2003 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT, LIGHT DOWNHILL. VEHICLE WAS LEFT AND FOUND 5 MINUTES LATER 12 METER FURTHER DOWN, AFTER A SMALL CRASH WITH ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. BUMPER GOT SCRATCHES. THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN THE N POSITION. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN A HILLY AREA BETWEEN SAN JOSE AND SACRAMENTO, CA. 2003 ODYSSEY MILEAGE WAS ~120K AND SPEED WAS 60 MILES/HR. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE BECAME JERKY AND GEARS WONT ENGAGE AND SPEED DROPPED TREMENDOUSLY. I NARROWLY AVERTED A REAR END ACCIDENT AND PULLED THE VEHICLE ASIDE. AFTER SOMETIME, I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BUT STILL COULD NOTICE THE GEARS SLIPPING AND DROVE ON THE LAST LANE. I SEARCH ON NET AND FOUND LOTS AND LOTS OF HONDA ODYSSEYS HAVE TRANSMISSION ISSUES, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. I FEEL HONDA SHOULD TAKE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY ON THEIR PART AND REPLACE THE FAULTY PARTS. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I REQUEST NHTSA TO PREVENT FURTHER ACCIDENTS/LOSS OF LIVES ON OUR HIGHWAYS DUE TO TRANSMISSION FAILURES OF 2003 HONDA ODYSSEYS WHICH IMO ARE A TICKING TIME BOMB. *TR

THE CAR WAS IN PARK WITH NO KEYS IN THE IGNITION AND MY SIX YEAR OLD BUMPED THE SHIFTER OUT OF PARK AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY WITH HIM INSIDE. WE WERE RIGHT NEXT TO THE CAR AND WERE ABLE TO JUMP IN AND HIT THE BRAKES. IN A CONTROLLED SETTING, WE HAVE REPLICATED THIS SEVERAL TIMES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY SHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 123,000.

I NOTICED QUITE A BIT OF OIL LEAKING ON THE GARAGE FLOOR AND TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING AND THERE WERE 2 KNOWN ISSUES THAT MAY BE THE CAUSE: A HEAD BOLT ISSUE OR ENGINE PITTING. THEY WOULDN'T KNOW UNTIL THEY 'OPENED IT UP'. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE HEAD BOLT FOR CYLINDER #6, WHICH THEY SAID SEEMED TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND OTHER SITES THEY HAD ACCESS TO. HONDA IS EVEN AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS THEY CREATED A REPAIR KIT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ISSUE. WHEN OUR CERTIFIED MECHANIC CALLED THE DEALER, THE DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ENGINE, WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. THEY THEN RECOMMENDED THE TIME-SERT THREAD REPAIR KIT. ONCE THE MECHANIC GOT INTO THINGS THEY ALSO REALIZED THAT 2 OF THE BOLTS WERE STRIPPED, SO THEY REPAIRED BOTH. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN (OR WILL) DO TO HELP OFFSET THE $2500 REPAIR COST FOR THIS KNOWN ISSUE. IT IS TERRIBLE THAT HONDA OFFERS NO ASSISTANCE DESPITE THIS CLEARLY BEING A DEFECT IN THE STRENGTH OF THE BOLT OR THE THREADING PROCESS. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY OTHER INSTANCES OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND THE EXACT SAME CYLINDER NUMBER. AS AN OWNER OF THREE HONDA VEHICLES, NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LACK OF CARING AND WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND WILL ABSOLUTELY LOOK AT OTHER VEHICLES NOW. *TR

2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED, BEGAN SHIFTING ERRATICALLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, TO ALLOW IT TO COOL OFF. WHEN HE TURNED IT BACK ON, THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON, BUT HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. IT WAS STILL SHIFTING ERRATICALLY, BUT IT DID NOT OVERHEAT AGAIN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE TO HAVE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE CHECKED. THE CODE CAME UP AS A P0740; TORQUE SOLENOID CIRCUIT. THE CONSUMER DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE CODE AND DISCOVERED THAT HIS MODEL AND YEAR HAD A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION AND SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAD BEEN FILED DUE TO THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER COULDN'T SAY IF THE PROBLEM WAS DEFINITIVE TO THE RECALL. HONDA INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED IN 2005, WHERE AN OIL JET COOLER WAS INSTALLED ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONSUMER THEN EXAMINED HIS VEHICLE, AND DISCOVERED THERE WAS NO OIL JET COOLER ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE VAN REMAINED IN OVERDRIVE AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND OR 3RD GEAR.*JB

DRIVER SIDE STRUT CREAKING OR GRINDING TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS OR GOIN OVER SPEED BUMPS. *TR

MY HUSBAND PARKED OUR 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY IN OUR DRIVEWAY, ALONGSIDE THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO OUR HOME. HE REMOVED THE KEY AND WENT INSIDE, PLACING THE KEY IN THE USUAL LOCATION. HE CHANGED HIS SHIRT, INTENDING TO REMOVE FROM THE CAR THE 4' X 8' SHEET OF EXTERIOR PLYWOOD HE HAD JUST PURCHASED. WHEN HE WENT BACK OUTSIDE, THE CAR HAD ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY AND ACROSS THE ROAD, AND WAS FLOATING IN THE LAKE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OUR HOME. THE CAR SLOWLY SUNK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. A TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED AND A DIVER LOCATED THE VEHICLE IN THE 15 FOOT DEEP WATER. THE INSURANCE COMPANY "TOTALED" THE CAR, AND SAID THE INCIDENT WAS THE FAULT OF THE DRIVER, FOR NOT PUTTING THE CAR IN "PARK", EVEN THOUGH THE KEY HAD BEEN REMOVED. THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPED ON A SLOPING SURFACE, BUT THE WEIGHT OF THE PLYWOOD PROBABLY CAUSED THE CAR TO ROLL BACKWARDS ONTO THE SLOPING PART OF OUR DRIVEWAY. SINCE THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL BASED ON THIS DEFECT, THE INSURANCE COMPANY PLACES FULL BLAME ON THE DRIVER. HOW CAN I GET THEM TO NOT CHARGE THIS INCIDENT TO DRIVER NEGLIGENCE? HE HAS NEVER HAD A CHARGEABLE ACCIDENT, AND THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, WITH THE KEY REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ENGAGED IN PARK AND THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF WHEN IT ROLLED AWAY AND CRASHED INTO A NEIGHBORING HOME. THE CONTACT WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 115,000.

OUR NEIGHBOR CAME OVER AND ASKED WHY OUR HONDA ODYSSEY WAS IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET? LUCKILY IT HAD ROLLED DOWN THE SLOPING DRIVEWAY BACKWARDS BARELY MISSED TWO PARKED CARS IN THE DRIVEWAY ,THE MAILBOXES,PEDESTRIANS AND TRAFFIC ON THE STREET WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING OR ANYBODY . UPON EXAMINATION WE FOUND THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL AND THE IGNITION KEY COULD BE REMOVED WHILE THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL . WE ALSO FOUND THAT DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE SHIFT MECHANISM IT IS VERY EASY FOR US TO LEAVE THE ODYSSEY IN NEUTRAL AND REMOVE THE KEY . I SEE THAT HONDA HAD A RECALL ON IGNITION SWITCHES FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT THIS DID NOT INCLUDE THE ODYSSEY MINIVANS THAT TO MY KNOWLEDGE HAVE THE SAME TYPE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY . *TR