2005 Honda Odyssey

I BOUGHT A NEW 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY EX-L AND DROVE IT ON ONLY 2 OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE IT, I HAD THE WINDOWS BEHIND THE FRONT SEATS DOWN AND NOT ONLY WAS THE NOISE LEVEL EXTREMELY HIGH, BUT IT CREATED SOME KIND OF VIBRATION OR PRESSURE CHANGE WHICH CAUSED EXTREME PAIN TO MY EAR DRUMS. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, I DROVE IT AGAIN, TRIED ALL COMBINATIONS OF ROLLING DOWN WINDOWS BUT AS LONG AS THE BACK ONES WERE DOWN, THE VIBRATION/PRESSURE TO MY EARS WAS INTOLERABLE. I HAD THROBBING IN MY EARS FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND IT FINALLY LED TO AN EAR INFECTION. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF DARLING'S HONDA (THE DEALERSHIP IN BANGOR, MAINE) AND TO AMERICAN HONDA. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TRIED FOR 3 MONTHS TO TRY TO FIND AN ALTERNATE VEHICLE FOR ME. HOWEVER, AMERICAN HONDA SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING AND THE VEHICLE DESIGN IS NOT DEFECTIVE, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE HEARD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS. APPARENTLY RUPTURED OR PERFORATED EAR DRUMS ARE NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARD TO THE HONDA COMPANY. I NOW HAVE A NEW CAR I CANNOT USE UNLESS IT IS TOO COLD TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS, OR SO WARM THAT THE A/C IS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE, BECAUSE IT IS A HAZARD TO MY HEALTH. *JB

MY 14-YEAR OLD BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE SEAT BELT IN THE 3RD ROW PASSENGER-SIDE SEAT OF OUR NEW HONDA ODYSSEY VAN. THE SEAT BELT WAS WRAPPED AROUND HIS WAIST. THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO GAIN ANY SLACK TO LOOSEN THE BELT. ALL ATTEMPTS TO LOOSEN (BY FEEDING IN SLACK TO GAIN RELEASE) ONLY MADE THE BELT TIGHTER UNTIL MY CHILD WAS LITERALLY HANGING FROM THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE, 8 HOURS FROM HOME. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO CUT THE BELT TO RELEASE HIM. (I HAPPENED TO HAVE A KNIFE IN THE CAR, WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL.) I HAVE ASKED HONDA TO REPAIR THE BELT. THEY HAVE OFFERED 50% ONLY. I AM MORE CONCERNED THAT THERE IS NOT A MANUAL OVERRIDE TO ALLOW THE SEAT BELT TO BE RELEASED. I UNDERSTAND NOW THAT THE SEAT BELT GOES INTO A DIFFERENT MODE WHEN EXTENDED ALL THE WAY. IT WILL NOT RELEASE UNTIL THE BELT IS RETRACTED ALL THE WAY. IT SOUNDS LIKE HONDA HAS FIXED A SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNING CHILD CAR SEATS, BUT THEY HAVE CREATED A NEW SAFETY HAZARD FOR ALL CHILDREN. WHAT IF THE BELT HAD GOTTEN WRAPPED AROUND HIS NECK? ANY CHILD PLACED IN A SEAT BELT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PULLING THE SEAT BELT OUT ALL OF THE WAY AND ALLOWING IT TO GET WRAPPED AROUND THEIR BODY OR NECK.*JB

INSTRUMENT PANELS AUTOMATICALLY ILLUMINATES DIMLY WHEN THE DOOR OPENS AND COMPLETELY BRIGHTEN UP ONCE THE KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE KEY HOLE. THIS AUTOMATIC FEATURE USUALLY CAUSES MOST OF THE DRIVER THAT I KNOW TO DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS OFF BUT THINKING THAT THE LIGHTS ARE ON BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS BRIGHTLY LIT. *JB

DT: CONTACT TOOK HIS CAR TO THE SERVICE DEALERSHIP ON 8-1-05 BECAUSE HEARD A BUBBLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS VIBRATION THAT WAS COMING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONSUMER ASKED FOR A LOANER VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, AND WOULD NOT GIVE HIM A LOANER. THE DEALER COULD NOT GIVE CONTACT A SPECIFIC TIME WHEN THE CAR WILL BE REPAIRED, AND THEY WANTED HIM TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THIS FUEL TANK PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER SAID IF THE DEALER FELT IT WAS SAFE, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THERE HAD BEEN OTHER HONDAS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM.*AK

