2003 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ABOUT A MILE OUTSIDE OF RAWLINS, WY AND THE RPM INDICATOR SUDDENLY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP AND THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I DECIDED TO DRIVE IT INTO RAWLINS ALTHOUGH IT WAS SLIPPING GEARS AND I HAD A HARD TIME GETTING IT TO SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. I HAD TO DRIVE VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY AND WHEN I GOT TO THE GAS STATION IN RAWLINS, THERE WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL UNDER THE CAR AND ON THE UNDER SIDE OF THE CAR. SO I CALLED AND TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC JUST BEFORE THEY CLOSED. HE QUICKLY CHECKED IT AND SAID IT PROBABLY JUST NEEDED A TRANSMISSION SERVICE. SO MY BOYFRIEND AND I TOWED IT TO CASPER, WYOMING AND TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THERE. THEY CHECKED IT AND IT CAME UP WITH 3 MALFUNCTION CODES P0710N/P0780/P1750. SO IT NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE MILEAGE IS AT 148417 AND I HAVE ONLY OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS INDICATION THAT IT HAD ANY PROBLEMS. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST ME BETWEEN $3200-$4500 TO HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION PUT IN MY CAR. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY FOR THAT. SO NOW I HAVE NO VEHICLE FOR MY FAMILY. *KB

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.

MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AND BEGAN SMELLING SMOKE AND THEN STARTED SEEING SMOKE BEHIND OUR FAMILIES VEHICLE. WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND FOUND TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL UNDERNEATH AND ON BACK OF OUR VEHICLE. WE MANAGED TO MAKE IT TO A HONDA DEALER AND AFTER 3 HOURS OF "WE'RE NOT REALLY SURE" WE WERE TOLD "HONDA" TOLD THEM OUR TORQUE DIVERTED WAS BAD AND OUR TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. $5000!! *KB

THE VEHICLE (2003 HONDA ODYSSEY) HAS PROGRESSIVELY BEEN EXPERIENCING WHAT I'LL DEEM "ELECTRICAL" ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE SEVERELY IMPACTING THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS ON THE VEHICLE CAUSING THEM TO OPEN WHILE DRIVING, NOT OPEN WHEN USING THE HANDLE OR BUTTON. SPECIFICALLY, THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS WILL NOT OPEN, WILL NOT CLOSE OR PARTIALLY CLOSE WITHOUT FULLY LATCHING. THIS HAPPENS REGARDLESS OF USING THE MANUAL DOOR HANDLE OR THE BUTTON LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE AUTOMATIC DOORS HAVE OPENED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH CHILDREN IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE CREATING AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION. THIS HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 6-10 TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR AND SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT. IT'S HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, ON SIDE STREETS AND DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT IS CONSTANTLY DRAWING A SMALL CHARGE FROM THE BATTERY KEEPING IT IN A WEAKENED STATE. *KB

2003 HONDA ODYSSEY TRANSMISSION FAILED AT HWY SPEED ON THE TAPPEN ZEE BRIDGE NY AFTER BEING TOLD BY TWO DEALERS ONE IN CANADA AND ONE IN NY STATE THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO LOW GEAR, REVVED HIGH, TCS LIGHT CAME ON, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND D3 LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. *TT

I AM WRITING TODAY WITH CONCERNS ABOUT MY 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR A TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT. MUCH TO MY DISMAY, I RECEIVED A CALL SAYING THAT THE FRONT AND SIDE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $516.81. I MUST SAY THAT I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ENGINE MOUNTS GOING BAD ON A VEHICLE AND NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. WE BOUGHT A HONDA ODYSSEY TO HAVE AS A RELIABLE FAMILY VAN THAT WE PLANNED TO KEEP FOR A WHILE. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE BOUGHT A HONDA IS BECAUSE OF THE NOTED REPUTATION FOR BEING A SAFE AND RELIABLE AUTO BRAND. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNT REPLACEMENT SHOULD CORRECT ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT WE REPORTED WITH THE VAN. THE TRANSMISSION REGULARLY MAKES A TERRIBLE CLUNKING NOISE WHEN IT IS SHIFTED FROM PARK TO REVERSE. WE ALSO REPORTED THIS SAME CLUNKING AND SOME SLIPPING IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. THESE PROBLEMS HAVE NEVER GONE AWAY AND WE HAVE GREAT CONCERNS ABOUT THE VIABILITY OF THE TRANSMISSION IN OUR ODYSSEY. FORTUNATELY IT HAS NOT LEFT US STRANDED ON THE ROADSIDE AND STUCK WITH A HUGE REPAIR BILL YET. OUR CONCERNS SEEM TO BE VALIDATED BASED ON THE INFORMATION WE HAVE READ ON VARIOUS WEB SITES ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND FAILURES OF THE ODYSSEY'S TRANSMISSION. WE WENT AHEAD AND SPENT THE MONEY TO HAVE THE ENGINE MOUNTS REPLACED. HOWEVER, THIS HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM WITH THE 'CLUNKING' NOISE WHEN SHIFTING THE VEHICLE FROM PARK TO REVERSE. I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT WE COULD DRIVE THIS VAN FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO COME AND ACCUMULATE WELL OVER 100,000 MILES BASED ON THE PURPORTED RELIABILITY OF THE HONDA BRAND. IT LOOKS LIKE THE MOTOR MOUNT ISSUE AS WELL AS THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS SHOULD PROMPT A RECALL FOR THIS MODEL YEAR DUE TO THE VOLUME OF ISSUES. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A WARNING LIGHT FLASHING THE LETTER D ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 81,000.

