I was driving and my check engine. Light came on, the car was slow to accelerate. I pulled over and I had it towed to a honda dealership, the closest one. They diagnosed it with needing a transmission replacement and replaced a transmission. Then, after the transmission was replaced, suddenly there was a knock in the engine. The dealership sent me a video with them. Revving, the engine very strongly, and I couldn't really discern any knocking noise, but the engine revving was excessive. Then, I asked for an additional video to try and hear what they were hearing. They sent me another video where there was a clear knock. This did not get disclosed to me at all, because they said it was hard to get it into, because it wasn't really accelerating, they couldn't barely get it into the bay after the cart was towed to the facility. If the cart was making a knocking noise at that moment, it should have been noted initially, but it was not noted until after the transmission was replaced. I never had a knocking sound prior to having my car. Delivered to this dealership.
Honda Odyssey transmission failure problems
1,067 of the 12,943 owner complaints about the Honda Odyssey describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 1,067
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,000
- typical mileage
- 97,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 192Slipping 172Jerking 69Won't shift 49Stalling 44Harsh shifting 39Hesitation 34Loss of power 32
Trouble codes mentioned
P0740 28P0730 24P0780 5P0845 3P1750 2P0736 2P1676 1P0844 1P0841 1P0777 1
What owners say
I'm filing a formal safety complaint regarding my 2019 Honda Odyssey, VIN [XXX], & requesting an engineering-level review by American Honda. I've brought this vehicle to an authorized Honda dealer numerous times for recurring & increasingly serious electrical, engine/power-loss, & transmission problems. Despite thousands of dollars in repairs, the problems continue. The vehicle has unexpectedly shut off/lost power; the power sliding doors have failed & required manual opening; low-battery warnings have appeared; & the radio/infotainment system repeatedly loses power and resets. I have photographs showing the message: “Anti Theft System–This system has lost power.” More seriously, the vehicle has malfunctioned in Park, Reverse, while shifting into Drive, & while turning. Most recently, the transmission would not engage properly and the vehicle had to be shut off and restarted multiple times before it would go into Drive. Delray Honda documented this transmission failure/no-drive incident on its August 2026 repair order. In May 2026, I brought the vehicle to Delray Honda for a Check Engine Management System warning. Repairs were performed, but the warning returned within days. Delray Honda then replaced the power distribution module, costing me approximately $2,000. I've spent thousands more dollars addressing these recurring problems without resolution. I understand Honda/the federal safety agency Recall 19V‑299 involved certain 2018–2019 Odysseys and a loss of power to the Transmission Control Unit. My Odyssey appears to have been manufactured around the time of those Hondas that were covered by that recall. I'm not claiming without diagnosis that the defect is identical, but the similarity of the symptoms warrants an urgent investigation. I request that Honda open a formal safety case, review my complete service history, DTCs and TCM/PCM data, determine whether my vehicle has the same or a related defect, and review my prior repair costs for reimbursement. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
While driving the car lurches as it shifts gears. This had gone on for quite some time but no codes have been thrown. This last time the car lurched so badly at the beginning of acceleration that I thought it was going to stall. It did not, but lights began flashing on the dash and when codes were (finally) thrown I was told I needed a new transmission altogether.
While driving approximately 75 mph on I-77 S our van stopped accelerating without warning. The engine would rev but no acceleration was occuring. There had been no signs of any issue prior and no warning lights appeared. We were able to make it to the side of the road and immediately called a tow truck to take us to the nearest Honda dealership. We had to wait on the side of a very busy interstate with our one and three year old and then get all of us safely to the dealership after the tow truck arrived. We were lucky that the sudden stop to our acceleration did not cause an accident and that we were not hit while parked on the shoulder (the tow truck driver indicated that there had been two collisions of that nature in that area in the month before our incident). The dealership confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced a couple of days later. When asked what the issue was we were really only given a vague explanation of a part inside potentially failing and causing a ripple effect. The van was 6 months out of the five year warranty and only 272 miles over the 60k warranty. It had previously been serviced by a Honda dealership in March of this year and nothing was noted at that time about the transmission needing attention (such as a transmission fluid change). At no point had the onboard "Maintenance Minder" indicated that we needed a transmission fluid change as well. The service technician who diagnosed the transmission failure also indicated that there was nothing in the transmission fluid (like parts or metal shavings) to show where the failure occurred. The fact that a transmission would have a complete failure with zero warnings beforehand or any real explanation at 60k miles seems like a serious design flaw.
I purchased a 2018 Honda Odyssey and reported during my 7-day inspection window that the transmission was acting sluggish. The Carvana-authorized inspection service (Pep Boys) claimed the transmission was fine. Over time it showed more and more signs of failure until it completely failed. On the directive of the seller (Carvana) and warranty administrator (SilverRock), the vehicle was taken to an authorized Pep Boys facility for a complete transmission replacement. Less than two days after picking up the vehicle, the replacement transmission suffered a complete failure on a public roadway. The vehicle suddenly lost all acceleration and forced itself into 'limp mode' on a highway, and loss of steering control, nearly causing a severe collision. The vehicle is inherently unsafe, and the authorized repair network has failed to provide a merchantable or safe repair, creating an immediate life-threatening hazard.
