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.
The "check engine" light came on (a $1,500 repair) for the catalytic converter replacement and the transmission had to be replaced (at 93K). Apparently these are both increasingly common problems in this model. It's hard to believe that my van carries the Honda name. Then I started googling and found many sites reporting the same horror stories here I realized that many of these vehicles were manufactured with faulty parts and may be a lemons as well? the prospect to paying $100 every time the check engine light turns on is not a pleasant one. Vehicles built today should not require transmissions & emission converter at a mere 93,000 miles. I have been very disappointed with the reliability of my Honda Odyssey. The brand is considered highly reputable and has a price premium (and supposedly a resale value) to match - but my experience with the Odyssey has been one of repeated mechanical break downs and poor performance as many owner have written and blogged. I feel helpless and know Honda is powerful corporation who will do nothing... we need your help to protect consumers of these practices. Thank you for your time.
It has been a year, but I still see transmission issues that don't rise to recall status. We bought our 2001 Honda used albeit not from the dealer. We bought our vehicle in the us although the vehicle was made in Canada. However, the vehicle was originally sold in Canada. Our vehicle was within the extended warranty requirements but was deemed void since the vehicle was imported. Honda would not cover the cost of the replacement, which was close to $3,000. We bought a new car recently, which was not a Honda.
Transmission failure on 2001 Honda Odyssey's. Honda will conduct repairs if failure occurs within 7 yrs or 109K miles. My van just started having problems at 120K miles. After reviewing several internet sites this transmission failure is a very common issue, and while we are just now at the 7 yr (2008) limit, most people are outside the 109K window. Is there any hope/help that the NHTSA can offer to influence Honda to perform a full or at least shared repair?
- Corryton, TN, USA
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The contact owns a 2001 Honda Odyssey. While driving uphill and stopping the vehicle, the vehicle rolled backwards when the contact released the brake pedal to accelerate. He took the vehicle to the dealer for other services and was informed that his transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer made the replacement for free. When the failure recurred, all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. With less than 19,000 miles on the new transmission, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the transmission was replaced again for free. The contact feels that it is only a matter of time before the failure recurs. The failure mileage was 77,234 and current mileage was 98,910. Updated 08/20/08 the consumer has had 3 transmission within six years. The timing belt was replaced and the vehicle was leaking coolant, the dealer replaced the water pump. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer replaced the catalytic converter. Updated 08/21/08.
We own a 2001 Honda Odyssey mini-van which we purchased new in April 2001. We have been having problems with the gears shifting and took the vehicle to the dealer on a number of occasions only to be told there is no issue. Finally, when the check engine light went on, the dealer conceded that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle has 77,000 miles and was still under the extended transmission warranty. However, the dealer than told us that the engine mounts need to be replaced as well. In reading the strings on the NHTSA ODI website, it looks like this is a problem that exists across the 2001 models. I would recommend that Honda and NHTSA began a recall of these vehicles and/or extend the warranty on the engine mounts and the transmission to 100K or 10 years.
Failed transmission in 2001 Honda Odyssey. We drove from starkville, ms to our families homes in ocean springs, ms for christmas. We got about 45 minutes from our home when we came to a stop light. After we stopped we tried to accelerate and the car shifted very hard. It shifted hard every time it changed gears. We made it down to our families for christmas. On our return trip home we experienced the same problem. When we attempted to turn left to cross the hwy. On to the on-ramp the car would not down-shift out of 4th gear. The van struggled across the highway. It took us about 30 seconds to get across the 2 lanes of traffic. My husband contacted the local dealer and they referred him to american Honda. He told them about the problem. They told him they could not repair it because it was no longer under warranty. We continued to drive it as it is our only vehicle. The problem wasn't too bad when the weather was cold but as soon as it would get warm it would shift hard again. It finally gave out on our way home one day in March, 2008. It would shift hard and then hang up like the gears wouldn't lock in. It was terrifying to drive. We took it to a transmission specialist and were told it would cost $3,000 to fix. We kept the maintenance up on this vehicle and took very good care of it.
Traveling down I-75 near marietta Georgia, traffic came to a near stop as tornado producing storm entered the area. The "check engine" and tcs light came on prior to the failure. The vehicle has 130,000 miles on it, but has been well maintained. When attempting to re-accelerate, the engine RPM's increased rapidly but the transmission did not immediately engage. When the transmission did finally engage, the van lurched forward with a very unhealthly sounding mechanical clunk. After exiting the highway, the transmission continued to delay engaging making it very difficult to seek cover from the storm. As the tornado sirens wailed and the hail starting coming down, my family and I found ourselves essentially stranded 8 hours from home in the midst of very severe and dangerous weather. I am the original owner of the 2001 Odyssey and purchased it specifically for Honda's purported reliability. It appears that Honda has known for years that this transmission is prone to failure. At a minimum, Honda should have notified all owners so that they could act accordingly - instead Honda allowed owners to unwittingly place their loved ones in danger. I'm a long time Honda proponent and I'm enraged that they would act with such negligence! not only are they responsible for endangering, but they disrupted our vacation, cost us a cab trip to the atlanta airport piled with bags for seven people as well as a week's car rental charge. After pressing Honda, they agreed to pay for half of the transmission cost but no labor.
Purchased this vehicle with less than 115K miles in Mar 2007. Felt the transmission was shifting hard especially in the mornings. Changed transmission fluid twice in 6 months and noticed the fluid color to be brownish every time after less than 5K miles. Hard shifting has not gone away since. There is no fault codes yet but once that happens I am going to bring in it for a diagnostic.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Odyssey. In January of 2007, the transmission light illuminated and the contact immediately called the dealer. She took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that there was a problem with the transmission. The transmission was replaced. On February 2, 2008, the transmission was replaced again because it began to buck. On February 22, 2008, the contact noticed fluid all over the garage. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that there was a faulty seal. The seal was replaced. On March 3, 2008, the contact went back to the dealer because she believed the transmission was down shifting. The dealer agreed that the transmission was slipping and replaced the transmission. Beginning on March 7, 2008, the transmission made a new noise. The dealer has not been notified. The current mileage was 84,400 and failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 04-03-08 the transmission was covered under warranty.
The transmission failed on two separate occasions. The Honda dealer replaced the transmission on both occasions. Due to the mileage (111,700) I had to pay half the cost for the second transmission installation.
Driving on I-10 between el paso and san antonio, 200 miles away from any major town, we had a trouble with our 2001 Honda Odyssey transmission. It took about 5 minutes to go from 0 to 10miles/hr. After the car reached 30 miles/hr, it worked ok. We had to leave the car in san antonio, Honda dealer in san antonio replaced the transmission under warranty. But we have to rent a car and fly back to pick up the van. Since then, we had 2 more transmission replacement by Honda dealers in less than half a year. After the third replacement, the car still has transmission problem agreed by Honda dealer's technician, but they refused to do any computer diagnosis and refused to replace it.
I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey ex, I am currently having the same transmission problems everyone else is having. My check engine light is on and I have a erratic shifting between gears during driving. When the vehicle is cold and I shift into reverse gear it causes a real hard banging jerk in the transmission. I spoke to the Honda service dept and they acted like it was an engine mount (which I immediately changed at a cost of $100 for the part). I also went ahead and changed the transmission mounts as well (another $40 for parts). This was not the problem and I now discover they knew it by reading online complaints about this model of vehicle. I was notified of the warranty extension but my vehicle had already passed the warranty mileage extension. I think there should not be a mileage placed on the warranty.....it is obvious, this vehicle has a design flaw when it comes to the automatic transmission. Honda of America should replace my transmission free of charge. I bought this vehicle used from a Honda dealer and it was supposed to be certified. I don't know how many transmissions it has had. The vehicle has been well maintained with the transmission fluid being changed as directed every 30,000 miles with Honda atf fluid since I have owned it.
2001 Honda Odyssey which is now on its 5th transmission and has 104,850 miles. Contact stated vehicle lurched forward at low speeds between 2-3 on the RPM gauge. Dealership could not duplicate problem.. the consumer stated the first time the transmission failed, it ceased to shift between gears. Every time the transmission was replaced it was because of a different problem. The egr was replaced due to internal damage. The engine and tcs lights had illuminated. The dealer stated a code determined there was a problem with the torque converter which was electrical. The front and side motor mounts were replaced.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Odyssey. When approaching a stop at 5 mph, the vehicle failed to shift into first gear. The contact had to manually place the vehicle into first gear. The vehicle jerked forward violently once it did shift into first gear. Honda extended the warranty and on June 24, 2006, Honda replaced the transmission. The contact paid $1,092 for the repair, plus labor fees. On October 24, 2007, the transmission would not upshift into first gear and would shift directly into second or third gear. The vehicle jerked violently when this occurred. The contact was informed that he would have to pay $1,786 for the second repair. The current mileage is 210,312 and failure mileage was 159,342. Updated 03/05/08.
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Odyssey. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle would not downshift when it came to a stop. The vehicle jerked as the contact attempted to accelerate. The dealer stated that the transmission caused the failure. The transmission was replaced. Approximately 15 months later, while driving 20 mph, the vehicle would not upshift. When it did, it shifted violently. The dealer stated that the transmission failed and it was replaced once again. The contact stated that while driving 40-45 mph, the transmission would surge. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,342 and current mileage was 210,152.
My 2001 Odyssey is now on its fifth transmission; the transmission has completely failed four times. Dealer keeps replacing my faulty transmissions with rebuilt faulty transmissions. I'm afraid to have my children in the car any more; I've been stranded on the side of the highway too many times because Honda & dealer can't seem to install a reliable transmission. Dealer has said it is following the warranty by installing a rebuilt transmission and says "new" transmissions are not available.
2001 Honda Odyssey with transmission problems customer states that first he was told that it would be replaced then he received a call stating that it would not be covered under the recall warranty because it was manufactured in Canada* the consumer provided a copy of bill of sale and motorvehicle consumer complaint form.
: the contact stated the warning lights illuminated and all interior lights flashed on and off just before all power failed in the vehicle while traveling 30 mph. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle restarted after 5 minutes and was driven to the service dealer. The contact was informed the automatic transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Jamaica, NY, USA