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2016 Honda Odyssey Shudder

Maintenance/Repairs
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#1

We purchased a certified used Honda Odyssey with about 20k miles on it. From the start the tires caused the van to pull and act like it was out of alignment. Rotating the tires alleviated this problem, but there was still some shuddering/shaking. I purchased new tires and the shudder and shaking is still present. When I took it to the dealer they claim the tires (Falken SINCERA SN250 A/S) I purchased were just cheap tires and causing the shuddering and shaking. They did a $100 road force balance which maybe helped some, but there is still noticeable vibration when driving.

I haven’t been able to pin point at what certain points the vibration/shuddering is coming from. It seems like during acceleration, but also when cruising at 70 mph highway speeds. It seemed like at 65 that it was less noticeable. Aside from buying yet another new set of tires, what can be done to check out what might be causing the issue. I just rotated the tires and it doesn’t seem to have helped at all.

The van is still under warranty, but I am hesitant to take it back to the dealer since they weren’t much help in pinpointing the issue. The van had the original expensive Michelin tires on it when we purchased it and I feel like they had the same issue. Also neither the tire installers nor dealer mentioned anything about the tires/wheels being bad enough out of balance that they couldn’t get them to balance.

#2

Every Honda I sold I could certify was used.

Just had to look at the year/mileage on the title.

So what kind of warranty did you get with this certified used Honda?

Tester

#3

Well it is still under factory warranty 3 year 36k miles, but it being Honda certified it has an additional year and 12k miles to 4 years/48,000 miles.

#4

Then you have to keep bringing the vehicle back to those who honor that warranty until you are satisfied.

Tester

#5

If the road force balance made any difference then it could potentially be a tire issue. I bought some brand new Coopers once, good ones (AT3s), picked up a vibration right off the bat. A roadforce helped some, but it was still there. Got new tires and gonzo. Try rotating the tires and see if the vibration moves or feels different. If you really want to get crazy start swapping the spare in for your tires one at a time and see if you make the vibration go away.

When pursuing a solution with the selling dealer, see if you can get somebody to ride with you so you can reproduce the vibration.

#6

I had a pilot that shuddered and it had a problem with the cylinder deactivation system. It was a problem that the dealer kept ignoring and the cam on one side wore out and failed.

#7

Thanks for the replies. I don’t necessarily have to go back to the dealer we purchased it from. I might at least try a different Honda dealer. They did a ride along when they determined it was the tires and just did the road force balance.

My two initial inclinations after some research were bad torque converter or maybe a wheel is bent. However the tire/wheel issue would basically mean all the tires are bad because rotating or moving them doesn’t seem to resolve the issue. And the fact that the OEM Michelin tires also did it makes me think that is even less likely.

I could pull the spare out and get it on and see if that helps at all.

If it is a bigger issue than the tires I am trying to get it resolved under warranty before that runs out. We have ~33k miles on it now, but will be running into the date expiration.

@steveng I hadn’t thought about the cylinder deactivation system. I have tried to pay as much attention to speeds and conditions as I can while driving on the interstate. Our latest trip ~4 hour drive we hit some really smooth interstate and it seemed to go away.

Could it be any sort of suspension component issue? I am just a bit mystified. Out of all the tires I have ever owned of all sorts of brand I have never had a case where it would have caused the car to vibrate like this. My 2006 Toyota Corolla is smooth as silk at 155k compared to the van.

#8

van pulled at start. Even during test drive?
New budget tires fixes pull but not occasional vibration
So, new quality tires might fix issue
Would be nice if you could pull up any former service records/complaints on van. Maybe even find out where it was bought?

#9

From a search on the internet the OEM Michelin PRIMACY MXV4 were notorious for causing pulling and feeling like they were out of alignment. When they rotated the tires it improved, but still had noticeable pull and some vibration. That was when I decided on the new tires. It no longer pulls at all, but the vibration is still there.

I did write discount tires to see if there was anything they could do about/for the tires. I should have dealt with it from the start. For the $100 the road force balance cost I could have just purchased better tires.

