Used 2003 Honda Odyssey Minivan Consumer Reviews

Family workhorse

We were gifted our 2003 Odyssey 3 years ago from a friend when it had 184,000 miles. Now is has 315,000. It's our family workhorse and it's been a dandy. I'd buy another Odyssey for certain. Original engine and auto trans. We stay up on our maintenance and it's been very good. Excellent value. We've got our sights on 500K miles!

Trans Failure

Loved my 2003 Honda Odyssey till transmission suddenly failed going 70mph on the freeway with my children in the back seat. Trans suddenly downshifted to 2nd/1st then continued to wildly shift back and forth, just through good luck no horrible accident. For $100, dealer tells me trans is cooked. Found out via Internet this is a very common problem, in fact most people don't get as much use as we did. We took good care and was in beautiful condition prior to this incident. New trans -> $4800, Honda America refuses to help, they say warranty is 36,000 miles and I should be happy I got 160,000 miles. If I'd have known of this potential issue, I'd have sold it pronto while value was $5k.

An Excellant family vehicle

I really like my 2003 Honda Odyssey. It now has 143,000 miles and runs like it's brand new. Very smooth, powerful and dependable. Like any other car it does have some quirks. My Odyssey goes through tires every 35,000 miles (wears evenly, and I rotate them every 3000-6000 miles), and goes through front brakes every 40,000 miles (evenly worn brakes). I just installed top of the line ceramic brakes to see if this would improve the ride. My car has no rust (wax every 3-4 months), no wear on the interior, and I change the oil every 3,000 miles. My dealer is great and I like working with them. The car is very versatile and we enjoy going on trips with it. No major issues yet. Update: Now that the car has 172,000 miles on it. I had replaced the brakes with Duralast top of the line ceramic pads and top of the line rotors. Getting excellant wear out of both front and rear (about 29k miles on the brakes and they still look new). Overall mileage is about 20 (city/hwy mixed) with highway mileage frequently at 24 mpg (running 75-80 mph). Still runs like brand new, still looks great. No wear on the interior except some stains in the storage area (mulch, trees, etc.). Still have the original struts, and no sign of wear on them. Still has plenty of power, very reliable. This has become the family favorite for trips due to the room, comfort, and quietness. I have a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan as a company car and found that the Odyssey is smoother, easier to get in and out, (seats are lower), has better visibility, is more comfortable, though the Dodge has the edge over this 2003 Honda in power (183 vs. 145) and the fuel mileage is higher in the Dodge (23 overall with mostly highway driving). The Dodge has a 6 speed trans. vs. the Honda 5. The Dodge also eats brakes. I'd prefer a Honda Odyssey as a company car, but it was not my choice. Even though mini-vans are not supposed to be cool anymore, I have to say that this is the perfect family car. It's versatile, comfortable, roomy, can handle a huge amount of cargo, especially with the seats down or out, but within minutes can haul a total of 7. It's fast, gets good fuel economy, insurance rates are low (Odysseys are apparently one of the safest vehicles on the road- fatalities per million miles is 0. One of only 6 to achieve this, according to a recent article on car safety). I would certainly buy it again. I do prefer the looks of the 2003 and 2006 to the current Odyssey though, but that is my personal opinion.

Been driving it for 12 years

Bought it new as a family van and now has 178,000 miles. In early years, we used it for long trips to Florida, New York, & Canada. Got power and accelerates well. Comfort is fine for local driving but on very long road trips, I wished I had more seat adjustments. The design ambiance is awesome and that's why it's still in our driveway. Had two repaint jobs, one major maintenance overhaul, and transmission was rebuilt once. For many years, this minivan has performed better than I expected. Now that it's 12 years old, our air conditioner acts weird about every 6 months until my mechanic tinkers around with it. We are tough and assertive urban city drivers.

A "Me Too" Transmission Failure

Add me to the long list of people who have experienced transmission failure. My check engine and traction control lights came on last week while I was on the highway to the airport. I figured I'd take it in when I got back. Transmission started slipping and died less than 50 miles later, just this morning on the way back from a short trip to the airport. 135K miles on the car and it has been running like a champ. And now I get online and see that I'm not the only one. I was always a little suspect about the speed at which they were making these models. Now I guess we are seeing the effect.

