# 2014 Honda Odyssey - damage from driving in low gear at 40 mph? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** odyssey, honda\ **Created:** [August 29, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318 "2020-08-29T15:11:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cook2795](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@cook2795](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cook2795)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/1 "2020-08-29T15:11:48Z")
I drove my van in low gear at 40 miles per hour for 2 minutes. Did I do any damage yo engine or transmission? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/2 "2020-08-29T15:48:54Z")
No you did not. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/3 "2020-08-29T17:17:23Z")
Your Odyssey has electronic controls which do not allow you to run the engine at a speed which would cause damage. As you reached that engine speed (rpms) it would begin to sputter and not go faster. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/4 "2020-08-30T12:13:29Z")
+1 to the previous replies. I can tell you that, back in the '70s, I drove my Dodge Charger at expressway speeds in second gear for–probably–about 20 minutes. Note that this was a 3-speed automatic, and second gear was only supposed to be used up to about 45 mph. There was no damage to my engine, and I drove the car for a few more years, with no issues. (In case you were wondering how I accomplished that bone-headed move, I was… let’s just say… “distracted” by a date.) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/5 "2020-08-30T22:15:42Z")
Cars are tough. No damage. My wife drove our Acura for about 10 miles at highway speed before she realized she was in low gear. No problem. I remember a neighbor kid had his dads new 61 Fairlane V8 and manual and boasted revving the thing up to 60 mph in second gear more than once with no problems. Rest easy. Cars are designed for people with very minimal mechanical skills so its hard to make a fatal error. You can’t even put them in reverse anymore while driving. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2014-honda-odyssey-damage-from-driving-in-low-gear-at-40-mph/169318/6 "2020-08-30T23:31:19Z")
Ya, that tach needle at 5500 rpm can be mistaken for a speedo saying 55mph.