27th Nov 2005, 20:47
We have a LX. Just averaged 25mpg on a 1000 mile FLAT (no mountains) Thanksgiving Trip. In summer, with A/C running in mountains, mileage was MUCH lower - - around same 16-17mpg. Seems mileage is improving now the 2005 LX has 10,000 miles on it... and it is winter... no A/C...
4th Jan 2006, 23:59
We loved our Odyssey - new in May '05 - until winter. It does NOT handle well in the snow. It seems to have very poor traction. I cannot make it up any driveways with any slope to it at all while other soccer moms are passing me by in their much older minivans. I wish someone out there had warned that this is not a vehicle for the Northern hemisphere states. Otherwise - a very awesome, smooth, car-like, gas-efficient, comfortable, roomy, minivan.
8th Jun 2006, 09:03
I have a 2005 Odyssey which has TWICE had a rock come up break the air condenser. Honda fixed first for free, I picked the car up in winter and didn't know until later ac was out, this one is on me. Service manager at Honda dealer told us to put chicken wire under car. Sounds like he has seen this before. Are there a lot of these out there or did I hit lotto twice in 18 months?
4th Jul 2006, 12:46
Why would one expect a manufacturer to cover the cost of replacing a part damaged by debris thrown up from the roadway?
That is what insurance is for, one would look silly walking into a car dealership demanding that the manufacturer replace a windshield because a rock thrown from a transport truck broke it, why would an AC condenser be any different.
28th Jul 2006, 14:59
I must say, we are very happy with our Odyssey. It has come in handy for many trips that our family has taken.
The only thing we have been disappointed with is the breaking of the A/C condenser. Before we took our vehicle into the dealer because the A/C was not working, we read this site and many others to hear about others problems. And sure enough, as soon as we called to make an appointment, we were told by the Honda Dealership Service Representative that a rock must have hit the condenser and caused it to leak. I find this has been the answer that everyone seems to be getting lately. I also found it amazing that my problem was diagnosed over the phone, before I even got a chance to bring the van in. Of course this is not a warranty item since something must have struck the condenser to damage it. I am currently in contact with Honda Customer Service to come to a resolution to this problem. I suggest others who have had this problem or are having this problem with the condenser, to contact Honda. This will be the only way we can have them look at the problem and possibly make a design change, so we will no longer have to worry about a rock hitting the condenser.
29th Jul 2006, 10:56
Just like my Honda Accord with 237,000 miles, could it be that the AC compressor is the only major part that ever goes out on my car? Should I be mad and buy a car from another manufacturer and have it nickle and dime me? NO!!! I think I will stick with Honda and fix my compressors.
26th Apr 2007, 21:45
We have a 2005 Honda Odyssey with 22K miles. Air condition stopped working last weekend. Took the car to dealer and was told a tiny stone hit the AC condenser. The damage is not covered by manufacture warranty. Repair cost is over $800. The damage in fact is caused by poor design and defective condenser. I checked the web and found that there have been many complaints on AC condenser problem across almost all Honda vehicles. Has anyone gotten Honda to fix the problem?
27th Apr 2007, 08:01
Same story as many above. A small rock hit the condenser in my 2006 Odyssey, causing the A/C to fail. Dealer said that road debris was not covered under warranty.
While I was still at the dealer, I called Honda Customer Service to file a complaint. All you need is the VIN number, the name of the person you worked with at the dealer, and the reason why you think Honda should fix the problem. I'm currently waiting on a call back from the case manager at Honda.
The cost of the repairs was around $650.
It seems to me that even very small rocks could cause this problem. The next question is how to prevent this in the future. I'm concerned about some of the aftermarket grilles restricting airflow to the condenser.
27th Apr 2007, 08:16
To answer the above question about how it's different from a rock hitting the windshield, here's how:
1) Honda could have easily protected the air condenser with a grille. It's not practical to protect the windshield, but the air condenser is just bad design. Just take a peek under the front bumper... there is absolutely no protection at all for such a fragile and expensive component!
2) When a rock hits your windshield, it rarely forces you to replace the entire windshield. Small dings in the windshield are annoying, but you can live with them. With the air condenser, even a small rock causes complete system failure.
3) The air condenser is much lower to the roadway than the windshield, so it is much more likely to encounter rocks and debris.
Really...a simple grille would have avoided the entire problem.
2nd May 2007, 11:43
I have a 2006 Honda Odyssey, after one summer the a/c stopped working. My Honda dealer said it was hole in the condenser caused by a rock and that it was not covered by my warranty. So now I am stuck with $700.00 bill.
When I came back home, I did some research on-line and I found out that so many owners had the same problem. I don't think it's a coincidence, but rather a problem with the design.
I think it's time for a class action suit.
5th May 2007, 20:06
"I think it's time for a class action suit."
So how does that fix your car?The only people who gain anything are the lawyers.
6th May 2007, 10:21
I never heard of a honda odyssey DVD, are you restricted to what region you can drive it in? Sorry, had to be said.
29th May 2007, 08:28
I also had the condenser damaged by a rock twice within the first year of purchase. Honda was nice enough to replace the condenser both times. But it seems to me that although this is not covered under warranty, it's still a huge design flaw worthy of a class action suit. It really would not have been hard for them to put some sort of grille in front of it.
12th Oct 2005, 07:05
How is everyone's fuel mileage in this van? Ours stinks. We are getting at the best possible 16.3mpg, highway driving. The service center at Honda tells us it's b/c we are filling up at Hess Gas Stations, isn't that stupid. We've had in the shop 4 times now and they tell us it's fine, they hook it up to there computer and it says fine. We are NOT HAPPY! There excuse is it's a minivan... hello yes we know that. It is stickered at 20/28. WE have the EX-L. Anyone else having problems??