Not a Honda? Not abused? Should be fine.
Not a Honda? Not abused? Should be fine.
In reply to Kenny_McCormic:
Posts like your last one makes my OP seem like a good question now.
So Honda autos have a bad rep? Taurus/Sable autos have a bad rep, Saturn Vues I read here are glass...
I get the point about reviews and percentages etc. but how does one explain certain models with awful transmission ratings on those many site that have them while other models have NO COMPLAINTS about transmissions but hundreds of head gasket issues? Or all the XC70 center diffs burning out with the admonitions to avoid them?
Not to mention all the coil packs or window regulators etc in VWs or the sludge issues in Saabs. Or oil consumption in Carollas?
Should all the internet grumbling just be ignored because the majority of owners never complain or conversely sing their car's praises? (Serious question)
If people on the internet would restrict their comments to things they personally have experience with you'd see a lot less complaining about auto transmission reliability.
"I heard..."
In my experience, the automatic transmission still works 100% after the engine is blown and the panels have rusted off. GM, Kia, Ford, Honda...never had one develop an issue.
TH-400 in my truck seems like a good tranny. Heck, I don't even know if there's any fluid in it. Might be a bit heavy for use in a 4-cylinder econobox though. And three forward speeds is so, like last century.
I'll throw in my anecdotes. Daughter's well-maintained 4 y.o. city-driven '97 Accord had "check engine" light come on at 60,000. No function problem. Dealer replaced trans and torque converter and Honda picked up the tab. 2000 Taurus (lots of transmission horror stories on the 'web) had 166,000 trouble-free miles with regular fluid changes when I sold it. Towed a motorcycle trailer all over the Southwest for 14 years with a '59 Dodge Coronet and a '64 Fairlane "Fordomatic," both two-speeds, well over 200,000 on the Fairlane, never a single problem.
If you are worried GM seems to know slush boxes well. The only one I had fail was in my Monte Carlo and it took four years of burnouts and hard launches to do it.
mad_machine wrote: exactly.. millions of cars get sold each year.. 99% of them with automatics.. and you are worried about a few dozen bad reviews by people who never did the maintenance or who badly abused them?
This.
I currently own 3 cars with automatic transmissions (sadly no manuals in my fleet).
2003 Mazda MPV 125k - bought new - no transmission issues (CV joints are starting to need attention). Did the drain/refill/filter replacement at 70k and added a trans cooler for towing.
2005 4 cylinder Honda Accord 115k - bought at 50k - no transmission issues (never serviced - which reminds me...).
2007 Honda Civic 180k - acquired at 150k - no transmission issues (dad bought new, drove the piss out of, no real maintenance beyond tires, brakes, and oil changes).
The only car I remember having issues with was 20 years ago in a 1990 Dodge Spirit which was generally regarded as a POS. We cheered when that car was put out of its misery by the local autoshop kids.
Wally wrote: If you are worried GM seems to know slush boxes well. The only one I had fail was in my Monte Carlo and it took four years of burnouts and hard launches to do it.
You never heard about GM putting Metric 200s in Buick LeSabres in the 1980s then did you. Almost everyone our company (at that time) had blew the tranny. My mother had a 72 Monte Carlo that blew its tranny too. I would have thought it would be a TH350, but my guess is they slipped one the metric 300s in there.
I learned of the Honda Odyssey transmission issues via the web... so installed an in-line transmission cooler, and had zero problems towing a smaller 15 ft fishing boat and small tent trailer.
But I do admit I paid extra careful attention, and decided to upgrade to a Pathfinder after listening to the van groan as I pulled the new bigger (2x the weight) boat up the ramp...
It's tough to get a solid idea of what's what out there.
If I am to ignore the negative claims of unreliability streaks or trends of failures, should I also ignore all the claims I've read about Panther platforms longevity and durability and reliability too?
See where it gets confusing?
Oyddysey driven by client with a transmission cooler and regular maintenance dead at 150k. Quoted 4k to rebuild. Honda has recalls to change the return line routing for extra cooling and has made multiple upgrades to the internal design to try to alleviate problems in newer models. 2005 and up seem to be fine but they have fewer miles because of age so time will tell. When buying an awd volvo it is standard practice to ask for proof of angle drive repair or assume you will need to do it yourself. The BMW X5 forums are strongly in favor of buying an extended warranty and many many posters have used them for transmission repairs (including a client of mine on his 840). The majority of Audis on craigslist with over 100k have had transmission work or have problems.
ebonyandivory wrote: So Honda autos have a bad rep? Taurus/Sable autos have a bad rep, Saturn Vues I read here are glass...
Honda V6s can be counted on to eat the torque converter every 60-70k. If you get more than that, you're doing really good. Part of the problem is that the V6s were all in huge minivans or minivans with the tailgate cut off. The rest of the problem is that the torque converter is about 3" thick and there's barely any room in it for torque converter parts plus clutch pack parts.
Saturn VUEs with trans problems have Honda drivetrains. See previous paragraph.
A lot of the Taurus issues were related to kicking in and out of overdrive constantly. At least, of the people who had 1st-gen Tauruses with high miles on the original trans, ALL of them would not use the OD shifter position until they were cruising over 40mph.
ebonyandivory wrote: So Honda autos have a bad rep? Taurus/Sable autos have a bad rep, Saturn Vues I read here are glass...
The VUE CVT is a piece of E36 M3. Same goes for the ION version of that transmission.
The VUE V6 Honda Trans is a V6 Honda trans...
The VUE 2.2 and 2.4 non-CVT auto is a 4T45E and is quite reliable I understand - see Knurled's post regarding these.
Edit: Knurled was faster
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