Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality buy but I've been reading some reviews on the 2004 model and it sounds like a ton of major automatic transmission problems often costing in excess of $3000 to repair. From the reviews looks like about 2000 to 2004 are the worse years but other years have issues to. Any body have any experiences with these Honda Vans? Trying to decide if they are a worthy buy or a definite avoid.
Re: Honda Odyssey, Tranny Problems??
- Thread starter DanielinTheLions
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They all seem to have it,Odyssey/Sienna/Caravan/TC....and probably Sedona as well.Problem is the minivans weigh a whole lot and the trannys are basically car-based in capacity.Just think,a loaded minivan with cargo and passengers can weigh over 5000 lbs.Not many Camrys or Accords weigh that.
I have owned new two of them: a 2000 and a 2006. My advice would be to stay away from anything 1999-2005. Our 2000 went 80K before it literally started falling apart(including the transmission starting to slip.) We liked the general vehicle (and got such a good deal) that we bought the 2006. IMO, it is a much better vehicle. We have 65K on it and have done nothing besides maintenance and tires.
IMO, there is not enough of a transmission in these to support the loads that these vehicles command.
IMO, there is not enough of a transmission in these to support the loads that these vehicles command.
honda had bad transmissions and had for a while not all but most are the main reason why my man freddy at the trans shop my brother sold him sends his kids to a nice college..
Definetly Avoid the Odyssey. Even the newer ones can have an occasional tranny failure. What year of van are you looking for? I was going to buy a 99 Odyssey and settled on a 98 Sienna. Sienna has been very reliable for the engine and tranny.
Regards, JC.
Regards, JC.
Problem is they put a car transmission in a heavy minivan ...
Originally Posted By: DanielinTheLions
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality buy but I've been reading some reviews on the 2004 model and it sounds like a ton of major automatic transmission problems often costing in excess of $3000 to repair. From the reviews looks like about 2000 to 2004 are the worse years but other years have issues to. Any body have any experiences with these Honda Vans? Trying to decide if they are a worthy buy or a definite avoid.
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality buy but I've been reading some reviews on the 2004 model and it sounds like a ton of major automatic transmission problems often costing in excess of $3000 to repair. From the reviews looks like about 2000 to 2004 are the worse years but other years have issues to. Any body have any experiences with these Honda Vans? Trying to decide if they are a worthy buy or a definite avoid.
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Originally Posted By: DanielinTheLions
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality
There's your problem right there. Honda has always been mediocre. And the vans have very, very poor transmissions.
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality
There's your problem right there. Honda has always been mediocre. And the vans have very, very poor transmissions.
My dad is selling an 08 Honda minivan because of the things that have gone wrong with it including but not limited to 3 or 4 trans failures, 1 ac compressor, DVD player, raidiator, CV axles, Power steering pump whine/hose failure... etc. The van has just over 100k miles on it now.
Run....RUN.....RUN
Run....RUN.....RUN
The Sienna is your best bet for a reliable minivan with no transmission problems.
Originally Posted By: Trav
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Do you feel they got better after a certain year? Or are you referring to all Odysseys in general?
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Do you feel they got better after a certain year? Or are you referring to all Odysseys in general?
'99 to early '04 models were the worst for Honda. My '01 lost its first transmission at 70k, the second at 154k, and the third at 193k. The fourth has about 45k on it, and I'm hoping Maxlife does better than the Honda fluid did in the first three.
Honda implemented a re-designed tranny during the '04 model year, and they got a bit better.
I agree that the Toyota Sienna's transmission probably stinks the least among FWD minivans, but none of them are great. The truth is, nobody's really figured out how to make a transmission strong enough to move a large FWD vehicle.
Aside from the transmission, mine hasn't had much else go wrong with it. We've had to replace wear-out parts here & there (seals, gaskets, shocks & struts), and the timing belt, tensioner, water pump etc. at 105k and 210k.
If you decide to buy an Odyssey with over 100k, walk away from any without service records for the timing belt and a transmission rebuild. And start saving your money for both in the future. My favorite independent Honda/Acura shop charges about $1000 for the full timing belt service, and about $2500 for a transmission rebuild.
Honda implemented a re-designed tranny during the '04 model year, and they got a bit better.
I agree that the Toyota Sienna's transmission probably stinks the least among FWD minivans, but none of them are great. The truth is, nobody's really figured out how to make a transmission strong enough to move a large FWD vehicle.
Aside from the transmission, mine hasn't had much else go wrong with it. We've had to replace wear-out parts here & there (seals, gaskets, shocks & struts), and the timing belt, tensioner, water pump etc. at 105k and 210k.
If you decide to buy an Odyssey with over 100k, walk away from any without service records for the timing belt and a transmission rebuild. And start saving your money for both in the future. My favorite independent Honda/Acura shop charges about $1000 for the full timing belt service, and about $2500 for a transmission rebuild.
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Originally Posted By: Trav
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Do you feel they got better after a certain year? Or are you referring to all Odysseys in general?
All of them are problem prone in one area or another. If its not the tranny its the power side doors (a difficult job and expensive job), steering racks and pumps are also common. Touring models are the worst with their PAX tires and iVTEC engines.
The Toyota is a better van, they hold up well for a long time.
The good points of the Honda are many, great body, good interior quality, good handling for a van, brakes, exhaust and suspension are all above average, performance from the 3.5 is good.
Shame the minus points over shadow all that as the age.
IMHO an 06 or newer non touring model could be something worth owning. Just make sure to service the tranny with amsoil ATF (it makes a big difference in these units) and service the PS fluid with Honda fluid often.