80,000 miles and gooing strong

i bought the 03 as a demo with 1400 miles on it. i bought the extended warranty,and it payed for the recall on the trans fix, at about 50,0000 miles the volatility joint went out,they fixed it. i had a little trouble with the car pulling to the right. honda fixed it. i bought the van in couer d'alene honda and have had the best of service.and would buy another car from them. i do not commute with the car,mostly long trips. 38,000 miles the first 10 months . i have seance towed a 24 ft airstream trailer almost 10,000 miles with no trouble. the car lives in a garage when not being used,and kept clean and always serviced ever 3 to 4000 miles. i have replaced the tires. should have 80,000 soon.

Transmission Failed

Purchased 2003 Odyssey new from the dealer (had to preorder because they were in such demand?) NHTSA tranny recall @ dealer 8/2004 w/39,000 miles. Last week, with 164,000 highway miles (never TOWED) slipping btween 2nd & 3rd gears & lock up 2x on busy highway. Extremely scary could have been hit and killed. Dealer diagnosed "internal transmission failure". American Honda is useless & tried blaming us. Dealer agreed to discount AFTER we asked, they never offered. Inherent well-documented serious tranny problem. Shame on Honda. Just traded our '93 Ford Aerostar w/just 157K miles & never had tranny problem. Wonder why Hyundai is America's #1 Car Dealer....No more Hondas for us!!!

Transmission Problems

We own a 2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L van & encouraged our son, with a baby on the way, to purchase a 2003 (147,000 miles) van 5 days ago. We felt it was a great investment for a new family with limited cash. Less than a week & the transmission is slipping between 30-40 mph. These kids don't have the money to fix the issue because the Honda dealer told me a new tranny is thousands of $'s. The private party, who admits to selling cars as his business, will not stand behind the vehicle. Of course Honda is not standing behind these tranny problems. How many times will Honda have to be sued, due to transmission lock-ups causing crashes, before they will take responsibility for the tranny issue?

Motor Mounts/Transmission Trouble Dont

Always had the recommended maintenance done. One motor mount broke early on. The other one went out at 90,000 miles = $2,500. The transmission went out at 96,000 miles over $4,000 to repair. Timing belt $980. Thought Hondas were reliable. From this site I see that it can be relied on to have costly repairs starting at around 80,000 miles. (I didn't list the previous problems just the most recent.) Has always had a lot of road noise as well as many rattles.

More and More Disappointing

With a growing family, my wife and I bought a new Odyssey in 2003 and had to replace the transmission within a year (on recall). It's now at almost 190,000 miles and the 2nd tranny is shot. What makes this so disappointing is that we have taken very good care of the minivan, following Honda's maintenance schedule to the "T" with the dealer's service department --- "regular maintenance" for this vehicle has been to the tune of $1000 to $2000 PER YEAR. I've never heard of regular maintenance being so expensive for any other car. This minivan has proved over 6 years to be a very poor value --- we now wish that we had paid a little extra up front and bought the Toyota Sienna instead!

What Honda Quality?

Purchased this vehicle new in 2003. It has been a good van until now. This week the transmission failed at $89,000 and Honda is quoting $5000 for repairs. Van has been very well taken care of. Called Honda America and they came down to $3675. Still too high---private garage on the outside quoted $1900 - $2600. Although the warranty is better w/ Honda, who can afford that bill in this economy! My Ford Explorer lasted longer than this Van...it made it to 125K with no major repairs!! This was my first and last Honda purchase!

Old soldier never dies

Bought new when we had babies. Now the babies are driving it. I keep test driving other new cars, including new Hondas but very few cars match the overall driving experience, cost of ownership and utility value of this van. Sure, little things have broken and I use duct tape to cover up the dents, but from inside, it still feels as solid as responsive as a new Honda. We know the transmission might develop issues, but we keep waiting for ours to break. A thief just cut out our catalytic converter, so I debated whether to scrap the car or replace the catalytic converter with a new one. After the repair, the car is as good as new. An added benefit? Even homeless people do not beg from us when we drive this car, covered on duct tape. Park it anywhere, give it to your 16 year old to learn to drive. It has great visibility for drivers of all heights, is safe, and who cares about scratches....

