1996 Honda Odyssey Problems

CRUISING AT 35 MILES AN HOUR DOWN PARK BOULEVARD WITHOUT HITTING ANY BUMPS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG EXPLODED. THE EXPLOSION WAS SO HARD THAT IT KNOCKED DOWN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT DOOR, AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD. I WAS SO LUCKY NOT TO HAVE BEEN HURT BY FLYING DEBRIS OR HAVING MY EAR DRUMS BLOWING OUT. EVERYONE I SPOKEN TO IN THE CAR SERVICE BUSINESS HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. AN AIRBAG EXPLODING WITHOUT IMPACT OR HITTING A MAJOR BUMP. I HAD LOCAL EMS COME TO CHECK ME OUT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 HONDA ODYSSEY. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,064.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT WE HAVE HAD AN IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE ON THIS 1996 HONDA ODYSSEY. IT WILL SOMETIMES START, WITH SOME JIGGLING OF THE KEY, OR WILL NOT START AT ALL. IT HAS CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING, A DANGEROUS SITUATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN CARRYING CHILDREN. AT THIS POINT, IT WILL NOT START AT ALL. HOW OFTEN DO WE NEED TO REPLACE THIS? HONDA ODYSSEYS OF THIS YEAR WERE SUBJECT TO RECALL FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM IN AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, AND CHINA. WHY NOT HERE? CHINA, IN THIS INSTANCE, HAS MORE CONCERN FOR SAFETY THAN THE OBSESSIVELY SAFETY-ORIENTED USA.

WAS WAITING IN THE LEFT TURN LANE TO MAKE THE TURN, LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND WHEN TRYING TO MAKE THE TURN, VEHICLE STALLED SUDDENLY WITHOUT ANY NOTICE OR ENGINE PROBLEMS. A FAMILY MEMBER WAS PRESENT IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. HAVE HAD ENGINE STALL AFTER STARTING BEFORE AND HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED. NO ISSUES WERE NOTED WITH ANYTHING BEFORE THIS SUDDEN STALL IN TRAFFIC. HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WITH HONDA VEHICLES AND IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEMS WITH SAME RESULTS ABOUT VEHICLE STALLING IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF THE STALLING ABOUT TO OCCUR. *TR

WAS WAITING IN THE LEFT TURN LANE TO MAKE THE TURN, LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND WHEN TRYING TO MAKE THE TURN, VEHICLE STALLED SUDDENLY WITHOUT ANY NOTICE OR ENGINE PROBLEMS. A FAMILY MEMBER WAS PRESENT IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. HAVE HAD ENGINE STALL AFTER STARTING BEFORE AND HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED. NO ISSUES WERE NOTED WITH ANYTHING BEFORE THIS SUDDEN STALL IN TRAFFIC. HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WITH HONDA VEHICLES AND IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEMS WITH SAME RESULTS ABOUT VEHICLE STALLING IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF THE STALLING ABOUT TO OCCUR. *TR

MY 1996 HONDA ODYSSEY DIED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE STATIONARY AND/OR DRIVING, INCLUDING ONE INCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEED. I TOOK IT TO AAA CARE PLUS, GOT SPARK PLUG, SPARK PLUG WIRE SET, DISTRIBUTOR REPLACED. IT STILL STALL FREQUENTLY. AFTER DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH LEARNED THAT 1996 ODYSSEY HAS PROBLEM. OTHER HAVE ALSO REPORTED. WANT TO KNOW WHAT HONDA IS DOING ABOUT IT AS THIS MODEL WAS RECALLED FOR SAME PROBLEM IN CHINA AND EUROPE. *TR

JULY 2002, I TOOK MY ODYSSEY TO A HONDA DEALER BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: 1. MY SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULDN'T GO OFF. 2. MY ABS LIGHT HAD ALSO BEGUN TO GO ON AND OFF. 3. MY POWER LOCKS WOULD LOCK UNCONTROLLABLY AND DRAIN BATTERY. I ASKED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK. AFTER $160 DIAGNOSTIC CHARGE, I WAS TOLD THE FOLLOWING: CODE 8-3 PRESENT ON SRS. CLEARED CODE AND TEST DROVE. LIGHT REMAINED OFF FOR DRIVE. SUGGEST REPLACING AIRBAG IF LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. PROBABLY A SENSOR PROBLEM. COST $748 CODE 44 PRESENT ON ABS. RIGHT REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR IS FAULTY. SUGGEST REPLACING SENSOR. COST $283 ELECTRONIC LOCKS NEED NEW LOCK UNIT. COST $256 I WAS SHOCKED THAT REPAIRS WOULD COST ANOTHER $1300. AFTER DISCUSSING THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE DEALER AND BEING TOLD THE ISSUES WERE PROBABLY ALL SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS, I OPTED NOT TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. JUST AFTER DRIVING OFF, MY SRS AND ABS LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND HAVE REMAINED ON EVER SINCE. NOW, AFTER SEEING THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY OTHER ODYSSEY OWNERS AND LEARNING THAT THE AIRBAGS MAY ACTUALLY NOT WORK, I AM REPORTING MY EXPERIENCE AS WELL... I JUST BOUGHT A CHEVY.