2--3 HONDA ODYSSEY TRANSMISSION PROBLEM: I PURCHASED A 2003 ODYSSEY BRAND NEW IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002. THE VAN WAS GREAT FOR A WHILE UNTIL THE ELECTRIC DOORS STARTED TO STICK AND WE HAD SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR A CHECK-UP RIGHT BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT ABOUT 34K MILES (WARRANTY EXPIRES AT 36K). THE DEALER LOOSENED THE DOORS AND EXPLAINED THAT THE HEAT IN FLORIDA REQUIRED US TO PLACE A LITTLE OF LITHIUM GREASE IN THE GASKETS ON THE DOORS. THE DEALER DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION, BUT SINCE I HAD ALREADY STARTED TO HEAR ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, I MADE SURE THEY NOTED THE COMPLAINT ON THE WORK ORDER. AT 40K MILES BANG! TRANSMISSION OUT! WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE CALLED US TO LET US KNOW THAT HONDA WILL PROVIDE US A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR REPLACEMENT, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE $1000 INSTALLATION. MY WIFE AND I HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO PAY. WELL, THE VAN NOW (6/28/2033) HAS 119K MILES AND I JUST LEFT IT AT A MECHANIC SHOP TO GET THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. I WILL COST $1200, AND THERE'S NOT MUCH ELSE I CAN DO RIGHT NOW. I HAVE TO PRACTICE MY HOUDINI SKILLS AND MAKE $1200 POP OUT OF THIN AIR. THIS ISSUE IS A REAL SHAME BECAUSE THE VAN IS AWESOME. HONDA COULD BE EMBRACING THEIR PROBLEMS AND CAPITALIZING IN BUILDING LONG TERM CUSTOMER LOYALTY. INSTEAD, I JUST WANT TO PLACE THE HONDA LOGO IN THE TRAIN TRACKS, THE WAY I PLACED SMALL COINS IN THE TRACK TO FLATTEN THEM WHEN I WAS A KID. I HOPE WE CAN GET SOMETHING TO HAPPEN THOUGH THE COURTS ABOUT THIS. *TR

MY 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY'S TRANSMISSION WENT OUT IN FALL OF 2010. I AM A CAREFUL DRIVER, TAKEN CARE TO MAINTAIN MY CAR ACCORDING TO SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. THE TRANSMISSION FELT A LITTLE LOOSE FOR A FEW DAYS, AND THEN ONE DAY ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK IT COMPLETELY FAILED. I COULDN'T GET INTO ANY GEAR. I CALLED HONDA AND ASKED FOR HELP AND THEY SAID MY CAR WAS TOO OLD AND IT WAS NORMAL FOR TRANSMISSIONS TO FAIL. THE MILEAGE ON MY CAR WAS 134760. I HAD TO HAVE A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AT AAMCO FOR $3000. THIS CAR HAS HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS, AND HONDA REFUSES TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. I'VE HAD THE KEY CORE GO BAD, MY DRIVERS SIDE REAR DOOR HAD BEEN "FIXED" 3 TIMES AND STILL WON'T CLOSE PROPERLY, ALL THE PAINT IS PEELING ALL OVER THE CAR, AND HONDA WOULD ONLY REPAINT PORTIONS OF THE CAR AS PART OF THE RECALL. SO ONE SIDE OF MY CAR AND THE BACK IS COMPLETELY PEELED AWAY, AND THEY REFUSE TO REPAINT IT, UNLESS I PAY TO HAVE IT DONE. *TR

WE DISCOVERED TODAY THAT OUR 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY WAS IN NEED OF A NEW TRANSMISSION, THE SAD PART IS THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 89,500 MILES, THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THAT INSPECTED THE VAN TOLD US THAT THE COST TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GOING TO BE $4200. WE PRETTY MUCH EXPERIENCED ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT MANY OTHER USERS ARE MENTIONING ON THIS SITE, IT FIRST STARTED BY SKIPPING GEARS BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD, THEN THE TCS AND EMC LIGHT CAME ON AND AFTER THIS EVERYTHING CAME DOWNHILL. THE DEALER TOLD US THAT THE VAN WAS SERVICED IN THE PAST TO TAKE CARE OF THE RECALL BY INSTALLING THE JET FAN COOLING THING, APPARENTLY THIS WAS A BANDAGE TO THE REAL ISSUE AS A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY DIED ON US. WE BOUGHT HONDA FOR THEIR APPARENT "SUPERIOR QUALITY" AND HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISAPPOINTED. WE FEEL LIKE WE GOT SCREWED AND IF THERE IS A RECALL OR SOME LEMON LAW WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT IT BECAUSE THIS JUST CAN NOT KEEP HAPPENING!!!!!!!! *TR