Excellent van with few flaws

Excellent value for the money. We bought to accomodate our two kids and after the purchase found out we were having a third! Fit and finish are superb. The engine is responsive and has lots of pep. Fuel economy is very poor (in the SUV range). One recall problem (tranny) fixed without any problems and our dealer was very professional about it(we never had any problems with the tranny). Van has lots of room and the rear storage area is cavernous. Auto doors can pinch little fingers, but we have learned to live with the quarks others have mentioned. Great van for a family.

Great Vehicle

Purchased new 7 years ago, will turn over 180k next week. Better fuel economy now than when new. Not uncommon to hit 25 mpg and it gets DRIVEN, mostly by my wife <grin>. Brake life incredible, tire life fantastic! No repairs, only recommended maintenance. If only we could tow it, 4 wheels down, behind our motor home it would be perfect. My wife will cry when she has to give it up. Going to look at a new CR-V today.

Owned 11 years and counting

Our Ody, Ruby, has been very reliable. Sure the transmission went at 130K but many minivans have had the same problem. We had a warranty and paid for half along with a new torque converter and have had virtually worry free driving ever since. Our Ody took us from Hamilton, Ontario to PEI and back. From Ontario to Alberta. Moved our son to and from college plus many other trips. The rear stow-and-go seating along with the option of removing the two captains chairs is very practical for moving. Loads of cubic volume. Most recently I replaced the brakes, rotors and one ignition coil. We are now at 314K and hoping to hit 500K in a few years. If you live in harsh winter climates with lots of snow get yourself Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires-they work very well with the Odyssey. This has been one of the most reliable vehicles we have ever owned. Happy travelling and drive safely.

Poor life of transmission

Under 200,000 miles and this is the 3rd transmission that been in the vehical. Transmission is short lived and is well k own by transmission repair shops to last from 45 to 75000 miles . Everything else was great but transmission should have been recalled. Because of this Ill never buy a Honda again . Too costly might as well have added$10,000.00 to the purchase price

Not the quality of Toyota

We bought this car in late '06, have put 85k miles since. Every year the repairs total approximately 1000.(in addition to regular maintenance). I found out this car has a coil for each cylinder. Brakes are noisy. Piddly electrical problems also. So far, the trans hasn't died, but is slipping a little. It doesn't hold an alignment very long. The ride is very comfortable and fits all five kids and their stuff. The ride is good, seats are comfy even on 1600 mile round trips to relatives. It is pretty good in No. New England snow. Avg 27 mpg on highway trips/17 in town. I doubt it will make it another year.

Odyssey

This fully loaded Odyssey is a great buy. Its rear seat fold away is one of the easiest to deal with to create more cargo room. Driving is extremely comfortable.

The WORST Minivan

The Honda Odyssey is THE WORST minivan! Definitely! After paying almost 3000 over sticker, I hoped to be satisfied. But no! On the drive from the dealer, when the van had less than 100 miles on it, the CHECK ENGINE light came on, and I went straight to the dealer; guess what, TRANSMISSION! At 100 miles! At another 2000 miles, the climate control completely broke, and it was freezing! Many other small problems not worth mentioning. Is this what Japanese cars are like? I previously owned a Dodge Grand Caravan, and should have stuck to it. NO mechanical problems. Do not buy, do not buy, do not buy. Edmunds, please stop recommending it.

Transmission failure

I have a 2003 @ 110,000 TCS and check engine light came on. Complete transmission rebuild. Cost us $3500 plus the $5000 I paid for it used. Stay away from all older Honda Odysseys!!! I wish I had went with another Kia they never die.

Why all the negative comments?

