NHTSA Complaint #10405874 — 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY

BOUGHT MY ODYSSEY USED, CERTIFIED WITH THE 7YR/100K MI WARRANTY FROM A HONDA DEALERSHIP IN ALEXANDRIA, VA IN MAY 2006 WITH LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON IT. HAVE HAD IT SERVICED BY MY LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP EXCLUSIVELY SINCE PURCHASING. LESS THAN 24 HOURS AGO (AT ABOUT 99000 MILES), I EXPERIENCED MY FIRST ODD EXPERIENCE WITH SHIFTING UP/DOWN WHILE AT EXPRESSWAY AND FREEWAY SPEEDS. I RETURNED HOME WITHIN 50 MILES AND PARKED THE CAR UNTIL I COULD GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP (2 MILES FROM MY HOUSE). FIRST THING THIS MORNING (ABOUT 7:30 AM), TOOK THE ODYSSEY TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC OF THE TRANSMISSION AND TO HAVE THE BRAKES CHECKED AND/OR REPLACED AS NEEDED AS WELL AS ANY OTHER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED. RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT 1 PM TODAY AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION, AS THE OLD ONE WAS SHOT. THE PRICE QUOTED TO ME FOR A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL MODULE WAS ABOUT $5000, NOT WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR OR WAS EXPECTING. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN LAST JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND ANY REGULAR MAINTENANCE NEEDED, EXPECTING ANY ABNORMALITIES WOULD BE NOTED. I WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE FOR ANOTHER OIL CHANGE ABOUT NOW, BUT I JUST RECENTLY CHANGED THE OIL AND OIL FILTER MYSELF, LESS THAN 3000 MILES AGO. HOW IS IT THAT A SUPPOSEDLY RELIABLE VEHICLE CAN, WITHOUT WARNING, GO FROM 100% FUNCTIONING TO NEEDING A MAJOR DRIVE COMPONENT REPLACEMENT? I JUST CALLED HONDA CORPORATE FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS, AS A MAJOR EQUIPMENT FAILURE OF THIS NATURE SHOULDN'T BE DROPPED ON THE CONSUMER, AND I HAVE READ MANY SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL YEAR TRANSMISSION. I'D BE HAPPY PAYING 25-50% OF THE COSTS, WITH A MINIMUM 36K MI/ 3 YR WARRANTY ON THE TRANSMISSION. THIS WOULD ONLY BE THE SECOND MAJOR EXPENSE I'VE HAD TO PAY ON THE VAN, AS THE FIRST ONE WAS THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT, WHICH WAS DONE WELL BEFORE THE TYPICAL MILEAGE MARK. *TR