2000 Honda Odyssey

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO ACCELERATE WHILE DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE PROGRESSED UNTIL THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED ON TWO PRIOR OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 164,776.

DRIVING HOME ON HUNTINGTON DRIVE, 40 MPH, AT 5 P.M., I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR BUT THE ENGINE JUST REVVED AND I WENT NOWHERE. I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN, AND MY VAN "JUMPED" FORWARD. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT REAR-ENDED AND THE DRIVERS ALLOWED ME TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT, WITH MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS, NOW ON. ALSO, NO BIKERS WERE ALONG SIDE ME! I STOPPED THE CAR AND PARKED. MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS NORMAL. I STARTED THE CAR, GINGERLY WENT A BLOCK WHEN IT TOTALLY DIED. I WAITED FOR 3 HOURS, AAA SYSTEM HAD LINES DOWN FOR SOME REASON, AND A SO. PASADENA TOW TRUCK CAME TO THE RESCUE. I WAS THEN TOWED TO HORIZON HONDA, THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR 2 WEEKS...COMMUNICATION WITH HONDA AND HORIZON TO GET APPROVAL FOR ANOTHER TRANSMISSION...TOOK AWHILE! LUCKILY,I WAS 6 MONTHS OR 300 MILES AWAY FROM THE 3 YEAR OR 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, SO THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED FOR FREE! ALL I AM ASKING IS THE SAME WARRANTY ON THIS TRANSMISSION. HONDA IS NOT OFFERING ONE. I WILL WRITE, CALL, COMPLAIN, ETC., UNTIL I GET ONE! DOES HONDA NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR TRANSMISSIONS? I WILL BE IN NEED OF A CAR SOON... *TR

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE TRANSMISSION STALLED WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT UP FROM FIRST GEAR, THEN LURCHED FORWARD VIOLENTLY. ON DOING SOME ONLINE RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT HONDA EQUIPPED THE ODYSSEY WITH SUBSTANDARD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, WITH A VERY HIGH RATE OF FAILURE. IT'S A SAFETY PROBLEM AS THERE'S EITHER NOT ENOUGH ACCELERATION POWER WHEN NEEDED...OR TOO MUCH WHEN IT DOES FINALLY ENGAGE. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN HONDA, AS THEIR REPUTATION OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN GOOD FOR OTHER MODELS, BUT THE ODYSSEY HAS BEEN SADDLED WITH A VERY POORLY MANUFACTURED, WEAK AND PRONE TO EARLY FAILURE, TRANSMISSION. REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT COSTS ARE ASTRONOMICAL, $3,000 OR MORE. I'VE BEEN A LOYAL HONDA CUSTOMER IN THE PAST, BUT THIS HAS LEFT A BITTER TASTE IN MY MOUTH. HONDA HAS FAILED ITS CUSTOMERS! *TR

@ 74560 MILES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WAS TOLD IT WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. TOOK IT DEALERSHIP BUT COULD NOT FIX PROBLEM TWO WEEKS AND DUE TO BEING AWAY FROM HOME ON VACATION COULD NOT WAIT AROUND. TOOK TO DEALER IMMEDIATELY AFTER GETTING HOME BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS OVER MILEAGE FOR RECALL. SINCE I HAD TO PAY FULL PRICE TOOK IT TOO LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR REPAIRS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AFTER @ 5000 MILES DEALERSHIP BLAMED OUTSIDE MECHANIC WHO SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH CONVERTER. THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING THE WHOLE TIME BUT THE DEALERSHIP NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT A RECALL. NOW IT IS OVER 140000 THE TRANSMISSION IS TOTALLY SHOT EVEN AFTER I HAVE KEPT REFILLING IT TO MAKE SURE THE FLUID STAYED AT PROPER LEVELS AND I HAVE TO EITHER HAVE TO REPAIR IT MYSELF OR TRADE IT IN. THE DEALER NEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM BUT NEVER INFORMED ME WHEN I WAS IN THERE. *TR

THIS IS MY 2ND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ON THE CAR. UNLIKE THE FIRST ONE WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THIS TIME WE WERE DRIVING ON THE SUNOL GRADE IN FREMONT CALIF. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION GAVE OUT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, BUT LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO MOVE INTO THE SLOW LANE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS A HISTORY OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AS EVIDENT BY READING REVIEWS ON THE CAR. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST HONDA THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF I CAN JOIN IN. HONDA KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM VERY EARLY ON BECAUSE I STILL HAVE THE LETTER THAT THEY SENT TO ME IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP OFFERING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO EVERY ODYSSEY OWNER REGARDING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF THE LETTER BACK IN 2000 UNTIL MY FIRST TRANNY WENT OUT IN 2006. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON I-4 AT 55 MILES/HR, MY HONDA ODYSSEY'S TRANSMISSION GAVE UP. IT STALLED WITHOUT A WARNING. THIS IS MY 2ND TRANSMISSION FROM HONDA WHICH WAS INSTALLED LAST 12/2009. NOW AFTER LESS THAN 2 YRS AND 23,9000 MILES LATER, THE RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED. THE WORST THING, I WAS WITH MY FAMILY WHEN IT HAPPENED AND WE WERE ALMOST HAD A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. JUST IMAGINE A VAN TRAVELING @ 55/HR AND SUDDENLY STOPPED ON A BUSY 1-4 IN ORLANDO FLORIDA. LOOKING AT THE HONDA ODYSSEY'S FORUM, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. HOW CAN WE PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? HONDA HAD BEEN SITTING FOR NOTHING AND WAITING FOR A SENTINEL EVENT TO HAPPEN. THIS EVENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF OUR GOVERNMENT WOULD ENFORCE A MUCH STRICTER RULE. *TR