2006 Honda Odyssey

BOUGHT A 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY IN MAY 2006. LESS THAN A MONTH LATER, ON A VERY HOT DAY, AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING. TOOK TO DEALER. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A "ROCK OR SOMETHING" HIT AND PIERCED THE CONDENSER WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. SINCE IT WAS NOT A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, IT WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. HAVE READ SEVERAL OTHER REPORTS ON INTERNET OF THIS SAME THING HAPPENING. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT THAT COULD BE FIXED BY A GRILL COVER. YET, HONDA REFUSES TO DO SO, AND CHARGES CUSTOMER FOR REPAIR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHORTNESS OF THE STEERING COLUMN CREATES FATIGUE WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH FOR PROLONGED HOURS ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE'S DOORS CANNOT OPEN WITHOUT PRESSING THE UNLOCK BUTTON FIRST WHICH CREATES A DELAY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE'S DOORS WILL NOT LOCK IF ONE OF THE DOORS ARE NOT CLOSED. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THAT THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER ONLY WORKS INTERMITTENTLY WHICH CREATES A REAR VISION PROBLEM.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY END OF APRIL, 2006. TWO MONTHS LATER MY AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING (IT WAS 100 DEGREES OUTSIDE). TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE $125 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE "WE SEE A LOT OF ROCKS DAMAGING AIR-CONDITIONERS, AND IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY." TURNS OUT A ROCK IMPACTED THE CONDENSER WHILE I WAS DRIVING, CAUSING THE AIR-CONDITIONER TO STOP WORKING. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS DOCUMENTED SINCE 2005 (YEAR ODYSSEY WAS REDESIGNED) AND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOUND ON THE INTERNET. PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED WITH A GRILLE COVER, HONDA REFUSES TO FIX PROBLEM AND CHARGES CUSTOMERS FOR THE REPAIR. *NM

PURCHASED VEHICLE 5/23/06. VEHICLE HAS VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL SINCE PURCHASE. HONDA HAS BALANCED WHEELS TWICE WITHOUT SOLVING PROBLEM. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 7/13/06 AND ASKED FOR REPAIR OF DEFECT UNDER NEW CAR WARRANTY. DEALER REFUSED AND GAVE ME A WORK ORDER STATING: HONDA REPRESENTATIVE HAD FOUND, LAST TIME IN, " VIBRATION TO BE NORMAL AT THIS TIME AS PER DPSM 999"...IN CONVERSATION WITH HONDA REP. HE TOLD ME VIBRATIONS ARE NOT A DEFECT BUT A CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS VEHICLE. SAFETY, EXCESSIVE WEAR ON MECHANICAL COMPONENTS AND DEGRADED RE-SALE VALUES ARE NOT AN ISSUE. IT WAS ALSO MY RESPONSIBILITY PRIOR TO PURCHASING VEHICLE TO TEST DRIVE AND DETERMINE "CHARACTERISTICS" AND EITHER TO PURCHASE OR DECLINE PURCHASING ON THAT BASIS... IT APPEARS HONDA IS ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT THE BURDEN AND EXPENSE OF THEIR DEFECTS ON THE CONSUMER. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE REGAINED POWER WHILE SLOWLY PULLING TO THE CURB. WHILE COMING TO A STOP THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AGAIN AND WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE THE DEALER REPLACED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED AGAIN THE CHECK ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. AFTER REPLACING THE COMPUTER AND SOLENOID THE DEALER DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY VAN. WHILE EXITING A PARKING LOT, I DROVE DOWN AN OBSTRUCTED ANGLED DRIVEWAY TO EXIT TO THE ROAD SURFACE AND HEARD A SCRAPE AND CRACK UNDERNEATH THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER LOOKING UNDER THE VEHICLE I DISCOVERED A PLASTIC SHROUD COVERING THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS RIPPED LOOSE. FURTHERMORE, IT IS CONTINUOUS WITH THE FRONT BUMPER ASSEMBLY WHICH WAS CRACKED. SURPRISED AT HOW EASILY THE DAMAGE OCCURRED, I MEASURED THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PAVEMENT AND THE UNDER SURFACE OF THE PLASTIC SHROUD TO BE JUST 5 1/2 INCHES. I FEEL THE GROUND CLEARANCE OF THIS VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS ANY MINOR ROAD DEBRIS OR UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE DRIVE TRAIN AND FRONT END ASSEMBLY. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN. THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF TO STOP THE VEHICLE. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THEY DETERMINED THE FLOOR MAT WAS JAMMED AGAINST THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT DISPUTED THE DEALER'S CONCLUSION THAT THE FLOOR MAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY REPAIRED AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE, AND HONDA WAS WILLING TO PUT IT BACK ON THE HIGHWAY, AND RISK INJURING OTHER MOTORISTS. UPDATED 5/10/2006 - *AK *NM