Tranny recall on certain Odyssey, Pilot and the MDX (Push for replacement or settle for some fluid c

You can read about here,
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040414/law046_1.html or below is a
cut&paste of it.

It says that if there's no sign of any heat damage to the gear, then
as I understand it, something will be installed to increase the flow
of the tranny fluid to this secondary shaft second gear. However, if
there are signs of heat damage already, then the tranny is supposed to
be replaced.

My question is, what would you rather have done to your tranny, even
if no sign of heat damage had occurred? Does this modification sound
sufficient to prevent the gear from further possible damage? It
almost sounds like only a bandaid solution to a fundamental
design/engineering flaw in the transmission.

Would you guys rather have the tranny replaced in this case, even if
no sign of damage was showing? Thanks.
==================
Press Release Source: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

American Honda to Recall Certain Light Truck Vehicles to Repair
Automatic Transmissions
Wednesday April 14, 11:00 am ET

TORRANCE, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc., today announced a voluntary recall of certain Honda and Acura
light truck models equipped with V6 engines and five-speed automatic
transmissions to inspect and repair a potential defect in the
transmission.

The recall involves approximately 600,000 light trucks manufactured in
the U.S. and Canada. Affected models include certain model year 2002,
2003 and early 2004 Honda Odyssey minivans; 2003 and early 2004 Honda
Pilots; and 2001 and 2002 Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles.

The situation is created by insufficient lubrication of the
transmission's secondary shaft second gear that can occur under
certain driving conditions. Prolonged operation under these conditions
can lead to heat build-up and under certain circumstances may
eventually result in chipped or broken gear teeth or breakage of the
gear. In the event of a chipped or broken tooth, the owner will likely
experience abnormal noise from the transmission and seek repairs. In
rare instances, this condition may lead to gear breakage and possible
locking of the vehicle's transmission, creating a potential safety
hazard.

This more severe condition is extremely rare and affects only vehicles
with high mileage. To date, the company's records indicate only ten
confirmed instances in the United States and Canada of this type of
transmission failure, with no injuries or accidents as a result.

Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted via mail and will be
asked to take their vehicle to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer to
be repaired free of charge. In most cases, the repair involves a
simple gear inspection, which is accomplished without removing or
disassembling the transmission, and a modification to increase the
flow of transmission fluid to the affected gear. If during the
inspection the service technician discovers discoloration of the gear
indicating heat damage, Honda will replace the transmission assembly
at no cost to the customer. Owners will be notified by mail when parts
are available for their model, with notifications going first to the
oldest affected units. Customer mailings will begin in May and should
be completed by September.

Details regarding mailing dates and affected vehicles will be
available on the Honda and Acura Web sites before the end of April.
Owners will be able to access this information by registering at the
"Owner Link" section of www.honda.com or www.acura.com and entering
the 17-digit vehicle identification number found on the driver's side
dashboard near the bottom edge of the windshield.

Customers concerned about the condition of their vehicle may also
contact their local Honda or Acura dealer, or call Honda customer
service at (800) 999-1009 or Acura customer service at (800) 382-2238.

 

We have a 2003 Pilot and the owner's link indicates no recalls!

 

I shall never buy another Honda product with an auto tranny. 1997-2002 Acura
TL and CL, Accord models have a high failure rate and Honda is only
extending the warranty to 100,000mi or 7 years.

 

Working on the assumption that your transmission isn't damage, why do you
think that you're entitled to a new transmission? If you get a new
transmission you'll get the same thing you have now, just newer and with the
mod.

Agreed, I'd rather have a new transmission but if there's no sign of damage,
you're not entitled to a new transmission. They're not going to put a new
improved re-designed transmission in your car.

-Bruce

 

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1081939370150

 

I would first make arrangements to test the trans fluid at the facility
of my choice.

Should the test show anything negative, I'd have them replace it.

I *will* do this.

 

Get ALL the facts before determining it isn't damaged.

One external look-see by some random mechanic at a Honda dealership
isn't enough for me. I want a fluid analysis.

Should that come back bad, it's up to Honda to defend any position they
may have that doesn't involve the transmission being replaced. My
position would be, you know you have problems and the fluid analysis is
much more detailed and telling than any external test some dealership
mechanic can do.

 

all tranny fluid is going to show some metallic particles, some clutch
material, etc. unless you know what "normal" honda V6 auto tranny fluid is
supposed to have in it, youll have nothing to compare it to.

 

If my tranny is defective and the fluid cooler kit is just to prolong
the period before the failure of the part of the tranny to hopefully
get it out of the warranty period, then I am entitled.

Then that's not a question of entitlement or fairness, but, rather,
one of bottomline for the car maker.

 

If I read the article correctly Honda was quite clear on what they
were going to do. I see nothing where customers are allowed to determine
their own testing methods.[/QUOTE]

Ah, but I have, um, a *special* relationship with my dealer.

This won't be a problem.

 

It's not a fluid cooler based on the article posted, it's a modification to
increase the volume of fluid pumped to the secondary shaft. Has your car
been under the conditions noted in the article? If not, then it appears you
won't be affected by this recall. They'll do the modification and send you
on your way.

This article also says nothing with respect to warranty period. As far as I
understand, recalls are done to any car effected. Heck, you could go out
and cause the situtation, wait for your transmission to fail and bring it
into the dealer and they'd have to replace it.

I understand your concern, I was working of your assumption that "if my
transmission is not damaged (not if my transmission is diagnosed as
undamaged) would you rather have your transmission replaced"? Like I said,
if your transmission is undamaged, then you don't need, nor are you entitled
to have it replaced.

Now, if they tell you it's undamaged but you don't believe them, that's
whole different can of worms. That's neither here nor there for me to
dispute.

-Bruce

 

Good question . Anyone have any details on the modification . For
some strange reason the AT on my my 2000 Odyssey (they failed too and
Honda extended the ) is not covered under the recall but I would like
to see about getting the modication made to mine too .

 

The transmission on your 2000 Odyssey is a 4 speed model, and is
completely different than the 5 speed model that's on the 02 and up
Odyssey.

Therefore, yours doesn't require the same modification. It doesn't have
the same problem.

 

Does this mean that the 2001 Odyssey had a different trans than later
model years, and than the 2001 MDX?

 

I believe the 2001 has a four speed. The recall is on the five speed...

 

I believe that this recall is for just one infrequent problem with the
Honda 5 spd auto. The press release says 10 cases have been found and
describes a noise or overheating gear and potential lockup. I believe
that this recall is to avoid crashes from catastrophic gear failures and
lockup.

This recall does not address other far more frequent failure modes of the
5 spd auto that do not usually cause accidents. These other problems
include the failures of the Acura TL/CL 5 spd auto where the clutch pack
releases particles, clogs the transmission and causes failure. In the
Odyssey 5 spd auto, failure mode can include the transmission delaying
engagement or just behaving like it is in neutral when it is in gear.
Other erratic shifting patterns can also exist.
Unfortunately, the recall of April 2004 does not address these older
failure modes.
To see a detailed letter with more details about the recall see

http://hondapilot.nastik.com/forums/showthread.php?s=fc6dd324e55f81229d27ca6325e3255b&threadid=7986&perpage=15&pagenumber=17

There you will find copies of a letter containing a Q and A with more
details than the earlier press release.