I am writing to open a formal complaint regarding a serious transmission defect in my 2019 Honda Odyssey (VIN: [XXX] ). My vehicle is currently exhibiting symptoms that directly match the 'Transmission Programming Defect' documented in ongoing litigation, specifically symptoms: while accelerating produce rough and delayed shifting; sudden jerking, sudden, harsh accelerations and decelerations; and a sudden loss of power. I am aware of Case No.XXX (XXX v. American Honda Motor Co.) and Case No. XXX (XXX v. American Honda Motor Co.), which allege that the 9-speed ZF 9HP transmission in my model year suffers from a design defect. These transmission failures create a significant safety hazard. Recently my van report code as transmission system problem the second time. We got mechanic checked and confirmed it is transmission issue. The first time when it happened, we drove the van on highway and suddenly it lose power and slow down by itself. there was no response even we applied gas. We went down highway and drove to a close-by repair shop. they replaced some part for us but it didn't resolve the issue. This time since the error comes, it won't speed up in lower speed except the speed goes beyond 40-50 miles plus. when we back the car, it responses slow or none. it comes with big noise also now. it definitely gets worst. The very common issue when you stop and start to move, it never responses from the beginning even we applied gas, even the passenger can feel the reluctance. it also happens when the van turns. we also had the experience when driving on the highway, it speeded automatically without driver applied the gas. It feels like someone pushing us behind. there was Transmission Control Unit recall for 2018-2019 Honda Odyssey (Touring/Elite). Honda actually knows the issue but they didn't reveal this to their customer. This brings life threatening concerns on the highway. I hope this complaint can save lives and family INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(
My 2019 Honda Odessey has had transmission issues since the very beginning. I've experienced jerking/shaking, hesitation before accelerating, delayed shifting, sudden loss of power. Fortunately none of this has resulted in any accident or injury. Unfortunately, yesterday (4/4/2026) I got charged $271.34 to have to transmission warning light read only to be told, "we cleared all dtc then test drove the vehicle. No dtc found after we drove the car...if the consumer complain again he will have to replace the transmission." Of course the warning light appeared again today. The dealership seems to be completely unaware of the multitude of transmission issues documented even though this appears to be a known and well documented defect based on the class action lawsuit Browning, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., et al. They charge me for the analysis and send me on my way as if they have no idea what is going on with my vehicle. I am the sole owner and have kept the vehicle well maintained at Leith Honda, 3940 Capital Hills Drive, Raleigh, NC 27616 and I have had all manufacturers recalls handled in a timely manner. I'm sure they can provide service records if needed. The bottom line is they are not being fully transparent and I am paying for their lack of transparency and more importantly putting me and my family at risk by not disclosing the potential risk due to the faulty transmission in these vehicles.
One week ago, I was driving on a highway, accelerating to the 65 MPH speed limit on that road, my van's accelerator completely stopped responding. Despite pumping the pedal repeatedly, I was unable to control my speed at all, and the car continued to lose speed. I had my three children in the car at the time, and given that people regularly go in excess of 70 MPH on that road, I was in danger of not being able to exit the road and/or being hit. I was able to coast off of onto an exit, and the car started responding at speeds of 30 MPH, but it was lurching and jerking while driving. We immediately had the vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic and have been advised that the transmission needs to be replaced. There were no warning lights for this failure. The car also had an incident about a year ago where all lights came on and it stopped responding. At that time, we had Honda dealership examine it, and they said they could not find any issues. Additionally, the car has been jerking slightly while shifting, but the issue improved when we had the transmission fluid flushed at the Honda dealership again about a month ago, and no issues were noted by them at that time. We have performed regular maintenance and safety inspections on this vehicle.
Our 2019 Honda Odyssey EX-L was our primary family vehicle. We conducted all routine maintenance as required by Honda, including transmission fluid exchange. Our vehicle experienced rough shifting consistently and at 102,000 miles experienced a total failure in the transmission dog clutch, with Emissions lighting also being present. Vehicle required a tow to Honda and was cited" internal failure in the transmission. The confirmed related DTC's are P0841: Transmission fluid pressure sensor/switch A circuit range/performance; P0844: Dog Clutch malfunction; P0170A: Dog Clutch Abnormal operation. Parts $:5,736.73/Labor $2,385 plus fluids and freight. We were not aware Honda used the ZF transmission during this year model and experiencing rough shifting up to 102,000 miles which prompted our investigation. Thankfully, the car was parked however, had this been while on the road, this would have presented a major safety and risk to our family and others. This has set our family back quite a bit as we have to replace the transmission and cannot guarantee the new one won't provide similar issues. Honda denied our good-will assistance request. We bought a Honda under the assumption it was a reliable brand. We will never buy Honda nor recommend again. Terrible experience.
Bought vehicle new at Millennium Honda, Hempstead New York.Vehicle is not going into reverse when vehicle gets hot. My mileage is 40,512 took it Millennium Honda on October 4, 2025, for diagnostic testing error code P0736 was diagnosed and that my transmission would need’s replacing at a cost of $11,495 for parts and labor, because I was a couple months out of warranty. I have since reached out to Corporate but negative response. I am unable to use my vehicle since which have been at an additional expense to me as I have to maintain insurance and pay for bus, train and taxi services. Not sure what kind of assistance you can offer or even assist in investigating why a vehicle with 40,000 would need a new transmission after moderate use. Thanks for your consideration on this matter.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.
Recall number 13V143000 · Recall details
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 Honda Odyssey transmission failure
Which Honda Odyssey years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (270 complaints), 2003 (244 complaints) and 2001 (167 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Honda Odyssey?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,000 (median of 282 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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