2009 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

VAN BEGAN TO STUTTER ON ACCELERATION AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO PERSONAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED A MIS-FIRE IN CYLINDER #2. REMOVED SPARK PLUG TO FIND IT COATED WITH OIL AND CARBON. SAYS IT APPEARS OIL IS LEAKING THROUGH THE ENGINE VALVE STEM SEALS AND COATING THE PLUG. HE REPLACED THE PLUG. HAVE SINCE TOOK IT TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP AND PERFORMED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. OVER 1 QUART CONSUMED IN 1200 MILES OF DRIVING. HAVE ASKED THAT STEM SEALS BE REPLACED UNDER GOOD WILL BUT HONDA HAS DENIED REQUEST BECAUSE SERVICE HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED AT DEALERSHIP AND THUS THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE WORKMANSHIP AND PARTS INSTALLED. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO CONSUME OIL AND AFTER CHECKING #2 CYLINDER PLUG RECENTLY, CONTINUES TO CONTAMINATE SPARK PLUGS. *TR

ON MAY 12, 2012, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN THE VAN STARTED TO SPUTTER. I CAME TO A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR ACTED AS IF IT WERE ABOUT TO CUT OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING ALONG WITH THE VSA LIGHT. IT RODE VERY ROUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE CLOSEST HONDA DEALERSHIP AS I WAS NOT IN MY HOMETOWN. THEY INFORMED ME THAT ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED ALL OF THEM TO THE TUNE OF $308.23. ON NOVEMBER 23, 2012, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE MILEAGE WAS 105,001. AGAIN, I WAS OUT OF TOWN AND DROVE THE CAR TO THE NEAREST HONDA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE #3 SPARK PLUG HAD FOULED OUT. I TOLD THEM TO REPLACE ONLY THE #3 PLUG. ON MY RECEIPT IT SAYS, "RETRIEVED CODE P0303...MISFIRE #3 CYLINDER...FOUND SPARK PLUG FOULED OUT. POSSIBLE FAULTY VALVE SEALS...REPLACED SPARK PLUG AND PERFORMED PCM SOFTWARE UPDATE." THAT COST ME $138.76. ON THE DRIVE HOME THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED TO ACT UP. IT WOULD RUN BUT SOMETIMES IT WAS COLD AND SOMETIMES THE AIR WAS NOT. ON NOVEMBER 24, 2012, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THAT I NORMALLY USE. THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING EXCEPT FOR A DIRTY CABIN FILTER. THEY REPLACED IT AND CHARGED ME $131.97. HOWEVER, THEY SAID MY BRAKES WERE WORN OUT. THAT COST $359.68. THEN THERE WAS THE BRAKE FLUID EXCHANGE, TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE, AND POWER STEERING FLUSH. ALL IN ALL THE VISIT COST ME $1049.61. FUNNY, ON NOVEMBER 19, 2012, I HAD TAKEN THE VAN IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY DID A COURTESY INSPECTION. NO MENTION OF BRAKE PROBLEM. NOVEMBER 26, 2012, CAR DEAD, WOULDN'T START. THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY. DECEMBER 3, 2012, CAR DEAD AGAIN. INVOICE READS, "A/C CLUTCH RELAY STUCK KILLING BATTERY MAKING A/C COMPRESSOR RUN EVEN WHEN A/C OFF." FIXED FOR FREE DUE TO ALL THE PROBLEMS. *TR

MY PASSENGER POWER SLIDE DOOR KEPT OPENING UP WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD LATCH WHEN TURNED OFF WHICH DEADENED THE BATTERY IT WAS FIXED FOR $680.00. NOW THE OTHER SLIDE DOOR IS DOING THE SAME THING. LOOKING ONLINE THERE ARE MANY THAT HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO. WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A SAFETY RECALL ON THOSE DOORS. MY GRANDKIDS ARE ALWAYS BUCKLED IN, BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS WHEN YOUR TRAVELING AND THE DOORS OPEN WHEN THEY ARE IN THE VAN, AND NOW I'M FACED WITH ANOTHER EXPENSIVE BILL AGAIN. WILL PROBABLY NEVER BUY ANOTHER HONDA AGAIN. *TR

