[kyunghwee]

I've had my Odyssey for just over a year now and it's been nothing but problems. It's been back in the shop more often than my other car that is now 8 years old. So if anyone else knows where all these problems come from, maybe you can help me out here since my Honda dealer doesn't seem competent enough to get things done right.
First, power windows and power sliding doors: I've heard power sliding doors are not very reliable from other users. Maybe Honda should listen to their customers for once and get it fixed! Power windows, I had to get it repaired because it was so noisy. Of course, my totally incompetent Honda dealer couldn't do that right the first time so I had to bring the van in twice to get it fixed. I just hope it does not break again...then again, at the rate the van is demolishing itself, I've got my fingers crossed.
Second, my van is, as I stated earlier, just over a year old. I have the hood deflector as well as paint protector sealant on the vehicle. The paint is chipping all around the van and official Honda reps response is "it is the aerodynamic design of the van and it's meant to pick up rocks from the ground...so the chips on the paint are normal." I'm not talking a couple of chips here. I can find over 20 chips on the hood alone easily and Honda guy's telling me that it's the way the van is designed? Do all Odyssey owners know about this problem and just live with the defect or what?
Third, the brakes: so far both front and rear breaks have been replaced twice. What's wrong with this picture here? And what's even more amazing is that after my Honda guys replaced the brakes the second time, apparently, they misplaced some pins that are supposed to go on one set of wheels to the other. The result was that the parking brakes were stuck at engaged position. Of course, the brake light in the dash does not show it is so but the van was getting absolutely terrible mileage and was driving very heavy. I brought it back in and they said they took care of it. Well, it is a little bit better now but the van is still driving heavier and it's getting about 15-17 mpg, which I believe is quite low for an Odyssey (I used to get over 20 mpg easily when I first got the van). Now I am afraid of bringing the van back to its own dealer...pretty sad.
When I spend over $30k for a vehicle, I expect it to last me at least good 7 to 10 years. My other car that is now 8 years old costed about half of that and has been problem free, for the most part. Since everyone praises Odyssey to be the best minivan out there, I certainly hope that no one else is having as much problem as I am. Could my minivan be a lemon? Hmmm...Is there anyway I can express my frustration to a Honda customer care people (if such thing even exists)? Help!

 

[sfearing]

Power doors - no problems with yours, good!

Power windows - I've not heard that one for the fronts. Honda dealers know about a problem with the rears making a metallic sound so have them replace the motors.

Paint chips - everyone's hazard. No more a problem with this vehicle than any other. Their answer is not right.

Brakes - not a usual problem but some people drive and brake harder than others. Incompetent repair, however. That and the answer to the previous problem means you need to find a better dealer - they do vary.

Mileage - You don't state what kind of driving you're doing. 15 is average for city and suburb driving. Take a trip on the Interstate and it will be up in the mid-20s.

Lemon Law - Here it requires 3 attempts for fixing one problem. Varies state to state. Mention it to the dealer and you will get their attention.

Look at the list of your troubles. Except for the brakes your troubles are relatively mild. Spend some time on the other forums dealing with Daimler/Chrysler minivans and hear the woes of under-engineered transmissions and such. In your situation, I would find another dealer.

 

[ckonarske]

Originally posted by kyunghwee:
I've had my Odyssey for just over a year now and it's been nothing but problems. It's .....

It sounds like you've had a frustrating year. How many miles are on your Ody?

------------------
Chuck

 

[Semeniuk]

I am not happy with my Ody either.

I have a Canyon Grey '00 ES that has been on the road since Aug '00. There is about 40k on it.

The paint on the hood is chipped (not 20 - more like 50). We got the same story when we took it to the dealer. It is because of the design of the vehicle. My Grand Prix has been on the road a year longer, is more aerodynamic, goes on the same roads and has 2 or 3 chips. Our '93 Caravan's paint looked better when we traded it in on the Ody.

We had our rear quarter window implode. Again the dealer told us it was our problem.

The brakes squeal when backing up.

