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Honda Odyssey Transmission, 1997-2005

Problematic transmissions of Honda vehicles costs customers thousands of dollars in repairs. The transmission failures persist regardless of having been rebuilt. In some instances, Honda is left with no choice but to issue technical service bulletins for the affected vehicles. Technically, the precise problems of the rebuilt transmissions vary but some customers complain about gears slipping incessantly or grinding. Some of the guidelines provided by Honda technical service bulletins advised customers
to pour Genuine Honda ATF in the transmission and to replace the linear solenoid. Dennis Madden, the chief executive of the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association stated that Honda transmissions have a reputation as problematic. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been raising the concerns with Honda. At one point, the automobile manufacturer told the safety administration that certain driving conditions cause temperature build-up in the transmissions. The heat build-up leads to either breakage or gear tooth chipping. Honda also claims that the majority of transmission failures occur under 90,000 miles. These problems worsen when a transmission is improperly rebuilt. Currently, some dealers are selling a rebuilt 2002 Honda Accord transmission (4 Speed Automatic Transmission, FWD 2.3L) for under $2000 whilst others are slightly higher. The difference may lie implicitly on the quality of workmanship, warranty coverage, and thus operational durability of the transmission. When properly maintained a rebuilt transmission should last for years. However, problems around gears getting stuck or changing gratingly cloud the Honda experience for many. Rebuilt Honda Odyssey transmissions in the period between 1997 and 2005 cost as much as $4000. Problematic transmissions of Honda vehicles costs customers thousands of dollars in repairs. The transmission failures persist regardless of having been rebuilt. In some instances, Honda is left with no choice but to issue technical service bulletins for the affected vehicles. Technically, the precise problems of the rebuilt transmissions vary but some customers complain about gears slipping incessantly or grinding.