TCS and check engine light came on...took it to local honda dealer and according to them it was an 02 sensor and a "transmission range switch and harness" parts=417 labor=615 same day i left the dealer after it was fixed both lights came back on!! Due to my work schedule took it back few days later and they said some wires on the parts they replaced were loose, after i left the dealer the second time the lights came back on again!! and they said i might need a new transmission that can cost 4000!!! How can i get my money back and get the problem fixed??? i dont trust the dealer!!!

I have excellent record of car maintenance. Have been going to Honda dealership for car service faithfully, following on schedule. I have been a Honda customer since my first car in college. The Odyssey is my third Honda car. It's my first time experiencing transmission failure which was a HUGE disappointment. Several of my friends had their cars over 150K without transmission failure. I hope Honda will offer "goodwill repair" by replacing the transmission at no cost. Will find out tomorrow. If they won't offer goodwill repair, what are my options?

Driving home from work at 30 miles per hour and suddenly it seemed like the car was in neutral. I was able to pull off the road using the momentum I had. Repair center says $2,500 - $4000 to rebuild the transmission. I spoke with Honda 'customer service' at 1-800-999-1009 and the less-than-enthusiastic rep tells me they "can't do anything for me". My in-law's 2001 Odyssey has under 100k miles as of this date (10-25-2010) and has had no problems so far. I guess the 2004 model's transmission was a lemon and Honda's attitude is 'whatever...'

Told by dealer I need new transmission. Called Honda North America. Most of the time you get VM when trying to contact rep because "they are very busy this time of year" Told that my Honda didn't qualify for warranty because I brought it in for the recall in 2005.(???) Then I was told I had high mileage at 101,000 and 7 years and that's why it failed.. Today I had to fax all my mechanics paper work proving that I not only had transmission fluid checked the required three times but had it done four times.

Honda refuses to acknowledge they have a problem even though I told them a Google search lit up like a Christmas tree with complaints the same as mine. They refused to put me through to a next level manager and continued to send me to VM. When I called dealer the assistant service manager told me Honda North America never tried to contact them to discuss a resolution. I work full time and have five kids so this is a major expense and inconvenient to say the least. I have always had Honda's and bought this van with the intention of having it last for a long while. I will not purchase another Honda.

Basically just had Timing belt, water pump and belts replaced three days before. I'm thinking I'll be good for another 70 k miles before any major repairs. Then driving to the airport at 60 miles per hour when all of the sudden it was like someone threw the car in neutral. lucky I was not in heavy traffic. I have call the NTSB and filed a compliant. Talked to Honda there was a recall for this very thing, but they say my vin was not included. Basically the recall stated that the transmission could over heat and cause a crash. Soulution was to replace cooler parts to make it cool transmission beter if mileage was under 15 k; over 15 they were to replace damaged parts or entire transmission.

I'm only 38, but between my wife and I, we've owned 7 Hondas and one Acura. We love our Hondas but...

What's up with the transmission in our 2004 Honda Odyssey? It had 79,000 miles and the scheduled dealership transmission service done at 50,000 miles. My wife decided to take a trip from Northern California to Disneyland with our kids (4 & 6) as well as her mom and sister. On their drive down, she called me when the car wouldn't "go" anymore and started smoking. I tried figuring it out with her and she called for roadside assistance to help out. They gave up and she ended up getting towed. I called the local Honda dealer for help and they said they were closed and recommended we go to a local independent Honda shop. We had it towed there for >$400 tow bill! OUCH!!!!!! But that is just the beginning.

It took her about 6 hours between when she broke down and got back on the road to pick up the rest of our family who was hanging out in middle-of-nowhere. We rented a car on short notice (= bad pricing) so she could continue our trip. The local independent Honda shop verified the transmission needed to be replaced. The smoke my wife saw was due to a rapid ejection of transmission fluid shooting out of the breather valve while she was on level freeway in the central valley. Her transmission failed just before heading up the grapevine (in the middle of nowhere).

I talked with our local dealer about known problems with the transmission and they said there were only problems with models through 2001. I saw the warranty extension Honda gave for some models through 2002 and just today saw the transmission recall (NHTSA Campaign ID 04V176000 - reported 4/13/2004, bought our car in June 2004). The transmission replacement totaled just over $4,200 which included new front and rear engine mounts (front was broken somehow and back was cracked) and adding an additional transmission cooler (even though we don't tow) to hopefully prevent this from happening again.

I am so let down by the serious and very expensive problem with our car. Is Honda quality going downhill? How could something this serious happen? I remember talking with a friend who had a domestic minivan. He commented about the transmission having problems and I was glad to have owned a Honda and though myself immune from such issues. I am not. I remember another friend commenting about how his 2002 Honda Odyssey transmission had to be replaced.

What is this world coming to? I'm not sure what is next. My faith in Honda is very seriously shaken. I did the maintenance I was supposed to do but still ended up with catastrophic failure way under 100,000 miles. I'm not sure if Honda is worth the price premium if this is where the quality is heading.

Dear Honda Corporation,

My name is Elizabeth Judd and I have been the owner of a 2004 Honda Odyssey minivan since August 2004. We live in rural Northwest Illinois, but we have always taken the time to take our Honda into the Napleton Autowerks for any maintenance because we wanted it to be correctly done and covered by warranty. This is no easy feat, since we live about 70 miles from the dealership and it usually takes a good part of a day. We had planned and saved for a vacation out west this year with extended family. We told my sister, Sherry Sutphen how much we loved our minivan and how she would love a Honda because of the wonderful care we received and the low maintenance. She purchased a 2007 van in mid May. We took our 2004 Honda into the dealership on Monday May 21st for a routine check and oil change. We were having trouble getting into low gear, so we asked them to look at it for us since we would be driving through mountains. The service manager called on Monday afternoon to say that the transmission was slipping and they would replace it, under warranty, for $50.00 (the deductible). We authorized the work and they said the van should be ready by Wednesday. We picked it up at the dealership on Wednesday afternoon, May 23rd. We left on our dream vacation exactly one week later on May 30th with my sister, her three children, our two children and my mother. We started having trouble with the engine slipping on Friday, June 1st. We were in Moab, Utah and we had driven through Arches National Park. We were on our way to St. George, Utah when at approximately 1:00 PM the car stopped running on Interstate 70, about 6 miles East of Salina. We were at mile marker 63 or 64. We contacted Honda Care and were told it would only cover $100.00 for towing and there was no dealership in St. George. The tow truck took Paul and our van into Salina where he purchased “AAA plus” motor insurance to cover full cost of towing since Honda would only cover $100.00. We dumped half of our luggage, most of the shoes, and souvenirs into the broken van, and piled into our sister’s, Sherry Sutphen, van with 8 people and half our clothes. We continued the drive to St. George and the van was towed into Ken Garff Honad in Orum, Utah. We were never contacted by Honda Care, Honda Customer Service, Napleton Autowerks or Ken Garff Honda in Salt Lake City. We called Honda Care on Friday and they told us there was no dealership in St. George, it would have to go to Salt Lake City. That was incorrect, we are staying one mile from the Honda dealership and we drive by the service department every single day. All our clothes, shoes and items are in Salt Lake City because the Honda Care person could not look it up on the computer. When we contacted Napleton Autowerks, we were told it couldn’t be their fault. We are getting another transmission 8 days after getting the exact same service, whose fault is it? The car was towed to Salt Lake City by Friday evening. The tow truck driver looked under the car and said, “You blew your transmission, look at the transmission fluid everywhere”. All Ken Garff Honda had to do was look under the car and see the damage. They never did until Monday. Saturday the car sat and no phone call. We called them and they informed us that really they were too busy and maybe Monday they could look at it. We went to Lake Powell on Monday to enjoy one day of our vacation and thought we would have a call or message when we returned home. Absolutely nothing was done. We are now at day four of our vacation. We are sitting in St. George without half our clothes for both families, no hiking shoes or tennis shoes because our vehicle is 300 miles away and Honda Care states it will only reimburse travel interruption for up to three consecutive days with a maximum of $300.00. We are 300 miles from our car and it is day four and not one single person has contacted us. This is Honda Care? I called Honda Care on Tuesday morning, June 5th and asked where our claim was at. The person told me it was on hold, no one had contacted him. Not the dealer, NO ONE. We rented a car, but that is only for $210.00 maximum. We have spent $389.00 as of today, June 7th. The gentleman listened to my story, offered very kind words of “Gee, that’s terrible, I’m so sorry but Honda Care can’t help”. He did look on his computer and told me that a transmission was ordered for our car on Monday evening. Four grueling days later, someone finally looked under the car and said it needs a new transmission. Is this how all stranded Honda owners are treated or just ministers and teachers? I asked for assistance on getting a one way ticket to Salt Lake City to pick up the van since it is 300 miles away and he said, “Sorry, we can’t do anything for you. Why don’t you call Customer Service?” My very next call was to Honda Customer Service. They also informed me that they were really sorry for our plight, but they couldn’t really do anything either. They were going to write everything down and give it to a case manager and mark it urgent. I should hear back from someone in a day or two. Paul called Ken Garff Honda and was told that the transmission was ordered, but they had no idea when it would arrive or when they would have time to get it installed, maybe by the end of the week. We again had to call them and be transferred numerous times, with no service or firm time line for getting us back on our vacation. They also informed us that there was no way they could pick me up at the airport, it was too far away and they were short handed. I would have to buy an airline ticket on whatever mysterious day my car was finished, fly to a strange city that I have never been to before, rent a car, drive 45 minutes to an hour to the dealership, pick up my