion as described before. I brought it to two shops and the technician was able to reproduce the problem. Both technicians stated that the transmission was the problem and it needed to be replaced. After doing research I found that this problem has happened to many Honda.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #11

Jul 072011

Odyssey

  • 68,217 miles
Transmission in vehicle failed during operation in traffic. Vehicle operator managed to move the vehicle to safety despite diminished operational function of the vehicle. There was a potential for a serious injury or fatality related to this incident. It is my opinion that these vehicles (2003 Honda Odyssey) should be removed from traffic situations until the manufacturer (Honda) can prove that these vehicles are safe. This situation is more severe than the recent Toyota problems. In addition to the hazard mentioned the owner paid the local Honda dealer $4,300 for a replacement transmission, hope it goes more than 68,000 miles.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #10

Jun 032011

Odyssey

  • 110,555 miles
Encountered transmission failure with 2003 Honda Odyssey. 2004 transmission recall performed by dealer and factory maintenance scheduled performed throughout ownership. In June '11 noticed slipping when shifting from second to third occurred. Extremely dangerous and scary with 2 little children in the car on the highway or on the local streets. The car jolted on the highway for the first incident and we nearly swerved into the median. I've been told all is normal to replace the trans by varying dealerships. I feel that Honda has not investigated nor resolved the trans problem thoroughly and now I could be held paying the bill once it is replaced. After much research, we discovered that the Odyssey transmission has had numerous complaints of failure. Honda Corp indicated that the dealership will have full authority to issue a second recall if it is the transmission. The dealership said that Honda Corp makes the decision and a case needs to be filed. However, the seller said that if you bought the car at the dealership or have had spent a lot of many in service at Honda, this weighs heavily in their decision and customers are more likely awarded the full recall value. This is wrong for the Honda company to play games with a safety issue and only reward highest paying customers with a recall. All should be benefit and they should be held liable.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #9

Apr 042011

Odyssey

  • 77,945 miles
Our 2003 Honda Odyssey had a complete transmission failure when attempting to drive from a stopped position in a busy turn-lane. The engine revved when gas was applied, then the transmission light came on, an error code appeared, and the drive gear light started flashing. Somehow I was able to make the turn and park safely in a restaurant parking lot. The van was towed to mel rapton Honda. We were offered a rental car at $25 per day, our cost, which we declined. The next day we received a phone call from mel rapton Honda service department saying that our transmission needed to be replaced and that the cost to us would be $4,589.94. We then informed him that we were aware of the Odyssey transmission class-action lawsuit for certain model years, and that the 2003 model has transmission design flaws that Honda is well aware of. We asked that he call Honda to see if they would cover the entire transmission replacement 100%, as any company with integrity for their products should. With no apology, he said he would call them and get back to us. He then called us back to state that Honda would cover 25% of the cost only, and give the replacement a 3year/36,000 mile warranty. When we picked up the vehicle, the warranty was not in writing until we insisted on them doing so. The service department clerk hand-wrote it sloppily on the receipt and then made a computer note which he printed out. Nothing was in writing from Honda directly. Now, today, there is an oil leak after the replacement that needs to be fixed by the dealership.

- Sacramento, AL, USA

problem #8

Jan 282011

Odyssey

  • 73,030 miles
I was in my 2003 Odyssey with my daughter when the van lost all power merging on to the freeway. The tcs and check engine lights came on and then the van would no longer accelerate. We came extremely close to having an accident. I took the van to the Honda dealer and they reported back that the transmission had completely failed with only 73K miles. In 2004 I took the van to the dealer for the transmission recall (NHTSA campaign #04V176000), but it did not prevent it's future failure. I have regularly performed the factory required transmission maintenance, but this was not enough for the faulty transmissions in Odyssey from 2001-2004. Honda said in a recent report that insufficient cooling can lead to heat build-up and broken gears in the transmission. In rare instances, gear breakage could lock up the transmission. Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash. Honda of America will not cover the replacement of my transmission even though they know that there have been pervasive failures with transmissions on the 2003 Odyssey. Honda has not taken full responsibility for the epidemic of Odyssey transmission failures. There needs to be a recall of all 2003 Odyssey transmissions!

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #7

Apr 242010

Odyssey

  • 61,711 miles
Honda of clear lake in webster, tx informed me that all the motor mounts were broken and needed to be replaced on my 2003 Honda Odyssey with 61,711 miles on the odometer. The dealership wrote $$$$$$$$$$$$ for their estimate. I've read online many other Honda Odyssey owners with the same complaints. The motor mount designs are defective to have failed so soon. There needs to be a recall. I replaced the motor mounts on my Toyota corolla at 180,000 miles for a comparison.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #6

Jun 152010

Odyssey

  • miles
I have not had an accident or injury due to this, but my 2003 Honda Odyssey can be turned off and the keys removed while the vehicle is still in gear. I have had it roll back a few feet before I caught it a couple of times.

- Sandy Springs, GA, USA

problem #5

Jan 052009

Odyssey

  • 94,500 miles
The key for my 2003 Odyssey can be pulled out in any gear. It has already resulted in a small collision. When the car was parked on a small incline, I failed to put the car in park when I pulled out my key. The car subsequently rolled down the incline and crashed into a parked car. The Honda dealer indicated the ignition switch needed to be replaced because it was worn. In the meantime, I now just try to always remember to set the parking brake and double check when I park that the car is actually in park before I pull the key.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

problem #4

Mar 052010

Odyssey

  • 105,000 miles
The shift interlock failed in my 2003 Honda Odyssey and it rolled backwards in a parking garage and hit two parked cars. I was able to take the keys out of the ignition in any gear and apparently that day I pulled my keys out of the ignition while it was still in drive. The parking space seemed level so I didn't apply the parking brake. It must have rolled when other cars drove past. I called Honda that day to report it and attempted to get them to pay for the failure. They wouldn't pay saying the car was out of warranty. I had the problem fixed at my local Honda dealership for just over $500 the damage to my car was over $2500 and I did damage to two other cars that my insurance company had to pay for. Thankfully no one was around and no one got hurt. This happened in a hospital parking garage.

- Pepperell, MA, USA

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