Without much or any warning my transmission failed (the dreaded p0730 code showed up on the scanner) on my 2003 honda odyssey ex-l van with only 100,325 miles. The van was never abused or used to tow. Transmission was rebuilt 1.30.12 by private shop continental transmission for $1800. (torque converter blown to pieces). Honda does have limited recalls on trannys but mine was not included (only if 2nd shaft is broken & scored and burnt/ bluish color) this will documented tranny problem with 2nd generation odyssey is very upsetting and I blame it on a poor design by honda engineers (under sized tranny paired with a power v6 240hp heavy 4500lbs van has been a recipe for premature failure). The worst part was on 1.5.12 I just had extensive preventative maintenance done at don davis honda (timing belt, water pump, tensioner and power steering belts) and two weeks later the transmission fails!!! Other issues with the van have been, AC compressor failed may 2010 88,648 miles. Rear wiper motor failed march 2011 89,240 miles, both sliding power door rollers had to replaced. Brake switch failed (locked up), dec 2011 98,750 miles van would not move out of park. Not real happy or confident with honda right now!
2003 Honda Odyssey transmission complaints
Page 7 of 19: complaints 161 to 190 of 533, newest first, as owners wrote them.
137,000 miles, transmission failed. All service had been completed by the dealer during the life of the vehicle, and I am the original owner. The dealer and honda of america would not replace the transmission and the ecu. Even though there have been many similar problems with other people with the same make and model. The ecu has a tsb on it.
On 12/16/2011, the transmission failed without warning. The tcs and engine light were on and had been on for a few weeks. On 9/27/2011, I had informed my honda dealer, penske honda of indianapolis, of the tcs light. They thought is was oil on the sensor and said it would finally wear off. The oil they said, was coming from the rear head bolt that had developed a leak. As it turned out, the bolt was stripped. This vehicle was never used for towing. It was a "carpool the kids to school and a two spring breaks to florida vacations" van. At 113,000 miles, this is disappointing. Especially since we bought another honda in 2005 and now we are afraid of failure there as well. The head bolt repair necessitates a new engine and the transmission repair was made at a private shop. I spoke with honda motors america's customer service and they offered no indication of help or serious consideration. I have yet to repair the engine.
Had first tranny go in may of '09 at 85,500 mls had work done by honda to put new tranny in at my expense that one just went in 2 and a half years with just less then 60,00 mls and again honda does not want to cover it.
Transmission failed to shift gears, caused engine to stall while driving, would not shift into or out of gear.
While driving on the toll way at 65 MPH the tcs & engine malfunction lights illuminated and the d (drive) indicator began flashing. As this was happening the vehicle began losing speed and pressing on the accelerator increased the engines rpms but the vehicle was still slowing down. I coasted to the side of the highway with the engine running and discovered no forward or reverse movement when shifting gears. The vehicle was towed to a honda dealer that night. The next day I was contacted by the service associate and told the automatic transmission and PCM were defective and needed to be replaced at a cost of $6100.00.
The transmission is beginning to fail as indicated by the transmission slipping (press accelerator and engine races with no power to the wheels) for about 5 seconds at random times while traveling about 40 MPH on a trip of about 5 miles. This happens on about every other trip and is increasing in frequency.
Tl* the contact owns 2003 honda odyssey. While driving approximately 60 MPH the vehicle began to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the transmission had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 177,000.
Transmission failure at 94,000 miles caused by faulty torque converter.
I was driving my car told the dealership my car jerk he told I need a fuel injection. I paid for a that service . Was driving my kids home from school when the car jerk 3 time repeatly so bad we all got scared. My husband drove the car to the dealership. They did a diagnostic test and told me it was the torque chamber in the transmission would cost 4500.00 dollars to fix . As a hard working american I feel duped and stupid. I feel they sold me a lemon. I think consumer should be told if their is a problem with the vechile before purchasing it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda odyssey. The contact stated that the transmission caused the vehicle stall while driving 35 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle would also stall while shifting gears, causing the vehicle to jerk abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and inquired about the federal safety agency campaign I.d. Number: 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission) but the dealer advised that the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall. The contact stated that the vehicle was never repaired under the recall. The failure mileage was 82,000.