#10

I see nice Honda wheelsets all the time on CL. If you have nice alloys, maybe sell them and get another set. Used to see free PAX wheels too. Haha

#11

Mostly I am looking for a direction to go. If it is likely the tires I want to see if discount tires will do anything for me there since it is probably less than 10k miles on a 80k mile tire. If they would replace them + some money and get me new tires I might do that.

I don’t really want to just start throwing money at new wheels and things just yet until I can figure out what is a likely cause. I really wish they could have given me an idea if one or multiple tires/wheels were very far out of balance from the start. That might at least could narrow down if there is a bad wheel(s).

#12

When I bought my new Outback in 2010, it had a very annoying front-end vibration at high speed. The dealership did Road Force Balancing, and it helped–a lot–for a few thousand miles, and then the problem would recur. In total, I think that they re-balanced the OEM Continental tires with their Hunter GSP 9700 machine a total of 5 times. The dealership bought that particular piece of equipment because of the massive number of owner complaints about those same Continental tires.

Finally, even though there was 5/32" of tread remaining on those Continentals, I replaced them with Michelin Defenders when Costco was running a really good sale on the Michelins. Voila! Once the car was re-shod with Michelins, that front-end vibration disappeared–permanently.

The bottom line, as far as I am concerned, is that certain tire models are problematic, no matter the brand name that is on the tire.

#13

Like Tester said earlier, at this point, since you are thinking it could be mechanical (by feel), take it to a Honda dealer and have somebody ride with you to recreate the sensation.

If you search the web, as eluded to above, the VCM system on that can cause problems (yours is so new though). Apparently the active engine mounts go bad. You might be able to prevent the system from engaging by taking the van up to speed in a gear lower than top (high) gear/overdrive. I dont know enough about the Honda VCM system to speculate further.

#14

Does it also vibrate at lower speeds, just not as severe?
If so, try this- push the button on the side of the shifter column. This disables OD. If the vibration goes away, it’s not your tires…

#15

Thanks again for all of the input. I have a few things to try now and I have contacted discount tires to see if they will be of any assistance if the tires are in fact the problem. I will update if i find anything out.

#16

Be sure to let us know!

#17

Well so far I tried using the lower gears and it doesn’t seem like that improved the smoothness at all. I haven’t had a chance to deal with the tire people. I contacted 3 or 4 different discount tire contacts and they have been giving me the run around. I haven’t had a chance to check on the most recent one they gave me. I also haven’t had the time to pull out the spare and start trying it to see if that helps.

#18

Did you ever find the cause of the vibration? In 2016 I bought a brand new Odyssey with only 2 miles on the odometer and I’ve been experiencing a vibration/shudder under acceleration when it’s “struggling” for torque. For example if I’m on the highway doing 70 and I try to go faster I feel the vibration, if I hit D4 and accelerate I don’t.

When new I took it to the dealer countless times, I went through 3 sets of tires all different brands, they did the road force balancing, they say they changed the axles…never solved it and never found the cause of the issue. I ended up giving up because I didn’t want to keep wasting my time, and I got extremely frustrated.

I hate taking it on the highway or any road trip for that matter. Extremely annoying. After 5 years and 40,000 miles of ownership I’m thinking of finally selling it and getting something else even though I don’t want to waste money to replace I car I otherwise like.

I’m now trying to see if I find any solutions as a last resource before replacing it. I’m hoping I can keep it for a few years more, but not with this annoying vibration/shudder

#19

Your problem sounds like a transmission problem since manually downshifting cures the shudder.

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#20

+1
I suspect that the problem is the result of a malfunctioning Torque Converter Lockup mechanism. However, it is possible that another transmission issue is the source of the problem.

Since the Powertrain Warranty has now apparently expired, I suggest that the OP take his vehicle to a well-reputed independent transmission shop for diagnosis. Just be sure to avoid chain-run places such as Lee Myles, Cottman, Mr. Transmission, and AAMCO. The charlatans at those places will tell him that he needs a complete transmission overhaul, even if only a relatively minor repair is needed.

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