My Honda dealer just found two broken motor mounts on our 2004 Odyssey at about 65,000 miles. He says they are finding broken motor mounts frequently on the Odysseys in the 60,000-100,000 mile range, even though they are not a routine maintenance item. (I have to admit I have not heard of routine problems with motor mounts before.)
The dealer says that despite his impression that this is an unusually frequent problem with Odysseys (and I think he said 6-cylinder Accords), Honda has not decided to do a recall or provide any other relief to the customer.
In our case, it is not under warranty. These are some kind of hydraulic motor mounts and therefore very expensive.
First, is anyone aware of a problem with Odyssey motor mounts above and beyond the expected wear and tear? It is usual for a car to break motor mounts at this age if it has not been in some kind of wreck or violent driving?
Second, are there any suggestions for recourse if this is a problem of poor design that is costing consumers hundreds of dollars per mount?
Thanks!!!
This is a time to get some bids from some independent mechanics. I show the motor mount as costing $60 or so, with lifetime parts warranty (Advance Auto). I suspect the Honda part is much higher and comes with less warranty. I suspect labor will be expensive, but it would pay to get the after market mounts with a life parts warranty in this case.
While I agree with you that 4 yrs and 65K miles sounds premature for replacement, Honda or any other car manufacturer is not obligated to conduct a recall or do anything if a part doesn’t meet its expected life. Your recourse is to purchase some other vehicle next time.
I do recall several other people posting about problems with Odyssey motor mounts over the past couple of years. That recollection is not a scientific study regarding the possibility of a wide-spread problem with that part, but the “dealer’s” statement does seem to jive with my recollection.
Unless Honda of America decides to help you with a “good will” warranty on this part, then you have little choice but to pay for the repair yourself. It wouldn’t hurt to contact Honda of America’s Customer Service staff and politely ask for monetary assistance with this repair. If you have consistently had the car serviced by the dealership, then you have a better chance of some assistance.
FWIW, I have my 2004 Odyssey at the dealer today and was told that I have a cracked motor mount also. I asked the same question about longevity and he said they typically see it in the 60-100K mileage range and that no specific driving habit or style seems to induce it. His opinion was that it is more likely to occur with city driving due to the frequent start/stops and the torque that is exhibiting twisting force on the motor mounts as you accelerate from a stop.
I’ve never had a car to this point crack a motor mount and I’ve had several front wheel drive vehicles with over 120K miles each that have never exhibited this.
Also, FWIW, he stated that for the specific mount that is cracked on my '04, it would cost $400 parts and labor to repair. I do not know how that stacks up to your estimate, but would be curious. He did mention that it is not urgent for me to repair it now, but wanted me to be aware of the issue before one of the other mounts cracks.
One of them was about $400 and the other was about $180, I think.
I have an Acura MDX, which is built on the same platform. On an MDX message board that I follow, I do notice an above-average number of complaints about motor mounts. I think this is a bit of a weak spot here.
Your only chance is to write Honda and express your dissatisfaction of the brand. They possibly will goodwill part or all of it especially if you service the vehicle at one of their dealers(note that if true).
Good luck.
All vehicle makes even preceived golden Toyota’s and Honda’s have issues. Thankfully no matter what the brand the majority are relatively problem free.
I have found that previous years cannot be compared to the newer models’ mounts as they are designed to improve safety (ie. breakaway mounts that will allow the engine to fall down and under the vehicle in the event of an accident instead of being a projectile into the cabin) and increase the safety rating of the van. The drawback is that a jarring pothole, hitting a speedbump too fast, a poorly constructed bridge connector or other minor impact will start the clock ticking on the premature failure of the front mount. Once the first one goes, the others are now taking on the extra strain and are sure to follow.
However… safety rating sells cars… Innovation sometimes has side effects and the lesser evil is decided by the consumer.
