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9 Speed Transmission Issues

49K views 75 replies 41 participants last post by  Hangman 
#1 ·
I just replaced my 2015 Honda Odyssey with a 2018. The 2015 drove smooth as butter and I never had any issues with the transmission. The 2018's transmission is very jerky and unpredictable. Going from 0 - 25ish it shifts hard several times. At about 35+ it drives normal. It seems the colder the temp outside the hard the shifts. The engine is also much louder and seems to tack higher. If I floor the gas the engine screams but the van doesn't take off all that fast. I feel like I always have to keep pressing in on the gas to keep it going. Like hold the gas in one place isn't enough. When letting off the gas it feels like the transmission shifts to a higher gear and slows the car down. Feels like a rubber banding effect, rather than just coasting.

Overall the 2018 just feel like a chore to drive while the 2015 drove perfectly. Anyone else having the same issues? Thanks!
 
#5 ·
Follow up to my appointment. Everything checks out fine. Nothing wrong with the transmission. If you plan on buying a 2018 Odyssey pay very close attention to how it shifts. Some people like the new transmission some don't. I personally thought the CVT from the previous model way smoother.
 
#12 ·
FWIW,

I like the 9 speed better than the 5 speed in my '05. Especially climbing hills at highway speed where there's isn't that big jump to 3K+ rpm.

The ECO button makes the gas pedal feel really strange, so do your driving compare in S or ECO-off mode... then decide if the better gas mileage is worth the weirdness. At 3K miles I'm finally starting to get over the really light steering and have gotten used to the ECO gas peddle feel.

re: "..If I floor the gas the engine screams but the van doesn't take off all that fast..." are you going from normal pedal location to suddenly flooring it? If so there will definitely be a gap then BANG you should launch like a rocket, likely with some wheel-spin. Or are you smoothly pressing down harder which causes the Van to accelerate (for me) fairly smoothly once I got used to pressing the pedal. Highway merges are very easy with this van, lots of acceleration. Not sure how you get "engine scream" without "strong acceleration".
 
#14 ·
It seems like some people like the 9-speed and some people don't. I personally preferred the way my 2015 drove over the way my 2018 does. Kind of a bummer I traded it in. Hopefully I get use to the 9-speed. It just seems jerky and unpredictable. I feel a little nervous pulling out in traffic because it sometimes has a delay when hitting the gas hard.
 
#15 ·
I bought my 2018 Odyssey in October and have had the exact same issues since day 1. I would also add hesitation while pulling out into traffic. There have been three times that the engine has reved between 6 and 7 rpm and the car doesn't really budge. I also have a knocking noise when accelerating up to about 35 mph. After months of back and forth with Honda and dealership nothing has been done. Honda has told me they sent data to their engineers and I basically have to wait for a recall. This is my third and last Honda Odyssey (and last Honda for that matter). Just curious if you have reported your issues to Honda Corporate Customer Service? The more reports, the better chance of getting this fixed.
 
#17 ·
I'm not having this issue as described in the thread. I have about 5200 miles on 2018 EXL and very happy with it. The only thing that I installed was the VCMuzzler at about 1500 miles.

On my previous Odysseys (2014 and 2015) I had all sort of issues. From noise coming out from the front of a vehicle and engine rebuilt at 7k miles on 2015 Touring (both bought brand new).
 