Stay well clear of the iVTEC 3.5.
Originally Posted By: Trav
Avoid these things like the black plague! I have more experience with them than i care to have, they will drain you wallet faster than you can fill it once they get started.
3 grand in one of these things is nothing, they will take that as an appetizer.
Do you feel they got better after a certain year? Or are you referring to all Odysseys in general?
All of them are problem prone in one area or another. If its not the tranny its the power side doors (a difficult job and expensive job), steering racks and pumps are also common. Touring models are the worst with their PAX tires and iVTEC engines.
The Toyota is a better van, they hold up well for a long time.
The good points of the Honda are many, great body, good interior quality, good handling for a van, brakes, exhaust and suspension are all above average, performance from the 3.5 is good.
Shame the minus points over shadow all that as the age.
IMHO an 06 or newer non touring model could be something worth owning. Just make sure to service the tranny with amsoil ATF (it makes a big difference in these units) and service the PS fluid with Honda fluid often.
Stay well clear of the iVTEC 3.5.
Thanks. I have a "garage queen" mint-like '06 that only does highway traveling about once per week. I had heard the dealers have switched to a syntheic AT fluid, DW-1. Is that any good? Or is the Amzoil AT fluid even better?
The DW-1 is a semi-synthetic I believe. Although better than the old Z1, I'd recommend Amsoil or Redline D4...both work great in Honda transmissions.
Originally Posted By: DanielinTheLions
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality buy but I've been reading some reviews on the 2004 model and it sounds like a ton of major automatic transmission problems often costing in excess of $3000 to repair. From the reviews looks like about 2000 to 2004 are the worse years but other years have issues to. Any body have any experiences with these Honda Vans? Trying to decide if they are a worthy buy or a definite avoid.
I'd look for a 2005 or newer. The 2000-2003 vans were notably poor for transmission reliability; this improved dramatically in 2004 (when Honda introduced a new transmission). 2004 was the last year for the older body style, and is the only year of that body style that I would consider. A co-worker's wife had a 2004 they bought new and put about 140,000 miles on it. They liked it so much, they traded it last year on a 2009 model. That '04 never needed any mechanical work done it it besides normal book maintenance.
Our 2005 MDX is similar to the Odyssey, only it weighs even more; 4,500 pounds empty. We're closing in on 100,000 miles and not a peep from the transmission. Our MDX also uses the "new" transmission which much better reported reliability. I must say, it's been good so far. Our family has had to rebuild two RWD transmissions prior to 100k miles before, so our Acura has already exceeded the life of those.
We bought a new 2007 minivan (a brand other than Honda) because of the perceived value of what we got for the money. We felt we made a mistake in that; the van was very unreliable, suffered thousands of dollars' worth of repairs under warranty, and this was all within its basic 36k mile warranty period. One of my wife's friends bought a 2007 Odyssey at near the same time. They still have their van. If we had bought an Odyssey, we'd probably still have it. I won't post the brand of the van we did buy in this thread, but if you are interested in hearing more about it, PM me and I'll discuss with you.
Looking to buy a used mini-van. I usually think of Honda as being a good quality buy but I've been reading some reviews on the 2004 model and it sounds like a ton of major automatic transmission problems often costing in excess of $3000 to repair. From the reviews looks like about 2000 to 2004 are the worse years but other years have issues to. Any body have any experiences with these Honda Vans? Trying to decide if they are a worthy buy or a definite avoid.
I'd look for a 2005 or newer. The 2000-2003 vans were notably poor for transmission reliability; this improved dramatically in 2004 (when Honda introduced a new transmission). 2004 was the last year for the older body style, and is the only year of that body style that I would consider. A co-worker's wife had a 2004 they bought new and put about 140,000 miles on it. They liked it so much, they traded it last year on a 2009 model. That '04 never needed any mechanical work done it it besides normal book maintenance.
Our 2005 MDX is similar to the Odyssey, only it weighs even more; 4,500 pounds empty. We're closing in on 100,000 miles and not a peep from the transmission. Our MDX also uses the "new" transmission which much better reported reliability. I must say, it's been good so far. Our family has had to rebuild two RWD transmissions prior to 100k miles before, so our Acura has already exceeded the life of those.
We bought a new 2007 minivan (a brand other than Honda) because of the perceived value of what we got for the money. We felt we made a mistake in that; the van was very unreliable, suffered thousands of dollars' worth of repairs under warranty, and this was all within its basic 36k mile warranty period. One of my wife's friends bought a 2007 Odyssey at near the same time. They still have their van. If we had bought an Odyssey, we'd probably still have it. I won't post the brand of the van we did buy in this thread, but if you are interested in hearing more about it, PM me and I'll discuss with you.
My sister had a 2003 Honda mini van and the trans bit the dust on it at about 120K. They replaced it with a rebuilt trans and it lasted about 6 weeks while on vacation. Tow bills were enormous. Got it replaced under warranty and then dumped it.
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
The DW-1 is a semi-synthetic I believe. Although better than the old Z1, I'd recommend Amsoil or Redline D4...both work great in Honda transmissions.
+1 The Amsoil has been doing a great job in every Honda unit i used it on.
Even on vehicles that experienced multiple failures it seems to keep them alive, one has gone 114K on the replacement unit with Amsoil in it from day one.
The DW-1 is a semi-synthetic I believe. Although better than the old Z1, I'd recommend Amsoil or Redline D4...both work great in Honda transmissions.
+1 The Amsoil has been doing a great job in every Honda unit i used it on.
Even on vehicles that experienced multiple failures it seems to keep them alive, one has gone 114K on the replacement unit with Amsoil in it from day one.
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