31st May 2007, 11:51

I too, had a "rock" hit my condenser causing system failure. The car is not even a month old at this point and it has happened again! Clearly, this is a flaw in the manufacturing of the car, and should be reviewed by Honda. The dealer told me that this is a fluke and it was just my bad luck. It just doesn't happen. Evidently, he was wrong or he was lying to me.

11th Jun 2007, 12:14

A class action lawsuit may make more money for the lawyers than the consumers in the short run, it may inspire Honda to take notice and correct the design flaw.

12th Jun 2007, 22:28

Live in Arizona, rock hit my compressor this weekend. $700.00. Dealer says insurance might pay... great I have a $1,000 deductible. Don't think so. I'll be sending a letter to Honda to complain. Based on this forum, it's not an isolated incident.

19th Jun 2007, 12:15

Just FYI, this problem affects other Hondas as well.

I just traded in my 2005 Honda Civic because the condenser has a "pin" hole cause by a "rock." I was told by the dealership that this problem is no different or less common than a rock hitting the windshield. I was also told that although the part was covered under warranty, the rock "voided the warranty."

I called American Honda. The representative told me that Honda is "working on improving" this problem in newer models, but for "liability reasons" this was a "customer pay" issue.

My advice is to trade your car in while the resale value is high -- once word gets out about this defect, the value of the cars will plummet. Not to mention, the overall quality of my 2005 civic seems less than the Honda I owned previously.

The only thing that matters to large companies is money, so let's get the word out and decrease their sales, then and only then will they improve their product.

20th Jun 2007, 16:52

I had a problem with debris hitting my A/C condenser - We complained to Honda and they agreed to fix it under warranty. As an engineer I can concur that this problem is a design deficiency that could be easily solved by adding a grille.

22nd Jun 2007, 11:58

We just traded our 2005 Odyssey on a 2007 Toyota Sienna due to Honda's position on this issue. This is absolutely ridiculous that Honda can say with a straight face that this is a normal "road hazard". BTW, the Sienna has a mesh covering in this area that is wide open on the Hondas.

The service manager here even admitted to me that he had not ever heard of such a thing until he began working for Honda, and sees it fairly regularly there. They even went so far as to advise me to add some "chicken wire" to fabricate a mesh grille myself...yeah, I'm going to put chicken wire on the front of my $30k van... why doesn't Honda just design a $5 plastic mesh to fill in this area, and issue a TSB for the fix?!

22nd Jun 2007, 21:42

Hope you have fun with your Sienna. I know it is much more vanilla than the Ody. But maybe that is your preference.

28th Jun 2007, 18:30

I have Honda Odyssey with only 16K and I have been with the dealer almost every second month for AC repair, sliding doors and you name it.

Now I am being asked to pay 1000 and was told that rock had put a hole in the condensor!

I think this is my worst investment of $30K.

Atul.

29th Jun 2007, 10:46

We have an 05 Odyssey EX-L, and we had to do the rock-in-the-AC-condenser repair twice in 2005, once in 2006, and now it has happened again. Each time they have called it a warranty repair, so we have kept the van. Now I am faced with my standard warranty expiring next year, so I refuse to pay for this each summer. We are selling the Odyssey and buying another Toyota SUV. I already have a 2003 4runner and it has been a dream to own compared to the odyssey and my previous Accord. Honda is off their game. As long as Toyota is out there, I see no reason to buy a Honda.

6th Jul 2007, 08:00

Just wanted to add my "rock in the compressor" story to all the others. A/C went out while on vacation last week. Service Manager called it impact damage from rock and informed me it was not covered by warranty. Replacement cost was $715, but I'm still trying to get reimbursed. Based on previous comments, this doesn't sound likely. We've loved our 2005 Honda Odyssey, but this is enough to make me want to sell it.

11th Jul 2007, 15:00

Let us match our words by action!

We all have been hit by this Honda Scam!

Increasing our insurance, losing money and time on our brand new Honda's and not to mention the time lost and what not.

Let's make it happen with a class action suit.

I am willing to contribute a free website, hosting developing to bring some justice to the table.

Can someone volunteer for a lawyer...

Let me know at atulbahl@hotmail.com.

24th Jul 2007, 13:25

2005 odyssey, barely 30K miles. Just got back from the local dealership. I brought it there because just like everyone, the a/c stopped working. Same as everyone, we were told that a rock damaged the condenser and the cost of repair would come up to around $700, and it wasn't covered by warranty. The service advisor even pointed to me the exact point of impact. I must have been blind... I didn't see any damage. I told them not to do the repairs, but my husband went back, had another technician work on the car. We were told they didn't see any damage to the condenser. They just evacuated and recharged the AC system, all is fine now. The cost of the AC servicing, $190.

Geez.

25th Jul 2007, 13:47

Rock hitting A/C condenser problem AGAIN! Second time in less than 4 months, almost $800 each time. No success first time around with getting Honda or dealership to cover under warranty - but tried hard. Have my case being reviewed for the second time now, so hopefully will have better success. Have 05 Odyssey Touring, and very disappointed with Honda not admitting to the flaw!!! Everyone, please file a report with the NHTSA - www.nhtsa.gov.

27th Jul 2007, 20:02

We had the rock hit the AC unit like so many others. We were told it was $500 and they had to order the part. Since we planning on leaving for beach in two days, we didn't order the part. We called auto parts stores and found the part is only $199. We brought it home and my husband was able to get the unit out easy!! I do feel it is a design flaw and we should not have to fight for them to replace!! Compared to our previous American cars, this car is much better about maintenance.

2nd Aug 2007, 14:26

I'm so thankful I found this forum. My wife and I just TODAY had the same experience as the rest of you.

I could have written any one of your comments about the "rock in the condenser" repair. My wife called a local Honda Dealership and explained that the AC just stopped working. She asked if the repair would be covered under the warranty since it is a 2005 model with 25,000 miles. Without any more information the technical said "if the condenser was hit by a rock then it would have to be covered under your insurance and the warranty wouldn't cover it". I see comments in this forum like "same as a windshield repair" and "rock in the condenser" and "we never see this type of repair". Those are all the very same comments the technicians fed me at the Honda Service Center. Now I know Honda and their dealerships are aware of this problem and are providing cover for this design flaw.

I too looked at the condenser with the front bumper disconnected, there is absolutely no protection for the condenser OR compressor for that matter.

Has any one asked the technician to see "the rock" that caused the damage? I did in my frustration, seems there are a lot of rocks out there being falsely accused.