I have a 2005 Honda Odyssey and the honda car dealer just told me that I have three cracked motor mounts! Costs me $1500 to get it fixed. I only have 82,000 miles on my van. It does not seem right to me to have such a major problem so early on this vehicle. My mechanic told me the same thing yours did …it is a problem with the hydraulic motor mount on all Honda (even Accura) 6-cylinder vehicles. I am considering calling Honda of America to complain about this problem too. Did anyone have any luck when calling Honda Corp? I seriously think that this is a defect in their design …
I had my front motor mount replaced on my 2002 Odyssey along with my recalled transmission in Oct.07 with 91,000 miles on my car. I now have 120,000 miles on my car and I just had my idle speed control replaced for $515.00 and have been told at the same time that my side and rear motor mounts are broken and the front is stretched and ready to go. I can have all replaced for the bargain price of $924.00! Yes, I believe there is a problem with the motor mounts on the Odyssey and now I am in a confused what to do. I just had the water pump replaced a few months ago. I feel like I have a lemon.
I also have a motor mount problem on my Honda Odyssey 2006 with only 39k miles. The dealer says the repair will cost $1590 to fix (includes replacing the subframe). This seems like a manufacture defect to me with such short mileage and only 3 1/2 years. Was anyone successful in getting Honda to pay for the repair?
I have the 2005 Odyssey touring and have had every service performed from the same dealer since new. I have replaced a rear window shade, the radio and some trim under warranty. I purchased two sets of PAX tires (average 20K each set even with careful rotation on every oil service), updated navigation DVD, both rear shocks, a rear seat rail and the battery outside of warranty.
The dealer couldn’t care less about the absolutely horrible PAX wear and cost issues, and told me repeatedly that the car was specifically engineered for them and that it would be impossible to change to standard wheels and tires. So when the last set of tires couldn’t pass State Safety Inspection at only 17K miles I went to the good message boards like this one and dePAX’ed with great success. Too bad it was only two months before getting the Class Action notification!
Anyway, I recently had the 60K service done, and in this economic slump you would think they would be careful to do an extra good job to continue earning business. However, they missed simple things that I could see, like not topping off the radiator fluid, or replacing the radiator overflow bolt that had fallen out.
My wife is now complaining more and more about shaking and noise when she carpools, so I took it to the dealer and got shocking news… ALL of the motor mounts (sides and both ACM mounts) have failed! The service manager said at least the Front, Rear and passenger Side mounts must be replaced while offering absolutely zero consideration for being a loyal customer. They want to charge me the full $1530 like it’s nothing more than another 3 month oil change. Getting all four replaced as the Service Manager recommends will be another $182 - that’s over $1700 bucks!
How could all of the mounts possibly have gone bad so soon after the 60K service and warranty expiration when everyone knows these parts are prone to premature failure?! It’s used 100% to haul kids around and get my wife to work. We have never done any towing. Could a normal residential speed bump or small drainage dip actually wear out and rip this motor from it’s mounts? If so, the engineering quality on this vehicle is terribly inadequate and Honda is quickly damaging the reputation of their newer cars!
I called Honda’s Corporate Customer Support (they basically explain their process) and am asking my dealer’s Service Manager to work with the District or Zone Manager to get goodwill warranty help. I have given this dealer nearly $60K for this car, it’s accessories, parts and labor services. They need to do something substantial here or I’m personally finished dealing with Honda for good.
The Honda District manager responded to say they are not in a position to help my dealer reduce the price for these mounts, despite my perfect service record with the same dealer. They were also unwilling to explain why they all the engine mounts had failed so soon after the 60K inspection. Honda is a complete disappointment when it matters most. My loyalty is now gone completely.
I strongly recommend anyone with the VCM mounts specifically have them inspected before the warranty expiration or before purchasing used, and insist they be replaced if there is any sign of wear or vibration noise when the ECO light comes on!
I have a 2001 Odyssey which has had three new motor mounts in the last year (between 100,000 and 125,000 miles.) The dealer and local mechanic have indicated that it is a common problem with the Odyssey but have no recommendations for preventing the reoccurance.
I wonder if the problem is not a defect in design but user error. Most of us with Odysseys in my neighborhood spend our time ferrying various numbers (and weights) of children to various afterschool and weekend activities. Speed bumps (of varying degrees of severity) surround all of the venues for children’s activties.
