[HelloOdyssey]

My car is pretty new less than 2 weeks. Has around 700 miles. From today i feel something weird in gear shifting. Previously the shift was very smooth and now I can feel the gears shift a lot especially < 40mph. Also the car struggles to climb even small ramps, i have to press acceleration hard. I come from SUV and this is the first time riding a minivan. Is this normal ? I did not feel this until today. I called the dealership from whom i bought and they said as there are no warning lights and car is pretty new it is normal and may not be transmission issue. I feel the car is also a little louder than before. Not sure if this is my imagination or it is normal. Any advice ?

 

[ddansb01]

My car is pretty new less than 2 weeks. Has around 700 miles. From today i feel something weird in gear shifting. Previously the shift was very smooth and now I can feel the gears shift a lot especially < 40mph. Also the car struggles to climb even small ramps, i have to press acceleration hard. I come from SUV and this is the first time riding a minivan. Is this normal ? I did not feel this until today. I called the dealership from whom i bought and they said as there are no warning lights and car is pretty new it is normal and may not be transmission issue. I feel the car is also a little louder than before. Not sure if this is my imagination or it is normal. Any advice ?

The ECO mode will make it very slow and sometimes get turned on if you miss the drive button. Check for a green leaf image, lower left on dash.

Try the S mode by pressing the DRIVE button twice. You will get better acceleration, but more engine noise.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[HelloOdyssey]

The ECO mode will make it very slow and sometimes get turned on if you miss the drive button. Check for a green leaf image, lower left on dash.

Try the S mode by pressing the DRIVE button twice. You will get better acceleration, but more engine noise.

Let us know how it turns out.

Definitely eco mode was not on. That is the first thing i double checked. This kinda scares me as I don't want to get into a rabbit hole of diagnosing what the problem is with a pretty brand new car. Reading about Hondas transmission problem literally scares me with inefficient dealerships around

 

[DJVAN]

@HelloOdyssey

Can you repeat the problems when driving following day? Don't let the dealer say they will not look at the ODY if it is not giving any codes. The person you probably talked to probably has a standard line to say to keep people away. Just tell them you are having a transmission problem, and you want to take them fro a ride, find your ramp or a hill and let the experience the problem. If you just leave them the ODY they will probably just drive it around for a few blocks and perhaps check the transmission codes (TCU).

 

[HelloOdyssey]

@HelloOdyssey

Can you repeat the problems when driving following day? Don't let the dealer say they will not look at the ODY if it is not giving any codes. The person you probably talked to probably has a standard line to say to keep people away. Just tell them you are having a transmission problem, and you want to take them fro a ride, find your ramp or a hill and let the experience the problem. If you just leave them the ODY they will probably just drive it around for a few blocks and perhaps check the transmission codes (TCU).

Thanks a lot. Do dealership usually accept to take them for a ride. Whom should i ask about this in the service department ? Is it a technician ?

 

[Novalight]

In my state if you have issues with your brand new car you have 30 days for a full refund

 

[DJVAN]

@HelloOdyssey
If you have them drive it without you, and they say they could not find nothing wrong... Tell them you want to ride along with the technician to insure when the ODY acts up. You may have to be patient at the dealer as they do not work around your schedule, you have to work around theirs. You will have to talk to the service technician when you arrive there. If they refuse to do this talk to the service manager. It's not like you are asking for something that is impossible for them to do. Normally speaking for any transmission problem to occur it will be under 1000 miles, but there are a lot of them showing up later in mileage as well. And as @Novalight light said, if your state allows for a full refund, you may consider it if they do not want to work with you.

 

[Hodna]

DJVAN is correct. A service tech will definitely drive the car to see what's going on. There's no reason you can't go with him.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread is the "learning" software. The transmission software actually gets programed based on your first thirty or so days of driving habits. I don't see how this can work correctly, since a lot of families have two or three drivers. Does the software know which driver is using the car today? But I digress.

