2003 Honda Odyssey EX 6 cylinder

Summary:

Will not buy again

Faults:

Transmission. Recall for oil tube. Bad slipping in 3rd gear years after recall. Recall does not solve any problems. Replaced. Very rough shifting and transmission noise. Replaced again.

Repeated evap system failures.

Power doors fail often. Door rollers broken.

Egr failed. Ran rough.

Iac failed. Ran rough.

Silver paint blotchy, peeling.

Torque steer is bad.

Road noise is bad.

General Comments:

Seriously challenged in durability, noise, dealer capability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th November, 2008

2003 Honda Odyssey EX 3.6 liter vtec

Summary:

Good, reliable Honda

Faults:

No mechanical issues ever at all.

The only issue is that the battery does not start sometimes in cold weather (it is not the alternator, just kinda funny does it some times.)

The only other thing is that the rear vents don't always open (electrical probably).

General Comments:

The reason that we bought this car is that my previous car, my Accord, was an absolutely great car when it comes to gas mileage and reliability.

This is a very reliable car, but of course we keep up on the maintenance and such.

The gas mileage is not good as it should be in my opinion, for a Honda, it only gets about 15 city and 20 highway.

The turning radius is absolutely massive, which is rather bothersome.

The car's leather interior wears like iron, and the seats are firm, but don't get me wrong, everyone who sits in the car says that they are very comfortable. Even the farthest back seats can handle 6ft tall people and have reasonable legroom.

The farthest back seat folds into the floor, but is heavy and difficult to pull back up. The middle row captain seats are removable, but are heavy, and you have to put them back on the same side that you took them out from, which is a little annoying.

The rear hatch is pretty hard to close (being short I have to go up onto the bumper... better if you're tall.) The good thing is that the power side doors open to plenty of room for most any grocery trip.

This vehicle is not made for a short driver (I'm 5ft tall and I find myself running into things.)

My local Honda dealership costs an arm and another arm and a leg to have the car serviced at, so we simply found a good Honda approved mechanic and he costs muuuuuch less.

The V6 is very powerful with 260 HP, and is quite quick, especially for a minivan.

It's overall a great car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2008

2003 Honda Odyssey EX 3.5L

Summary:

Get one for the family

Faults:

At 150,000 miles the 1st gear gave out. But the dealership replaced the transmission for free.

General Comments:

This car has very good seats, and the AC is good; same as the heater.

It has plenty of power, and the handling is very good for a MINI VAN.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2008

2003 Honda Odyssey EX

Summary:

Honda has forgotten that it has competition

Faults:

Four engine mounts are broken and the car has only done 50K miles. Honda took over 3 months to resolve and said that they will pay for 15% of the repair (not sure what the rationale is). They said that this was common occurrence for the Odyssey at 50K miles. By the way, the repair costs around $650, so figure that in when you consider the price if this is a common occurrence.

General Comments:

Very disappointed with Honda, and supposedly the leading minivan. Don't waste your money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th April, 2008

11th Dec 2008, 11:39

Yes, my 2003 has about 52K on it and I was told the engine mounts need to be replaced. I was disappointed to hear that but it looks like my story confirms yours. I was hoping to keep this vehicle for 10 years before replacement; I hope this car will last that long.

2003 Honda Odyssey EX 3.5

Summary:

Good vehicle, seems to be holding up well

Faults:

2 Motor Mounts Failed according to dealership. I don't know if they were actually busted. I would like some information from anyone knowledgeable about this topic as my days of being a shade tree mechanic have past by many years ago.

The dealer showed me the center motor mount (located behind the radiator and directly in the mid-line of the vehicle) first. The dealer reved up the engine to show me the failure, and the center motor mount came up about 1/2 way to the top of the shield. Is this broke? The total travel distance was about a 1/2 inch up or so.

The dealer stated the side motor mount was busted also because of a small amount of rusty discoloration located on the fender-well directly below the motor mount. Does Honda use gel or liquid in their motor mounts? The dealer said they do.

Besides this motor mount situation, I have been satisfied with the vehicle. I replaced the center mount to the tune of nearly $300.00 but I though I would get a second opinion on the side motor mount before changing it. Any ideas?

General Comments:

Besides the motor mount issues, this have been a good vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st March, 2008

4th Apr 2008, 13:25

It's interesting to read your comments. I had a similar conversation with the dealer's service guy this morning about my 2003 Odyssey. I trust this dealership and have had a good experience with them over the years, but they're not selling a lot of cars right now. I wonder if they're trying to make up revenue by upselling repairs. I would like to hear from someone about this type of problem and whether it is truly legit.