NHTSA Complaint #10418028 — 2002 HONDA ODYSSEY

ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING THE PAST SIX MONTHS I NOTICED THE "D" LIGHT FOR MY TRANSMISSION SELECTOR FLASHING. ONCE I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE FLASHING STOPPED AND DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN. ON JULY 27 WHILE ON A TRIP TO CANADA WITH LESS THAN 78,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, I AGAIN NOTICED THE "D" LIGHT FLASHING. I ALSO NOTICED ABNORMAL TRANSMISSION OPERATION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A HONDA DEALER IN CORNWALL, ONTARIO, CANADA, WHERE THEY READ THE CODES AS "P1740" FOR 4TH PRESSURE SWITCH FAILURE AND "P0710" FOR ATF TEMPERATURE SENSOR FAILURE. THEY RESET THE CODES, AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. HOWEVER, THE NEXT DAY THE "D" LIGHT WAS FLASHING AGAIN. MY LOCAL DEALER IN BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS READ THE SAME TWO CODES FROM THE SYSTEM AND CHARGED ME $430 FOR REPLACING THOSE TWO SENSORS. I CALLED HONDA AMERICA, AND A REPRESENTATIVE CONTACTED ME. SHE TOLD ME HONDA WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR SINCE THE DEALER TOLD HER THAT I HAD A NON-HONDA AFTERMARKET TRANSMISSION COOLER INSTALLED. I'VE HAD NO SUCH DEVICE INSTALLED. SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MY ODYSSEY HAD BEEN PART OF THE 2004 RECALL AND ANY POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REPAIRED. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE LOCAL DEALER DETERMINED MY TRANSMISSION ISSUE WAS CAUSED BY IMPROPER TRAILER TOWING. THE VAN HAS TOWED A LIGHT TRAILER ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND NEVER OVER LENGTHY DISTANCES. I WAS NOT TOWING A TRAILER ON THE TRIP TO CANADA. THE HONDA REPRESENTATIVE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT 2002 ODYSSEY'S HAVE A KNOWN DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION THAT ROUTINELY FAILS WITH LESS THAN 80,000 MILES. *TR