1999 Honda Odyssey

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE SLIDING DOOR ON HIS 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY. *NM WITHIN 5 MONTHS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN WHILE DRIVING. THE DOOR LATCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED UNDER RECALL. 5 MONTHS LATER, THE DOOR WOULD NOT SHUT AND THE BUZZER CONTINUED TO STAY ON. THE DEALER ONLY LUBED THE TRACK AND CLEANED THE CONTACTS. AFTER ANOTHER 5 MONTHS, THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE PROPERLY, THE DEALER THEN REPLACED THE POWER DOOR LATCH FOR THE SECOND TIME ON THE DRIVERS SLIDING DOOR AND THE REPLACEMENT LAST FOR 2 YEARS. ON SEPT 30, 2002 THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AND THE DEALER REPLACED PASSENGER LATCH AND CLOSER MOTOR WHICH WAS THE SECOND TIME FOR THE PASSENGER DOOR LATCH. THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN IN DEC 2004, BUT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND ON MAY 26, 2005 FOR THE SIXTH TIME. *JB *NM

THE DRIVE SIDE PASSENGER DOOR WILL LATCH INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE A BUZZER LETS THE DRIVER KNOW THE DOORS WERE NOT CLOSED. OTHER TIMES THE DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO REPAIR. THE CONSUMER VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE SLIDING DOOR, NHTSA 99V158000 OR 00V119000. *JB

BOTH MANUAL REAR SLIDING DOORS HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO OPEN SINCE ORIGINAL PURCHASE IN 1999. DEALER GREASED BOTH DOORS EVERY TIME THE CAR WAS SERVICED, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUED. THE LATCHES ON BOTH DOORS HAVE BROKEN AND NOW THE DOORS MUST BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. THIS POSSES A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD IF THE DOORS NEED TO BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE IN AN EMERGENCY. SLIDING REAR MANUAL DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WOULD INDICATE ON THE DASH TO BE OPEN. THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN CORNERING OR HITTING BUMPS. OVERHEAD LIGHT WOULD TURN ON AND OFF AND CRACKLING SOUND FROM BELOW STEERING WOULD BE HEARD. *JB

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT ELECTRICAL SLIDING DOORS. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND ALSO CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND NEITHER WAS WILLING TO ASSIST CONSUMER UNLESS HE PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. CURRENTLY, MANUFACTURER ISSUED A RECALL. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE OVERALL PROBLEM INVOLVED THE DOORS NOT CLOSING COMPLETELY. *AK

I HAVE A 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY, [XXX], THAT I BOUGHT USED IN 2002. IT IS A HONDA CERTIFIED CAR. SINCE I HAVE HAD THE CAR THE DRIVER SIDE REAR SLIDING DOOR HAS MALFUNCTIONED IN SPITE OF BEING SERVICED ABOUT 4 TIMES. THE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ALARM GOES OFF. I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK, OPEN THE DOOR AND CLOSE IT AGAIN AND THEN IT'S OK. THE MOST RECENT TIME IT WAS SERVICED, THE COST WAS $600 AND SUPPOSEDLY ALL OF THE DOOR SENSORS ON THE FRAME AND THE DOOR WERE REPLACED. THAT WAS ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO. SINCE THEN THE ALARM SOUNDS LESS OFTEN HOWEVER, THE ALARM HAS GONE OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING THE CAR, THE DOOR HAS FAILED TO CLOSE AND I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK, GET OUT AND PUSH THE DOOR AS IT WAS CLOSING AND SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I TRIED TO LOCK THE CAR WITH THE REMOTE, I HAD TO WALK BACK TO THE CAR, OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR BECAUSE THE ALARM INDICATOR SHOWED THE DOOR AJAR. I UNDERSTAND THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE ODYSSEY. LAST NIGHT I WAS A NEWS STORY THAT VEHICLES INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS ARE SOMETIMES AUCTIONED AND MOVE FROM DEALER TO DEALER AND THE PAPER HISTORY OF THE CAR IS CHANGED. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT A CAR THAT HAS BEEN IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAS ENDED UP ON A NEW CAR DEALERS LOT AND WAS SOLD AS CERTIFIED. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AS I OFTEN HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN IN MY CAR IN CAR SEATS. IF IT IS FIXABLE, IT SHOULD NOT TAKE THIS MUCH EFFORT TO FIX. SINCE IT HAS TAKEN TRY AFTER TRY AND I STILL HAVE A MALFUNCTIONING DOOR I CAN ONLY THINK THAT MAYBE THE FRAME OF THE CAR IS DAMAGED. PLEASE HELP ME OUT WITH THIS SITUATION. THANK YOU. *LA *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DUE TO THE WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH HONDA ODYSSEY SLIDING DOORS BEING DIFFICULT TO OPEN (SEE HONDA ODYSSEY TSB 91, 10/29/02), MY DOOR HANDLE BROKE IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO OPEN IT. INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS A HIGH NUMBER OF ODYSSEY OWNERS HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH HANDLE BREAKAGE DUE TO THE STICKING DOOR PROBLEM. THE COMPONENT THAT BREAKS IS A SMALL, UNDERSTRENGTH PLASTIC COMPONENT INSIDE THE HANDLE. BECAUSE OF A BROKEN DOOR HANDLE, DURING AN EMERGENCY--AND AT OTHER TIMES--IT COULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND FREE BACK OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY IF THE INTERNAL CHILD SAFETY LOCK IS ALSO ENGAGED, BLOCKING ATTEMPTS TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE AS WELL. *JB