2003 Honda Odyssey Engine Problems

STALLS RANDOMLY WHILE ACCELERATING FROM STOP. APPEARS TO BE IGNITION SWITCH ISSUE. COULD CAUSE A CRASH RESULTING IN INJURY ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING INTO MAIN STREET OR HIGHWAYS FROM A STOP.

I OWNED 2003 ODYSSEY FOR YEARS (APPROX. 125,000 M NOW), LAST WEEK I DROVE ON THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 70 MPH BACK HOME THEN SUDDENLY WITH NO POWER, LUCKILY, THE CAR AFTER ME WAS TOO FAR TO HIT ME. I PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTART AGAIN. THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. I MANAGED TO DRIVE HOME IN 20~30 MPH. CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND OUT HONDA DID RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION ISSUE BUT STILL CAN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. REALLY LOVE THIS VAN, STILL DEBATING HOW TO DO IT, NOT DARE TO DRIVE NOW. HONDA SHOULD TAKE THE FULL RESPONSIBILITY TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE, NO MATTER WHO OWNS THE VAN. NOT JUST CARE ABOUT THE COMPANY?S PROFITS AND IGNORE THE TRAGEDY WILL BE HAPPENED ANYTIME. AS A CAR MANUFACTURER AND HUMANITY, HONDA SHOULD KNOW LIVE IS PRICELESS. *TR

OUR ODYSSEY HAS ALWAYS SHIFTED A LITTLE ROUGH, BUT I ATTRIBUTED THAT TO ITS AGE BUT ON 7/18/14 WE WERE ON GROCERY STORE VISIT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TCS LIGHT, AND MAINTENANCE REQUIRED LIGHT ALL CAME ON. WE TOOK IT TO LOCAL MECHANIC TO GET THE CODES READ AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM, BUT IT WAS DRIVING FINE SO I KEPT GOING AND HAD OUR NORMAL MECHANIC TAKE A LOOK AT IT ABOUT A WEEK LATER. HE TOO SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM, AND THAT WE SHOULDN'T NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION, SO TAKE IT TO HONDA AND GET THEM TO LOOK AT IT. THE SERVICE ADVISOR KEPT SAYING "THIS VEHICLE ISN'T GOING TO GO VERY FAR, IT'S GOING TO LEAVE YOU ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD" BUT, WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY RIGHT NOW, AND SINCE IT'S DRIVING "OK" JUST SHIFTING THE SAME AS IT ALWAYS HAS, WE DECIDED TO TAKE IT HOME. *TR

THE MINIVAN WAS BEING DRIVEN AT ABOUT 30MPH WHEN THE IDLE SUDDENLY JUMPED TO 3500 RPM. THE BRAKE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO KEEP THE CAR FROM DANGEROUSLY ACCELERATING. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO PULL THE MINIVAN INTO A GAS STATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON A FEW MINUTES LATER. THE MINIVAN IMMEDIATELY IDLED AT 3500 RPM AGAIN. AFTER LETTING THE VEHICLE SIT TURNED OFF FOR 20 MINUTES, IT WAS TURNED ON AND SHOWED NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. IN THE PAST TWO YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN THREE SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITH THIS VEHICLE. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE MAY BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR SINCE IT HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED IN A TEMPERATURE OF 80+ DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR 10-20 MINUTES, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY. THE LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM, BUT FOUND NO COMPUTER CODES OR OTHER SIGNS OF PROBLEMS. WE ARE CONCERNED THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND THAT THE PROBLEM MAY OCCUR IN OTHER ODYSSEY'S OF THIS YEAR. *TR

I BROUGHT MY ODYSSEY TO THE HONDA DEALER FOR AN OIL AND FILTER CHANGE ON 4/3/2014. WHILE THERE, THE SERVICE ADVISOR, [XXX], INFORMED ME THAT MY MOTOR MOUNTS WERE FAILING. WHEN I QUESTIONED THAT THIS SOUNDED LIKE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL, HIS RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY REPLACE SO MANY MOTOR MOUNTS THAT THEY ALWAYS KEEP A GOOD SUPPLY IN STOCK. THIS WOULD SEEM TO STRENGTHEN MY POSITION, NOT HIS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE ENGINE MOTOR MOUNTS CRACK OR FAIL PREMATURELY. DEFECT IS UNRELATED TO DRIVER BEHAVIOR AND IS SOLELY A FUNCTION OF DESIGN. FAILED MOUNTS CAN BOTH CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND CREATE A PROJECTILE FROM IMPACT. ON-LINE RESEARCH, SUCH AS THE CAR TALK COMMUNITY, SUGGEST THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH ODYSSEYS OVER 65,000 MILES. *TR

