Honda of america is the worst people to do deal with. My 2002 honda odyssey is having the same problem that everyone else on this site is having. I called Honda of america to see what they could do. All I get is the run around. I take it to the dealer he says Kim from Customer service made the decision thta my van to old. Won't help. But the big problem is that every time I call Honda of America no one knows who Kim is. She can't be located. They tell me they have checked in all departments. No one from Honda American knows who she is. But dealer says she made the call. I call back dealer again he tells me that it was Kim from Customer Service that made the call regarding our Van. All these people do is give you the run around. But they can be sure I will not let this go. I will call and call and call until I find this person Kim. This Company is the worst company I have ever dealt with. I will never ever buy a Honda again. I hope people read this and see how bad honda has become.

But I will continue until I get a straight answer. These people are trained to get the customers tired. Does anyone know is there is a law suit regarding the transmission. There are so many complaints.

Thanks for reading my complaint.

Aurora

I bought the 2002 Honda Odyssey van brand new and have always got the recommended maintenance done on time and that too at Honda dealers. My van's tranny started giving problems first in December 2008. I had luckily bought extended warranty earlier and the warranty company covered it but gave only a refurbished transmission as replacement. The replacement transmission started giving the same kind of trouble in year 2010. Again, the extended warranty company replaced it with yet another refurbished transmission. Since last couple of days the second refurbished transmission is giving exactly the same kind of problem! That's three times in a row! Contacted Honda America and the person refused any help saying the car's got too many miles to help. I pointed out that they were contacted earlier and they refused to help then, too, but to no avail.

I am not able to get the contact information for the class action suit going on against Honda on the East coast, can someone help me out with it please? Thank you.

I purchased my 2002 Honda Odyssey on Sept. 29th 2011 on a Thursday and had it checked over by a mechanic down the street from where I bought it (he did not drive it) and everything checked out and the van had a wonderful carfax (1 owner, no accidents, all maintenance done by Honda and the timing belt had also been replaced). We are a family living on one limited income and needed something a little older but reliable so I decided to go with a Honda because they have a great reputation and I loved the 92 prelude that I had for many years.

However, on Monday Oct. 3rd just 4 days after purchasing the vehicle the tranny started slipping. so I took it to my mechanic who informed me that it was the transmission. :( So right away I called the used dealership and told them the problem they offered to pay half of a warranty and hope that hey cover it. We did not think that the warranty would cover it so decided to take it to the dealer's mechanic and hope that they would fix it. of course the tranny would not slip while they had it. So I brought it to Va while visiting family to have it looked at. I have been getting different solutions and it seems no one is guiding me in the right directions with clear options.

So now we are deciding whether to get it replaced or rebuilt. Also, someone mentioned getting a JDM transmission and having that installed. We wish the dealer would take it back since it happened 4 days after purchase but I feel that it is a lost cause because I signed away all of my rights when purchasing it. Wish I would have researched this model before purchasing it. Thought that Honda's would go 200,000+ miles and I was in the clear. Now I am looking at a huge tranny bill that will be almost as much as the van is worth....... SO UPSET!

Oh, and I called Honda because I thought that I saw a a recall on this tranny in 2004 but the customer service rep informed me that the recall was not for a slipping issue but locking up instead and the problem had been fixed in 04. So BUMMED!!!!!

If anyone has any input I would really appreciate it because we are still trying to decide what to do.

I purchased this van in Sept. 2008 with appx. 107,000 miles on it. In July 2010 the transmission light came on, the D light starting flashing, and it wouldn't shift into gear. I was on vacation and over 500 hundred miles from home. This van not one time going down gave me any indication that something was wrong with it. All the fluids were checked before I left for this trip. So to say the least I had to get this van fixed, which cost me $2168.00. I had 2 Toyota Camry's and not one time did it ever fail me like this Honda has. I wouldn't recommend a Honda to my dog much less a friend. I talked to the gentleman that fixed my Honda and he said himself that Honda's were the worst cars for transmissions....My best advice is stay as far away from them as you can. Then lets mention in Aug 2011 not a month after the transmission went out of warranty from the transmission guy the damn torque is bad again in it...so I am filling another complaint on this piece of sh*t Honda...

My transmission has started to slip on my 2002 odyssey when driving. You can feel it slipping occasionally Also, when you shift from reverse into park, it slips and bangs into gear (slightly) sometimes. I have an extended warranty that I bought (2nd one - had to buy one when I bought it used in 2006 with 33,000 miles). It now has 89,000 miles. So, what's going on...anyone else had this problem and should I be worried?

Also, separate problem is that the motor "surges" sometimes when in park idling. It's only every once in a while. Dealer could not duplicate after two visits. After 3rd visit (about 2 years ago, They said it was the EGR valve and replaced it. It was ok for about 6 months, and now it's doing it again.

I've replaced both slider door rollers also, one would just beep here and there (quite frequently), even when driving; the other you had to close with the button on the dash - otherwise it would be open just a bit. A bit frustrating to say the least.

I have also replaced the driver side seat mechanism ($600 out of pocket); not covered by the extended warranty. I was told it was a safety issue - it started to rock just a bit, and the seat is full power (EX-L model).

I love my odyssey, but am hoping that the transmission will last and this vehicle will carry me through 3 more years at least, while I finish college. Low miles for now - 2002 at 89,000 miles.

The transmission is my major concern - what can be done?

I have a 2002 Honda Odyssey. Took family to Las Vegas, NV for Christmas and coming back home suddenly Check Engine and TCS comes "ON" and Letter "D" on gear indicator start blinking. I say this could only mean one thing "Transmission Failure".

