2000 Honda Odyssey

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD (ROUTE 20, TRAVELING EAST, DOWN TOWN NORTHBOROUGH, MA, SPEED ~20 MPH) AS VEHICLE PASSED OVER A RAILROAD EXPANSION TYPE JOINT, THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE. APPROXIMATELY .5 TO 1 SECOND AFTER LOUD METALLIC NOISE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED CAR OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG, CONTINUED HOME CAUTIOUSLY ~ 1/2 MILE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND A PIECE OF THE BROKEN COIL SPRING HANGING DOWN FROM THE LEFT FRONT HALF SHAFT. DISASSEMBLY OF THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL ALLOWED FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE BROKEN COIL SPRING. IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE BROKEN PIECE OF COIL SPRING HAD STRUCK THE ABS WHEEL SENSOR LINE, RIPPED THE LEFT FRONT OUTBOARD CV JOINT BOOT AND WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND THE HALF SHAFT. I FELT LUCKY IN KNOWING THAT THE BRAKE LINE THAT WAS ~ 2 INCHES TO THE LEFT OF THE ABS SENSOR APPEARED UNDAMAGED. HAD THE VERY SHARP BROKEN PIECE FROM THE DAMAGED SPRING HIT EITHER THE BRAKE LINE OR THE TIRE AT HIGHWAY SPEED IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE OR A TIRE BLOW OUT. HAD THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HAVE BEEN DRIVEN WITH THE SHARP BROKEN PIECE OF COIL SPRING WRAPPED AROUND THE HALF SHAFT IT COULD HAVE CAUSED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE, MOST LIKELY A CUT BRAKE LINE. IN TALKING WITH HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE THEY FELT THERE WAS / IS NO ISSUE (EVEN THOUGH I RAISED THE ISSUE OF SAFETY), YET MY OWN RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THE COIL SPRING ON THE ODYSSEY HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED IN THE PAST WITH NO FINDING AND MANY FAILURES ARE DOCUMENTED ACROSS THE INTERNET. REPLACEMENT OF THE COIL SPRING, STRUT, ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSOR, AND CV JOINT BOOT ARE REQUIRED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. SINCE A SPRING FAILURE FROM THE LEFT SIDE HAS OCCURRED, THE SPRING ALONG WITH STRUT ON THE RIGHT SIDE WILL BE REPLACED AS A PRE-CAUTION. I HAVE BOTH PIECES OF THE BROKEN COIL SPRING IN MY POSSESSION, MY INITIAL INVESTIGATION DOES NOT POINT TO CORROSION AS THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE SPRING FAILURE. *TR

DT: THE CALLER SAID THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR OPENS WITHOUT WARNING. IT HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING. THE INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON , AND THE ALARM GOES OFF. THE CALLER SAYS THE DOOR DOES NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY. HAD IT TO THE DEALER 10 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. DEALER SAID IT WAS DIRTY CONNECTIONS AND DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT. MANUFACTURER WILL OFFER NO HELP FOR FREE. ALSO, THE CALLER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER CONCERNING GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE ( EGR VALVE). THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT APPROVE THE RECALL WORK. ALSO WANTED TO TAKE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. *AK THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED, THE SEAT RECLINED WHEN THE CONSUMER EXITED THE VEHICLE. *JB

REAR BUCKET SEAT BUCKLE UNBOLTED FROM ITS STRUCTURE WITHOUT ANY IMPACT OR FORCE BEING APPLIED. *AK THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB. (THE ENTIRE HEAT A/C CONTROL PANEL WAS REPLACED), THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE ROTORS HAD TO BE CUT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON, AND GASOLINE WAS SMELLED EACH TIME THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. *SC *JB