DT: CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A STEERING COLUMN PROBLEM. THE FRONT END MADE NOISE AND THE STEERING SHOOK AT SPEED OF 50-70 MPH. DEALER EXAMINED VEHICLE 5 TIMES, AND THEY ARE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER WAS STICKING WITH THE DEALER. THEY SAID THE SPECS WERE WITHIN VEHICLE LIMITS. HAD A HEARING WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, AND THEY ASKED THE MANUFACTURER TO DO THE REPAIRS. THIS STARTED HAPPENING ON MARCH 12, 2005. *AK UPDATED 03/28/06. *JB

BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF HONDA ODYSSEY. WE LEASED A 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY FROM HONDA WEST IN LAS VEGAS ON THE 21ST OF JUNE 2005. THIS IS 2005 MODEL. THE VIN # IS: [XXX] IN A WEEK, WE FOUND A DEFECTIVE BRAKE THAT WAS CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM TO STOP THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE DEALER AND IT APPEARED THEY DID NOT PAY THAT MUCH ATTENTION. I MYSELF WAS VERY CONFUSED AS I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HONDA MAKES ONE OF THE SAFEST CARS IN THE WORLD. MY WIFE IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER AND SHE IS A 1ST YEAR RESIDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, LAS VEGAS, NV. AFTER WORKING SHE WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO HOME AND SHE TRIED TO STOP THE CAR AT RED LIGHT AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP. SHE RAN RED LIGHT AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD A DISASTROUS ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. SO, SHE WENT TO THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY AND THEY WERE NOT POLITE AND WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, SHE FORCED THEM TO LOOK INTO IT AND AFTER TWO DAYS OF INVESTIGATION THEY FOUND THAT THE BRAKE WAS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY AT THE MANUFACTURING PLANT. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO HAS THE SIMILAR KIND OF PROBLEM, WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE WILL NOT ACCELERATE BUT WHEN TRYING TO PUSH THE BRAKE WILL ACCELERATE. WE HAVE ALREADY INFORMED AMERICAN HONDA AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY WILL NOT LISTEN.THE CAR IS STILL WITH THE DEALER. AS A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN OF THE COUNTRY I FEEL OBLIGATED TO LET YOU KNOW THE SAFETY ISSUE OF HONDA. IT IS IRONIC THAT THE AMERICAN CAR MANUFACTURERS EASILY ADMIT THEIR SAFETY PROBLEM WHEREAS THE JAPANESE MAKERS WILL NOT ADMIT SUCH BECAUSE OF BUSINESS ISSUE. MY QUESTION IS: WHICH ONE SHOULD COME FIRST THE SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS OR THE MONEY? I WILL HIGHLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO PREVENT A DISASTROUS ACCIDENT ELSE WHERE IN THE COUNTRY. I HOPE THAT NO ONE HAS TO EITHER DIE OR INJURED BEFORE THE INVESTIGATION STARTS. SINCERELY, [XXX] *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY EX-L IN DECEMBER 2004, AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE INCIDENTS IN WHICH THE BRAKES MAKE A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE WITH MEDIUM HARD BRAKING. THE GRINDING HAS NOT RESULTED IN ANY APPARENT LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY OR LOSS OF CONTROL HOWEVER THIS IS A CONCERN TO ME SINCE I DRIVE WITH A 5 YEAR OLD IN MY CARE. I TOOK THE ODYSSEY TO THE SERVICE CENTER IN MAY O5 FOR THIS ISSUE AND THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS AND RESURFACED THE ROTORS. AGAIN THIS MONTH (JULY) I NOTICED THE PROBLEM AGAIN, I TOOK IT IN TWO DAYS AGO AND HONDA REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM SAYING THAT I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER TO HAVE THE ISSUE RESOLVED. THEY TELL US THAT THEY WON'T HAVE THE PARTS IN UNTIL THEN. I FEEL THAT THEY ARE AVOIDING THE FIXING THE PROBLEM AS TO AVOID THE LEMON LAW SINCE THIS IS THEIR SECOND TIME FIXING THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR SEVERAL OTHER ISSUES BEFORE THIS SUCH AS BROKEN CD PLAYER....SLOW DRAINING OF BATTERY, AND PROBLEMS WITH DVD AND VEHICLE INTERIOR. OVERALL I AM VERY CONCERERNED WHEN MY CAR IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES AND THIS COMPANY REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM.....I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE BUT DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY FOR A RENTAL UNTIL SEPTEMBER.