The sliding doors have been in 4 times for adjustment and are very tempermental. At least this has been covered on the warranty.

After watching us live through our "experience" with Honda, my father has decided to by a Dodge - at least there you expect to have problems. Funny though, Dodge (at least in my experience) is much better at admitting the problem and taking care of the consumer.

The thing that really bothers me is that Honda's unwillingness to accept any responsiblity for the problems we have seen. When the warranty (which really doesn't seem to cover very much anyways) is up on this pig it will be replaced by something non Honda.

Wes.

 

[WifeCar]

Geez, what r u going to do when u have some REAL problems?

 

[SuperDad]

You'll surely find much more painted forward-looking surface area on the Ody than the Grand Prix. Tha will explain a good portion of the difference in paint chipping.

That rear window you might be covered by insurance on, or look on the web to find some ammo for a grievance on the warrantee.

 

[hachiroku]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Semeniuk:
I am not happy with my Ody either.


The paint on the hood is chipped (not 20 - more like 50). We got the same story when we took it to the dealer. It is because of the design of the vehicle. My Grand Prix has been on the road a year longer, is more aerodynamic, goes on the same roads and has 2 or 3 chips. Our '93 Caravan's paint looked better when we traded it in on the Ody.

Wes.</font>

How can you compare the design of a car with a van ? Of course you'll have more chips on the van ! HIGH PROFILE VEHICLE !!!
And you can't blame Honda for design either.The design is a design.That's just how a van is. Our MPV had TONS of chips. Look at other vans, you'll see them. Older Chrysler/Dodge vans: paint peeling off the hoods and front edge of roof.
We've had our van for almost a year, not much highway driving,only about 6k miles on the van and already I have 4 chips. But am I crying ? Heck no ! I'm living with the thought that it's a high-profile vehicle and it's going to happen.
Just get a hood mask. That'll help a lot.


------------------
-ROB-
'01 GG LX "Lagreat"(with lotsa stuff.S-T-U-F-F)

http://community.webshots.com/album/18601743AkjQIJiKqK

 

[malakilaki]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by hachiroku:
</font>

How can you compare the design of a car with a van ? Of course you'll have more chips on the van ! HIGH PROFILE VEHICLE !!!
And you can't blame Honda for design either.The design is a design.That's just how a van is. Our MPV had TONS of chips. Look at other vans, you'll see them. Older Chrysler/Dodge vans: paint peeling off the hoods and front edge of roof.
We've had our van for almost a year, not much highway driving,only about 6k miles on the van and already I have 4 chips. But am I crying ? Heck no ! I'm living with the thought that it's a high-profile vehicle and it's going to happen.
Just get a hood mask. That'll help a lot.
[/QUOTE]

--------
Edited by Malakilaki:

How can you compare ... ...... .. a car with a van ? Of course you'll have more chips on the van! HIGH P...ILE VEHICLE !!!
And you can't blame Honda ... ...... either. The ..sign is a ..sign. That's just how a van is. Our MPV had TONS of chips. Look at other vans, you'll see them. Older Chrysler/Dodge vans: .aint peeling off the hoods and front edge of roof.
We've had our van for almost a year, not much highway driving,only about 6k miles on the van and already I have 4 chips. But am I crying ? Heck no! I'm living with the thought that it's a high-p...ile vehicle and it's going to happen.
Just get a hood mask. That'll help a lot.

--------

I have CHIPS in my van, too. I hate it when the kids spill them on the floor and seats.

Sorry, Rob.

 

[Jim F]

A $60 bug deflector for the hood has eliminated all chips for us. We have one that happened prior to the installation. Well worth the effort.

We also run the bottom part of the mask on trips.