I AM ON MY SECOND SET OF BRAKE PADS IN THE JUST UNDER 45000 MILES. I TOOK MY VAN TO TWO LOCAL BRAKE STORES AND THE DEALER. I TOLD THEM ALL THE SAME INFORMATION I WAS HEARING GRINDING WHEN I STOP. JUST BRAKES TOLD ME THE CALIPERS ON MY VAN WERE NOT RETRACTING. THIS CAUSED MY BRAKE PADS TO GLAZE BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE I WAS ALWAYS APPLYING MY BRAKES. THEY ALSO DISCOVERED MY BRAKE PADS WERE CRACKED. THEY ALSO HAD A LIST OF OTHER THINGS THAT HAD TO BE RESURFACED BECAUSE OF WEAR. THEIR ESTIMATE FOR THIS WORK WAS JUST OVER $400. IT WAS TIME FOR MY 45,000 MILE MAINTENANCE, SO I TOOK MY VAN TO GOODSON HONDA WHERE I PURCHASED IT. I TOLD THE DEALER MY CALIPERS WEREN'T WORKING. IT HAD CAUSED MY BRAKE PADS TO CRYSTALLIZE AND I WANTED MY EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THE DEFECT IN THE CALIPERS AND TO FIX MY BREAK SYSTEM UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO THIS DEFECT. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CALIPERS AND THE BRAKES SHOULD LAST ANOTHER 5000-7000 MILES. WHEN I ASKED WHY THE PADS WERE GLAZED, THEY SAID BRAKES USUALLY DO NOT LAST 45,000 MILES. WHEN I TOLD THEM IT WAS MY SECOND SET OF BRAKE PADS, THEY SAID IT COMES FROM RIDING THE BRAKE. I LIVE PRETTY FAR OUT FOR THE HOUSTON AREA AND MY JOB REQUIRES ME TO DRIVE ALONG A WELL SURFACED COUNTY ROAD WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC. THERE IS NO STOP AND GO DRIVING. THE DEALER DIDN'T CATCH THE CRACKED BRAKE PADS AND ADMITTED THAT THEY HADN'T EVEN CHECKED THE PADS. I HAD MY BRAKES REPAIRED YESTERDAY AT A LOCAL BRAKE CHECK. THEY OILED THE CALIPERS, (THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE STICKING) REPLACED MY CRACKED BRAKE PADS, AND RESURFACED MOST EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE SYSTEM AT A COST OF $234.

PROBLEMS WITH STEERING ON 2000 HONDA ODYSSEY. *MR THERE WAS A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEN GOING 65 MPH ALONG WITH BRAKE PULSATION (REAR BRAKE DRUMS WERE TAPERED AND THE SHOES DID NOT APPLY PROPERLY), RIMS WERE OUT OF ROUND, THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT, DRIVER'S WINDOW SQUEAKED WHEN GOING DOWN, BRAKES SQUEAKED, ONE TIRE WAS FOUND BAD WHEN THE VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL OCCURRED AND WAS REPLACED. EVENTUALLY ALL THE TIRES WERE REPLACED BUT THE VIBRATION STILL OCCURRED. *SCC *JB

CLEAR DRIVING CONDITIONS NO WATER, OIL OR MUD ON PAVEMENT. DRIVER WAS ATTENTIVE. I HAD STOPPED IN TURN BAY, CROSSED OVER THREE TRAFFIC LANES TO SIDE STREET. THEN IMMEDIATELY MADE A LEFT TURN INTO PARKING LOT AND A RIGHT TURN INTO PARKING SPACE. AS I ENTERED PARKING SPACE THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT ANY DECELERATION, JUMPED A SMALL CURB AND HIT A TREE. I NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING OIL OR RUBBER AT IMPACT. THE HONDA DEALER CHECKED THE BRAKES AND COULD NOT FIND ANY DEFECT AND THEN DENIED ANY LIABILITY FOR ACCIDENT. SINCE THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, AND I KNOW THE PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR, I AM AFRAID TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND BE A MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT. OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM TO NHTSA. THE DEALER REFUSED TO BUY THE VAN BACK AT ANY PRICE EVEN AFTER THE DAMAGE WAS RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. DT