Could it be that Honda simply didn’t anticipate all the torque that 700 lbs of payload (think 6 middle school soccer players and their gear) generate going over multiple speed bumps in and out of a parking lot every day? Add to that the stop and go nature of carpools and seems like a serious misestimation.
I have the exact situation except my odyssey is a 2006 and all the motor mounts are shot. Estimated repair cost $1600. I dont understand how all of them have gone bad at once.
I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey Van and I too have been told that I have 4 cracked engine mounts. My van has less than 62,000 miles. Perhaps with all the national attention on the recalls with Toyota vehicles, now is the time to contact your state attorney’s office to report this issue with Honda motor mounts and I bet that will draw Honda’s attention.
After reading the discussion here I was motivated to try to figure out my 2000 Honda Odyssey suspected engine mount problem. Just happened to be dumping some used oil at the back of the auto parts store and thought I’d ask if they had any engine mounts available for me. Imagine that, they had a replacement part for one of the three mounts. It was the simple one to reach and see at the right side of the engine near the top. Got it home and then tested to see if that was the one broken using the tests described here. It was completely shot. My son and I had it replaced in an hour or two. Took a little finegling but really not to challenging. $50 and our clunk is gone. Next the CV joints which I’m told are probably shot from the engine mount being broke for so long. Wonder how long that mount was broke. I’ve got 185k miles on the van now.
I just went to my local Merchant’s Tire store to have my tires rotated and wheels aligned on my '03 Odyssey. After they finished the work, I was told that the front and passenger’s side motor mounts needed replacing. Since I replaced a motor mount on my now “deceased” (was totalled last Aug.) '91 accord, I feel I’m up for the task. The passenger side mount looks easy enough. But, I’m not as sure about the front mount. My Haynes manual implies that it’s a simple process: 1)Remove the Upper Stud Nut; 2) Remove the 4 mount-to-chassis bolts; 3) Disconnect the vacuum hose from the bottom of the mount; 4) Raise the engine enough for the stud to clear the upper bracket and remove the bracket. Voila! Despite the apparent ease of this process I have some questions:
1): From what location (under the car, front of the car, etc.) do you approach the front mount from? Looking down from the top, it’s clear it can’t do the work from that angle without removing some things.
2): From whatever location you attack the problem, does anything need to be removed to gain access to the front mount?
3): Other than removing the vacuum hose and re-attaching it to the new unit, does anything else need to be done during this step?
4): My understanding when working with engine mounts is that you should only replace one mount at a time. Assuming that is a true statement, Is it possible to raise the engine enough for the stud to clear the upper bracket (as noted in step 4 above)?
5): This probably should have been my first question. The Haynes book recommends supporting the engine with a floor jack (with a block of wood) at the engine oil pan. Has anyone done anything differently to disperse the weight?
6): I checked out prices locally and on-line. Interestingly enough, my on-line Honda parts dealer has prices that are just about the same for the mounts as the after-market quotes I’ve been receiving. Any reason I shouldn’t go with the Honda parts…other than the fact that I’m scratching my head over why these went only after 85K miles!
7) Lastly, if you have other advice to give on this job, feel free to offer it up.
Thanks in advance for your answers.
Rob
Ditto all of these comments. I’m sitting at my dealer as I write this with my 2005 Honda Odyssey with 55K miles. The motor mount next to the firewall is bad. $836 buck and 4 hours of my time. Gotta believe this is a problem with the design. If it wasn’t, it would surely drive up Honda’s “annual cost” calculations that they are so proud of.
opppsss…just got a phone call from the dealer, wehre my 2004 Odiseey is in for its 60,000 miles check.
front engine mount is gone and side is cracked. i was quoted 437 for the fron and 174 for the side…
i told them to wait…i want to make sure i cannot do this cheaply form a regular shop…has anybody had any experience about it??
how about some fare pricing estimates?
i always thought Honda was famous for its reliability…