#18 ·
We purchased a 2018 Odyssey (9 speed trans) on October 28th, 2017. After roughly 10k mile the wife mentioned transmission issues at lower speeds and brake noise. (Note: we are note weirdos that complain over anything and this is our second new Odyseey - first bought in 2006 and still own). In any case, on a vacation drive with wife (her van) I was able to witness multiple times the transmission and brake issues. The transmission make an extra ordinary "clunk" and "jerk" around 24-34 mph. This is obviously associated with shift. The hard shift and sound of metal / etc. engaging is not characteristic of precise mechanics and is sure to lead to failures. We took the van to purchase dealership in Miamisburg, Ohio by Dayton Mall off 725 and they indicated they didn't hear / see anything wrong so they couldn't do anything. Service Manager (Andi) said it has a warranty (he wasn't sure what that was so asked him to confirm). I indicated if I wanted a throw away carmI would have bought one. In any case, I contacted Honda Customer Care today (people reading off scripted responses in my opinion). Will have to take back to dealership and have them ride until they hear / feel clunk... this may take a couple of hours. We also had the dealership look at the brakes. They (Miamisburg Honda dealership by Dayton Mall, Ohio) turned rotors (not good IMO as I bought new) to "solve" problem. Brakes make more noise than ever. Honda Customer Service will say a wear item. (No freaking kidding but they don't wear that fast - back up you're product). Honda has TBS out on brakes. Was very disappointed with Honda Customer Service not "stepping up" and providing more input or route to solutions. In any case, I have a case number and hopefully this will enable us to get the dealership technician to ride until they hear issue with transmission and brakes. If this is not resolved, I will never buy another Honda. The 2006 Honda had a cracked transmission casing under warranty and the Miamisburg dealership and corporate Honda were great. The customer service currently is sub-par. My opinion would be not to spend the extra $$$ on an Odyssey and buy a Toyota or cheap domestic as Honda's concern with defects in my opinion has declined dramatically. The Honda Customer Care manager indicated Technical Bulletins just help technicians. I informed him they are often precursors to recalls. Aaahhh.. really frustrating. Spent a bunch a cash on what I thought would be quality (don't mind spending for quality) and so far the quality has been subpar as well as service. Please respond if you are having similar problems and if you've had any resolution. Thanks. Used to be a Honda fan!
 
#58 ·
I'm glad I checked the forum. We're having the exact same issue at 10K miles. We've been back and forth with the dealship for about 6 weeks. The good news is the dealership has been able to reproduce the issue multiple times. The bad news Honda Corporate is stating "everything is operating as expected." This is the 3rd Honda we've owned and second Odysessy. We're still working with the dealership at the moment and I'll update everyone once we get an answer. I'm hopeful because the dealership tech are adamant this is a pretty big issue. They even stated, "I understand you have a family and are concerned about putting them in this car."
 
#21 ·
We purchased our 2018 ex in October 2017 as well and had rear brake noise and now after 11000 miles the transmission will slip sometimes at 25 mph and make a clunking sound. The dealership replaced the rear brake pads and rotors after going back there 4 times. I had to be very tough with them to get it done. When the transmission slip started happening, I had the mechanic ride with me for 30 minutes to get it to happen a couple times and they kept the car for almost a month. He was able to record what was happening on the computer and turn it into Honda but they did not initially have a solution. The dealer finally called me and said it was fixed and it was missing a software update. When we drove it home, the car slipped and clunked twice. I made an appointment with the service manager again after he avoided my phone messages for a month and he went for a ride with us. We got it too slip and I said “you felt that?” He asked me if I could do it again. He said he would contact a Honda engineer. When we got back to the dealership we had the oil changed and he wrote everything up. He wrote that he did not feel anything abnormal on the ride! I was upset discussing it with him and he basically kicked me out. He was denying what he felt on the drive! I wrote an email to GM of the dealership and he replied immediately and said he would check into the situation. He hasn’t contacted me for a week! Everybody who has ridden in the van has felt it happen which is about 15 different people and they all reacted the same way saying that something was wrong!! I didn’t have to point it out to any of them. At this point I’m thinking lemon law!!
 
#39 ·
i have same issue since last year, a month after i purchased 8/2017.
at 24-25mph speed transmission slips and clunk noice coming out. went to dealer and they said this is normal honda transmission! end of discussion.
i been long time honda fan since my 2001 accord. this is the end with honda. very ruff transmission ride. not recommanded to any one!
 
#23 ·
Adog, your dealership claim that the transmission issue was due to a software update is a load of crap! It took them one month to figure that out? The 9-speed boondoggle seems to be in limbo at Honda. There has been a lot of forum members discussing poor shifting, rattle noise on acceleration, sluggish shifting, and now a clunk sound that you report. For us to get this issue resolved, ALL members must bypass the dealerships' "that's normal" crapola and report directly to Honda. Only after adequate numbers of reports are filed will we see something done about it. My own dealer told me to make lots of noise at Honda Canada because a single dealership can't escalate such an issue to the level where action is taken.

So folks, as I've mentioned many times, contact your corporate head office and bitch until you're hoarse! Either that or be prepared to live with a lemon.
 
#29 ·
That's what I found too, Football236. It's good that Honda2001 brought this up, and it's best if there are no leaks anywhere. I don't think fixing the leak will help with the rattle noise and sluggish shifting. Those are design flaws. Besides, I think Honda has been hearing more about their crappy 9-speed that if all it took was a simple gasket, they would have fixed it by now. Thanks for chiming in guys!
 
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