If the service people can't find anything wrong, ask them to reset the transmission software to factory specs. Make sure the ECON mode is off, and then drive the car around for another few weeks to see if the issue corrects itself. If it's fine for a week or so but returns, then climb over the service manager's desk, grab him by the throat, and demand a refund or different car 😀.

I have yet to hear a decent explanation as to how this learning software can work for all drivers. Perhaps it measures each drivers' habits, and then averages the numbers. To me, that would be stupid and meaningless. Nevertheless, give it a shot and let us know how it goes.

Edit
After your ride along with the service tech, if he says the car is behaving correctly, ask to take out another new Ody on the lot (if there is one). It doesn't have to be the exact trim level. It just needs to have the same engine and transmission, which I'm sure they all do now. From what you're saying, I can almost guarantee the second Ody will not act like yours. At that point, you have them where you want them. They'd need to explain why yours doesn't work right and the new one does.

 

[HelloOdyssey]

@HelloOdyssey
If you have them drive it without you, and they say they could not find nothing wrong... Tell them you want to ride along with the technician to insure when the ODY acts up. You may have to be patient at the dealer as they do not work around your schedule, you have to work around theirs. You will have to talk to the service technician when you arrive there. If they refuse to do this talk to the service manager. It's not like you are asking for something that is impossible for them to do. Normally speaking for any transmission problem to occur it will be under 1000 miles, but there are a lot of them showing up later in mileage as well. And as @Novalight light said, if your state allows for a full refund, you may consider it if they do not want to work with you.

Thank you. Im from washington state where there is no refund once i take the car out of the lot

 

[HelloOdyssey]

DJVAN is correct. A service tech will definitely drive the car to see what's going on. There's no reason you can't go with him.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread is the "learning" software. The transmission software actually gets programed based on your first thirty or so days of driving habits. I don't see how this can work correctly, since a lot of families have two or three drivers. Does the software know which driver is using the car today? But I digress.

If the service people can't find anything wrong, ask them to reset the transmission software to factory specs. Make sure the ECON mode is off, and then drive the car around for another few weeks to see if the issue corrects itself. If it's fine for a week or so but returns, then climb over the service manager's desk, grab him by the throat, and demand a refund or different car 😀.

I have yet to hear a decent explanation as to how this learning software can work for all drivers. Perhaps it measures each drivers' habits, and then averages the numbers. To me, that would be stupid and meaningless. Nevertheless, give it a shot and let us know how it goes.

Edit
After your ride along with the service tech, if he says the car is behaving correctly, ask to take out another new Ody on the lot (if there is one). It doesn't have to be the exact trim level. It just needs to have the same engine and transmission, which I'm sure they all do now. From what you're saying, I can almost guarantee the second Ody will not act like yours. At that point, you have them where you want them. They'd need to explain why yours doesn't work right and the new one does.

Thank you. So far Im the only one diving the car. It drove very well the first couple of weeks even uphill. Now i have a tough time accelerating and can feel the gear changes especially until 40mph.

 

[Hodna]

Glad to help 😀. Hopefully, the dealer won't hide behind the all too familiar, "We can't reproduce the problem" malarkey. It sounds like an issue between the engine and transmission software. It's no skin off their backs to just reset everything to factory specs so you have a clean slate from which to work. If anything it lets them off the hook for a few weeks so you can prove there may be an issue.

 

[setrusko]

I'd be very interested to hear what the dealer says.

 

[DJVAN]

@HelloOdyssey

@Hodna is right, get it into the dealer, make certain you tell the person on the phone you have only had it for 700 miles and less than 2 weeks. This should help to get it in quicker for an appointment. The minimum they should be doing is reprogramming your TCU (Transmission Control Unit) and verifying the engine CPU is correct. The sooner the better for you.

 

[Lartymarf]

Every dealership might operate a little differently. But, I find that a competent, knowledgeable service advisor who is willing to listen to your car problems and calls you back when he/she says he/she will is very important. At my local dealership, I just have to make sure I show the service advisor the problem, once he sees/hears/experiences it, he takes it from there. I never have to deal with the mechanics or technicians.