------------------
Jim
'01 GG EX w/stuff
'93 Nissan Sentra SE-R with more stuff

 

[K2Rider]

I've tried to resist but I can't help but pile on here. I seemed to be the lone dissenting voice back about 4 months ago but, now I have lots of company. Folks on this site jumped all over me for suggesting that this van was of very average quality at an above average price. Through many postings I've have detailed the numerous, albeit non-major, poor quality types of problems I've experienced with my '00 LX. When I started requesting that folks post the number of miles they have on their ODYs, the attacks diminished significantly. I now have 25k miles on mine. Now that people have a few more miles on their ODYs, the dissention is increasing. Experience is the best teacher and mine has been disappointing. There is a reason the '02 models and on have significantly redesigned transmissions and engines. By the way, I expect more irate owners with 99-00s to post here once their tranys go bad at approximately 50k miles due to a lack of synchronizers and they are asked to spend $6,750 to fix them. Happy motoring. PS: Dave if you read this, how was your trip? And, yes I am still shopping for an extended warranty because selling this thing would mean a loss of $2,300 sales tax+$350 license+$2,500 Depreciation at trade value (from inflated purchase price of $25,400). Around $5,000 plus $2,600, in acquisition costs, again for the next (Toyota) vehicle. I think I need some Prozac whenever I discuss this van, eh? I still hold out hope that my van (and yours) is unique and immune from the transmission devil. Time will tell. I hope someday to regret my distrust of this vehicle.

 

[Walt43]

I purposefully AVOIDED the EX when I bought my 2000. No power door worries there. I did however buy the extended warranty after reading of the problems with the 99's. I don't have any discernable paint chips after 16000 miles of driving on NJ highways loaded with dump trucks. I think the bug deflector helped quite a bit. No brake problems, even with my wife's heavy foot. Also, at $24,000 MSRP the van was still a few thousand less than a comparably equipped DC, Ford or Toyota van after a haggling. So far, it's been a good purchase, but there are MANY more miles to go, hopefully.

 

[Semeniuk]

I guess I didn't provide enough info...

As far as paint chips go: The dealer is quoting $1300 worth to fix. Many are starting to rust.

As fas as comparing a van to a car: your points are fair. The reason I did so was the dealer claiming that the reason that the Ody got so many rock chips was because of its aerodynamic body. For a better comparison I looked at my neighbor's 1999 Tahoe with similar miles (40,000 km) on similar roads. It has a couple of small chips up front - no rust.

The Window might have been covered by insurance - but I didn't need to give them a reason to increase my rates.

We bought the Honda after reading all of the wonderful reviews the automotive press was giving it. And yes, I really enjoyed the vehicle at first. However, it is not holding up the way I expected it would.

For those of you happy with your Ody - I am really glad for you. I wish I could be one of you.

Personally, I don't think that "Honda Quality" is all that so many people like to make of it. It sounds that I am in for more grief in the next 40k or so.

 

[exindenver]

Have my '00 Ody since April '00 with 20K miles. Had it in to the dealer to repair the power sliders twice (once for each door) and one time to replace the battery. All under warranty with great dealer service. Had to clean the contacts on the doors once when the doors started beeping at me for no apparent reason. Have several paint and windshield chips. I have the transmission tick at 50 MPH and gas tank slosh. A pretty typical EX from what I've read. Although I'm not happy that I had to take the Ody in for service, I still love this van for its much-touted attributes including the power sliders. I sleep well for now since I have the 7 year 100K warranty. I'll probably upgrade to a new model when Honda puts in the 280'ish hp 3.8L V6 that the MDX is getting for '03. Maybe it’ll even have a 6 speed auto also and no decrease in gas mileage

For those nasty paint chips, anyone tried this Langka product? http://www.langka.com/
Sure beats $1300 for the dealer to fix them.

Also got serval door dings from careless drivers in parking lots. Couple of them while I was sitting in the van!!

[This message has been edited by exindenver (edited 02-26-2002).]

