2003 Honda Odyssey: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Mar 22, 2016 · Electrical · PA · crash

Every time I go to close the doors by pulling the handle whether inside or outside, they don't close. I was parked in a flat paved driveway with unleashed dogs in the yard. I didn't realize they were unleashed by they started running toward the car and the doors would not close!!! My 3 year old daughter was in the back seat. This is a huge problem as her safety and my 8 year old sons safety is being compromised. This is a problem for many odyssey owners and it should be recalled and fixed by the manufacturer. At this point when the doors finally close they are not closing smoothly on the rail. The paint and side bar have literally come off and are now being held up by duct tape. I'm so disgusted!! I don't have the money to pay for a repair especially when this is a manufacturing defect. The only way I have successfully closed the doors is by hitting the inside button but even that needs to be pressed nearly 5-6 times before it closes fully. I have tried to manually close the doors but they are so heavy I just dont have the strength.

Filed Aug 14, 2013 · Body, Electrical · 150,000 miles · WA

Less than a week after we bought our van, the back passenger door wouldn't close properly. It was fixed prior to us buying the van. Since then we have had to get out and physically push on the door to close it. Also, had an incident where the door closed on a child's hand when it should have sensed it was there. Child was fine. New problem is we can't get drivers side sliding door to close properly. It will close and then pop open a little bit. Hubby has taken to "kicking" it in with his foot. We drive with the doors locked praying that they won't open like I have read about happening to so many folks. We bought the van because we have 3 kids but this is scary stuff. As we drive down the road there is a constant beeping sound like the door is open but it isn't lit up on the dash. I don't understand why no recall has been done to this year of honda. Sounds like the same problems the earlier year honda's have had. We are making payments on this van and can't afford to purchase anything else. Something really should be done before someone dies.

Filed Oct 10, 2012 · Body, Electrical · WA · 1 injury

Vehicle was parked. Driver used front dash auto open button to open side door on driver's side. 6 year old child in the back seat had gotten out of her car seat and as the door was opening her leg slipped into the open space between the door and the retractor bar. The door did not register that there was an object and continued to press on her leg until driver was able to exit vehicle and pull sliding door handle to reverse direction to free up the child's leg. Leg was painful but no serious injury on this occasion.

Filed Dec 2, 2011 · Electrical, Transmission · 130,000 miles · GA

Transmission failed while traveling 40mph at 130000 miles. It was replaced. There was a class action lawsuit regarding 2003 transmissions, but the window had closed, so I had to pay for it fully. November 20, 2011, while driving 45mph, dash lights flash, radio loses power. When I turn the ignition off, the car is dead. Restarts almost immediately, after lots of clicking in the dash. At varying speeds the dash lights will flash, and the clock and radio go dead briefly. Sometimes the door lock and the sliding door buttons don't work, but if I wait 2 minutes, I hear the clicking in the dash, and suddenly there is power. Left it at the dealership to be checked out over 4 days, and they say nothing is wrong. To be traveling at 40+ and have the car go dead is a hazard to me and my family, as well as everyone else driving while I am driving. It is currently at another shop to be evaluated.

Filed Jul 18, 2011 · Body, Electrical · 99 miles · NC

The vehicle (2003 honda odyssey) has progressively been experiencing what I'll deem "electrical" issues that seem to be severely impacting the automatic sliding doors on the vehicle causing them to open while driving, not open when using the handle or button. Specifically, the automatic sliding doors will not open, will not close or partially close without fully latching. This happens regardless of using the manual door handle or the button located on the dashboard. More importantly, the automatic doors have opened while driving the vehicle with children in the back of the vehicle creating an extremely dangerous and potentially deadly situation. This has occurred approximately 6-10 times over the past year and seems to be getting more frequent. It's happened while driving on the highway, on side streets and during normal operation of the vehicle. In addition, there seems to be an issue with the electrical system that is constantly drawing a small charge from the battery keeping it in a weakened state.

Filed Jun 10, 2010 · Body · OH

I drive a 2003 honda odyssey and have been experiencing problems with the rear sliding doors working intermittently, trapping my 12 month granddaughter in the car seat. I have had "rollers" replaced. Now they want me to pay for door latch motor which was not an issue until their "repair". It appears from websites that this is a global issue and honda needs to take ownership for the safety problem. The alarms go off while in motion indicating the door is open. When the doors are non-functional the passengers can be trapped requiring crawling over seats to get out or to retrieve infants/toddlers.

Filed Apr 19, 2010 · Electrical, Locks · PA

Ignition lock failure. In 2007, our driver's side door lock ceased working, but we've worked around it. Now the ignition lock stopped working. "wear and tear" according to the dealer. This is the second incident like this on the federal safety agency's site.

Filed Jul 29, 2009 · Locks · 97,000 miles · OH

2003 honda odyssey power doors will not close unless forced. Indicators alert that the doors are not closed. Sometimes the door will not reopen leaving passengers (kids) not able to get out. Never sure that the door is engaged properly so that the door will not open once in motion.

Filed May 14, 2008 · Locks · 35,000 miles · CA

Driver side manual door lock wafers broke, now using the passenger side or rear deck door for locking and unlocking. Problem began 2 years after purchase.

Filed Mar 19, 2008 · Locks · 108,000 miles · OH

2003 honda odyssey rear sliding door will not latch closed.

Filed Sep 16, 2007 · Locks · UT

My 2003 honda odyssey's automatic sliding door will not close completely. I have to bump it with my hip or close it manually. Then the van still thinks it's open and will beep and beep while I'm driving. It concerns me as my 5 month old baby is right next to that door and I'm concerned as to whether he's safe or not. I worry about the door staying closed.

Filed Apr 11, 2005 · Acceleration · NC

I have a 2003 honda odyssey which is experiencing numerous problems. The most severe is that it surges when idling (this occurs when the drivers foot is on the brake pedal). This has been occuring for numerous months and I have returned the van to the dealership on several occasions. If the van is in drive it surges forward, if in reverse it surges back. On 2/9/05 it surged backwards into a concrete pole and caused damage to the rear bumper. I have been attempting to resolve the surging issue with my local honda dealership as well as honda USA (and trying to get them to repair the bumper since the damage was caused through no fault of mine) - and as of this date have not had any resolution. I have researched this issue on the internet and have found numerous people with 02 and 03 honda odysseys having this same surging issue. I am also experiencing the following issues with this van and have returned it to the dealership for each: preset radio stations return to factory default without human invention, passenger side sliding door will not close, front passenger airbag turns off when the seat belt is latched, drivers seat will not remain in position.