Oddy versus Caravan Tranny Problems

I'm a '96 Dodge Grand Caravan LE (GC) owner and I've had it with Dodge. I've been through three transmissions including the one that came with my GC when I bought it new. Enough is enough. I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it up the tailpipe anymore.

Here's the thing... I'm going to look at Honda and Toyota this time around and I am just wondering if Oddys suffer from the same transmission failures that I have had on average every 68,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first.

I'm sick and tired of replacing transmissions at $2,600 a pop every three years. Would anyone care to speculate whether or not I might do better with a Honda? I've seen a few posts here about Oddy trannys but not on the same scale I've seen on the Dodge board.

Got an opinion? I'd love to hear what you have to say.

well the good news is oddy trans are covered for 100k or 7 years. 99-01 and yeah you will probably have the same problem with them going but at least they are covered still.

Just curious lorunner, did you have to pay for the 7yr/100K protection? When I bought my Caravan new in '96 it came with a 3yr/36K Warranty, standard. For more money, I could be a 5yr/50K or a 7yr/100K. I paid a whopping $2,600 for the 7yr/100K. Ouch.

No the 7yr/100K protection on the trans is not extra. Honda had to extend the warranty due to all the problems.

Honda really messed this one up, while I worked at Honda we would replace at least 5-10 transmissions a week. One time we replaced a trans for 1 customer 4 times in one week because Honda kept sending us bad ones. That's pathetic if you ask me.

Other than the tranny problems the other most common problem is the power sliding doors may fail. There were many updates Honda sent out, but still they would stop working.

Besides that the Ody's are very nice as far as mini vans go. I would go for a Honda before a Dodge ANY DAY based on my experiences.

my 2000 EX with navigation hadnt have a problem with its stock transmission its been 5 years, 77,777 miles not one problem. But do not hestitate to replace your tranny fluid every 40,000 miles or so.

No the 7yr/100K protection on the trans is not extra. Honda had to extend the warranty due to all the problems.

Is this still true? I have a 2k Odyssey nav that I bought used 7 months ago. Would this warranty still apply to me? It now has ~90k miles on it.

Im not positive but I think it covers the van and not the orginal owner. Contact any Honda service dept and they can tell you for sure.

When changing the tranny fluid, should I use Dextron 3 or buy it from the Honda dealership. Does it all come from the same manufacturer??? Will the Dextron have an adverse effect on the tranny?

You can get away with any dex 3 fluid. Honda ATF fluid has some additive so it's slightly different than the stuff you buy in the store. I'm pretty sure Valvoline makes the trans fluid, I know they do the oil.

When changing the tranny fluid, should I use Dextron 3 or buy it from the Honda dealership. Does it all come from the same manufacturer??? Will the Dextron have an adverse effect on the tranny?


It may make the shifts a little harder but shouldn't hurt otherwise. Honda's ATF is very thin and a synthetic. The Dexron should be a little thicker.

I'm not sure, but I think the 7 yr/100K on powertrain only applies if you purchase CPO from Honda, not just every Honda is having that. I could be wrong if the problem is that bad that Honda had to extend out of good-faith to its customers.
I've noticed a lot of minivan drivers out there who think they're driving a sport coupe or something. They'll zip through traffic and go in excess of 80mph.... slow down folks, no wonder your transmissions are blowing. You're driving a miniVAN, not a Mini.

I'm not sure, but I think the 7 yr/100K on powertrain only applies if you purchase CPO from Honda, not just every Honda is having that. I could be wrong if the problem is that bad that Honda had to extend out of good-faith to its customers.
I've noticed a lot of minivan drivers out there who think they're driving a sport coupe or something. They'll zip through traffic and go in excess of 80mph.... slow down folks, no wonder your transmissions are blowing. You're driving a miniVAN, not a Mini.
The warranty is extended by Honda even if it was bought used - V6 Accord, V6 Ody, V6 MDX, basically anything with that junk trans.

I wish I lived where u are because every mini van around here is usually holding up traffic doing 10mph less then they should.