I’ll start off by saying, overall I really love our 2019 Odyssey Elite. But I just need to rant. I’m really dismayed by the amount of mechanical issues with a vehicle only two years old so far. In addition to a few recalls, we have had to have an entire suspension assembly changed in the front drivers side. And just last night my wife said she heard a hissing when the air was running. And now we have no a/c. Just blowing hot air. Has Honda really gone to sh** or something in their quality? Maybe I wouldn’t be so upset if we had a dealership closer to us. But the nearest one is 45 minutes away. So yeah, it’s getting damn annoying having so many recalls and mechanical issues when you have to travel 1.5 hours round trip to get the thing fixed. Now I understand there’s yet another recall about to happen! Sorry, I just needed to rant.
A love/hate relationship with my Odyssey
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And everyone keeps complaining we need more American manufacturing... but not if this is the quality we are supposed to be ok with. It’s not just Honda, other Japanese manufacturers are seeing a big decline in reliability and quality since they brought assembly to the United States.
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I wouldn't blame it on the local labor. Is a combination of things, (new technology, new generation, etc etc)...I have been to the factory in Lincoln AL. (Doing the tour) And I'm sure like any corporation, not everyone is happy working there, but I'm sure there people proud to make Hondas in US soil, making sure that new nice apple red odyssey is well made..
OP Sorry to hear about your Ody, hopefully you are able to get everything resolved with positive results.
OP Sorry to hear about your Ody, hopefully you are able to get everything resolved with positive results.
Yep. Welcome to modern day Honda.
2018 Honda Ody Touring.
LOVES:
Nice quality leather interior.
Good ride, decent handling, excellent acceleration (W/ 10-sp transmission).
Nice 3rd row design.
Well designed forward collision detection system, blind spot monitor, OK audio quality.
Nice number of USB ports, 110V AC outlet under the center console.
HATES:
2nd row seat back can't fold flat
2nd row seats are stupid heavy and challenging to remove, doubly so since the seatbacks doesn't fold flat, making them bulkier packages to maneuver out the sliding door
Even the little 2nd row center seat could be lighter. Honda, ever heard of using aluminum for the seat frames?
The Garmin NAV system zooms in on every turn but doesn't zoom back out to the previous magnification after the turn, forcing me to manually zoom back out after turns.
Not well designed voice command system. Maybe contract with Google, Amazon, Apple, etc, for more conversational voice control system.
I sometime use the paddle shifter to downshift for engine braking, the system isn't always smart enough to switch back to automatic mode on its own, forcing me to shift between "Drive" and "Sport" modes to get it back into auto.
It also would be nice if there was a setting that allow the driver to see what gear the transmission is in.
The next 2 are typical problems with pretty much all manufacturers.
Radar cruise control abruptly slowing down when another vehicle change into your lane.
Automatic climate control blowing too much hot air when the interior is very cold. On cold mornings, often setting the temp to 58F (the lowest temp setting), the HVAC is still blowing too much hot air.
LOVES:
Nice quality leather interior.
Good ride, decent handling, excellent acceleration (W/ 10-sp transmission).
Nice 3rd row design.
Well designed forward collision detection system, blind spot monitor, OK audio quality.
Nice number of USB ports, 110V AC outlet under the center console.
HATES:
2nd row seat back can't fold flat
2nd row seats are stupid heavy and challenging to remove, doubly so since the seatbacks doesn't fold flat, making them bulkier packages to maneuver out the sliding door
Even the little 2nd row center seat could be lighter. Honda, ever heard of using aluminum for the seat frames?
The Garmin NAV system zooms in on every turn but doesn't zoom back out to the previous magnification after the turn, forcing me to manually zoom back out after turns.
Not well designed voice command system. Maybe contract with Google, Amazon, Apple, etc, for more conversational voice control system.
I sometime use the paddle shifter to downshift for engine braking, the system isn't always smart enough to switch back to automatic mode on its own, forcing me to shift between "Drive" and "Sport" modes to get it back into auto.
It also would be nice if there was a setting that allow the driver to see what gear the transmission is in.
The next 2 are typical problems with pretty much all manufacturers.
Radar cruise control abruptly slowing down when another vehicle change into your lane.
Automatic climate control blowing too much hot air when the interior is very cold. On cold mornings, often setting the temp to 58F (the lowest temp setting), the HVAC is still blowing too much hot air.
I'm with bgaviator on this topic. My 2018 EX is by far the nicest car I've ever ridden in but as for its drivability issues, I split them up this way:
- 5% - Terrible American build quality
- 50% - Just plain stupid design
- 25% - Things that just don't work well: LKAS, ACC, and 9-speed programming.
- 20% - Unresolved issues: engine knock and loss of power after making turns.
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I bought my 2007 Honda CRV EX brand new in 2007, and they were still made in Japan at the time. I believe in 2008 they were being produced at the East Liberty plant in Ohio.
My friend still drives it everyday. The only issues we’ve had is a bad door lock actuator on the rear passenger side, and an engine knock sensor. The rear diff had a minor issue early on, but that’s it.
14 years later, I’d drive it anywhere.
My friend still drives it everyday. The only issues we’ve had is a bad door lock actuator on the rear passenger side, and an engine knock sensor. The rear diff had a minor issue early on, but that’s it.