AT 117,000 MILES THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ON OUR 1996 HONDA ODYSSEY CAME ON AND STAYED ON. ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME ABS SYSTEM WOULD IMPROPERLY ENGAGE AT LOW SPEEDS ON DRY PAVEMENT WHEN APPROACHING A STOP. TOOK TO HONDA DEALER, WAS GIVEN DIAGNOSIS THAT ABS CONTROL UNIT HAS FAILED. THE COST OF REPLACEMENT IS $1227 PLUS TAX, WHICH IS PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. IN MY OPINION THIS UNIT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, IT HAS FAILED BECAUSE HONDA PROVIDED A CONTROL UNIT OF POOR QUALITY. EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE SECOND SAFETY-RELATED ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT TO COMPLETELY FAIL ON THIS VEHICLE - THE AIR BAG SRS CONTROL UNIT FAILED AT 73,000 MILES. WHERE IS THE MUCH-TOUTED HONDA QUALITY AND RELIABILITY? IT SEEMS TO BE ABSENT ON THIS 1996 OCYSSEY. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND HONDA WILL NOT REPLACE THE CONTROL UNITS.*AK

ABS MODULATOR/SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS MALFUNCTIONED. DEALER REFUSED TO FIX ABS MODUALTOR.

VEHICLE NEEDS NEW SRS MODULE. DEALER WOULD INSTALL IT FOR $875.*AK

I SET THE CRUISE CONTROL ON MY VAN AT 120 KM AN HOUR. A CAR PASSED AND THEN PULLED CLOSELY IN FRONT OF ME SO I TOUCHED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN. WHEN I PRESSED RESUME TO RE-ESTABLISH MY SET SPEED, THE CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONED AND THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE TO ABOUT 130. I TOUCHED THE BRAKES, SLOWED THE CAR, AND AS SOON AS I RELEASED THE BRAKES THE CAR ACCELERATED AGAIN. I PUSHED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON. IT HAD NO EFFECT. I REALIZED SOMETHING WAS JAMMED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT GOING TO SHUT OFF. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, PUT ON MY BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I RE-STARTED TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND THE ENGINE ROARED AT FULL THROTTLE. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND WAS TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP WHERE A TECHNICIAN CUT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON MY WAY. *JB

CAR WAS IN DRIVE, AND BEFORE CONSUMER COULD PUT FOOT ON PEDAL TO PUT CAR IN DRIVE, VEHICLE TOOK OFF INTO ANOTHER CAR.*AK

DRIVER'S POWER LOCK WAS CYCLING. DRIVER'S POWER WINDOW MADE A METALLIC SPRING-LIKE SOUND WHEN CLOSING. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED "POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS BAD, REPLACED IT." "WINDOW REGULATOR & MOTOR WERE BAD, REPLACED THEM." POWER WINDOW WORKED NORMALLY WHEN DELIVERED TO DEALERS SERVICE, JUST MADE A NOISE. WHEN HE CALLED ME, MECHANIC SAID WINDOW WAS NOT WORKING AT ALL. AFTER MUCH ARGUMENT, DEALER AGREED TO A "50% GOODWILL" SPLIT OF CHARGES DUE TO AGE/MILEAGE. MY SHARE OF REPAIR COST WAS $320.49. *NM

FRONT WINDSHIELD IS DEVELOPING A HAZE DISCOLORATION AND CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THE SRS INDICATOR LIGHT ON MY DASHBOARD STAYED ON AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE FROM PARK. IT STAYED ON UNTIL THE I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER FOR A CHECK-UP. I HAD TO PAY FOR A DEFECTIVE SRS CONTROLLER, WHICH IS AN ELECTRONIC BOX THAT SENDS SIGNALS TO THE AIRBAG TO TELL IT WHEN TO DEPLOY (ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE REP). I HAD TO SPEND $697.91 TO REPLACE IT WITH A BRAND NEW ONE THAT HAS A WARRANTY OF "12 MONTHS OR 12,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST". THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THE FAILURE OF THE SAID PART. MR

UPON IMPACT IN A REAR END COLLISION FRONT SEATS MOVED FORWARD, CAUSING INJURIES TO DRIVER AND PASSENGER. *JG *AK

CAR WAS TAKEN IN FOR INSPECTION AND TOLD THAT REAR ENGINE MOUNTS NEED REPLACED AT 71,000 MILES. TOLD REPAIR COST WAS $940 AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. *TR

INSTALLED NEW BATTERY IN VEHICLE JUNE 2001. AFTER BATTERY INSTALLATION, SRS LIGHT WENT ON. HONDA MECHANIC DIAGNOSED "CAR HAD A CODE 6-2 STORED IN SYSTEM, WE CLEARED CODE, IF LIGHT COMES BACK ON THE CONTROL UNIT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED." UPON STARTING CAR, SRS LIGHT CAME BACK ON. MECHANIC SAID I NEED NEW SRS CONTROL MODULE. HE INFORMED ME THAT REPAIR WOULD COST ME $600 OR MORE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH OR FASTER, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BEGIN TO SHAKE, DEALER CONTACTED AND STATES THAT THE WHEEL SUSPENSION IS OFF BALANCE WHICH CAUSES STEERING PROBLEMS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR