Problems with 2002 Honda Odyssey POWER TRAIN

When shifting to second gear transmission failed and lost power.consumer pulled over and restarted the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda odyssey. the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate when he was changing gears. the failure occurred most often when shifting from second to third gear. the vehicle was included in the recall 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the vehicle did not need to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure continued to occur. the failure mileage was 18,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.

Received recall notice for possible transmission damage to second gear. at about the same time, transmission in the vehicle began slipping on shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear - while accelerating, transmission would slip, rpm would rise and vehicle would slow down - than, transmission would "catch" and accelerate rather quickly. transmission needed replacement - honda claims unrelated to recall and initially would not pay for repair since vehicle out of warranty. compromise reached wherein honda paid for part and customer paid installation. *la

Transmission slipped out of gear (detected with high rpm and engine sound) while driving on busy street. engine and tcs dashboard lights came on. wife was driving with children in the van at the time. with great difficulty, she was able to coast the van into a parking lot. this happened one other time in a parking lot but no indicator lights came on and dealer couldn't replicate. van currently at dealership to have transmission replaced. i consider this a severe safety concern and given the number of complaints in various forums regarding this model/year, i think a mandatory recall would be the prudent thing to do before injury or death occurs.

Automatic transmission is not working correctly. car is getting "stuck" in 2nd gear; up until today, releasing then depressing the gas pedal has fixed the problem. today, car was stuck at 25 mph, in traffic, until i stopped the vehicle completely, put it into park, then back into drive. honda dealer cannot recreate the problem, therefore says they cannot fix it. the van is not safe to drive. *ak

Internal failure of automatic transmission due to inferior materials of construction. *ak

Around 50,000 miles our 2002 honda odyssey started slipping out of gear while driving or jerks when shifting gears. the dealer says it is because we use synthetic fluids. we only use synthetic oil. the transmission fliud is honda's. plus our amsoil rep and our mechanic all deny synthetics could cause a transmission to slip out of gear. our dealer wants us to pay for any repair and replacement costs because of course our warranty is expired!*ak

While driving, the automatic transmission slipped out of gear. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who acknowledged that there was a problem with the transmission. the consumer was concerned that this was a manufacturing defect and did not want to pay for any repairs to be done. *ak *jb

My 2002 honda odyssey has 42,000 miles. the engine began accelerating and the traction control light illimuniated. we drove the car straight to the dealership the day this happened and were told we need a new transmission at over $4000. i don't find this acceptable for a $33,000 vehicle. it was serviced less than a month ago for routine maintenance and checked out perfectly.

While driving the vehicle became sluggish and shuttered. *nm the vehicle would not accelerate between 45-60 mph. the consumer found other consumers with the same problems he was experiencing on the internet. *tc

The automatic transmission on a 2002 honda odyssey van with 50,000 miles began shifting sluggishly. the van was inspected at the dealer (montgomery honda in louisville, ky) and i was told it needed a new transmission.*ak

Transmission failure 2002 honda odyssey 55000. *cb

While coasting from highway speed to"in-town (from 55 to 35mph)" speed the transmission made a very pronounced "slam" into a lower gear. we have noticed that the transmission goes into gear very hard when your foot is released from the break. we have also noticed that the ride is rough. our dealer has said that the fluid was dis colored and that it is now running fine. they have also told us that they could not re-produce the problem but said that they would "fatal" the transmission if i was not happy.

Transmission problems - engine revs and doesn't get into gear, if driving 35-45 slips out of gear, traction control system light sometimes goes on as a result, malfunction light goes on. this is a serious hazard. you have to take your foot off the gas and pull off the road, then reenter. in december, dealer couldn't replicate claimed no prob. subsequent to visit, local lube place said trans fluid was low, then replaced it. still had same issues, took back to honda dealer again and now they are blaming the lube place for not tightening the trans fluid screw. however, this issue was identified to them prior to this happening. we happened to pay for an extended warranty. car has 45k miles. i have complained to honda customer relations and after being referred to honda care (warranty dept) and being told well they couldn't "validate" the issue in december so you have to go to the lube place. regardless of whether or not they can duplicate it - it happens and it's happened to dozens if not hundreds of other 2002 odyssey owners. i called back to honda customer relations and they are "monitoring" it now with the dealer to see if new fluid helps. with the volume of complaints on mycarstats.com and various other web sites stating the same thing - i am even more aggravated. honda can't pretend they don't know about this issue. what's taking them so long to recall?*ak

