Honda Transmission Failure

[jake75]

My son bought a new 2007 Odyssey van a year ago - has about 6,000 miles on it. Recently transmission would sometimes seem like it was in neutral - then catch with a jerk. They replaced the solenoid thinking that would work. I don't think the service people thought that was the problem but Honda wanted to try that first. It didn't solve the problem. Now Honda says they will replace the transmission They are sending a tow truck as they said it is not safe to drive - though they sent my daughter-in-law home in it with a 2 year old and a 7 month old. They won't be able to get the parts and get it fixed until next Friday or the Monday after that. AND they said they are not eligible for a courtesy car. This experience has cut Honda's reputation down a few notches in my book though I suspect some other companies might try again to "fix" the old one before going to that expense..

[northvibe]

WOW no curtsy car? Heres the deal with that... So I asked Mazda and here is how they work, Its per dealer actually. I have a dealer here in Duluth that will NOT give a loaner car but the dealer I bought it from will give me one. Mazda DOES reimburse the dealers but its up to the dealer. I guess they also said I could rent one and they would reimburse me but it seems like a lot of work. Have them call Honda and see if they will reimburse them. For the dealer to do that is insane these days...That is something that would (removed) me off too. Specially since its out of commission that long

[Silversn95]

I hope you didn't assume problems don't happen at Honda. All car makers have problems despite what the media will lead you to believe. Honda has had a number of transmission related issues. The Odyssey is not one of the more reliable minivans out there from what I've seen. I have an aunt and uncle with one and it has been nothing but problems. I think they are on the third engine computer and have given up on the body work (started rusting after only a few years).Sounds like the dealer isn't too interested in having repeat customers either...

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by Silversn95 »I hope you didn't assume problems don't happen at Honda. All car makers have problems despite what the media will lead you to believe. Honda has had a number of transmission related issues. This is true. My GF works at Honda and she even admits that Honda cars are not really "as much better" than other cars as they used to be 10 or 15 years ago. She believes that Honda's quality advantage peaked in the early to mid-1990s but that the playing field has largely leveled off now (not to say there are not still a few clunker models out there). She says they're a little better in some respects (particularly emissions and gas mileage) but as far as "reliability," reacalls, cost-per-mile and re-sale it's probably about 90% consumer perception and 10% reality - and a lot of marketing. She also says that Honda has a lot of problems with bad dealers, particularly in certain parts of the country. Honda dealers sometimes feel like they don't need to work as hard to get business, and so, well, they don't!She drives a sporty German car BTW, not a Honda. And she engineers Hondas.

[northvibe]

he wasnt comment on the "reliability" stereotype that exists. he was commenting on their poor customer service in which they having the van for 2 weeks but not giving them a courtesy car.

[northvibe]

I was talking more to silver I did see your gf mention that... I would agree too, I hear lots of negative honda dealer comments.

[ou.grizzly]

Note to Everyone:Before purchasing a vehicle, as the dealer if they have loaner vehicles available (give them a situation as an example). If the answer if no, go to a different dealer to purchase the car that has loaners or rentals at the expensive the of the dealer/brand of car.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »I was talking more to silver I did see your gf mention that... I would agree too, I hear lots of negative honda dealer comments.oops, sorry I accidentally deleted a post I was trying to edit. Yes, I was responding to Silver too. I'll respond to you by expanding on my dealer comment. Honda like other manufacturers has issues with dealers who have long-term contracts with them. They have a number of dealers with long complaint lists and they don't pursue them as aggressively as they should. Sometimes their hands are "tied" because they're the only dealer in a geographical area. However, it's fair to point out that manufacturers probably could respond directly to customers, somehow.

[jake75]

I don't expect every vehicle Honda makes to be perfect - I was most astonished that they need over a week to fix a car that is in warranty and do not offer alternative transportation.

[northvibe]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »I don't expect every vehicle Honda makes to be perfect - I was most astonished that they need over a week to fix a car that is in warranty and do not offer alternative transportation.yeah I find that unacceptable for my standards. Like I said the dealership up in Duluth does NOT offer the loaner cars so I refuse to go there. The dealer I bought my car at does, and I love it! I would try to find a different honda dealer that does offer them if it needs to get repaired again under warranty. Otherwise try calling honda directly, like I said Mazda has a reimbursement plan, maybe honda does too.