Honda Odyssey Minivan transmission total failure (lockup) while driving on the highway

My brother in-law just had a scary incident with his Honda Odyssey
(2002?) yesterday (03/13/2005).

While driving on Hwy 635 (between Fort Worth and Dallas), the van just
completely locks the front wheels causing a skid to a complete stop.
He almost got rear ended as he can see smoke vented from the wheels of
several cars behind him.

He quickly got his wife an three kids out of the van and move them to a
safe distance in front of the now disable van sitting in the middle of
the left lane of 635 and called 911.

This is shocking to me. How can a car completely lock up while driving
between 65 and 70 mph? The only thing I could think of is a total
transmission failure with broken gear/tooth causing the drive train to
freeze. He engine is probably gone too.

Does anyone had such experience?

Thanks

 

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I had a Volvo that could do a trick like that, but it had a manual
tranny, and the cause was the vacuum-assist brake circuit. Terrible design.

I'd have thought he could still put it in neutral, and it would roll.
Without knowing the mileage, all is speculation. He may have just siezed
a wheel bearing.

'Curly'

 

Common problem with the Odyssey. Check out the forum at www.odyclub.com ...

 

once loose part from a poorly designed Honda transmission

http://www.bettendorf.com/~mrbone/pictures/B%20Tranny/P3130001.JPG

= explosion of tranny guts.

The failed part is on the white bath mat in the lower right. The pinion pin
was not properly hardened and was chewed thru by the pinion gears inside the
differential.

non case hardened..........90k miles some abuse

http://www.bettendorf.com/~mrbone/pictures/RR/bad%20pin.jpg

case hardened, 130k miles of MY ABUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.bettendorf.com/~mrbone/pictures/RR/good%20pin.jpg

 

Nice Micro Center bag there.

 

--------------------------

My wife won't let me take apart the tranny on the white bath mat any
more . . . I have to use the blue mat in the downstairs bathroom.

'Curly'

 

A friend of mine just bought out his lease on a 2002 Odyssey. Is there any
preventative measures that can be done to avoid pre-mature tranny failure
because of faulty design?

Pars

 

not really. Just change the fluid at the prescribed intervals and pray.

 

add a trans cooler? even if it has one?

 

The problem with the Honda transmissions doing this is inadequate fluid
flow in certain areas of the tranny. As a result, the parts simply get
too hot and break, jamming the gears. Since it is a heat problem,
changing the fluid and/or adding a cooler is not going to do anything
to stop it.

Did he not get a recall notice I wonder? Half the people getting
notices simply ignore them.

 

No, he didn't mention any recall notice to me. If not, I'll get him to check
with his dealership.

At this point, changing the fluids and praying sounds like the only
solution.

Pars