2003 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE MY 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY STARTED TO PUT OUT SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT HITTING ANY OTHER CARS. WE WERE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED AND DUE TO THE DAMAGE HAD TO BE REBUILT. THERE IS A RECALL IN PLACE (NHTSA # 04V176000) FOR OUR VEHICLE FOR THIS ISSUE. IN SPEAKING WITH HONDA IT APPEARS RECALL WORK WAS DONE IN 2004 (A REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE), BUT WE STILL EXPERIENCED THE TRANSMISSION DEFECT. I JUST WANTED TO FILE THE COMPLAINT IN CASE OTHERS HAD FOUND THAT HONDA'S REPAIR SOLUTION HAD NOT BEEN EFFECTIVE FOR THEM EITHER. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START. IGNITION SWITCH REMAINS LOCKED. MY 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY WILL NO LONGER START. PRIOR TO THIS, I WENT TO HONDA SERVICE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FREQUENT INCIDENTS OF MY IGNITION SWITCH FAILING TO UNLOCK. THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR AND I WILL HAVE TO SPEND OVER $500 TO REPLACE THE KEY CYLINDER. ARE THEY PUTTING SUBSTANDARD KEY CYLINDERS? I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER MODELS OF HONDA ARE BEING RECALLED DUE TO IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEMS. HAVEN'T THEY DONE ANYTHING TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ODYSSEY MODELS? *TR

2003 HONDA ODYSSEY TRANSMISSION ISSUE PLEASE REFER TO HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0FALLE/467 THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS AGAINST HONDA ODYSSEY'S TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WHOSE OWNERS ARE FRUSTRATED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND OUR GOVERNMENT'S LACK OF ACTION TO ENFORCE THE BETTER QUALITY AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR CONSUMERS. I HAVE 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY WHICH NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION AT A QUOTED COST OF OVER $4,000 AT THE DEALER WHO DENIED FOR BEING ABLE TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. WHAT UPSETS ME IS THAT THERE IS A "GOOD-WILL REPAIR" BY THE HONDA MOTORS AMERICA, WHO HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE ISSUES INVOLVING ALL HONDA ODYSSEYS THEY MADE, NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND THEY ARE HANDLING IT ON A CASE BY CASE; NO UNIFORM REGULATIONS ARE BEING APPLIED. SUCH UNFAIR PRACTICES OF CUSTOMER SERVICES. AT THE MOMENT, MY CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL I HAVE TIME TO TALK AND COMPLAINT TO THE COMPANY. NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY. HOWEVER, 99-2001 MODELS, THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 109K MILEAGE. SOME OF THE CUSTOMERS WITH OVER 145K-189K HAVE BEEN REIMBURSED THE COST BY THE COMPANY. AND THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO DO IT UNLESS YOU HAVE TO BE PERSISTENT AND LOUD. TAKING TOO MANY BUREAUCRACY IN RESOLVING THE PROBLEM WHEN THE PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF CAR IS WIDE SPREAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH THE VEHICLE GRADUALLY DECREASED SPEED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE SAFELY TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNING SIGNS. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF $5,000.00 TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD PAY HALF OF THE COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V176000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) WAS PERFORMED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

WE OWN A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY AND WE ARE HAVING REPEATED TRANSMISSION FAILURES. SHORT TIME LINE: 37K FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILS - REPLACED BY DEALER WITH HONDA TRANSMISSION 97K SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILS - REPLACED BY DEALER WITH AFTER MARKET TRANSMISSION 128K THIRD TRANSMISSION FAILS - STILL NEGOTIATING REPLACEMENT THROUGH WARRANTY ON TRANSMISSION #2. A QUICK CHECK ON THE INTERNET WILL FIND VOLUMES OF INFORMATION ON TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN THE 2003 VANS. THERE IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW THAT MUST BE CHANGED. ALL TRANSMISSIONS FAILED WITH THE VAN WAS BEING DRIVEN. *TR

WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THIS CAR BOUGHT NEW IN DEC 2002 AND IT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED VERY WELL. THE CAR WAS SUBJECT TO A RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE ADDITION OF AN OIL JET TO PROPERLY LUBRICATE THE 2ND GEAR AND THIS WAS PERFORMED AS SOON AS WE RECEIVED THE NOTICE IN 2004 AT 31,000 MILES. IT WAS INSPECTED FOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO THIS DEFECT AT THE TIME OF THE SERVICE AND WAS PASSED AS CLEAN. AT 107,000 MILES, A BLINKING "D" ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD GEAR DISPLAY AND IT WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE TO HONDA. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE 4TH GEAR SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THIS WAS DONE AT MY OWN COST OF $300. AT 121,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY STARTED SLIPPING ON SHIFTS AND DOWNSHIFTING AT SPEED. AGAIN, TAKEN FOR SERVICE AND THE HONDA GARAGE DETERMINED THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS REQUIRED AT A COST OF $4800 WITH TAX. I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA, OPENED A CASE AND WAS DENIED MY REQUEST FOR THEM TO SHARE THE COST OF FIXING THIS. RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLINE HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE THIS CAR AS IS BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION COULD DOWNSHIFT INTO AN INCORRECT GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEED, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL AND/OR IMMEDIATE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

HAVE A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY EX WITH REAR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. DVD HAS HAD A BUZZING NOISE IN HEADPHONES INTERMITTENTLY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. TODAY SMOKE CAME OUT OF DASHBOARD AS DVD QUIT WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY. *TR

ACCELERATOR PEDAL FREQUENTLY STICKS IN THE IDLE POSITION, WITH RESULTING LURCH FORWARD WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED FURTHER TOWARD THE FLOOR. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THAT THIS IS CAUSED BY A STICKING DASH POT IN THE ACCELERATOR SYSTEM; THEY HAVE CLEANED IT (WHICH DOES PROVIDE SOME TEMPORARY RELIEF) BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNS. NOW, IT SEEMS THAT THE ACCELERATOR WILL (ONCE, SO FAR) STICK IN AN ADVANCED POSITION, REQUIRING SIGNIFICANT BRAKE FORCE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE SO THAT THE IGNITION CAN BE TURNED OFF. *TR

2003 HONDA ODYSSEY POWER DOORS WILL NOT CLOSE UNLESS FORCED. INDICATORS ALERT THAT THE DOORS ARE NOT CLOSED. SOMETIMES THE DOOR WILL NOT REOPEN LEAVING PASSENGERS (KIDS) NOT ABLE TO GET OUT. NEVER SURE THAT THE DOOR IS ENGAGED PROPERLY SO THAT THE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN ONCE IN MOTION. *TR

I BOUGHT THE 2003 ODYSSEY BRAND NEW AND HAVE HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE AT THE SAME HONDA DEALERSHIP. 2 WEEKS AGO, AROUND 67,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SHOWING PROBLEM THAT IT WOULD SLIP AND GO INTO NEUTRAL, THE ENGINE RPM FLARED AND THE CAR LOST ACCELERATION. THEN THE CAR SHOOK WHEN THE TRANSMISSION TRIED TO ENGAGE THE GEARS AGAIN. THE DEALER CHECKUP INDICATED THAT THE 2ND AND 3RD GEARS FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT MY OWN COST $3,400. I LATER FOUND OUT THERE WERE MANY OWNERS OF 2003 ODYSSEY HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR