1999 Honda Odyssey

I SPOKE WITH ERIC AT HONDA RECALL AND CAMPAIGN DEPARTMENT--I TOLD HIM THAT MY CAR WAS HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AS THE RECALL. THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED WHILE THE CAR IS IN GEAR AND IT HAS ROLLED ALREADY. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS ALREADY REPAIRED AND EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARS THE REPAIR FAILED AND THE CAR IS STILL AT RISK--HE SAYS THAT HONDA MUST EVALUATE IT FIRST AND THEY MIGHT REPAIR IT. OR THEY MAY NOT.

OUR 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY HAS HAD THE P0740 TORQUE CLUTCH CONVERTER SOLENOID CIRCUIT (OPEN) CODE DISPLAYED NUMEROUS TIMES, WE THOUGHT SINCE IT WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED WITHIN 20,000 MILES THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY TAKE IT TO THE DEALER IN MARYSVILLE, WA AND HAVE THEM DO A TRANSMISSION FLUSH THEN A SUPERVISOR AND SAID NO YOU SHOULD HAVE US RUN A DIAGNOSTIC BY ONE OF OUR MASTER TECHS. AFTER REITERATING THIS SERIOUSNESS OF OUR TRANSMISSION ISSUE THE CODE COMING ON AND DELAYS IN SHIFTING MOSTLY JUST BARELY NOTICEABLE, THEY ASSURED US IF WE PAID $129 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC THAT A MASTER TECH COULD GET TO THE ISSUE, HOWEVER THEY LATER TOLD US AFTER WE GOT THE CAR BACK AND CALLED ON THE ISSUE THAT AN APPRENTICE (NOT A MASTER TECH) HAD DONE THE ENTIRE INSPECTION AND CAME UP WITH NO PROBLEMS EXCEPT A DIFFERENT CODE HAVING TO DO WITH UP BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTER WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE BEFORE AND TOLD US WE MAY NEED TO GET THAT REPLACED SOON. THE TRANSMISSION CODE P0740 CAME UP ON OUR WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I TOLD THEM OF THE CODE AND THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE AND ASKED WHAT ELSE TO DO AND THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE THAT IS A TRANSMISSION DEATH CODE AND WE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, TO WHICH I ASKED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS JUST REPLACED 20,000 MILES AGO AND HE SAID MAYBE YOU GOT A BAD TRANSMISSION. Q: ARE THEY JUST ALL BAD FOR THIS VEHICHLE?

IN 2008 WE BOUGHT THIS VAN FROM THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER IN GRESHAM, OR. SHORTLY AFTER WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WE FOUND OUT THAT OUR VAN WAS ORIGINALLY MANUFACTURED FOR SALE IN CANADA, AND IT WAS IMPORTED BACK IN 1999 WHEN THE VAN WAS NEW. THIS INFORMATION WAS NEVER DISCLOSED TO US THROUGHOUT THE SALE, AND WE ONLY FOUND OUT WHEN WE TRIED TO HAVE A SECOND KEY MADE AND THE HONDA DEALER SAID THAT THE VIN NUMBER DIDN'T EXIST IN THEIR SYSTEM. HONDA REFUSES TO DO ANY RECALLS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE IN THE USA OR CANADA. THIS HAS LED TO THE VEHICLE DYING MULTIPLE TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEED DUE TO FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN REPLACED BACK IN 2002 WHEN IT WAS RECALLED IN BOTH CANADA, AND THE US.

I PURCHASED A 99 HONDA ODYSSEY IN NOV 2004 WITH 60,000 MILES FROM DEALER. 6 MONTHS LATER TRANSMISSION GOES OUT BECAUSE OF THE 109,000 WARRANTY THE HONDA DEALER CHANGED AT NO COST. NOW 51/2 MONTHS LATER IT GOES OUT AGAIN' I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPT OF THE DEALER THAT PUT THE SECOND TRANSMISSION OF THE VEHICLE THERE RESPONSE WAS SORRY YOUR OUT OF WARRANTY. SO I CALLED HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, SAME THING THEY WERE NO HELP. I HAVE 6 SMALL CHILDREN THAT I AM TRYING TO CLOTHE, FEED, AND GIVE SHELTER I HAVE KIDS TO DRIVE TO SCHOOLS, APPOINTMENTS WHAT ABOUT WORK HOW AM I GOING TO GET TO WORK. I CAN NOT AFFORD A NEW TRANSMISSION, CAR PAYMENT, OR EVEN A NEW CAR. I AM SO SORRY I PURCHASED SUCH AS SORRY VAN. *TR

