2001 Honda Odyssey

LAST WEEK ASS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR MINIVAN MADE A LOUD SNAPPING SOUND FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VAN APPEARED TO DRIVE OK, ALTHOUGH SHE ONLY DRIVES IT AROUND TOWN AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 40MPH. TODAY, THE DEALER TOLD US THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SPRING HAD SNAPPED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OUR VAN. THE DRIVER SIDE SPRING SNAPPED IN DECEMBER 2007. THE HONDA ODYSSEY FORUMS AT WWW.ODYCLUB.COM HAVE MANY INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING. *TR

ON MARCH 14, 2008, WHEN STARTING 2001 HONDA ODYSSEY, A LOUD BANG SOUNDED. VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING WHEN BANG SOUNDED. MILEAGE 39,139. VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE, PULLING STRONGLY TO RIGHT. HUSBAND CHECKED VEHICLE, FOUND RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKEN. ORDERED NEW COIL SPRING AND STRUT AND REPLACED. ON DECEMBER 17, 2008, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE HEARD ANOTHER LOUD BANG, WHILE VEHICLE NOT MOVING, AND HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY DRIVING IT, AS IT WAS PULLING STRONGLY TO THE LEFT. HUSBAND FOUND LEFT COIL SPRING BROKEN. MILEAGE 43,743. TALKED TO HONDA USA, AND REPORTED PROBLEM. TOOK TO DEALER TO CONFIRM LEFT COIL SPRING BROKEN. BOTH BROKEN PARTS HAD NO CORROSION, IT WAS A CLEAN BREAK. PARTS CURRENTLY ORDERED THROUGH HONDA ESTORE. HONDA REVIEWING CASE. FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS FOR SAME PROBLEM ON YOUR SITE, AND OTHERS. HOW SERIOUS OF AN ACCIDENT MUST IT BE BEFORE YOU WILL FIND THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE COIL SPRINGS? THANK GOODNESS MY CHILDREN WEREN'T IN THE VEHICLE, AND I HADN'T BEEN MOVING WHEN THE COIL SPRINGS BROKE. *TR

FRONT SPRING FAILURE ON MY 2001 HONDA ODYSSEY, I RECENTLY BROKE A SPRING AND RESEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR A REPLACEMENT WITHOUT SUCCESS SO I WENT TO A SALVAGE YARD AND FOUND OUT THE SPRINGS ON THE VANS THEY HAD WERE BROKE ALSO. AFTER READING THE NHTSA REPORT #PE06007 I FEEL THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. IT'S A LITTLE SCARY KNOWING A TIRE COULD BE PUNCTURED RESULTING IN INJURY OR WORSE. I HOPE I WILL GET SOME KIND OF RESPONSE ON THIS, THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE, GERALD LAHNAN. *TR

ON DECEMBER 11 AS MY WIFE WAS BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY, SHE HEAR A LOUD BANG (LIKE A GUNSHOT) AND NOTICED A LARGE RUBBER DISC ON OUR DRIVEWAY. NOTHING APPEARED TO BE WRONG WITH OUR VAN. DRIVING THE VAN WAS OK BUT ANY TURNING OF THE VEHICLE RESULTED IN LOUD SCREECHING SOUNDS COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL. THE CAUSE WAS A BROKEN SPRING. NO ONE WAS INJURED WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURRED BECAUSE MY WIFE WAS SLOWLY BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. *TR

MY 2001 ODYSSEY VAN HAS 75,000 MILES ON IT. I FOUND THAT THE BROKEN RIGHT FRONT SPRING WAS THE CAUSE OF A NOISE. WHILE IN THE COURSE OF REPLACING IT, I FOUND THAT THE LEFT FRONT WAS BROKEN AS WELL, AND IN EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE. I SEE FROM THE OTHER INCIDENTS ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VAN, AND THAT IT IS (OF COURSE) POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC. THE NEW SPRINGS LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE OLD ONES- THEY HAVE A PLASTIC SLEEVE OVER PART OF THE SPRING. THIS PUTS A STRESS POINT AT THE END OF THE SLEEVE. I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND IN MY OPINION, THE DESIGN OF THE SPRINGS AND THE SPRING MOUNTS, AS WELL AS THE VERY HIGH PRE-LOAD ON THESE SPRINGS, IS A RECIPE FOR FAILURE. I SAW THAT THE NHTSA STARTED AN INVESTIGATION TWO FULL YEARS AGO. WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO START SAVING PEOPLE? ARE YOU WAITING FOR THE FIRST HEAD-ON COLLISION TO RESULT? I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD FORCE A RECALL AND THAT THE DEALER SHOULD BE REPLACING THESE FOR FREE WITH THE (REDESIGNED) SPRING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HEARD LOUD NOISES COMING FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE SUSPENSION WAS ERRATIC CAUSED BY A BROKEN FRONT COIL. AS OF JANUARY 7, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,138. UPDATED 03-05-08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED NEEDED TO REPLACE THE SPRING AND THE THRUST BEARING ABOVE IT. UPDATED 03/05/08 *TR