So, i drove home for about 40 miles until i make it home. Just dropped off at Honda dealer. Let's see how much is going to cost me??? I've sister inlaw has the same problem in 2009 on her 2003 odyssey and it cost her $5500. I've "Landcar Agency" extended warranty so, i hope they pick up most of the cost.

This is my last HONDA. In 2001 i bought Brand New 2001 Honda Accord with 21k miles and have the same problem. Thank "GOD" it was still under warranty. Doesn't cost anything but the car never run or drive the same. It uses so much gas after i got new Transmission installed. I got 20mpg in city on 4 cylinder car.

I should have bought Toyota Sienna. i have 2004 Toyota Corolla with 178K and not problem with Engine or Transmission....

The problem probably started a year ago with minor loss of power - this happened about 5 or 6 times over the past year. Took it in to the repair shop but the mechanic did not find any error codes. But he did warned me that transmission failures on the 2002 Odyssey are common. Supposedly, it is the same transmission as the 2000 & 2001 Odysseys and Honda had recalled those for repairs. (Maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm this.)

On a trip in September, the Odyssey shook violently - the TCS light came on & the check engine light came on. After pulling to the side of the road, I check the oil & water levels & everything was fine. Restarted the engine and the TCS light was out but the check engine light stayed on. Took it to my repair shop and there was error code(s) for transmission problems. The mechanic suggested that I take the Odyssey back to the dealer - he had heard that some dealers will help their customers with the cost of the transmission repairs. Unfortunately, mine is not one of those dealers. After hearing me describe the symptoms and seeing the check engine light on, the service advisor told me that it was the transmission - I guess that this is such a common problem that they did not need to do any diagnostic. The advisor that gave me Honda USA's 800 number and told me to call them to see what they will offer. The willingness to help is over-whelming - this is from the dealer (Fremont AutoWest Honda) that I bought the Odyssey new from and paid >$2000 premium above sticker price.

On the way out, I ask about the approximate cost for the repairs and he rattle off $4500 to $5000 plus a new control module. At the time, I did not asked but now I am very curious about the new control module. Is that a defect in the control module program that is contributing to the transmission failures?

I finally have some time to research this problem on the internet and I am surprised by the large number of transmission failures on the 2002 Odyssey - I thought my mechanic was exaggerating the extent of the problem. I am surprised that some lawyers has not taken up this cause.

This is my second Honda Odyssey with a transmission problem. My first Ody a 2000 got a tranny failure at 128,000 instead of repairing it, I decided to buy a newer model, a 2002 with only 37,000 miles on it. But sadly two days ago I found that the transmission is shifting bad!!! ( Slipping and Banging ) Again a bad transmission, this time on my 79,000 miles 2002 Odyssey. I called Honda and they say there's No-Warranty!!!! Sorry. I have being a fan of Hondas for many years but i think I LOST MY FIDELITY FOR THE NAME. My suggestion is... Stay away!!! of Odysseys

Bought new, driven easily, self maintained; except recalls, have been hearing the horror stories about the transmissions for years. Changed the fluid at 20,40,60,80k with HONDA fluid(which apparently didn't help). TransLEMON started slipping at 87k. Dealer says no help because car is 8 years old with 87k miles. (I have a toyota with 249K miles and the transmission shifts like new and never had a problem. (Won't buy Honda next time) Count me in on the next class action.

Just a reminder to Car mfgs: customer service should still be #1 (if we don't buy you don't eat)

My 2002 Odyssey EX has 94K miles and looks like new. The van is in perfect condition. I'm the only owner. On Sunday morning on my way to church, after stopping at at a stop sign, the van seems moving very slow with very high RPM. The traction control and engine lights are on; and "D" light is flashing. I stopped the van and turned everything off. I started the van again, the engine light is still on but the van now seems only driving on the first gear for a while with very high RPM and suddenly shifts to the last gear (I think). I have my friend who is working as a mechanic at the local Nissan dear to look at it, he came up with code P0740 (Transmission Shifting Malfunction). I contact American Honda, I was told that my van is NOT under warranty any more and they only look at case by case (????????????). I'm thinking to replace the tranny but not sure.

Update from Sep 14, 2010: The new transmission works perfect

Honda needs to come clean and recall these transmission because this is my second vehicle with the same problem. I had a 1998 Honda Accord that does the same thing and I had to get rid of it because the car had 75000 mile and honda would'nt repair it on the fact that the warranty had already expired. Now after purchasing a honda odyssey, there seems to be the exact problems occuring. So my opinion is; HONDA needs to acknowledge the fact that there are major problems with their transmissions and honor their loyal customers with accepting the responsibility of getting the situation fixed. I have spoken to other owners of Honda vehicles that seem to be experiencing the very same isues.

You make the call ----

1) Honda Larry Hopkins quote = $5800 + tax (Tranny + Computer + Labor) Honda America (1-800-990-1009) "reduced" the above quote to "help out" with 10% on parts + some on labor! = $4500 + tax $2600 for tranny, $1100 for computers, remaining labor! (Took multiple frustrating dialogs, no call returns upon messages, and shunting between honda america and larry hopkins, worst -- larry hopkins pretended to help)

2) Stevens Creek Honda quote (over phone, but still, tranny, computer and labor) = $4000 + tax

3) Cheap shop on Evelyn quote = $3200 + tax (OEM Parts, tranny, computer and labor)

4) Precision Tune Quote (mechanic franchise chain, With Honda parts, Tranny, Computer and labor) = $3800 + tax (nice friendly service)

Cars are machines and can break down. I would have expected honda to accept a known problem (short of recall), help out and move on. But the customer service was appalling. Why buy Honda next time? Is there a better option?

-- hondaowner aka troubledhondaowner near Sunnyvale, CA