[Vanvirgin]

Hi Ody members,

I am writing to ask some information in regards to the transmission in the Honda Odyssey.

Is the 5 speed in the 3rd Gen the same as the earlier Honda (2002's) ? Just curious if Honda cleaned up all those problems by now.

So which leads to my main question. Is it worth the extra bucks to go Touring?
Is the 6 speed much improved and problem free?
its about 3-4k savings which is substantial from a EX-L navi.

I will spend it if i have to but if the tranny isn't a concern i would happily save that and buy something else!

 

[jdskycaster]

No. The five speed was changed out in 2005. It has a much better track record than the 2nd gen transmissions. Although there are advantages to the 6-speed I would not purchase a touring just to get it unless there are other features you need or want. It sounds like you are in that situation so my advice would be to to save the money for something else. This is our third odyssey and we are very happy with it. We stayed with the EXL (no RES or NAVI this time).

Best of luck with your search,

JD

 

[Vanvirgin]

oh wow they did revise the 5 speed! I did a search but found no reported mass failures on those.

Touring items I like (not need) is , 6 speed and white diamond pearl
Bonus icing, RES and side mirrors

 

[stpierrewm]

Hi Ody members,

I am writing to ask some information in regards to the transmission in the Honda Odyssey.

Is the 5 speed in the 3rd Gen the same as the earlier Honda (2002's) ? Just curious if Honda cleaned up all those problems by now.

So which leads to my main question. Is it worth the extra bucks to go Touring?
Is the 6 speed much improved and problem free?
its about 3-4k savings which is substantial from a EX-L navi.

I will spend it if i have to but if the tranny isn't a concern i would happily save that and buy something else!

Just for the record. This is the 4th generation Odyssey, not the 3rd. I don't know if you were referring to the 2005-10 model, but fyi.

 

[Vanvirgin]

sorry you are right, forgot about the first Gen with the car like doors.

2011 + is the generation i am referring to
and the 3rd gen is the 2005-2010

i will go edit my posts

 

[Frogger]

Went with the Touring precisely because of problems with the 5-speed in Gen3. I lost a transmission on a 2001 Ody, and a TC on a 2006 heading toward a second, and in both cases, much worse is I lost 12 days of work going back and forth to the dealer with their denials and lots of health due to elevated blood pressure.

Doesn't take much hunting around the Gen3 TSBs to see that the 5-speed isn't fixed... if you have to keep reprogramming it so it doesn't wear out prematurely, there is a problem.

Save yourself the headache, only the deepest cynic could imagine Honda screwing up on this 6-speed after all the mistakes on the 5.

 

[dvpatel]

Save yourself the headache, only the deepest cynic could imagine Honda screwing up on this 6-speed after all the mistakes on the 5.

That's what they all (the ones who had the 1999 - 2001 4 speed) said when the 5 speed came out. Trust me. I wish you luck but I wouldn't count on the 6-speed being perfect if it came from Honda. They screwed up the first 4 speed, then they patched it up with a TSB/Recall and then rolled out a 5 speed and then a beefier Ridgeline 5-speed in the 2007+ all to no avail so unless its proven 5 years down the line, I wouldn't say anything good or bad about that 6-speed in your Touring.

 

[dvpatel]

sorry you are right, forgot about the first Gen with the car like doors.

2011 + is the generation i am referring to
and the 3rd gen is the 2005-2010

i will go edit my posts

You can't edit the titles and posts but I fixed the title for ya.

 

[Vanvirgin]

Just noticed that, thanks dv

I am still confused on which tranny would be the better choice. Any else can chime in with their thoughts/experiences?

Frogger I have the same concerns like you for the 5 speed, but reading about 6 speed rough shifts aswell (even the Mdx)

 

[ts311]

from my experience
5speed is best bet as it is well tested over generations. ( for the new ones)
buying the last model year is best bet (if going for older cars). Eg: 2002 worst hit by tranny problem... 2003 was moderately hit by this issue... 2004 least hit by this problem. With this trend I think the issues will be resolved after years of experience. Next 2005 with a new set of problems ( to continue 2011 with battery issues and blindspot issues)... so the history repeats.

 

[D_M]

Of course a battery issue is nowhere near as serious as a transmission issue, though I haven't personally had any issue with either in my 2011 thus far.

 

[BigBoat]

I am still confused on which tranny would be the better choice. Any else can chime in with their thoughts/experiences?

You are rolling a dice with any transmission, if it is defective then you'll be screwed either way.

Honda has a good record of crappy transmissions (it is not Odyssey specific) but if you read a bit more there are actually members who have given it proper maintenance, drive conservatively (it is a van, right?) and have had no problems with it (check on any generation section).

