4th Jun 2007, 21:43

Another 2001 Honda Odyssey horror story. I just finished towing my vehicle to the dealership with yet another transmission problem - its third transmission. I just got off the phone with the service department and have been quoted $5,000 for a transmission replacement since my current mileage is 121,000. I took my vehicle around 100,000 complaining about the delay during shifting, but was told it was not the transmission. I will now have to contact Honda USA and be at their mercy. I sincerely hope Honda steps up to the plate and comes through. It definitely saddens me to know I purchased what I expected to be a reliable vehicle, but received 5 years and 9 months of stress and anxiety. My relationship with Honda is now coming to an end.

26th Jul 2007, 17:03

I have a 1999 Honda Odyssey and experienced transmission failure at 56,800 miles. I don't use the van much and found that the warranty had elapsed about 3 months before the tranny went. I called Honda and explained that, due to insufficient use, I went over the extended warranty (before the tranny failed).

I feel that I am being penalized for not having driven the van enough. There is no provisions for unusually low miles Odyssey's on the extended warranty. My argument is that, regardless of the expiration of the warranty, I bought this van in good faith and it should have lasted me well over a 100K. miles without any transmission problems due to NORMAL wear and tear. I was sold a vehicle with a DEFECTIVE transmission and Honda should be FULLY responsible for the cost of replacing the defective unit.

I was awarded a re manufactured tranny, but had to pay for diagnostic $100.00 plus labor $730.00.

I am not happy at all! I'm seriously thinking about taken Honda motors to court.

31st Jul 2007, 14:19

I have a 2001 Odyssey with 155K on it. I noticed every time I had the transmission serviced by Honda that the fluid was still dirty. They only partially drain some fluid and add about 3 quarts of new which is not enough to clean all the fluid. At about 120K I had a local tech flush and replace all the fluid so it now looks clean. The only problem I have experienced with the transmission is that it now hesitates a bit before it catches when I go from neutral to drive. Otherwise it shifts smoothly and quietly. Has any one experienced a similar problem that perhaps portends more serious problems leading to a possible transmission change?

5th Sep 2007, 21:10

I bought a 2001 Honda Odyssey from a dealership in the US that advertised it as new even though it was brought in by a broker from Canada. This fact makes it a "gray market vehicle" and thus ineligible for the Honda warranty. The dealership offered its own 36000/3yr warranty in place of Honda's. After 119,000 miles the transmission is failing and needs to be replaced. It will cost $2,500. The dealership begrudgingly offered to do the work for $2,000 +tax. I called Honda and they will do NOTHING because it is a "gray market vehicle". If it was, the guy told me, they might be able to fix it with their "good will" program. Apparently, once the vehicle crosses the border from Canada it becomes a Yugo. I guess they don't want to set a precedence by fixing it; even though they should. I know it's out of even the extended warranty, but don't you have a reasonable expectation of the thing lasting longer than that as it is a Honda, right? Basically, don't buy a "gray market vehicle" or a Honda that falls into that category of the failing transmissions. Bummer.

19th Sep 2007, 21:22

We bought our van new (US dealer) and now have 96k or 97k miles on our 2001 Odyssey. We've kept up with regular maintenance and don't have previous transmission troubles. We've never towed anything with this van either.

Just took our 2001 Odyssey to the Honda dealer after Check Engine light and TCS light came on. Honda dealer ran diagnostic test and indicated transmission problem -- said that Honda would fix the problem at no cost to us whatsoever. No diagnostic fee (once they realized what the problem was), no labor, etc. They kept the word.

Dealer did call us in the middle of repairs to report that they'd found a loose engine mount ($119) and that we certainly didn't have to fix it... but if we chose to, they'd charge for the part only and not for any labor to get in there since they were already in fixing the transmission. We (happily) paid the $119.

Very happy with Honda's handling of the problem. We've had the van for almost a week now since the repair, and we think (hope!) we're set for another $96 or $97k miles.

3rd Oct 2007, 16:41

Okay, I never heard about the transmission recall. I have a 2000 Odyssey with 118K miles on it. After I took it in to have the transmission serviced, the TCS and engine lights came on. They said I needed an EGR valve (or something like that). I have noticed that the van can take a little while to shift and is revving up high before shifting. Am I doomed for troubles? Do I have to fix the EGR valve soon or can I wait until my next emissions exam in 18 months?

25th Oct 2007, 21:44

We have a 2003 Odyssey. We have around 33,000 miles on it. We recently have had the TCS light and Check engine come on at the same time. Has anyone else with the 2003 model had the same? I see many entries on the 2001 model, but nothing on the 2003 model. We are getting some heavy jerking. It feels like the transmission wants to slip out of gear when we are driving down the freeway. Does anyone think this would be covered under warranty? Our original 3 year warranty has expired, but we are still under the 36,000 miles.

27th Oct 2007, 05:27

My solution to the transmission problem. I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey with 89,000 miles. I bought it used 3 years ago with 58,000 miles. I have had the transmission fluid flushed and replaced by a Honda dealer twice since then, but noticed after 8-10,000 miles of each flush that the fluid was dirty already. I decided to take matters into my own hands this week and replaced the Honda transmission fluid with a synthetic transmission fluid from Amsoil. I started using their synthetic motor oil a year ago and have been very pleased with it so far especially with its improved mileage and engine noise reduction. I followed the instructions in my Honda repair manual of how to properly flush and refill the transmission. It was not that bad of a job to do and I noticed a huge difference in the smoothness of shifting after the new fluid. I highly recommend that if you do have your transmission fluid changed that you make sure it is flushed properly and not just drained and refilled. I am not sure if mine was. One way to know for sure is to see how much fluid the dealer charges you for. Normal drain and refill is 3.1 quarts and a flush should be at least 6.2 quarts. The fluid in the torque converter needs to be flushed as well therefore the reason for double the fluid. I am hoping that the extra cost of the synthetic fluid with give me more transmission life than the average Honda Odyssey transmission. Good luck to us all in our transmission battles. Hope this info is helpful!