14 years later, I’d drive it anywhere.
They totally lost me. I've relegated them to the heaping shit pile with Chrysler, Fiat, etc.
Interesting. Those things are ordinary wear items that one would expect to replace over the years.
I too have driven my Japanese designed and built Hondas over the years and never replaced anything except wear items. To be fair, another member mentioned about the new cars of today have way more tech in them, which is a disaster waiting to happen. I'd still love to know where this desire to load our cars with all this extra stuff came from. I say most of it is simply not needed. If the goal was to increase fuel economy, then they failed miserably.
Same here. My friend is driving a 2017 Accord. He wants to buy a small SUV similar in size to the Honda CRV. I recommended he look at other car makers. Honda's attitude has taken a nosedive. It's all about profit now, and forget the quality and longevity.
IMO don't blame the assembly team for the issues. The problems are with Honda Corporate. Note the problems with the turbo engines in the Civic and CRV. I don't remember the time frame but many changes have been made in Hondas top management in the last couple years due to the numerous quality problems. I think we've seen the bottom and expect things to improve, in fact I think already have.
Agreed about the "speed of the leader = the speed of the group" idea behind your post. As for managerial improvements, things can't get any worse. It would be great to see the old Honda quality and design we used to enjoy from the Japanese!
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Your statement sounds a bit too political to me by far. The quality drop started with the bean counters "sourcing" less expensive things like wiring harnesses (cheaper,lower quality to maximize profits) and many other items---apparently Later model Ody' s only needed 1 air conditioning system, who knew? Don't blame American or Canadian workers for this. The founder of Honda would never outsource for a cheaper wiring harness when the ones he used did not fail, he diligently strived for this Quality, bean counters who contribute less than nothing are the bane of quality. Your politics are your choice but lay off people who work hard every day,
It just feels like a death by a thousand cuts over many, many years. The built-up anger and frustration cannot be ignored regardless of Honda's quality resurgence.
Agreed. If they make a comeback it will take a long time to restore the confidence of those whose pocket books have been drained in the name of profit.
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Same sentiment here. Overall I love our '19 Odyssey, and I would still choose it over the competition. However, the ownership experience has been disappointing. I've had squeaky brakes and fit and finish issues since day 1 (rattles, sticking sliding doors, door seals coming loose) and the infotainment system has had its share of issues like freezing and responsiveness. And of course the dealer can't solve any of these problems, even with the foreman acknowledging they exist. The cherry on top has been the recalls.
FWIW, this is my seventh Honda and the most problematic by far.
FWIW, this is my seventh Honda and the most problematic by far.
Me thinks you got a lemon. Dump it and buy another.
My 08 had 2008 and has had just maintenance (including timing belt) at 218k. I just bought a $30 eco disable and rebuilt he front end for good measure. Maintain the tranny by changing fluid every other oil change. I tow a trailer with a heavy load to the dump periodically now, and this thing is a champ. DVD died, but that is about it.
My 2018 has 50k and while we have not owned it long, service records show no issues and it drives perfectly. I tried others that were beat up and they drove like crap. This thing drives like a new car. Shifting is a little weird, but still smoother than the 08.., if you get past the amount you have to push the petal to start.
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I have 08 ex-l with 95k miles on it. Original owner. For someone that doesn’t drive too often, I feel like I had more than my share of expenses. Not happy with it. I don’t have an alternative but to keep using it. In my view it has been a lemon. I had a slow paced front end collision and t-boned a car in 2010. I think that did it in is my guess. I should have dumped it after the repairs.
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There is definitely a drop-off in quality in our 2019 Ody as compared to our 2006, both EXLs. That said the level of complexity is much higher for the newer one. Some of it unnecessary (why over 5.5 quarts oil sump when the J35-A7 in our 2006 was just fine with 4.7 for example), but let's face it a lot of it was seen as necessary by Honda to be competitive.
But that doesn't necessarily mean the quality has to drop: my 2015 Accord has had ZERO mechanical issues, other than a couple of recalls over 6 years and 132k miles. Yes it is not as complex a machine as the 2019 Ody, but if anything it has shown an improvement in quality, if anything, as compared to my 2006 Accord EXL V6.
Some apples/oranges I admit, but think there is some validity to it.
But that doesn't necessarily mean the quality has to drop: my 2015 Accord has had ZERO mechanical issues, other than a couple of recalls over 6 years and 132k miles. Yes it is not as complex a machine as the 2019 Ody, but if anything it has shown an improvement in quality, if anything, as compared to my 2006 Accord EXL V6.
Some apples/oranges I admit, but think there is some validity to it.
Our 09 EX-L has been relatively flawless since we bought it new in February of that year. We have had a couple of recalls, a driver's side sliding door that currently is in need of a new upper gasket, a roof seam leak that has been fixed with silicone and the taillights that collected water (fixed by drilling holes). Recently muzzled at 84.5k miles, we plan on keeping it for many more years providing the body holds up. Mechanically it has been sound burning no oil. We plan on doing the TB soon even though year-wise it is overdue. I happen to think this generation Ody is the last of the well-built ones and while we could easily afford a new one the reliability and build issues seem to be red flags on doing so. Not sure what we might replace it with if/when the time comes.
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