NHTSA Complaint #10448364 — 2007 HONDA ODYSSEY

CAR HESITATES ON DOWNSHIFT AT 40 AND 20 MPH. ON 6/26/11 I BROUGHT CAR INTO LOCAL HONDA DEALER TO HAVE A MANUFACTURER PRODUCT UPDATE ADDRESSED THAT WAS TARGETING THIS TRANSMISSION JUDDER ISSUE. DEALER PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE WHICH PROVED TO BE INEFFECTIVE. ON 9/7/11 I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM CHECK THE SOFTWARE UPDATE AGAIN SINCE THE TRANSMISSION JUDDER WAS STILL PRESENT. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD CHARGE ME $115 TO LOOK AT THE CAR, NOT INCLUDING COST OF ANY REPAIRS. SINCE HONDA'S PRODUCT UPDATE NOTIFICATION INDICATED THIS UPDATE SHOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE AND THE DEALER WAS INTENDING TO CHARGE ME, I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP IN ANGER WITHOUT HAVING THEM LOOK AT THE CAR. ON 11/19/11 I BROUGHT CAR BACK IN BECAUSE THE ISSUE WAS STILL PRESENT AND AGREED TO PAY THEIR DIAGNOSIS FEE OF $115. THEY RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO TRY TO RESOLVE. ON 12/17/11 THE ISSUE WAS STILL NOT CORRECTED SO I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AGAIN. THE DEALER RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM BUT SAID IT WAS "SLIGHT" AND THAT I SHOULD CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED. THIS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HONDA'S DOCUMENTATION SAYS DRIVING THE CAR WITHOUT HAVING THIS ISSUE FIXED COULD DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION. HONDA'S PRODUCT UPDATE LETTER TO THE DEALER INDICATED TORQUE CONVERTER SHOULD BE REPLACED IF SOFTWARE UPDATE WASN'T EFFECTIVE, BUT THE DEALER REFUSED TO DO THAT. 12/19/11 I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AGAIN OUT OF DISSATISFACTION WITH THE CONCLUSION OF THE 12/17/11 VISIT. DEALER AGAIN ATTEMPTED A SOFTWARE UPDATE, WHICH AGAIN PROVED TO BE INEFFECTIVE. ON 2/6/12, I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA TO EXPLAIN THE HISTORY. I AM NOW BEING ASKED TO PAY FOR PART OF THIS REPAIR, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FREE OF CHARGE TO ME HAD THE DEALER ADDRESSED IT DURING ONE OF MY INITIAL VISITS. I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD INCUR ANY COST FOR THIS UPDATE. *TR