2009 Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

Your 2009 Honda Odyssey has a Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system that shuts down three cylinders when the engine warms up to save fuel—you'll see "ECO" on your dashboard when this happens. This system causes abnormal wear on those cylinders, leading to high oil consumption, fouled spark plugs, misfiring, and rough running. You may experience loss of power, engine sputtering, and warning lights, making the vehicle difficult to drive safely. A complete engine repair can cost over $4,200, and Honda has declined to fix the problem or disable the VCM system to prevent future damage.

Your transmission isn't shifting smoothly between gears while driving, particularly when going from 3rd to 4th gear. You may also hear a loud thump or clunk noise when shifting from Park to Drive. This suggests your transmission may need service, fluid replacement, or internal repairs to restore proper gear engagement.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

WHILE STOPPED AT A 4 WAY TRAFFIC INTERSECTION W/LIGHT AND WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE RACED ON IT'S OWN CAUSING THE CAR TO SURGE AHEAD UNEXPECTANTLY. I HAD TO TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND ABOVE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MADE A DROWNING, LOUD NOISE AT THE SAME TIME IT VIBRATED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED, BUT THE REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE VIBRATION. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT AUTHORIZE ANY FUTURE REPAIRS ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER ON DECEMBER 30, 2016. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,223.

MY 2009 ODYSSEY 06/05/15 IT CURRENTLY HAS 115,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS THE SECOND ENGINE LIGHT DEALING WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR I HAD IT ROUTINELY SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS THE CLUTCH THIS TIME IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER, SO ALL INTERNAL. THE GEARS ARE FINE UNTIL 5TH OR OVERDRIVE.

ENGINE LIGHT CAME UP. DRIVE LIGHT FLASHES. MOVING INTO DRIVE IS VERY NOISY. CAR HESITATES TO MOVE AND CHANGES GEAR LATE. *TR

ON MAY 12, 2012, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN THE VAN STARTED TO SPUTTER. I CAME TO A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR ACTED AS IF IT WERE ABOUT TO CUT OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING ALONG WITH THE VSA LIGHT. IT RODE VERY ROUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE CLOSEST HONDA DEALERSHIP AS I WAS NOT IN MY HOMETOWN. THEY INFORMED ME THAT ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED ALL OF THEM TO THE TUNE OF $308.23. ON NOVEMBER 23, 2012, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE MILEAGE WAS 105,001. AGAIN, I WAS OUT OF TOWN AND DROVE THE CAR TO THE NEAREST HONDA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE #3 SPARK PLUG HAD FOULED OUT. I TOLD THEM TO REPLACE ONLY THE #3 PLUG. ON MY RECEIPT IT SAYS, "RETRIEVED CODE P0303...MISFIRE #3 CYLINDER...FOUND SPARK PLUG FOULED OUT. POSSIBLE FAULTY VALVE SEALS...REPLACED SPARK PLUG AND PERFORMED PCM SOFTWARE UPDATE." THAT COST ME $138.76. ON THE DRIVE HOME THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED TO ACT UP. IT WOULD RUN BUT SOMETIMES IT WAS COLD AND SOMETIMES THE AIR WAS NOT. ON NOVEMBER 24, 2012, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THAT I NORMALLY USE. THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING EXCEPT FOR A DIRTY CABIN FILTER. THEY REPLACED IT AND CHARGED ME $131.97. HOWEVER, THEY SAID MY BRAKES WERE WORN OUT. THAT COST $359.68. THEN THERE WAS THE BRAKE FLUID EXCHANGE, TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE, AND POWER STEERING FLUSH. ALL IN ALL THE VISIT COST ME $1049.61. FUNNY, ON NOVEMBER 19, 2012, I HAD TAKEN THE VAN IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY DID A COURTESY INSPECTION. NO MENTION OF BRAKE PROBLEM. NOVEMBER 26, 2012, CAR DEAD, WOULDN'T START. THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY. DECEMBER 3, 2012, CAR DEAD AGAIN. INVOICE READS, "A/C CLUTCH RELAY STUCK KILLING BATTERY MAKING A/C COMPRESSOR RUN EVEN WHEN A/C OFF." FIXED FOR FREE DUE TO ALL THE PROBLEMS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND JERKED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. *TR

TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY ROUGH, ESPECIALLY FROM 45 MPH. WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM THIS SPEED AND RE-ACCELERATING FROM 25 MPH (AS IN SLOWING FOR AN INTERSECTION OR TRAFFIC), THE DOWNSHIFTING AND UPSHIFTING ARE BOTH ROUGH - TO THE POINT OF WONDERING WHETHER THE TRANSMISSION WILL FALL OUT, OR NOT. THIS CONDITION HAS EXISTED FROM THE DAY I PURCHASED THE CAR. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN FEBRUARY 2010 FOR A HONDA-REQUESTED TRANSMISSION PROGRAMMING UPDATE. THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. *TR

VEHICLE ABOVE 40 MPH HONDA DEALER REFUSES TO WORK ON IT ANYMORE. *TR

TRANSMISSION HAS ROUGH DOWNSHIFTS WHILE DECELERATING. FIRST ROUGH DOWNSHIFT OCCURS AROUND 40-45 MPH. THE SECOND ROUGH DOWNSHIFT OCCURS AROUND 25 MPH. DURING THE SECOND ROUGH DOWNSHIFT, IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING TWICE. YOU CAN ALSO HEAR A DISTINCT CLACK NOISE AND FEEL IT THROUGH THE FLOORBOARD OF THE VEHICLE. TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATED TWICE BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. WE ALSO EXPERIENCE ABRUPT DECELERATION WHEN REMOVING YOUR FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR AROUND 30 MPH. THE VAN SLOWS DOWN ABRUPTLY AS THOUGH THE ENGINE HAS STALLED. WE FEEL THE TRANSMISSION BEHAVIOR IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT LEVEL OF ENGINE/TRANSMISSION BRAKING WILL OCCUR WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR. THIS MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *TR

2009 HONDA ODYSSEY - VEHICLE HAS MODERATE VIBRATION AT AROUND 40 MPH. ROOT CAUSE ACCORDING TO HONDA IS DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH. HAVE NOT VERIFIED ROOT CAUSE WITH INDEPENDENT SOURCE. NO ACCIDENT REPORTED AS OF 10/26/09. *TR

VAN BROKE DOWN IN TEH MIDDLE OF BUSY HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC. *TR