NHTSA Complaint #10507398 — 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY

MY PROBLEM IS WITH MY 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY. WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE OIL PAN THREADS WERE STRIPED. WE WERE INFORMED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HONDA AND ACURA. FROM MY RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE 1984. THE PROBLEM WITH HONDA'S STEEL OIL PANS IS THE DRAIN PLUG THREADS ARE FREQUENTLY DAMAGED AND THE DRAIN PLUG SEALING AREA TENDS TO DISTORT. HONDA USES AN ALUMINUM SEALING WASHER TO SEAL THE DRAIN PLUG AGAINST THE PAN. FROM MY RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM IS THE FLIMSY THREADS AND THIN SHEET METAL CAN NOT TAKE THIS AMOUNT OF TORQUE AND WILL FAIL AFTER REPEATED OIL CHANGES. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED A HELICOIL AS A POSSIBLE PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. IF THAT DOES NOT WORK THAN ULTIMATELY I HAVE TO CHANGE THE WHOLE OIL PAN WITH OE EQUIPMENT. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IS HONDA HAS NOT CORRECTED THE FLAW, SO IN A FEW YEARS I WILL BE IN THE SAME POSITION OF HAVING STRIPPED OIL PAN THREADS. NO ONE WANTS TO DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD AND LOSE OIL PRESSURE BECAUSE THE TREADS OF THE OIL PAN HAS STRIPPED OVER TIME. AND CONSUMERS DO NOT WANT TO SPEND SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS EVERY FEW YEARS REPLACING AN OIL PAN BECAUSE OF HONDAS FLAWED DESIGN. *TR