1999 Honda Odyssey Power Train

WITH LESS THAN 45,000 MILES, TRANSMISSION FAILS TO ENGAGE SMOOTHLY WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP. ALSO, DOES NOT DOWN-SHIFT SMOOTHLY AT HIGH RPM. OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE THE TCM LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. UPON DIAGNOSIS, THE DEALER CONFIRMED A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. AMERICAN HONDA AGREES TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND WILL COVER THE PARTS, BUT THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $700.00 IN LABOR TO COMPLETE THE REPAIR. A 36,000 MILE WARRANTY ON A TRANSMISSION IS INADEQUATE - I'VE DRIVEN HONDAS AND TOYOTAS 150,000 AND MORE IN THE PAST AND HAVE NEVER HAD A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WITH THE NUMBER OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS REPORTED FOR THIS VEHICLE ON THIS WEB SITE, HONDA SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR REPUTATION AND CORRECT THIS PROBLEM LONG-TERM. I PLAN ON DRIVING THIS VEHICLE TO 120,000 MILES OR MORE - AT THIS RATE, THAT MEANS 3 TRANSMISSIONS!*AK

PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE

WHEN ENGINE IS COLD, TRANSMISSION JERKS AND LURCHES. VEHICLE CANNOT INCREASE SPEED BEYOND 20 MPH. DEALER (NOT THE SAME AS WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED) THIS IS MOREHEAD HONDA IN NEWBURGH NY SAID IT NEEDED TRANSMISSION SERVICING AND NEW PARTS, CHARGED US $250. NOW THEY TELL US IT NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION AND THEY WILL COVER ALL BUT $800. WE HAVE SPENT ENOUGH ALREADY ON REPAIRING THIS POORLY BUILT VEHICLE. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS HAPPENING TO MANY OF THESE VEHICLES AND IT IS TIME THAT THE MANUFACTURER BE SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. *AK

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR ON COLD STARTS DRIVING BETWEEN 1-40 MPH OR COMING TO A STOP. VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD ONCE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS BACK INTO GEAR. MR

MANUFACTURER DENIES ANY PROBLEMS HOWEVER WE HAVE A HONDA SERVICE BULLITEN THAT STATES OTHERWISE SB #00-065 PLEASE READ IT. THEY ARE REPLACING THEM WITH REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS BUT THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE FREE FROM THIS SAME DEFECT. THAT IS WHY HONDA HAS PUT A TOTALLY NEW TRANSMISSION DESIGN INTO THE 2002.*AK

THOUGH WE BOUGHT THE ODYSSEY USED, IT ONLY HAD 10K MILES ON IT BY AN ELDERLY COUPLE. NO TOWING, NO STEEP HILLS, NO ABUSIVE DRIVING. TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING AT WRONG TIMES, THEN WE HEARD LOUD 'CLUNK' WHEN PUTTING IT IN REVERSE. BROUGHT IT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD WE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A USED ONE FOR $3075 (90 DAY WARRANTY) OR NEW ONE FOR $4700 (50K/50 MTH WARRANTY). WE TRANSFERRED CAR TO TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO IS REBUILDING IT FOR $2100. NO MENTION AT DEALER OF ANY KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH ODYSSEY TRANSMISSIONS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE IS A CONSISTENT DEFECT. HAVE HEARD MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE GETTING POST-WARRANTY REPLACEMENTS FROM THEIR DEALER, AFTER PRESSURING THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *AK

MANY HONDA ODYSSEY 1999/ 2000 HAVE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITHIN FIRST 50000 MILES. I AM ONE OF THEM.*AK

INITALLY TOLD BY DEALER THAT NOISE WAS FROM TAIL PIPE HITTING TRAILER HITCH. I AM STILL CONCERNED AFTER READING ABOUT THE SAME TRANSMISSION NOISE FROM OTHERS. *AK

WHEN PARKING VEHICLE ON INCLINE/HILL OR DRIVEWAY WITH TRANSMISSION PAWL IN PARK , VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARD. *AK

VEHICLE ROLLS AGAINST TRANSMISSION, EVEN ON MINIMAL SLOPES (I.E. ROLLS BACK IN 1ST GEAR, ROLLS FWD IN RVRS GEAR). TRANSMISSION FAILS TO HOLD AGAINST ROLLING. INADEQUATE TORQUE RESISTANCE TO ROLLING. THIS OCCURS REPEATEDLY IN PARKING LOTS, DRIVEWAYS, AND AT STOP SIGNS ON GENTLE HILLS. COULD EASILY RESULT IN LOW-SPEED COLLISION WITH OTHER VEHICLE OR STRUCTURE. SIMILAR TO ODI COMPLAINTS #705175, 712383, 847173.

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ALLOWS THE MINIVAN TO SLIP BACKWARD ON A HILL WHEN THE FOOT IS TAKEN OFF THE ACCELERATOR OR BRAKE. SINCE I HAD NEVER DRIVEN THIS MINIVAN BEFORE, I ALMOST SLID BACKWARD INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. AS THIS TRANSMISSION IS UNLIKE THAT ON OTHER CARS I HAVE DRIVEN, A WARNING SHOULD BE PLACED PROMINENTLY IN THE MANUAL, AND THE DEALER SHOULD INSTRUCT NEW HONDA OWNERS ABOUT THIS RISK.

THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER FAILED DURING THE TRIP ON HIGHWAY, I BROUGHT THE VAN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE PARTS AND DON'T KNOW WHEN THE PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. DRIVING WITHOUT SPEEDOMETER COULD BE DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY IN WINTER CONDITIONS.

I TEST DROVE THIS VAN AND DID NOT PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CAR WAS STOPPED ON AN INCLINE OF ABOUT 35 DEGREES WHILE IN THE DRIVE POSITION THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS BETWEEN THE TIME I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND PUT IT ON THE GAS TO RESUME DRIVING. I FELT AS IF THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL RATHER THAN IN DRIVE. NOBODY WAS BEHIND ME SO I LET IT KEEP ROLLING BACKWARDS EXPECTING THAT IT WOULD STOP ITSELF AFTER 2 - 4 SECONDS BUT IT JUST KEPT GOING. ALTHOUGH THERE SHOULD BE FEW, IF ANY, OCCASIONS WHEN ONE DOES NOT HAVE THEIR FOOT ON EITHER THE BRAKE OR THE GAS WHEN STOPPED ON AN INCLINE, I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT THE CAR COULD ROLL BACK SO MUCH WHILE IN DRIVE. *AK

DESIGN OF THE GEAR SHIFTER INTERFERES WITH THE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE RADIO. WHENEVER THE GEAR IS IN DRIVE IT OBSTRUCTS THE CONTROL OF THE RADIO, AND CAUSES DANGER IN SHIFTING GEAR INTO ANOTHER . MANUFACTURER NOTIFED AND INFORMED NOTHING COULD BE DONE. *AK