BEGINNING IN 2000, WHEN THE CAR WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED MAJOR EQUIPMENT FAILURES. FIRST, THE EGR VALVE MALFUNCTIONED; IT WAS EVENTUALLY REPAIRED AT HONDA'S EXPENSE. NEXT, ONE OF THE MOTORS FOR THE SIDE POWER DOORS FAILED. THAT COST APPROXIMATELY $800 TO REPAIR. THEN, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, AND HONDA EVENTUALLY COVERED THE FULL COSTS UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. FOR AT LEAST FOUR YEARS, WE WERE PLAGUED WITH AN ERRATIC "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE COMPUTER CODE WAS INADEQUATE TO DIRECT A REPAIR. IN 2003 THE RADIATOR ROTTED OUT, AND THE REPLACEMENT/REPAIR COST US $800. IN 2004 THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR FAILED, AND THAT REPLACEMENT/REPAIR COST US $1400. ON JULY 22, 2005, THE REAR A/C VENTS FAILED TO COOL, AND I CALLED FOR AN APPOINTMENT AT OUR LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE THAT CHECKED AND REPAIRED. THE REPAIR WAS SCHEDULED FOR JULY 25, 2005. WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON JULY 23 WITH THE A/C TURNED ON (THE FRONT VENTS CONTINUED TO COOL), THE ENGINE DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 45 MPH ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY. I MANAGED TO PULL OFF INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT, AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER TURNING OFF THE A/C. IT IS NOW AT THE DEALER'S SHOP, AND THE LABOR COSTS ALONE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE A/C FAILURE WILL COST MORE THAN $350. AFTER INSPECTING THE SYSTEM FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS JULY 25, THE DEALER'S MECHANIC STILL COULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HATE THIS CAR! I HAVE HAD MANY MORE PROBLEMS THAN I EVER EXPECTED, AND THE RESPONSES FROM AMERICAN HONDA AND FROM THE LOCAL DEALER HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTING. NEITHER ESTABLISHMENT KNOWS HOW TO RELATE SUCCESSFULLY TO CUSTOMERS. THIS CAR HAS BEEN A REAL LEMON, AND I AM STRUGGLING WITH MY DECISION ABOUT WHAT TO BUY TO REPLACE IT. ALTHOUGH HONDA HAS A GOOD REPUTATION, I HAVE NOT FOUND THIS CAR TO BE RELIABLE. IN FACT, IT IS A MAJOR SOURCE OF STRESS IN MY LIFE, CAUSING ME TO GNASH MY TEETH WHEN I AM DRIVING IT, FOR I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN IT AT ALL.

DT: CONSUMER STATES SHE RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER; THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MAY. . SO SHE TOOK IT A DEALER; THEY HAD DONE A TRANSMISSION FLUID CHECK BEFORE THIS. 3 WEEKS LATER ON MAY 16, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ONE AND THEY ( THE DEALERSHIP) TOLD HER THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE AND THEY WOULD ORDER THE PARTS. IT WOULD BE READY BY 6-24-04. ON THE 24TH, THEY CALLED AND SAID THEY HAD BROKEN AN AXLE AND WOULD HAVE TO ORDER THE PARTS OVERNIGHT AND IT WOULD BE READY ON 6-25 AT 2PM. SHE CALLED AT 1:30 AND THEY SAID THEY HADN'T RECEIVED THE PARTS YET. AT 3:40 SHE CALLED AGAIN AND THEY SAID IT WAS READY. THEY DROVE TO GET THE CAR. AFTER THAT THE MAINTENANCE LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN THEY TURNED THE CAR OFF IT WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON AGAIN. HER HUSBAND CHECKED THE CAR AND ALL OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT. THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TALKED TO RANDY; HE GAVE THEM A RENTAL TO GO BACK HOME. THEY (THE DEALERSHIP) DROVE TO HER HOME (AN HOUR AWAY) ON MONDAY 6-27 AND DROPPED OFF HER CAR AND GOT THEIR RENTAL. THEY TOLD HER THE SRS LIGHT WAS ON BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS WEAK. THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY. THE SRS LIGHT WAS STILL ON; THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND MADE AN APPT. TO BRING THE CAR BACK. THEY ARE UPSET BECAUSE THE SRS LIGHT WAS NOT ON BEFORE. THE CLOCK ON THE CAR WILL NOT TURN ON. THE AUTOMATIC LOCK SYSTEM WILL NOT WORK. THE ALARM SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK. CONSUMER DID NOT HAVE A RECALL NUMBER. *NM