THE MINIVAN SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. THE CAR STARTS BUT DOES NOT PICK UP SPEED AND I FEEL IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR

I NOTICED QUITE A BIT OF OIL LEAKING ON THE GARAGE FLOOR AND TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING AND THERE WERE 2 KNOWN ISSUES THAT MAY BE THE CAUSE: A HEAD BOLT ISSUE OR ENGINE PITTING. THEY WOULDN'T KNOW UNTIL THEY 'OPENED IT UP'. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE HEAD BOLT FOR CYLINDER #6, WHICH THEY SAID SEEMED TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND OTHER SITES THEY HAD ACCESS TO. HONDA IS EVEN AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS THEY CREATED A REPAIR KIT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ISSUE. WHEN OUR CERTIFIED MECHANIC CALLED THE DEALER, THE DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ENGINE, WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. THEY THEN RECOMMENDED THE TIME-SERT THREAD REPAIR KIT. ONCE THE MECHANIC GOT INTO THINGS THEY ALSO REALIZED THAT 2 OF THE BOLTS WERE STRIPPED, SO THEY REPAIRED BOTH. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN (OR WILL) DO TO HELP OFFSET THE $2500 REPAIR COST FOR THIS KNOWN ISSUE. IT IS TERRIBLE THAT HONDA OFFERS NO ASSISTANCE DESPITE THIS CLEARLY BEING A DEFECT IN THE STRENGTH OF THE BOLT OR THE THREADING PROCESS. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY OTHER INSTANCES OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND THE EXACT SAME CYLINDER NUMBER. AS AN OWNER OF THREE HONDA VEHICLES, NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LACK OF CARING AND WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND WILL ABSOLUTELY LOOK AT OTHER VEHICLES NOW. *TR

FAILED FRONT AND SIDE ENGINE MOUNTS REPLACED. COSTLY REPAIR APPEARS TO BE COMMON ODYSSEY MAINTENANCE ISSUE. *TR

AS ORIGINAL OWNER OF 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY ENGINE BUYING CAR FROM WEIR CANYON HONDA IN ANAHEIM HILLS CALIFORNIA. MY ENGINE BLOCK LIGHT, TCS, LIT UP AT 153,000 MILES. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING A MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR AS CAR SEEM STUCK AND I AM UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS NOT SAFE AT ALL SINCE MY VAN CAN BE REAR ENDED WHEN IT'S STUCK IN THIS MODE. MY MECHANIC ADVISES EVERYONE FROM NOT TO BUY ANY HONDA AS HIS SHOP REBUILDS HONDA TRANSMISSION ALL THE TIME AND MAKES A FORTUNE FROM THE POOR VICTIMS OF HONDA OWNERS LIKE ME. GO TO HTTP://WWW.ODYSSEYTRANSMISSION.COM/HOME/WHATTODO CONSIDER YOURSELF FOREWARNED! IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE AND SAFE MINI VAN, DO NOT LOOK AT HONDA ODYSSEY. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED, WHICH, APPARENTLY IS COMMON TO OLDER HONDA ODYSSEYS, BUT WAS NOT FIXED UNTIL AFTER 2005. *TR

I TOOK MY 2003 ODYSSEY FOR AC COMPRESSOR RELAY REPLACEMENT WHEN I WAS INFORMED THE FRONT ENGINE MOUNT NEEDED REPLACING. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS AND I FOUND OUT THROUGH MY WEB SEARCH THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH ODYSSEY MODEL. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. HONDA SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM AND READ THE COMPLAINTS ODYSSEY OWNERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT AND POSTING ON THE WEB HTTP://COMMUNITY.CARTALK.COM/DISCUSSION/1560611/HONDA-ODYSSEY-MOTOR-MOUNT-PROBLEM I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT HONDA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE MOUNTS AND HAVE NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY.

COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHILE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

2003 ODYSSEY APPROXIMATELY 67K MILES DEVELOPED FLUID LEAK IN PAST WEEK. VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY. WHILE DRIVING WITH FAMILY COOLANT LEAKED ONTO EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSING SMOKE AND HAD TO PULL OFF INTERSTATE. ENGINE HAD OPERATED NORMALLY AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS OR ABNORMAL TEMPERATURE GAGE READINGS. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL HONDA DEALER. DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING HEAD GASKET. UPON REMOVAL OF THE CYLINDER HEAD, THE HEAD BOLTS PULL FROM THE BLOCK PORTS WITH THE BOLT THREADS. APPARENTLY HEAD BOLTS HAD BECOME LOOSE GIVEN THE THREAD FAILURE IN THE BLOCK AND ALLOWED LEAKAGE OF FLUIDS IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. HONDA STATED THAT THE ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF 3K++. APPARENTLY THIS SAME ISSUE HAS OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OTHER 2003 ODYSSEY OWNERS ACCORDING TO ON-LINE SEARCH. THE DEALER WAS AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN THE FAILURE OF THE BOLTS AT THE GIVEN MILEAGE. IT APPEARS THAT THIS COULD BE A DEFECT IN THE BLOCK DESIGN OR MANUFACTURE AND COULD LEAD TO PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. HONDA SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND EGR VALVE DEFECTS WHICH HAVE ALSO BEEN A CONTINUAL PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 ODYSSEY. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE RELIABILITY OF THIS VAN *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL, ACCELERATING FROM 35 TO 40+, TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP! EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!! COULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT SINCE WE WERE MERGING ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY. NEXT DAY, ANOTHER LOCK UP + SLIPPING BETWEEN 25 & 35 MPH AND @ 50 PM. TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND GEAR SHIFT WILL GET STUCK IN PARK, REVERSE & DRIVE. RPM REVS HIGH. HONDA DEALER DIAGNOSED TODAY AS "INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE" 164,000 HIGHWAY MILES, SERVICED @ DEALER, BABIED WITH OIL CHANGES, ETC. NOW $4,000 QUOTE FOR TRANSMISSION 3 YRS/36,000 MILE WARRANTY. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL HONDA OWNER SINCE 1990, BUT WILL NOT CONSIDER BUYING ANY FUTURE HONDAS. *TR

KNOWN TRANSMISSION FAILURE FOR 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. NOTED AND CASCADED BY AMERICAN HONDA. REPAIRS COULD BE DONE UNDER GOODWILL AT HONDAS DISCRETION. COVERAGE WAS EXTENDED TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. IT APPEARS THAT INTERNAL DAMAGE COULD HAPPEN BEYOND THE SAID YEARS/MILEAGE RANGE FOR WARRANTY REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. FROM A CONSUMERS PERSPECTIVE, IT IS A CLAUSE OR LANGUAGE USED TO LEVERAGE HONDAS GOODWILL DISCRETION. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN MADE PUBLIC BY THE NHTSA, WHILE HONDA SETTLED OUT OF COURT, YET DID NOT TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE KNOWN AND VALIDATED TRANSMISSION DEFICIENCY. GEAR SLIPS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR IN THE RANGE OF 20-30MPH. ENGINE LIGHT AND TCS LIGHT TURNS ON, AS WELL AS THE DRIVE LIGHT FLASHING (INSTEAD OF BEING SOLID LIGHT). ACCELERATING AFTER A COMPLETE STOP IS VERY DIFFICULT WHEN CROSSING THE INTERSECTIONS. REPAIRING THE PRESSURE SWITCH ON 11/2/11 DID NOT RECTIFY THE SITUATION.

FRONT AND PASSENGER ENGINE MOUNTS ARE BROKEN AT 48K MILEAGES DURING A MAINTAIN CHECKING AT A HONDA DEALER SHOP. *TR

THIS CAR HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THERE WAS A TEST DONE WHICH GAVE THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE PO743. THE HONDA ODYSSEY HAS KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND IS NOT WILLING TO HELP ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANY RECOURSE WITH HONDA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER. *TR

MINIVAN STARTED TO ACCELERATE UPON PUSH OF ACCELERATOR (RPMS JUMPED SIGNIFICANTLY). JERKY/HARSH ACCELERATION FROM 0-40. SEVERE SHUDDER OF VAN WHEN DECELERATING BETWEEN GEARS. MALFUNCTIONING OVERDRIVE (WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT TO D3, 2, OR 1ST GEAR WHILE ROLLING. REVERSE GEAR DID NOT WORK UNLESS THE CAR WAS STARTED AGAIN. *KB

2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT *TGW