NHTSA Complaint #10421073 — 2001 HONDA ODYSSEY

MY 2001 ODYSSEY TRANSMISSION FIRST SHOWED SIGNS OF FAILURE IN SEPT 2009 (105K MI) WHILE I WAS TRAVELING THROUGH NORTH DAKOTA. I TOOK THE VAN TO A HONDA DEALER IN MINOT ND AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THEY RESET THE WARNING LIGHT AND SAID THEY DID NOT THINK IT WAS SERIOUS BUT IT SHOULD BE CHECKED WHEN I GOT HOME. AFTER RETURNING HOME I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM COULD BE DUE TO A LOOSE GAS CAP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THAT BUT I DID NOT SENSE ANY SLIPPAGE UNTIL SEPT 2010. I KNEW IT WAS GOING BUT CONTINUED DRIVING IT UNTIL ONE COLD EVENING WHEN I COULD BARELY GET THE VAN MOVING, I HAD THE SENSE THAT THE TRANS WOULD NOT SHIFT TO A LOW GEAR AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO START OUT IN 3RD GEAR (115K MI) . HONDA QUOTED $7500 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION FOR $3200. I WAS TOLD THAT CORRODED TERMINALS ON THE VEHICLE COMPUTER MAY HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY TO BLAME FOR THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT GETTING THE PROPER SIGNALS AS TO WHEN TO SHIFT. *TR