So, to my point, based on history, transmissions are an Odyssey weak point so if you decide to buy one you'll need to pay more attention to it, else you may need to go another route (although I bet any other choice will have its weak points too)

 

[vthehonda]

5 speed=older=more revisions=better, IMHO

 

[baseball]

You are rolling a dice with any transmission, if it is defective then you'll be screwed either way.

Honda has a good record of crappy transmissions (it is not Odyssey specific) but if you read a bit more there are actually members who have given it proper maintenance, drive conservatively (it is a van, right?) and have had no problems with it (check on any generation section).

And many have given the Honda crappy transmission proper maintenance, drive conservatively and have had failures. Don't blame the owner. Put the blame on the manufacturer. My Gen 2 transmission failed about 70K miles. ATF Z1 changed every 10K miles. Never towed ever. Far far worse than my Ford, Chrysler and other transmissions. It's a crap shoot.

 

[BigBoat]

And many have given the Honda crappy transmission proper maintenance, drive conservatively and have had failures. Don't blame the owner. Put the blame on the manufacturer. My Gen 2 transmission failed about 70K miles. ATF Z1 changed every 10K miles. Never towed ever. Far far worse than my Ford, Chrysler and other transmissions. It's a crap shoot.

Fix below in red :stupid:

Honda has a good record of crappy transmissions (it is not Odyssey specific) but if you read a bit more there are actually members who have given it proper maintenance, drive conservatively (it is a van, right?) and have had no problems with it (check on any generation section, except many of the 2nd generation and the 3rd generation).

 

[dvpatel]

Fix below in red :stupid:

Hmmm. So what's left? The 1st gen which never had major tranny issues (barring the late 1997 and 1998 models) and the special 4th gen which is special and has yet to prove its durability? Nice.

 

[PhilZJ]

Actually, the self propel mechanism on my Honda lawn mower is dying after just 3 years.

Also, regarding transmissions, on the 3G TL forum, there have been transmission issue reports, however, some have found that if you replace some filter inside of it (every 50k miles or something like that), which seems to get clogged causing poor flow through the tranny, the longevity of the transmission increases significantly.

 

[BigBoat]

Hmmm. So what's left? The 1st gen which never had major tranny issues (barring the late 1997 and 1998 models) and the special 4th gen which is special and has yet to prove its durability? Nice.

I think it proves that many of the affected members keep on ranting about it in the forums year after year while *still* owning the van which, unless Honda has them tied and at gunpoint, it means the car is good even with its weak spots.

2nd-3rd Gen Odysseys have a good resale value and can be swapped for something similar (without spending big bucks) to save you on tranny repairs and from an Internet anger related illness

Actually, the self propel mechanism on my Honda lawn mower is dying after just 3 years.

OK, you win guys, I give up (but John Deere lawn mowers FTW! :stupid

 

[dvpatel]

I think it proves that many of the affected members keep on ranting about it in the forums year after year while *still* owning the van which, unless Honda has them tied and at gunpoint, it means the car is good even with its weak spots.

2nd-3rd Gen Odysseys have a good resale value and can be swapped for something similar (without spending big bucks) to save you on tranny repairs and from an Internet anger related illness

Tell that to WW. He whines more than the folks who lost their trannies. And, I belong to the lost tranny club so there's nothing you can say that will change the fact that I got a crappy product from your beloved Honda. As to trading it, well, some folks might be upside down or might have other problems on following through with their trade. That should NOT be construed as they keep their ride for griping for years. Hell I am going to whine about my 2 tranny failures on my Accord for at least one if not two decades so you're in for the long haul I tell ya. The attitude completely changes when one loses their own ride's tranny. Hope your attitude never changes.

OK, you win guys, I give up (but John Deere lawn mowers FTW! :stupid

Yay. We win.

 

[BigBoat]

Tell that to WW. He whines more than the folks who lost their trannies. And, I belong to the lost tranny club so there's nothing you can say that will change the fact that I got a crappy product from your beloved Honda. As to trading it, well, some folks might be upside down or might have other problems on following through with their trade. That should NOT be construed as they keep their ride for griping for years. Hell I am going to whine about my 2 tranny failures on my Accord for at least one if not two decades so you're in for the long haul I tell ya. The attitude completely changes when one loses their own ride's tranny. Hope your attitude never changes.

Oh no, did you PM WW? Waiting for his subtle post now, ha!

Beloved Honda? No, you got it wrong, I'm not a Honda fanboy, I just think they got it right with the 4th Generation Odyssey and my current needs. The thing breaks, will piss me off, my attitude might change :stupid: but will objectively evaluate what to do next, I won't suffer it for ages. Cars serve a purpose, yet they are a risky asset and money losers on wheels, especially in markets like the US. That has to be considered when buying, like anything else :dunno: