Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda odyssey. While driving 70 MPH, the transmission began to slip and independently shifted into a lower gear extremely abruptly. The failure caused the vehicle to unintentionally decelerate to approximately 30 MPH and the check engine and traction control warning indicators illuminated. Also, the gear indicator blinked. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The contact spoke to the dealer (troy honda 1835 maplelawn dr, troy, mi 48084) who stated that based on the code the independent mechanic pulled, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 240,000.
2003 Honda Odyssey: complete transmission failure
244 of the 914 complaints about the 2003 Honda Odyssey describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 244
- of this car's complaints
- 27%
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,177
- typical mileage
- 99,000
- recalls
- 1
Complete transmission failure by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda odyssey. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated into second gear and the speed decreased to 35 MPH. The vehicle jerked violently and abruptly. The rpms increased to eight thousand rpms and the vehicle failed to shift out of second gear. The contact was forced to shift into neutral gear at 25 MPH in order to coast. The contact managed to shift into drive from neutral gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 249,000.
Torque converter and transmission went out on vehicle. Everyday as driving main streets or highways while accelerating the car would feel like its gone into neutral for 5-15 min varying. And will pick back up on acceleration. Took vehicle in for inspection I was told the transmission is going out. When I took it in for repair was told the transmission went out due to torque converter over heating melting a part to the coolant system and also damaging the transmission. I tried to pull recalls completed on vehicle but nothing show for the at particular part but I u dersrand there was I need .what will be the protocall for possible reimbursement on repairs.
Can't accelerate from 20 MPH to 30 MPH. Only has 104,000 miles on the vehicle. Took the car to the dealer who said transmission failed and it would cost over $4,000 to fix it. This is totally wrong from the manufacturer. Honda should pay for it. See attached diagnostic invoice from the dealer.
Transmission failed after being brought in already for the recall
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda odyssey. The vehicle was repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v176000 (power train), which experienced heat build-up between the counter shaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission. The vehicle began to move slowly when transitioning from second to third gears prior to the repair. Once the vehicle was repaired, the failure recurred and the vehicle began to jerk when in second gear when or while driving 22 MPH or higher. The vehicle would also emit a whining sound under the hood of the vehicle. The brake warning light, the pcs warning light, and the engine warning light illuminated. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed a second time and the vehicle would no longer receive a repair under the recall. The contact had the vehicle diagnosed by two certified mechanics who stated the transmission failed, causing malfunctions when in second gear. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 06/17/16*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda odyssey. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the transmission failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 169,000.
Was driving from desoto state park back home to tuscaloosa when the transmission began to slip between 2nd and 3rd and then again between 4th and 5th. Ended up having to drive home doing 40 MPH on back roads. Rebuilt the transmission to the tune of $4000. Two years and 40,000 miles later the transmission failed again...same exact issue. This is a well known problem to every mechanic I have dealt with. This issue has existed since the car hit the market. This needs to be investigated. Now I have a gigantic paperweight sitting in my driveway. The vans value is less than it will cost to fix. Pease investigate.
Transmission failed at 150k miles. Honda is aware that the transmissions of the older odysseys are not lasting long.
I was driving at 30mph with my 2 small children when all of a sudden my car lost power and would no longer exceed 20mph. I put my hazards on and pulled off to the side of the road I then turned my car off and back on again which helped for a few short minutes before doing the same thing all over again. I continued to do the same process over and over again until I was able to get home I took my car to the dealership I bought it from this morning only to find out I need a new transmission I just bought this van 2 weeks ago I am the second owner
I was driving my van with my two kids in it when I noticed that the van was jerking frequently and there was no pick up. The RPM went to 4 and 5 thousand but the speed was not able to go beyond 50 and 60 MPH. This incident occurred while I was on a freeway. When I took the van to our usual mechanic shop, they found that it was a transmission problem. Getting a new transmission was very expensive and I had to settle for a rebuilt transmission. After researching online, I found that this is a common issue with honda odysseys built during the year my van was built. I would like for the federal safety agency to ensure honda pays for our repairs and ensures the company fixes all remaining vans on the road with this issue.
Traveling on an interstate highway, transmission failed. Fluid exited transmission and "smoke" appeared at rear of vehicle. Dealership diagnosed transmission failure and estimated repair costs at $2500-3500. Since we were 1000 miles from home and did not want to put that much into repairs, we bought a new car from the dealership. Later found out this transmission frequently fails under these circumstances due to lack of fluid circulation. Fluid is "blown" out of transmission and to rear of car. It may be due to a defect in design.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Case v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. BC 424169 (Third Clutch Transmission Settlement
- PCM replacement for erratic or harsh shifting.
- Replacing a canon A75 digital camera to take inspection photos for s/b 04-021, safety recall: a/t 2ND gear...
- Transmission-won't come out of park, p not illuminated
- Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) leaks
- Erratic and harsh shifting; malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) comes on or d indicator blinks. tt
- Safety recall: automatic transmission second gear inspection
- Removing a stubborn atf filler bolt
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
- Risk
- Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. Owners should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009 or acura at 1‑800‑382‑2238.
Recall number 04V176000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Honda Odyssey transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 2003 Honda Odyssey?
244 of 914 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Odyssey (27%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the 2003 Honda Odyssey?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,177 (median of 78 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Honda Odyssey?
There is 1 recall and 36 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Honda Odyssey
Slipping 100Check engine light 95Airbag light 45Jerking 40Stalling 36Won't shift 27Loss of power 25Hesitation 17Overheating 17Fire or smoke 15Door locks 13No deployment 12Adaptive cruise 11Harsh shifting 11Shudder 10Sudden acceleration 9Engine failure 8Grinding brakes 7Whining noise 7ABS 6Tire blowout 6Warning lights 6Premature wear 5Rollaway 5Won't start 5
VIN decoder
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