RoadVitals

1998 Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Transmission reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Sep 25, 2010
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
15%
of 73 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Honda Odyssey submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming transmission

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Transmission
Filed Sep 25, 2010

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. STOPPED AT AUTOZONE TO HAVE THEM READ THE CODE. THE CODE P0740, INDICATED A TCC FAILURE. UPON CONSULTING WITH THE HONDA DEALERSHIP ON MY 1998 HONDA ODYSSEY, AND CONSULTING THE INTERNET, DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1998 - 2002 HONDA ODYSSEY'S. HONDA OFFERED NO HELP. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 100,000 MILES ON AT THE TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10357465
Incident
Jul 15, 2010
Mileage
99,000 mi
Transmission
Filed Sep 9, 2008

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON MY 1998 HONDA ODYSSEY CAME ON WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE REGISTERED A PROBLEM CODE OF P0740-TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR HONDAS WHICH SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE NHTSA. *TR

NHTSA ID
10241658
Incident
Sep 8, 2008
Mileage
149,161 mi
Transmission
Filed Jun 16, 2008

TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 90K MILES. HAVE READ THAT MANY '98 HONDA ODYSSEY'S HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND MANY WERE REPLACED INSTEAD OF SIMPLE REPAIR. THEY REPLACED MINE AND REFUSED TO RECALL OR ASSIST WITH REPAIRS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10231241
Incident
Jun 16, 2004
Mileage
91,005 mi
EngineTransmission
Filed Apr 24, 2008

1998 HONDA ODYSSEY WITH BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT. CONSUMER STATED THAT HE BELIEVES THE BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT SHOULD BE RECALLED. HE STATES THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT. CONSUMER WOULD LIKE THIS MATTER TO BE INVESTIGATED. *KB THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE SHIFTED ROUGH. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID DIPSTICK WAS DRY.*JB

NHTSA ID
10226197
Incident
Jan 1, 1901
Transmission
Filed Nov 2, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE ENGINE WOULD RANDOMLY SHUT OFF IN LOCAL STREETS OR WHILE DRIVING LOW SPEEDS, SUCH AS 25 MPH. THE CONTACT HAS NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. IN ONE INSTANCE, THE CONTACT APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE, PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK, REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ROLLED BACKWARDS WITH HER DAUGHTER INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT JUMPED BACK IN THE VEHICLE AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. SHE LATER REALIZED THAT EVEN WHEN THE GEAR WAS PLACED IN REVERSE, THE KEY WAS STILL ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. SHE FOUND A RECALL ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND CALLED THE MANUFACTURER; HOWEVER, THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 90,150.

NHTSA ID
10207728
Incident
Oct 25, 2007
Mileage
90,150 mi
Transmission
Filed Dec 18, 2002

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO ACCELERATE. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

NHTSA ID
10001109
Incident
Nov 17, 2002
Tires & wheelsTransmission
Filed Aug 12, 2002

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS INDICATING A PROBLEM, THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN FLUSHED SEVERAL TIMES, THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAS LOCKED UP DUE TO CLUTCH FAILURE.*JB

NHTSA ID
567075
Incident
Mar 17, 1999
ElectricalTransmission
Filed Jul 26, 2002

DATE: 3/17/99; MILEAGE: 12,264;NGINE CHECK LIGHT CODE P0740, TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FLUSHED. DATE: 11/08/99; MILEAGE: 23,874 ENGINECHECK LIGHT ON, DEFECTIVE ECU, BULLETIN 98-033. DATE: 12/20/99; MILEAGE: 25,706; ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON, REPLACED ECU AND FLUSHED TRANSMISSION. DATE: 7/24/01 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON, CODE 740 TORQUE CONVERTER LOCKED UP, TRANSMISSION FLUSHED. DATE: 11/06/01; MILEAGE: 61,115:ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON, CODE PO740, SPECIAL ORDER PCM (CONTROL MODULE) PER BULLETIN. DATE: 11/12/01; MILEAGE: 61,281 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON, INSTALLED PCU AND FLUSHED TRANSMISSION. DATE: 7/12/02; MILEAGE: 70,624; ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON, FAILURE CODE P0740, CLUTCH FAILURE, WILL NEED TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACED, EST. COST $1400. AS CAN BE SEEN, THIS SAME DESIGN FLAW HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE 12,000 MILES. THE CONTROLLER WAS "TOO SENSITIVE" AND REPLACED, WHICH BRINGS INTO QUESTION THE REASON FOR THE ULTIMATE CLUTCH FAILURE. FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND LOSS OF LIFE, FOR INSTANCE, SHOULD THIS OCCUR DURING ACCELERATION INTO BUSY TRAFFIC. REQUESTING ASSISTANCE ASAP. NOTE: CAR WAS PURCHASED AT GRIFFITH HONDA, BALTIMORE, MD, BUT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT O'DONNELL HONDA, ELLICOTT CITY, MD.*AK

NHTSA ID
764756
Incident
Mar 17, 1999
Transmission
Filed Jan 30, 2002

DIAGNOSTIC CODE P0740 - WE ARE BEING TOLD ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (EVEN THOUGH IT STILL SEEMS TO BE WORKING FOR NOW). I WANTED TO REPORT IT AFTER SEEING LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ON INTERNET FORUMS FROM ODYSSEY OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD LOW MILEAGE TRANSMISSION FAILURES.*AK

NHTSA ID
757551
Incident
Jan 29, 2002
Transmission
Filed Feb 1, 1999

TRANSMISSION SENSOR INOPERATIVE. YH

NHTSA ID
608682
Incident
Dec 2, 1997
ElectricalTransmission
Filed Feb 1, 1999

MAIN COMPUTER FAILURE. *YC

NHTSA ID
608099
Incident
Dec 1, 1998

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .