2002 Honda Odyssey LX review from North America
"We really like this van, and are hoping Honda has solved the transmission problems"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Power sliding doors sometimes get confused on opening and closing. They will stop midway through operation. Dealer Honda of Oxnard lubes the rubber door seal and cleans the track portion of the door. Now we request this to be done on each 5000 mile service.
The transmission just failed last week at 37800 miles. The car would not respond in 3rd gear, the engine just revved up. Letting up on gas would let it shift up into 4th gear and continue normally. With it setting the engine malfunction error light. This happened twice and dealer HONDA of Oxnard checked it out and verified problem to be the transmission. Which they are replacing on warranty. The transmission fluid was full did not smell burned and all the services had been performed at the Honda dealer.
This Van has lead a sheltered life, with the services being done as they were due, The mileage is a little high for less than 2.5 years old, but mostly highway miles and long vacation trips. I'm the guy you would want to buy a used vehicle from (never have I neglected servicing the car when it was due). The tires still have 50% tread left and the MPG has averaged 18 city and 24 highway since new. From this you can see we treat the vehicle easy. I was dismayed went the transmission failed. Hey it's a Honda this shouldn't happen ever.
General comments?
Honda is taking care of this problem this time, but, my thoughts are what happens next time? Some of the other people with transmission failures mentioned $5000. repairs. There goes the resale value. At least I have a responsive Honda dealer trying to do the right thing.
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| Best van I have ever owned |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.5 Litre V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 10 miles |
| Most recent distance | 37900 miles |
| Previous car | Lexus ES300 |
| Date of Entry | 12th March, 2004 |