1999 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

TRANSMISSION FAILING. CLUTCH ENGAGES LATE AND SUDDENLY: ENGINE REVS AS GAS IS APPLIED BUT CLUTCH DOESN'T ENGAGE, THEN CLUTCH ENGAGES SUDDENLY, CAUSING CAR TO JERK FORWARD HARD. THIS IS DANGEROUS--CAN'T PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF CAR WILL ACTUALLY GO WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS, AND CAR COASTS AS TRANSMISSION TRIES (BUT FAILS) TO SHIFT BETWEEN E.G. 1ST AND 2ND. PLEASE REQUIRE A RECALL ON THIS--MANY PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM IN AUTO NEWSGROUPS ON THE INTERNET. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AND A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AS WELL.*AK

BOTH MANUAL SLIDING DOORS WILL NOT OPEN WHEN IT'S HOT OR RAINING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*JB

ALERT BUZZER OF BOTH SLIDING DOORS GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER 5-6 TIMES. THE TRACKS AND CONTACTS HAVE BEEN CLEANED, DOES NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*JB DUE TO THE CONSTANT BUZZING OF THE DOOR ALARM AS IF THE DOOR IS OPENED, CONSUMER RESULTED TO TURNING OFF THE AUTOMATIC DOOR FEATURE, BUT WHEN USING THE DOORS MANUALLY, THE DOORS ARE HARD TO OPEN. *TT

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON 5 TIMES OVER 4 MONTHS. THE LAST TIME TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK

CONSUMER STATED THE SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT SHUT PROPERLY, IT KEEPS POPPING OPEN. DOOR AJAR LIGHT IS CONSTANTLY ON. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *AK THE DOORS POP BACK OUT AFTER CLOSING, CAUSING THE AJAR LIGHT TO COME ON AND ALARM TO SOUND, ALARM FAILS IF THE VEHICLE IS PUT IN PARK OR NEUTRAL. DOORS HAVE BEEN SERVICED, SWITCHES AND LATCHES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *YH

SLIDING DOOR GETS STUCK AND ON OCCASSION HAS OPENED BY ITSELF ONCE WHILE DRIVING.

WHEN ENGINE IS COLD, TRANSMISSION JERKS AND LURCHES. VEHICLE CANNOT INCREASE SPEED BEYOND 20 MPH. DEALER (NOT THE SAME AS WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED) THIS IS MOREHEAD HONDA IN NEWBURGH NY SAID IT NEEDED TRANSMISSION SERVICING AND NEW PARTS, CHARGED US $250. NOW THEY TELL US IT NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION AND THEY WILL COVER ALL BUT $800. WE HAVE SPENT ENOUGH ALREADY ON REPAIRING THIS POORLY BUILT VEHICLE. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS HAPPENING TO MANY OF THESE VEHICLES AND IT IS TIME THAT THE MANUFACTURER BE SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. *AK

IN AUGUST THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE LEFT SLIDING DOOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THEY ADVISED IT HAD A BROKEN CENTER ROLLER AND IT WAS REPLACED (AT A DEDUCTIBLE COST 100). IN NOVEMBER THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THE SAME DOOR THEY WORKED ON WAS BEEPING CONTINUOUSLY (THE CHIME FOR THE DOOR NOT LATCHED), AND THAT THERE WAS 1 OCCURRENCE OF THE DOOR OPENING ON THE HIGHWAY 1FOOT ON IT'S OWN. THE DEALER LOOKED IT AND ADVISED IT HAD A BROKEN LATCH. OVER THE NEXT 2 WEEKS THEY WERE CONTACTED 2 TIMES FOR ME TO BE ADVISED IT WASN'T IN YET. 3 WEEKS AFTER THE LAST VISIT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID I COULD BRING IT IN ON FRIDAY 12/28. BY THIS TIME THE DOOR HAD OPENED FOR THE SECOND TIME ON IT'S OWN. THEY INITIALLY LOOKED AT THE DOOR AND ASKED WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM--THEY WERE AGAIN ADVISED OF THE PROBLEMS. THEY REPLACED THE DOOR LATCH AGAIN AT A DEDUCTIBLE COST OF 100. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THEY WORK ON THESE ALL OF THE TIME AND HE FELT THEY SHOULD GET A BETTER FIX SINCE IT IS SAFETY RELATED (MINI-VAN, DOORS OPENING ON OWN, CHILDREN--DIDN'T MIX). THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AS A CANADIAN MODEL. VIN [XXX], I HAVE NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NOTICE 00V119000 BUT WAS ADVISED MY VEHICLE DIDN'T "NEED" THAT DONE. IT DIDN'T FALL IN THE RECALL PROGRAM---BASED ON MY 2 PROBLEMS I FEEL IT SHOULD. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT I MAY DO TO SEE THAT THIS IS FIXED PROPERLY. I AM THINKING OF SELLING THE VEHICLE DUE TO THIS SAFETY PROBLEM BUT CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE PASS THIS ONLY ANOTHER PERSON. THANK YOU. [XXX].*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MANUFACTURER DENIES ANY PROBLEMS HOWEVER WE HAVE A HONDA SERVICE BULLITEN THAT STATES OTHERWISE SB #00-065 PLEASE READ IT. THEY ARE REPLACING THEM WITH REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS BUT THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE FREE FROM THIS SAME DEFECT. THAT IS WHY HONDA HAS PUT A TOTALLY NEW TRANSMISSION DESIGN INTO THE 2002.*AK

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT TURNS ON REPEATEDLY. HONDA SERVICE SAYS FAILURE CODE INDICATES NEW TRANSMISSION NEEDED, ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT DETECT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS JUST YET. INTERNET SEARCH HAS TURNED UP A LOT OF OTHERS MENTIONING SIMILAR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY, AND I DONT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THERE IS AN ACCIDENT BEFORE REPORTING MY TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF OTHERS OWNERS WITH SAME PROBLEM, HOPEFULLY HONDA WILL DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPAIR/FIX THIS PROBLEM. *AK