While driving my two children to school, my transmission failed in the middle of an intersection. The transmission would not catch but I had enough forward momentum to coast to the side of the road just past the light.
Single owner 2003 honda odyssey lx. It was parked in garage. Attempted to reverse but reverse gear won't engage with grinding noises coming. Honda says it is out of warranty and not covered. This is poor workmanship if transmission fails before 100k miles.
Although having brought the car in to the dealer under a power train/automatic transmission recall in 2004 as a result of the federal safety agency campaign #04v17600, the automatic transmission began to fail some months ago and the malfunction indicator light came on with p0730 (gear ratio error) being decoded by my mechanic. Some months later, the transmission was even more problematic and the difficulty in it shifting from second to third gear was so bad that the car could not be driven (95,000 miles). The problem appears to be with the overheating of the torque converter. This problem is even more likely to happen on a v-6 odyssey, which I have, because the honda power train/auto. Transmission cannot handle the extra torque of the larger engine. Replacing all the solenoids did not solve the problem and the transmission is currently being rebuilt but not by honda as replacing it with a factory-rebuilt honda transmission will only lead to the same issues. There are thousands of complaints on the internet of transmission failure in honda odysseys from 1999 up to the present. A class action suit forced honda to extend the power train warranty to 100,000 miles on 1999-2001 odysseys . . . But those of us with newer odysseys have been left out in the cold. My car is a one-owner vehicle, regularly serviced according to honda specifications and never used for pulling heavy loads or any sort of irregular driving. In fact, the car has been 'babied' from the day I bought it.
Hi, honda had a recall on the 03 odyssey transmission for chipping of metal, over heating, etc. Right now my car will not engage from reverse to drive for 10-15sec and while driving will accelerate for no reason, which I believe are very major safety issues. Spoke to honda customer care and they will not take care or fix these issues case#[xxx] on 1229/2011. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Transmission failed egr valve failed.
Complete transmission failure while vehicle was operating at highway speeds.
While traveling from florida to virginia down i95 at 70mph in cruise control, I suddenly lost acceleration and looked up in time to see smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. I pulled over and transmission fluid continued to burn and smoke from engine compartment and then the plastic engine cover caught fire. We were able to extinguish it and have it towed to a honda dealer, where we were told the transmission overheated for an unknown reason. This van had already had three transmission cooler line recall performed after a similar incident by a previous owner that caused the transmission to need to be rebuilt. After being left with no other option, I opted to refill transmission fluid and continue to drive the can back to virginia. The van operated perfectly and had no issues for the rest of the six hundred plus mile trip home. I am of course now scared to drive it anywhere even though it runs like it never had a problem. It gave no indication of trouble before this sudden overheating either. This could have been much worse especially since we were traveling with three small children including a baby.
I was driving the car along and it felt as though it went into neutral. The motor continued to show revolutions on the tachometer but the car slowed down to a stop. I coasted into a shopping center parking lot and turned the car off. I waited about five minutes and started the car again. I was able to put the car in drive and proceed for about three minutes and the same thing as above happened. I called my husband and he came to my location in a different car. I followed him for about four miles while he drove the honda odyssey, 2003 and observed the same thing two more times until we reached a garage where our cars had been worked on before. The next day on saturday, my husband drove his car to the garage and took the honda to the dealership less than a mile from where it was parked all night on friday, december 9.
Transmission suddenly began slipping - no warning lights appeared -- occurs intermittently -- have read about many similar cases with the honda odyssey transmission ---honda should be fixing/replacing this defect for its customers!
Attempting to move the vehicle from our driveway to the street, the automatic transmission failed on our 2003 honda odyssey ex. The clutch would not immediately catch in either reverse or drive. Once it did engage, in either direction, the engine and transmission would shake and jerk the entire vehicle. We drove the vehicle about 2 miles to a local repair shop. The mechanic told us we needed to replace the transmission and also install an electronic control module. The repair will cost us $4,700. While he noted the vehicle otherwise looked in excellent mechanical condition, transmission failures were very common for honda odysseys manufactured for the 2002-2004 model years. Further research shows hundreds of complaints around honda's automatic transmission for both this vehicle and other models. What other information does dot/the federal safety agency need to move toward a recall?
First trans drive indicator light started flashing.paid to replace sensor and flush trans oil.three weeks later trans refuses to shift out of park.,I opened steering wheel override and trans is working fine except I must employ override feature to shift gear.
I pulled into my garage and stopped my van. I turned the key to the off position without realizing I had not yet shifted into park. I was able to remove the key from the ignition while the vehicle was still in drive. I have been able to replicate this issue several times, each time being able to remove the key from the ignition while the vehicle is still in drive. I have been fully stopped with my foot on the brake each time.
Transmission failed and burned out completely going 65 miles per hour on i95. 3 kids in the car and left at the side of the highway, very dangerous situation. Honda will not help us but would like us to pay them $5600 for a rebuilt honda transmission. There are numerous reports of honda transmissions failing at as low as 45k miles. There should be a class action lawsuit for model year 2003. They do not care how many lives they put at risk.
As my wife was preparing to enter an exit ramp from the highway, the van experienced several hard shifts of the transmission which caused her to almost lose control of the vehicle. Since that instance, every time the van shifts gears, it is a very hard shift that jerks the occupants around. Van will not shift above third gear or into reverse. Mechanic has diagnosed this as a transmission failure.
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.
2003 honda odyssey transmission failure - while driving on I-65n in indiana, at 70 MPH, transmission locked up in the fast lane at 8:00 p.m. Vehicle skidded about 30 feet, stopped and myself and family quickly exited vehicle. I called 911 to get troopers to alert other drivers about immobile vehicle in fast lane of interstate. Ran back about 70 yards to flag traffic over to slow lane to avoid someone getting killed. My wife and daughter are standing out in the median waiting for help to arrive. Thanks to some kind indiana drivers for stopping and attempting to push van out of road but with tranny locked up, no movement whatsoever. Torque converter locked up. Transmission is completely ruined, need new unit. Estimated cost to repair $ 3,580.
My honda odyessy's transmission overheated while on a family trip. I have kept up with the service scheduled outlined by honda. Van has 122k on it now. I bought a honda expecting to get the long haul out of it! 122k is not my idea of the long haul! The estimate is a $4000 cost to replace the transmission! I have read about the law suit the was won and want to know why this was not a recall of some sort! There is clearly a big problem, there is a website created just for this issue! If I had not done all of the maintenance or did not take care of the car I would not be so upset. Code p0730, gear ratio failure.
I was told approximately two months ago that the reason the shift was hard was because I had two broken motor mounts. They were repaired and they suggested changing the transmission fluid. Then right before thanksgiving I noticed my car having difficulty shifting between 2nd & 3rd gear and the rpms were going crazy so I took it to the dealer. I was informed the transmission needed to be replaced for $4200. I have spent about $1500 this year on repairs for this van. I always have driven hondas and toyotas and fully expected to get over 200,000 miles out of this van. I'm very disappointed to find many people have had the same problem and that honda is not helpful. This is my last honda.
Van had difficulty shifting from 2nd -3rd gear with slipping and revving exceptional high before transitions suddenly into next gear. Van was recalled at 24,000 miles for repair to fix the transmission problem, which was completed in 2004 as requested. This van had been diligently maintained only at dealership, other than routine oil changes, and we are the original owners. Service department at dealership states that the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced, costing $6600. Honda of america is not helpful and unwilling to help in any manner.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Honda Odyssey?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history