car, and then do something with the rental. This is Honda Customer Service and Honda Care? Wow. Up to this point Paul and I had never raised our voices, we had spoken eloquently and compassionately about our situation and had hoped and prayed that this would all be rectified because we had spent the extra money to buy a Honda. Wednesday morning arrived, and still not a single call from anyone. We did not replace the transmission 8 days before it blew, we were lied to about the Honda Dealership and not one single person had called in five days to inform us about our car. Paul again contacted the dealership and was told the parts truck was in, but they didn’t know if our transmission was on it. He was again told that there was no way could be met at the airport, rent a car. I contacted Honda Customer Service and was told that it was marked urgent, but it usually sits in an inbox for a couple of days until a case manager gets to it. I then shouted at Tia and asked when this matter might become a priority for someone besides the Judd, Sutphen and O’Donnell families? She put me on hold various times for 15 minutes until we were finally disconnected. We had planned on doing another excursion to Zion National Park and since no one had contacted us in all this time and we were just sitting around waiting for our van, we should go and do something as a family. We left at 12:30 PM because again, not one single person had contacted us about this urgent matter. I contacted Honda at 9:00 AM, the call was finally returned at 3:04 PM. Sharon, my case manager said she was really sorry this had happened but all Customer Relations is responsible for is repairing the car. Is it not ridiculous, customer relations is not responsible for customer relations, it is responsible for mechanical issues. Do not call it customer relations if it is not going to help the customer. The one person who called and offered to do anything for us is John Forbes, a manager for Ken Garff Honda. He called and told us I would be picked up at the airport and driven to our van. Paul had contacted Ken Garff Honda on Wednesday morning and they said the transmission was there but they didn’t know when it would be done. They said they would call us back. It never happened. We called back, were transferred numerous times, and finally told maybe by Thursday afternoon. Paul offered to move our families into the waiting room because we were running out of time and money. We purchased an airline ticket and hope to have our van today, though I would willingly leave it at the dealership and walk away were it not for the clothes, shoes, and souvenirs in the car. Some of the other issues we have faced are directly related to this situation. Our family has been frozen at St. George while we make phone calls and plead our case to deaf ears. Not one single call was made until we raised our voices. We pride ourselves on being compassionate, caring people, but that meant less than nothing to Honda. I have never been ignored for so long when we are stranded. Paul, my husband, is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a liver ailment. He has injections once a week and takes pills twice a day. He has been so sick from the stress that I have considered taking him to the hospital. He cannot eat or drink and is nauseated all the time from the stress. All it would have taken is courtesy phone calls letting us know what is happening, but Honda is more concerned with covering its ass then the people that are hurting and frustrated. Napleton Autowerks either put in a bad transmission or the work was below standard. Honda Care lied to us when it said there was no dealership in St. George. Every person is concerned about our plight but only John Forbes is offering to do anything to help. My sister, the five children among us and my mother are stranded waiting for phone calls that never happen. I cannot sleep because I am consumed with this saga, and my children are truly tired of hearing us discuss this to no end. Today will be spent traveling to Salt Lake City and driving the car back 300 miles. I am so past my 3 days, $300.00 it isn’t even funny, and my husband has to fly back to Illinois for an annual Conference of Methodist Ministers and I am going to loose my last day of vacation with him. However, since his health has deteriorated so badly from the stress, I just hope he can make the flight. Please respond to this email show that someone in the Honda Corporation cares at all. All we wanted was some actual care from Honda Care, not words but deads. We wanted Honda to feel the urgency and take ownership of families stranded in the Utah desert because of faulty workmanship 10 days before. We would like to be reimbursed for the car rental in full, the airline ticket, our food for the last six days, and for the clothing items bought because our clothes were sent with the car to a dealership 300 miles away when there was a dealer less than one mile away that would have allowed us to get our items out of the van while waiting on the dealership. There is no way to reimburse us for a lost vacation or for the stress you have put three families under. We feel you do not care about us, and we no longer wish to ever own a Honda product.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. and Paul A. Judd

We bought the car at the end of the 2004 year. 12 months later when we parked the car it would not come out of park. Red park light went out, side doors would not work. Called the dealer and they told us to stick a key in the release key hole and move the gear selector up and down. When we went to the dealer they said the 'Cannot reproduce the problem, you must have done something wrong'. The second time it happened the dealer said the transmission needed to be adjusted. The third time they said it was caused by the brakes. Forth time I was able to reproduce the problem. Park on a hill or move the car after it is in park and it locks. This time they said 'Oh there has been a TSB on this issue since 2005'. SOBs didn't even bother to look at their own TSB