Transmission slips and engine revs intermittently while shifting. at times it is so bad that you have to shift to neutral and reengage drive to proceed. this is extremely hazrdous while in traffic. the van was pruchsed new in jan 2002. it now has 33k miles. dealer was obviously familiar with this problem as he ordered a new transmission based on a telephone description of the problem. based on the number of defects in odyssey transmissions, nhtsa should initiate a mandatory recall.*ak

I am in the military and the owner of a 2002 honda odyssey ex. it's two years old now, but it was new when i purchased it. while on deployment, my wife started experiencing erratic driving conditions. the vehicle started pulsing ,some transmission slippage and hard up and down shifting of gears, then the check engine light come on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they reported that there was an emission's problem and the gas cap wasn't seating correctly. the gas cap was replaced and transmission serviced and service light reset. well, at 40,000 miles and less than twenty days later, the same problems showed up this time with the tcs light. i went back to the dealer hopefully for some answers. i was told there is a transmission code from the computer, and the only thing they can do is replace it with a new one. well, not happy with the response from the dealer, i went to a nation wide transmission repair shop, again searching for answers. i was told that, this was a common problem with honda odyssey transmission. after doing some researched i found this to be true. honda has extended the warranty on the older model odysseys and while at the dealer another customer was having the same problems. according to my owners manual, the manufacturer suggest servicing the transmission at 30,000 miles. i had that same dealer service my transmission at 25,000 miles and 40,000 miles and failed to mentioned any thing about defective transmission. i was told by the service advisor lately honda recommends every 15,000 miles to service transmission. this is not in my owners manual and don't understand after waiting for my odyssey for thirty days, honda has chose to ignore that they are sold potentially a defective vehicle in the 2002 honda odyssey. *la

My 2002 honda odyssey also had the transmission slipping from high to low gear when it's about 34000 miles. we were driving on a highway and suddenly felt the jolts and then the tcs and check engine light went on. i had to make an exit and called aaa for it to be towed. the transmission was replaced but it seems the slipping is happening again at speeds between 35-55 mph. honda should at least extend the transmission warranty on 02-03's like what they did on the 99-01's.*ak

I own a 2002 honda odyssey which has had several problems. these are 1.windshield that was not seated prperly and would whistle when driving at 55mph. this took 4 visits to the dealer before resolution which was a new windshield. 2. the srs light for the side restraint system comes on, the dealer states it is because of a sensor but it must be reset by the dealer. i am told not to put anything on the front passenger seat to cause the sensor to go on. i wonder if this includes passengers too? i have also been told tha tplugging my phone into the electrical outlet provided wii also mtrip the sensor. 3. the last and most major problem is the transmission. in july i experienced episodes where after applying pressure to the gas pedal, the rpms would go up but there was no acceleration. itook the car to the dealer and they were "unable to duplicate the problem". of course the problem continued periodically when we drove the car. yesterday after driving the car it was put in park . we could then not get the car to shift out of park. it was unmovable. after letting the car set for 1 hour, tryed again, was able to get it out of park and could drive it but could not put it back into park. i had to leave it in neutral with the emergency brake on. i understand that there have been numerous problems with the transmissions on the honda odyssey. i am very concerned about the safety of my vehicle especially while on the road. it seems as though there has been no acknowledgement by the company to share these issues with the consumer. we have to find out about on our own.

Automatic transmission problem with a 2002 honda odyssey minivan where transmission malfunctions intermittently at various speeds. this has created an unsafe driving situation as it has occurred when merging into freeway traffic and at intersections in heavy traffic. vehicle is unsafe to drive in my opinion as it is vulnerable to a crash since it cannot respond and maneuver to avoid incoming traffic or to merge safely into freeway traffic. honda has been contacted and it has rejected the repair of this transmission. *la

2002 honda odyssey torque converter or transmission at 22,000 miles my van developed an annoying vibration at a speed of about 53 m.p.h. and 1,500 r.p.m. on level road only. dealer first replaced solenoid. same day i returned the van and transmission and torque converter is to be replaced. vehicle not returned to me yet.

