Eric's professional experience includes buying me my 2007 that was gorgeous, jut off lease, and promptly had the transmission problem, which was quickly and easily fixed under warranty. Since then we haven't driven it as much as we anticipated, but it has had zero problems and has just been the perfect vehicle. We brought it in very soon after bought it. It wasn't so bad, but we could tell there was something wrong. They tried to fix it with a software upgrade but it made it worse. They ended up changing the torque converter and it's been perfect ever since. We change the oil and put dedicated snow tires on/off twice a year, and have done nothing else.

My personal experience involves a brand new Chrysler minivan, a nicely equiped Plymouth Grand Caravan. It is the reason my wife and I will never buy Chrysler again. It broke down so often and so expensively that it ruined the brand for us, and almost turned us off to the Big Three manufacturers completely. I can't articulate what a lemon that van was and how strongly it soured us on Chrysler.

Eric knows for sure, but I think 07 was the first year for that transmission and I think it shares a transmission with the Saturn Vue.

lol. sure.

My professional opinion also includes working closely with a shop that specializes in transmissions and a good part of their livelyhood is V6 Hondas and Acuras: TLs, MDXs, Odysseys, Ridgelines, etc. Binh is a master Toyota tech and his partner Triet is a master Honda tech, then they started their own large shop a few years ago. Binh's cousin runs a dedicated transmission remanufacturing business a few blocks away. Again, they do a lot of Honda/Acura transmissions.

Yes, the 2004-2007 Saturn VUE has the exact same engine and transmission as the 05-06 Odyssey and MDX.

The heavier the vehicle, the more resistance it encounters (towing, loaded, stop-and-go, AWD, etc) the more likely they are to fail.

The 99-01 4 speed automatics failed like crazy. It was a plague. Not just a few of them. They used a three-shaft design that placed one of the clutch/gear packs well out of the way, tucked in a corner that didn't get enough lubrication or cooling.

The 02-04 went to a five speed automatic, based on the same three-shaft four speed, and added an external lubrication tube to feed the problem area. A band-aid, for sure.

The 05-06 was the same, but the additional lubrication/cooling passages were internal. Still a band-aid, just more integrated.

In 2007, the Ody got the Ridgeline's four-shaft design that placed the clusters in one area, and on shorter (hence stronger/stiffer) shafts. The gear ratios are also different, generating less heat under heavy use. They still use the same transmission today (although the Touring models now use a 6 speed).




I only said that once they reach 100K miles a Honda isn't going to be less likely to break than a Chrysler...at least not 2001-2010 models of each. Is Honda generally thought to be more reliable than a Chrysler? Yep. Are they? Most models, most of the time. There are exceptions.

YMMV

So if I'm looking for a 2007 or newer Odyssey, should I still place a premium on making sure the transmission's already been replaced (as it was in MRM's case)? Or are the original transmissions reasonably safe by '07?

Noah,

I tell you this, we decided against the Honda due to the tranny issue and the additional road noise. Instead we went with a sienna. No problem beside the auto sliding doors. Front tires wear a bit sooner then normal, 25000-30000 miles. We will reach 100 k miles by the end of February. It stil drives and feels like the day we brought it home in 07. Ours is the limited with all the bells and whistles. I will say this, the Honda is faster and that important for most car guys, but how fast do you want to go with little ones in there?

Apparently, the one we bought did NOT come with the child isolation chamber.