 

[DTKWOK]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mike McBride:
I've tried to resist but I can't help but pile on here. I seemed to be the lone dissenting voice back about 4 months ago but, now I have lots of company. Folks on this site jumped all over me for suggesting that this van was of very average quality at an above average price. Through many postings I've have detailed the numerous, albeit non-major, poor quality types of problems I've experienced with my '00 LX. When I started requesting that folks post the number of miles they have on their ODYs, the attacks diminished significantly. I now have 25k miles on mine. Now that people have a few more miles on their ODYs, the dissention is increasing. Experience is the best teacher and mine has been disappointing. There is a reason the '02 models and on have significantly redesigned transmissions and engines. By the way, I expect more irate owners with 99-00s to post here once their tranys go bad at approximately 50k miles due to a lack of synchronizers and they are asked to spend $6,750 to fix them. Happy motoring. PS: Dave if you read this, how was your trip? And, yes I am still shopping for an extended warranty because selling this thing would mean a loss of $2,300 sales tax+$350 license+$2,500 Depreciation at trade value (from inflated purchase price of $25,400). Around $5,000 plus $2,600, in acquisition costs, again for the next (Toyota) vehicle. I think I need some Prozac whenever I discuss this van, eh? I still hold out hope that my van (and yours) is unique and immune from the transmission devil. Time will tell. I hope someday to regret my distrust of this vehicle.</font>

Actually, I believe many Honda auto's do not have synchros. Our '83 Civic doesn't have it for it's 3 speed (gag), yet it still runs great (187K+ miles w/ no rebuild). With that said, I always make sure my car is at a complete stop before changing gears, that operate in the opposite direction (i.e. D to R, R to D). So, I don't think lack of synchros is what destroyed the tranny.

Just curious, do you do make sure you've completely stopped with your Odyssey? I know that other car maker's auto allows some leeway when switching gears while the car's in motion (such as shifting to D right after backing out of a parking space, with car moving).

Another habit I've noticed is that some people don't keep the shifting lever pulled back when they're suppose to. Sure you can still shift through the gears, but it places wear and tear on the selector detents. Just because you can do something on your car, doesn't mean that it's "good" for it. My $0.02.

'01 GG EX
16.8K miles (w/ no power slider problems)

 

[jkues]

For what its worth, I think paint chips are a function of how close you follow other vehicles, especially construction type vehicles. My wife loves to tailgate, and you should see the chips that result from it. When you hear all the stones and gravel hitting the hood you know its tearing up the paint, but she is oblivious to it.

On the subject of transmissions, it seems to me that most all brands of minivans have had trouble with the tranny to some extent. Maybe due to the weight of the vehicles? I have thought about adding a transmission oil cooler to help, and frequent oil changes? My 01 has 23,000 miles on it, and I got it last July. No trips to the dealer except for oil changes. I refuse to buy any extended warranty, and hope I don't regret it this time. They have to make money on them, it is just an insurance policy, so I gamble that I won't need it. Time will tell, but I don't believe in them at all for any product. My .02 worth......
John

 

[SuperDad]

Where do I start....

Synchro's. To my knowledge, this is an object that is never in ANY automatic transmission. It is short for Synchromesh, which gets the speed of the clutch disc(on a manual transmission) to that which is appropriate for the gear being selected. On automatic transmissions, the gears are selected by the hydraulic tensioning of a set of several bands on ring gears et al.

Early transmission failure is probably caused by the weight of the vehicle, and possibly because the fluid may be neglected. I have little doubt that the older folks of the forum will recall when automatic transmission fluid was never changed unless the transmission was failing/repaired.


Addendum: on the Ody, and I presume most FWD automatics, the band system for gear selection is gone, and instead they appear to use a somewhat more clutch disk/plate arrangement, actually about 5 of them.

[This message has been edited by SuperDad (edited 02-27-2002).]

 

[Maugham]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by jkues:
For what its worth, I think paint chips are a function of how close you follow other vehicles, especially construction type vehicles...</font>

I don't follow closely at all, in fact I'm the guy who lags behind (at the recommended distance). However, I still get chips from stones dropped by or tossed up from vehicles I'm passing vehicles or from those passing me, like you say, especially from construction vehicles.


------------------
Regards,

Maugham
_ _ ____________________ _ _

"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EX-L (It's RP, not "RRP")
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green grass stains and '01 White Laces
Rockport MW351 Brown Boots (for winter) and '00 Brown Laces