The 2003 Odyssey EX-L we purchased new about 8 years ago has been a very good, reliable and enjoyable car. I read on the post about all transmission and door problems, etc. but we have not experienced those problems. We drive about 12k miles/year. I'm not saying we're lucky... I think we take care of our car with maintenance, with not driving it hard, etc. This was our first Honda and we don't have anything bad to say about it. It's plenty spacious for the family and all the trips and things we take with us. My 2 cents. it's a great car , but if you get a lemon, you'll have a sour taste in your mouth - (we must have got the cherry)!

garbage

we have had this thing for 6 months we bought with 120,000 miles... 3 days later the transmission blew out on me... then here we are 8,000 miles later and the transmission is shot again WTF... the heated seats dont work half the time it has no EVIC and thats just stupid for a 2003... it is just AWFUL in the snow with good tires... the clock on the dash doesnt light up another stupid thing... the battery went i had to take the thing in just to get the factory radio set... i have a 2000 jeep grand cherokee with 225,000 miles never had ANY mojor problems i will try to convince her to sell this crap box and get a jeep... my jeep in 2wd is better than this thing with front wheel drive DONT BUY

A little disappointed

I had trouble with the tranny but they fixed it, but when backing up then putting on the breaks, I hear a lot of clatter. ??? The idle revs a lot so into the shop it goes. (twice now) The light on the clock went out so that means drop the van off at the dealer for one full day, again. The check engine light is annoying and I hate to have to put the van in park to open the side doors. Milage is horrible but I like the large vehicle so that's the price you pay. I probably won't buy Honda again because of the hassle in the repairs. After the 36,000 mile warrenty, I almost have to purchase the extension. Can't wait for that expense!

Disappointed Honda Owner

Purchased a 2003 Honda Odyssey in Fall 2002. I started having trouble with it after 100,000 miles. All maintenance were kept up. Transmission was the major problem. I had to replace it twice within 1 month (had to pay about $1500, while Honda covered the rest). Then a year later I was told the transmission was leaking. Shift Solenoids A and B Gaskets had to be replaced, luckily it was still under warranty. Now Jan 2011, I found out my transmission has a leak again with other major issues. I'm told the cost of repair is not worth it. The car is almost 180,000mile. Extremely disappointed that it could not make it to 200,000miles.Told it should last well over 200,000.Will not buy Honda again!

Over-rated!!!!

Nothing but trouble! Multiple electric prob's, engine noise (??valves). Delaer trying to be helpful, but this seems like the van from H@#!

Fold flat cheat

This car is too overrated!! There is nothing reliable about a car that has a severe mechanical problem during the FIRST 5,000 MILES!! Guess what, Edmunds: looks like the Dodge is much more reliable than this crappy import. In the lonely part of Colorado, this van broke down and left my wife, kids, and myself stranded at night. Luckily we could get rid of it, buy a brand new Dodge, and have an end to problems. Our Dodge, which now has 17,000 miles, hasn't had ONE PROBLEMS. So Edmunds, looks like you're very wrong, so take that comment of your sight before misleading more people.

Transmission failure

99k miles before transmission failed. Bought new late 2004. No warranty, no luck. Others worldwide with same problem. I know for a fact, 2003 extends its transmission failure, not just the media reported for 2000 through 2002. Caveat Emptor.

Not again

Bought it used with 160.000. I tought Honda was a good and reliable car. Replaced the ignition key system at 165000 (500$), replaced the trasmission with a rebuild one (2250$). Honda sells new trasmission for 5000$ and it comes with no warranty! Replaced the rotors and timing belt at 186.000 (840$). The engine runs good and doesn't leak or eat any oil (so far). I read that trasmission problems are very commons on the Odissey. If I had known that before I would have purchased something else....... Plus it gives you no more than 17 mpg on the highway......

So far so good

We bought this 4 years ago when it had 67k miles on it. It now has 110k miles on it. It was a certified Honda so we had coverage until 100k mile, this replaced the motor mount for free. Motor mounts going bad is normal wear for a FWD car at 100k miles. It has leather seats that are EXTREMELY comfortable Road noise is worst than other vans. If you apply 'undercoat' to the wheel wells and buy good tires it will be silent. Bad quality tires make it worse. I have flushed the transmission fluid at 75k miles and changed it at 100k miles. No transmission problems yet. I get 26 mpg driving from Denver to Utah over 11,000 foot mountain passes with the cruise set, fully loaded Love it!