THE FAULT DESCRIPTION RECENTLY REPORTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13T006000 FOR MICHELIN TIRE FAILURE FOR A SERIES OF TIRES IS EXACTLY THAT I REPORTED IN COMPLAINT ODI NUMBER 10470716 LAST YEAR. I INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE 235/60R17 TIRES, TWO OF WHICH HAD FAILED, AND THE OTHER TWO WERE SHOWING DEGRADATION DAMAGE. THE 235/60R17 TIRES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THANKS, *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RELEASE A CHILD FROM THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, THE SEAT BELT FAILED AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE CHILD FROM THE SEAT. THE CONTACT HAD TO SEVERE THE SEAT BELT STRAPS IN ORDER TO RELEASE THE CHILD FROM THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 65-70MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR BEGAN TO RIDE VERY ROUGH (APPROXIMATE DATE OF 6/1/2012 AT ~65,000 MILES). PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST HONDA DEALERSHIP (AS RECOMMENDED IN OWNERS' MANUAL). SERVICE AT DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE CAR AND FOUND THE SPARK PLUGS TO BE FOULED. REPLACED SPARK PLUGS (#3 WAS ONE), AND ALL SEEMED FINE. THE SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED AGAIN ON JANUARY 31, 2013 (AT 75,126 MILES) - AGAIN WITH NO WARNING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON (WHILE DRIVING) AND CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER. HAD CAR TOWED TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP. AGAIN THE SPARK PLUGS (#3 SPECIFICALLY) WERE FOULED. REPLACED THE ALL SPARK PLUGS. FOUND OUT THAT I WAS TWO QUARTS LOW ON OIL EVENTHOUGH THE OIL HAD BEEN RECENTLY CHANGED (1/7/13 AT ~73,000 MILES) AND NO OIL WAS LEAKING FROM MY CAR (I.E. NO OIL SPOTS ON DRIVEWAY, ETC...). THE SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED AGAIN ON 5/2/2013 (AT 81,320 MILES)...CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON (WHILE DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING), CAR STARTS TO SPUTTER. I HAVE IT TOWED TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP, AND THE SPARK PLUG (#3) ARE FOUND TO BE FOULED AGAIN. AGAIN, OIL IS TWO QUARTS LOW (OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED ON 3/21/13 AT 78,976 MILES). FIX ALL AGAIN AND CHANGE OIL TO TO AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. TEST FOUND THAT MY CAR IS CONSUMING AT LEAST 1 QT OF OIL PER 1000 MILES AND THAT IS CAUSING MY SPARK PLUGS TO FOUL. HONDA SAYS MY OIL CONSUMPTION IS WITHIN "NORMAL PARAMETERS" AND WILL DO NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HONDA FEELS THAT HAVING TO ADD OIL EVERY 1000 MILES ACCPETABLE. I DISAGREE! IF I DON'T CHECK THE OIL EVERY 1000 MILES (AND ADD AT LEAST A QT), THEN I RISK DRIVING WITH NO OIL WHICH WILL CAUSE MY ENGINE TO SEIZE. ALSO, EVEN ADDING THE OIL DOESN'T RESOLVE FREQUENT SPARK PLUG DAMAGE CAUSING ENGINE BREAKDOWN. THIS CAR IS UNRELIABLE AND UNSAFE! *TR

BATTERY WENT DEAD AT IDLE WITH AC ON. WHILE STARTING HE ENGINE, A ABNORMAL SOUND WAS MAKE BY WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE ENGINE OVER AND THE AC FREON LEAKED OUT, DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. AFTER SHUT DOWN, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. *TR

ENGINE OIL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED BY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AT 33,599 MILES, WHO INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW PRIOR TO DRAINING THE CRANK CASE. I BEGAN MONITORING ENGINE OIL QUANTITY THEREAFTER. CURRENTLY WITH 39,252 MILES ON THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION RATE IS ABOUT 1 QUART PER 2,500 MILES, WHICH SEEMS EXCESSIVE FOR AN ENGINE WITH LOW MILEAGE. THIS RATE EQUATES TO CONSUMPTION OF HALF OF THE ENTIRE CRANK CASE BETWEEN ENGINE OIL CHANGE CYCLES. IF NOT MONITORED AND FILLED THE ENGINE MAY BE DAMAGED DUE TO LOW ENGINE OIL QUANTITY AND PRESSURE. A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY IMPACT IS PRESENT IF THE OWNER IS NOT AWARE OF OIL CONSUMPTION AND THE ENGINE SEIZES. THE ENGINE IS THE HONDA SOHC VCM, 6-CYLINDER (V6), GASOLINE ENGINE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND JERKED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. *TR

SAFETY CONCERN THAT THE MANUFACTURE DID NOT ADDRESS RE; E-Z ON MOLDED # 86Y UNIVERSAL HARNESS. MY SON IS 9 AND HAS CEREBRAL PALSY HE WEIGHTS 98 LBS AND DUE TO HIS CONDITION HE CANNOT SIT ON A BOOSTER AND IS LARGE ENOUGH TO SIT IN A REGULAR SEAT. WE ARE USING THIS HARNESS SLOG WITH THE LAP SHOULDER BELT INSTITUTION ALONG WITH THE LOCKING CLIP (ITEM G ON THE OWNERS MANUAL). HOWEVER THE LOCKING CLIP IN THE ILLUSTRATION IS NEXT TO THE LATCH PLATE. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS CONFIGURATION DOES NOT WORK IN OUR HONDA ODYSSEY - AS WELL AS MOST OTHER CARS THE LOCKING CLIP HAS TO BE PLACED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE AS IF YOU DO NOT THE SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT BE HELD IN A SECURE POSITION- WHEN I ASKED THEM IF THIS POSITION HAD BEEN CRASH TESTED - THEY TOLD ME YES BUT COULD PROVIDE NO DOCUMENTATION. WE LOVE THE HARNESS BUT I WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS SAFE FOR OUR SON. I CAN SEND YOU PICTURE IF YOU LIKE. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2009, MAKE=ODYSSEY, MODEL=HONDA)