NHTSA Complaint #10440914 — 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY

2003 ODYSSEY APPROXIMATELY 67K MILES DEVELOPED FLUID LEAK IN PAST WEEK. VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY. WHILE DRIVING WITH FAMILY COOLANT LEAKED ONTO EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSING SMOKE AND HAD TO PULL OFF INTERSTATE. ENGINE HAD OPERATED NORMALLY AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS OR ABNORMAL TEMPERATURE GAGE READINGS. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL HONDA DEALER. DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING HEAD GASKET. UPON REMOVAL OF THE CYLINDER HEAD, THE HEAD BOLTS PULL FROM THE BLOCK PORTS WITH THE BOLT THREADS. APPARENTLY HEAD BOLTS HAD BECOME LOOSE GIVEN THE THREAD FAILURE IN THE BLOCK AND ALLOWED LEAKAGE OF FLUIDS IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. HONDA STATED THAT THE ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF 3K++. APPARENTLY THIS SAME ISSUE HAS OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OTHER 2003 ODYSSEY OWNERS ACCORDING TO ON-LINE SEARCH. THE DEALER WAS AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN THE FAILURE OF THE BOLTS AT THE GIVEN MILEAGE. IT APPEARS THAT THIS COULD BE A DEFECT IN THE BLOCK DESIGN OR MANUFACTURE AND COULD LEAD TO PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. HONDA SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND EGR VALVE DEFECTS WHICH HAVE ALSO BEEN A CONTINUAL PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 ODYSSEY. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE RELIABILITY OF THIS VAN *TR