Another Honda

I never thought I'd own a minivan, but Honda makes the minivan not only tolerable, but dear I say, fun. The 240 HP engine just rocks, yet the interior is quite. Suspension is great. 3rd row seat is not just for kids. There's plenty of room for 6 full sized adults (7 if you don't mind being shoulder to shoulder). The leather seats are like cow hide heaven. Entertainment sys is top notch. The DVD system keeps the munkins occupied and content. Consider the Honda reputation for quality and reliability and the fact that you can wheel and deal on the price and you have the undisputed champ of the minivan category for `03.

Excellent vehicle

The performance is amazing and the kids love the DVD system with the headphones. Their exact words "Hey sis! What? This is cool huh! Yea!!"

I Love The Odyssey

I had a 2001 and traded it for a 2003. The MSRP wasn't that much higher. The 2003 has more horsepower and available leather interior.It is easy to drive and has good pick up. The scheduled maintenance is only every 10,000 miles.

Will buy a Toyota next time

Bought my 2003 Odyssey 11/03.Have had to bring in to be serviced by Honda several times for same problems. Problem dx ERG valve? Got stuck several times. Couldn't get gear shift to move. Cup holders in center where driver sits replaced several times (very poor design). Brakes replaced several times for noise. Resonator and exhaust pipe replaced at 50,000 miles despite car in Florida weather, in a garage not near seawater. Noisy ride. Interior door handles peeling. Front drivers seat has squeaked since new despite numerous trips to Honda. Don't think Honda knows how to repair it's own vehicles. Bought new has 79,000 miles on it.

Best Van I've owned to date

This has been an enjoyable vehicle to own. Odyssey provides the necessary power when needed and is very comfortable on long journeys. I've travelled to both coasts twice over the past 15 months. The placement of cup holders is well thought out. Two problems - 1st, city gas mileage is 16 mpg and highway driving is 22 mpg, not what Honda claims the vehicle gets; 2nd problem is the pull out drawer located under the front passenger seat. It's cheaply made and difficult to pull out and push in. Honda should have spent the extra $2-3 to make it out of thicker plastic and put it on rails. Overall, I love my Odyssey.

Terrible reliability

This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. My van has had the following things replaced or repaired; Trasmission(2), rotors, window mechinism, radio, door sliding motor, compressor, and power seat swithch(2). It has left me stranded many times because the transmission will not switch out of first gear. The second time I was on vacation in Florida. It ruined my whole trip. I would tell everyone to stay away from Honda's. I have seen many of the new Pilot's and CRV in for service also. I know all of this becuase I'm am, at this moment, sitting in the waiting room AGAIN while they fix this LEMON!

Hindsight is 20/20

Purchased this vehicle @ 80K miles 9 mos. ago w/ 12K mile extended warranty. 93K miles tranny starts slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear. Then 1st and 2nd gear. No more extended warranty and Honda dealer says it's nothing they can do. This is absolutely ridiculous $4000 to have my tranny rebuilt and $6300 for brand new. I paid $10,000 for the car.

Poor Transmission Quality - Buyer Beware

After 88K miles, the transmission started slipping dangerously while my wife was driving with our two young children on the highway. Although the vehicle was serviced appropriately by a Honda dealer, so far, American Honda has been unable to provide any assistance on fixing the $5600 repair that I was quoted. Apparently, you need to have purchased 7-8 Honda's before they are willing to help, not spent $70K on Honda's over the last decade as I have done. Unless you want to have to pay for costly repairs to a 6 year old car with relatively low miles, avoid this vehicle (and all V6 models between 1999 and 2005) because there is a known defect with their transmissions.

UNRELIABLE!

I've been stranded too many times with my kids. This is the 3rd transmission they are putting in it. The doors have to be slammed for them to close. It has many rattles when the seats are stored. I have talked to other owners of Hondas, and they have had many service problems also. My question is this, WHY HASN'T HONDA RECALLED THESE THINGS YET?

Disappotined

I thought I'd love the Honda. My last minivan was a Dodge and boy was I wrong. The biggest selling point is the fold down 3rd row and I think the reason is its the only thing better than the dodge!