The automatic transmission does not work properly. it disengages between second and third gear and runs as if it is in neutral. *la

While starting and driving the transmission slips out of gear. there seems to be no pattern. judging from the number of post on the internet this problem is quite widespread. *jb

The vehicle suddenly quit while traveling on the interstate at 75 mph. all of the idiot lights turned on and we were able to safely pullover and stop in the breakdown lane. the lights went off and the vehicle started running by itself. this is the second incident in less than a year. the vehicle also has quit when approaching a stop sign on at least 6 other occasions. finally, the vehicle periodically runs roughly and the tachometer fluctuates. it feels like the vehicle is losing power. i have taken it to the dealer for all of these problems on numerous occasions but they are unable to diagnose any problems! *ph

Early transmission failure on my 2002 ex honda odyssey (25k000 miles). still under warranty but i'm concerned that problem will exist later on with no warranty coverage like in the 1999-2000 models.*ak

2002 honda odyssey ex defective replacement transmission. consumer states that the transmission was replaced three different times. *nj the consumer stated the first transmission was the subject of a national recall. the consumer stated right before the transmission failed, the tachometer became irregular and the speed slowed down. the transmission was diagnosed as having internal failure. *jb

Van started hesitating while driving at constant speed, felt like transmission didn't know what gear to be in. also down shifts occur while decelerating, which are annoying at least, but can also cause the van passengers to be forced forward. *jb

Purchase vehicle 12/02, soon after purchase returned auto to dealer for pulsing / bumping in drive tran at speeds of 50-65 mph. told could not duplicate and the they all do this. (some reply). at 46k miles vehicle continued pulsing but now was at times slipping into a nuetral gear, (auto rpm would red line when this happened) transmission would then rengage. dealer than changed a soleniod vave and did another fluid flush (i had already did the flush). dealer attempted to charge me for valve. we agreed with odyessey cronic transmission problems it should be warrenteed. at 48k miles transmission continued slipping / bucking. i would not allow my wife to drive it at this point for safety reasons in atlanta traffic. i drove it to work and at about 75 mph, it started loosing power (drive tran power). the lose of power was followed by and hard bump, bucking, tcr light on, check engine light on, brake light on. i pulled over and no fluid was leaking. vehicle wa s able to continue on normally (??) although lights stayed on. i called dealer and brought back in that day. transmission was changed. now at 61k miles the vehicle continues to pulse / buck at 50-65 mph. there is a recall on earlier odyssey's transmissions why no 2002's.

2002 honda odyssey. consumer states problems with vehicle transmission and other problems *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would jerk and sputter on acceleration. the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. three months later, the vehicle was exhibiting the same problems. the dealer then found metal shavings in the transmission, which was replaced under warranty. one month later, the vehicle was still shuttering, but the problem could not be duplicated. the van was back at the dealer due to the engine light illuminating and the jerking and shuttering was still present upon acceleration. the egr valve, timing belt, motor mounts and pcm were replaced. the transmission was replaced again. *jb

The transmission failed.*jb

Early transmission failure seems to be a problem with this car. 48000 miles and transmission started making loud noises under load. dealer knew immediately what was wrong. have since found out that this is a huge problem and honda is quietly replacing the units even out of warranty in some cases to avoid a recall. they replace the unit with a re manufactured unit with the identical problem. we are now stuck with a van that is like a ticking time bomb- it will fail again. honda should be required to address this publicly. if i had know the car had a flaw in the transmission design, i would not have purchased. *cb

Approximately 250 miles after the 15,000-mile maintenance, at approximately 70 miles per hour on i-95, the odyssey began jerking, lunging and clunking. we immediately pulled off the road and telephoned american honda motor company customer care. we were told to proceed to the nearest honda dealership in fayetteville, nc. a mechanic took a five-minute test ride. the van did not replicate the jerking and clunking and we were told there was nothing they could do and we should proceed on our way. we were also told that if there were any problems a indicator light would have illuminated. the service department did not look under the hood or check any systems. ten minutes later on i-95, at 60 miles per hour, the jerking and clunking resumed. we called ahmc customer service again. at specific request (the representative had no clue which dealers were close to us) we were given phone numbers for other dealerships further along our route, but, when we called three different dealers, their service departments were closed. we stopped at a gas station and checked under the hood. there was no transmission fluid on the dipstick. we called east coast honda and spoke with guy emerson. we asked guy what was done to the transmission. ''we didn''t touch the transmission'' was guy''s response. we called ahmc customer service again and were told there was nothing they could do to help us though we were 70 miles from home. the gas station did not have the automatic transmission fluid recommended in the owner''s manual and ahmc concluded that we could use ''type a'' transmission fluid as a temporary replacement. we put in some of the transmission fluid the station stocked, and got back on the road. soon the van continued to jerk, lunge and clunk until we got off i-95 and proceeded on back roads in third gear (d3). we made our way slowly home and, the next morning, we called the dealership that had serviced our odyssey less than 48 hours and 400 miles earlier.

Honda odyssey 2002 has an intermittent problem with the automatic transmission slipping between d2 and d3. while traveling around 20-25 mph, occasionally the transmission is unable to shift to 3rd gear. when trying to accelerate, the slippage is witnessed by the rpm's rapid climb at which time i have to step on the brake and then try to accelerate again to get the vehicle to shift. this is very frustrating and especially hazardous when in traffic on a busy road. the problem occurs at least once per week, but is not reproducable at the dealership.*ak

Engine hesitates and then lurches between 35-60 particularly around corners, downhill, etc. appears to be an issue with the transmission. took to the dealer in 2002 to check it out and was told the van has a "spirited transmission". still does it today in 2004. from the looks of the complaints on this website there is a transmission defect with the odyssey and now my van is out of warranty. the transmission needs to be investigated and a recall issued if its defective so the consumer is not the one out the money due to honda's error. *jb

Consumer states that the transmission automatically down shifts from 5th to 2nd. nlm

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda odyssey. while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission slips, makes a loud noise, and the vehicle surges forward while in second gear. the dealer stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the contact stated that the oil jet was placed into the transmission in 2004. the dealer stated that the vehicle needed a new transmission. the current and failure mileages were 106,000. updated 01-15-08. *kb updated *jb

Ongoing automatic transmission failure while driving at 40 mph. vehicle slipped out of gear, hesitated before accelerating, and tachometer dropped to zero. dealership was unable to duplicate or resolve the problem. dealership replaced the ecm and the pcm in an attempt to correct the issue. but problem recurred. *ak

The van begins shaking, then stalls when cruising at any speed between 50-60mph. this also occurs at approximately 40mph. when starting from a stop, the car is increasingly failing to start in 1st gear. this is a major problem when trying to turn lft across traffic. also, when braking to slow the car (not stop it) it will suddenly shift to a low gear, throwing the driver into the steering wheel (when this occurs, the seatbelts do not automatically tighten or otherwise restrain the driver or passengers). it is like a 20mph head-on-collision. according to the honda customer service rep, this is a design feature. the dealership informed us the transmission is operating normally and all the problems are "features" not problems. nice to know honda has engineered a "give the driver whiplash" feature into the car, as well as a feature to cause the car to stall at the state highway speedlimit. i suppose it is to help honda's bottom-line by having odyssey owners bring their vehicles in for regular repairs after being rear-ended by other cars on the freeway. please note, all problems started after the dealership installed the dvd player we purchased at the time of sale. it was supposed to be the honda dvd system, but we are pretty sure it is not. mr

While driving, the vehicle began to buck and then surge forward, it downshifted from d4 to d1, consumer was able to brake and shift to d4. *slc *scc

While driving at highway speeds vehicle shifted from drive 4 to drive 1 causing vehicle to buck violently, stopping and surging forward. dealer has inspected vehicle, and could not duplicate or correct the problem. manufacturer has been notified.*ak

At 55-60 mph engine started roaring, vehicle was bucking ,and going all over the road. consumer noticed transmission had downshifted to d1. dealer cannot duplicate the problem.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda odyssey. when appyling pressure to the brake pedal, the contact heard and felt a loud grinding noise. the dealer changed the brake shoes, but the problem still persists. the vehicle was inspected by two additional professional technicains and they advised her that nothing was wrong with the brake system. on two occasions, the sliding door would spontaneously open, allowing her children to exit the vehicle while in motion. the dealer could not duplicate the failure; however, they greased the rollers on the sliding door, which remedied the failure. several months later, the vehicle was rear ended directly in the center of the vehicle by another vehicle traveling 35 mph. none of the air bags deployed. there were no warning lights prior to the crash. the dealer was not notified. the cotnact took her vehicle to the dealer for nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). because there was no discoloration in the transmission fluid, the dealer informed her that the vehicle could not be repaired until it showed signs of failure. the contact called the dealer when she began experiencing failures shifting gears, and they advised her that they would not repair the vehicle under the free remdey outlined in the recall. the dealer refused to provide an explanation. the contact is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. the failure mileage was 20,000 and current mileaege was 80,000. *updated 10/20/08 *bf updated 10/21/08. *jb

My transmission slips in low gears causing the car to rev extremely high (4,000 rpm) with no power. this has happened twice in the past month. each time i have been able to pull over to avoid crashing with my children in the car. in an attempt to diagnose the problem my mechanic has replaced the transmission fluid. the fluid was discolored and contained metallic fragments. the van was serviced as part of the recall in 2004 at the dealer where i bought it in 2002. the oil jet was installed but obviously did not remedy the problem. the van is at 90,000 miles. this is (i now realize) a well documented problem and i would expect honda to cover the cost of a new transmission. *tr

Coonsumer states while drivig 50mph the transmission failed causing a near accident.*jb

While driving at any speed consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front. vehicle was taken to the dealer on numerous occasions for inspection, but mechanic was not able to duplicate the problem. *ak

My honda odyssey 2002 has a frequent problem with the automatic transmission not shifting gears or jerking. it happens frequently at low speeds or at a stop and trying to speed up. it has also happened multiple times while trying to get up-to-speed on a highway on-ramp and when trying to pass on a highway. i have been in several dangerous situations where i have almost been hit because my car would not "engage" and "go". i have addressed this issue at the dealership with no help because they could not "reproduce" the problem. please don't wait for someone to be killed before issuing a recall!!! *la

The van's engine warning light and traction control light came on at about 2700 miles while i was driving the vehicle. in addition, the vehicle gear shift was in the "d" mode for drive, and the green light began blinking off and on at the same time the engine light and tcs light were illuminated. the honda dealership replaced the pressure control solenoid and this ended the lights being display. today, at 3100 miles, the engine warning light and tcs light came on again and the "d" gear shift light was blinking off and on. i took the vehicle to the honda dealership this morning and was told 5 hrs later that my vehicle needs a new transmission. i am shocked and also disappointed. it is new and cost $30,000 to purchase. what a bum deal.

I am the owner of a 2002 honda odyssey ex, which i purchased new. only two years old at approximately 33,000 miles, the transmission endured pronounced slippage; the engine would rev at high rpms without accelerating (at highway speeds and from starting from a stop). unexpected deceleration was also noted at times. being under warranty (barely), honda replaced the transmission with a remanufactured one at no cost. upon further inquiry, i discovered hundreds (literally) of other complaints, identical to mine, in the 1999-2003 odyssey. the problem is two-fold: 1) if the problem is mechanical failure due to a design flaw, why are the transmissions being replaced with the same re-manufactured transmission (replaced as oppossed to repaired) and 2) due to the excessive number of complaintants (many of whom claim to have endured costs) about acute transmission failure it would appear that a serious safety issue is involved that should be proactively addressed by honda. it seems as though they are willing to replace with a remanufactured tranny and a 12month/12k mile warranty knowing that these trannies are malfunctioning more in the 30k-60k mile range (cost over safety?). *ak