Honda Odyssey Owners Report Transmission Troubles, Inconsistent Response from Maker

Toyota vehicles are dominating headlines lately with recalls and rebuttals, but just as annoying to Honda Odyssey owners are the transmission problems they are experiencing - problems some owners believe Honda is unwilling to acknowledge or address, Edmunds Auto Observer reported.

Since October 2006, members of Edmunds' CarSpace Forums have contributed more than 1,400 individual posts to a thread called Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems that details not only their Odyssey transmission issues but also the action - or inaction - they've seen from Honda dealers and parent company, American Honda, in response.

Owners of some 2007 and newer models are reporting a distinct "judder" from their Odysseys when driving between 20 and 45 mph -- an issue that Honda addressed in a 2009 technical service bulletin and is repairing under warranty. However, by far the largest group of transmission complaints involves Odysseys from model years 1999 through 2004.

According to Edmunds.com's recent analysis of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), consumers cited transmission-related problems with 2001 through 2004 Odysseys more than five times as often as they did for the Toyota Sienna or the Chrysler Group's Caravan, Grand Caravan and Town and Country minivans during the same model years.

In the typical experience, drivers of these Odysseys notice erratic shifting, a flashing "D" light in the gauge cluster and sometimes the illumination of the traction control light and/or the check engine light. One owner describes it as a rather harrowing experience: "It gave us just a few minutes of funny noises and then locked up. It was a very curvy road, hilly road -- a dangerous and scary place to have a car just stop. We were lucky we weren't rear-ended at high speeds."

Dozens of different owners report repeat failures of the transmission, some coming as soon as 30,000 miles after a complete replacement of the unit.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin told AutoObserver.com the automaker believes the percentage of a second transmission failure versus the high volume of Odyssey models sold is likely relatively small.

Martin said the customer has the option -- and should exercise that option -- to request financial assistance -- "goodwill" from the dealer or from Honda directly -- for a fix.