Lemon

Most car companies have lemons even if it's once in a blue moon. I bought my new Odyssey on a blue moon. The very least a company can do about a lemon after not being able to fix the problem is to replace it. Honda had my van in their shop for a month and still couldn't figure it out. The dealer had the nerve to blame me for the problem stating I put diesel by mistake and saying that he has proof. That accusation ended my claim. After three years of nothing but problems and one near accident when the engine just died on a freeway with my 1 year old and 3 year old inside. I decided to get a Sienna. I called the corporation and told them about the near mishap but did not get any sympathy.

Nothen but problems

Never again,Honda wae suppose to fix Trans problems.NOT This van is and still a peace of crap.Honda has had nothen but problems with this van,$6.000 for a Transmission.We are trading this peace of crap in on a new DodgeMini Van.

A Crash Survivor

Just wanted to let everyone know that the 5 point Crash Rating is absolutely correct. I had an accident in my Odyssey last week and walked away from the crash even though my van was totaled. Unfortunately, the person in the other vehicle was not so lucky. My husband is an auto body repairman and he agrees that he doesn't see autos in the condition mine was in and hear that the person survived. I have nothing but good to say about my Odyssey. I will be shopping around for a new one as soon as the accident is settled. I had my van for 14 months when the accident happened, and haven't had any problems with it.

The Honda Odysey

everyone who loves to drive should drive a honda odysey. Unlike the toyta siena this van is fun to drive smooth and gets really good gas mileage. Also It has a tighter turning radius than the toyota. This van drives like its one of honda's or acura's top of the line cars. what am I talking about they are all top of the line cars. They are the cleanesst car company in the world and don't copy ideas like toyota ocasionaly does. They copied hondas element reacently. Overall hondas are a much better brand more dependable and will last longer and not rust after 5 years. This van is also very responsive. I was even able to beat a toyota celica off the line easily

Honda Odyssey Trans Probs. rated POOR!

THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE Intending to purchase the Honda Odyssey van. GO TO a search engine and type in "HONDA PROBLEMS". THE ODYSSEY HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS FROM 1999 TO 2003,AND THEY WILL NOT FIX THEM.YOU MUST PAY OVER $6.000 to have them repaired when they go out of warrenty at about 36,000 miles/3 years,so don't listen to all these reports how great these van are. There are several sites with true comsumer comments. Like I would tell anyone buying a new car..take a little time and...Due some checking before your purchase!

would buy 3 more

look everything over before buying its been great to me I love it!!!!

Don't buy this car

Man what a mistake. Had the chance to purchase a Chrysler for $3,000 less. Decided to go with the Honda because they are much more reliable. Man was that a mistake. New transmission new brakes new front end and all the scheduled mait. Car has been to the shop and all the costs have been outrageous. Car has never been in an accident. I am now the poster child for not buying a HONDA!

Disappointed

I turned in a Chrysler Town & Country lease to pick this Odyssey up because of it's reliable reputation. Wrong! I purchased it with 106,000 miles and the transmission went yesterday at 112,000 miles stranding my wife and three kids 200 miles from home. $3000 later it will be fixed, but I must say I am very disappointed. Also, the stereo is terrible. I regret not getting another Chrysler.

Van is good

Still Wish I Had It

Just had my '03 EX-L totaled Monday. Had 122K on it, never a mechanical problem. Transmission recall done. Towed jet ski's, 21' Maxxum boat 150+ miles in Ozarks for years. Never a problem. Had problems with passenger sliding door. Had intermittent problems with steering wheel audio controls. Cabin was nosier than I'd prefer, but was bearable. Consistently achieved 25+ mpg on highway across I- 70 with family (4 persons) and luggage. Good in rain/snow for what it was; for lacking today's modern safety equipment. Motor mounts were suggested by dealer to be changed out at 90K, but independent mechanic said they were fine, showing some wear, but, didn't need to be replaced.

Great Warrior

Have owned since new. Great family vehicle. Better usable space than a Tahoe or Expedition. Very few problems and extremely low maintenance costs for first 128k miles. Transmission then rebuilt at 128k for $3400; doesn't bother me since I'm planning on keeping the Ody for another 125k miles.