NHTSA Complaint #10640861 — 2002 HONDA ODYSSEY

ON 9/10/14 I STARTED NOTICING TRANSMISSION SLIPPING/DOWN-SHIFTING AT 40MPH/2K RPM MANY TIMES DURING A LESS THAN AN HOUR DRIVE. RPM WOULD SUDDENLY JUMP TO 4K, AND THEN COMES BACK WHILE THE CAR SUDDENLY JERKS/SLOWS AS IF IT'S PUT ON ENGINE BRAKE. VEHICLE IS 2002 ODYSSEY AND HAS 69K MILES. TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA DEALER WHERE THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR YEARS AND THEY WERE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, AND I WAS TOLD IT REQUIRES A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH WOULD COST $3700 FOR A REMAN TRANSMISSION WITH 3-Y/36 KMIL WARRANTY. TALKED HONDA AMERICA AND TRIED TO "SEEK GOODWILL ASSISTANCE FOR TRANSMISSION" PER SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. THEY TOOK MY INFO, AND DETAILS, AND EVENTUALLY TOLD ME THEY REVIEWED THEIR PARAMETERS, AND DECIDED THIS IS NOT A CASE THEY ARE WILLING TO ASSIST. CHECKED MY MAINTENANCE RECORD AND WAS ABLE TO FIND A RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED MANY YEARS AGO. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THERE ARE TONS OF SUCH TRANSMISSION ISSUES REPORTED ON HONDA ODYSSEY. IN SOME CASES, THERE SEEMS TO BE REQUIRE A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT EVERY 50K MILES OR SO. APPARENTLY HONDA HAS BEEN KNOWINGLY SELLING SUCH DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS FOR MANY YEARS W/O TELLING THE CUSTOMERS. I'M DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST AT HONDA AMERICA, AND THE SO CALLED HONDA QUALITY WHICH IS PROVED TO BE A COSTLY MYTH. I HAVE A HYUNDAI WITH CLOSE TO 90K MILES AND SO FAR I DON'T HAVE ANY TRANSMISSION/ENGINE ISSUES. I THINK I'M DONE WITH HONDA. *TR