Towing Honda Odyssey 4 wheels down

fortytwo wrote:


If there were truly problems with towing the Odyssey 4 down you'd be reading lots of posts.

be sure to let us know after you put 20,000 miles on towing it.
bumpy

Had Roadmaster tow brackets installed on my 08 Odyssey EX-L last week. Have only towed it a short distance so far, but no issues. I do know it's back there, but the V-10 had no issues. For the last two years I've been towing a Saturn wagon which is 1500 pounds lighter.

The only minor consideration is the prep to tow procedure - not difficult; just a 5 minute drill that you don't have with Jeeps, Saturns or any other auto tranny that has a transfer case, or a tranny lube pump driven by the output shaft.

If there were truly problems with towing the Odyssey 4 down you'd be reading lots of posts.

You are right that it is your nickel.

Interesting what Remco states on its site with respect to a 2008 - confirms your view. We went through all the rigmarole with our Escape (our two prior toads had a transfer case with neutral) and I decided to go back to a transfer and will now only tow with one and no restrictions. BTW, I agree the Odyssey is a good vehicle. So is my 2014 Town & Country Limited.

Remco wrote:
2008 Honda Odyssey LX FWD V6 3.5L cyl 5 Speed Automatic P36A/B36A
Notes

Towable as is with speed and/or distance restrictions. Please see Owner's Manual for confirmation and procedures.
It is not recommended to tow this vehicle over 65MPH
When towing for an extended period of time, start the vehicle as often as possible and allow it to run for five minutes to prevent battery drain.
Officially from both Honda and REMCO the vehicle is not towable. However, we at Remco have a large number of customers who are flat-towing that vehicle behind their Motor Home and they are not having any issues. Follow the "Emergency Towing" procedures in the owner's manual to a "T" except ignore the restrictions and follow those procedures each and every time you tow. NOTE: If you choose tow your Honda, and have any damage to the Transmission as a result, you will have to pay for that expense out of pocket. It is nothing that Honda or Remco will warranty. Also, it should be noted that Remco sells no aftermarket product (Lube Pump or otherwise) to make this car towable.

"If your transmission fails, it is going to be difficult to hide the fact that it has been towed flat."

One of the reasons I bought an 08. The transmission has no remaining warranty. The risk is all mine. Posters in the old thread reported up to 20k miles towing without problems. One had an analysis of the tranny oil done before towing, and after several thousand miles. No issues were found. The 05 and prior models had a significant number of transmission issues. Some were towed, others not. The 07, and perhaps some 06's, had a change in the transmissions which resulted in far fewer failures. That transmission design continued through the 10 models.

Roadmaster sells a bracket set for 05-10 Odyssey LX models. Lots of folks are towing them. I haven't found any posts of failures from towing these models (except the "someone I know said his failed" anecdotes).

The tow procedure is a huge consideration. The most popular toads have a tranny that you shift to neutral, turn the key to a position to keep the steering lock disabled, and drive away. I've left my Saturn and Jeep toads untouched for a week or more of sustained towing. Can't do that with the Odyssey! Setup to tow is multi-step, must be executed in exact order, and repeated if the tow period exceeds 8 hours. It's easy to see why Honda management took the easy route and just said it's not towable 4 down. However, the "emergency tow instructions are identical to those for the towable pre-06 models except for distance and speed.

Seating for 8, within the 5k limit of most hitches, good fuel economy, comfortable, reliable, and lots of optional cargo space - the Odyssey has all the characteristics of a great toad.

However, the decision to tow one is a personal one, and the owner assumes the risk. But as the signature line of one poster says: "A ship is safe in a harbor, but that's not what ships are made for".

Seems to me that the manual for the 2014 Odyssey is pretty clear on this issue:

Page 407 of the Manual in PDF

Towing Your Vehicle
Your vehicle is not designed to be towed behind a motor home. If your vehicle needs
to be towed in an emergency, refer to the emergency towing information.
Page 407 of the Manual in PDF

When you check page 539 for towing instructions they want front wheels lifted off the ground. So, a dolly is the only option if you care about the warranty. If the Odyssey was towable, I would certainly have considered buying one.

If your transmission fails, it is going to be difficult to hide the fact that it has been towed flat.

I purchased an 08 last weekend and intend to have it rigged and tow it. The Roadmaster website lists a set of brackets that fits 05-10 Odyssey XL's - part # 1556-1 (does not fit vehicles with the additional cooler in the tow package). I already have a Roadmaster Sterling tow bar so that brand is most cost effective for me.

I haven't checked Roadmaster for models later than 2010.

In the thread I cited earlier (thread now closed) one of the posters was towing the Odyssey 4 down with a 4 bike rack on the rear and two bikes inside the van. Most of the posters with vans later that 06 were refreshing the setup procedure after 4-5 hours. That thread closed in 2010, but only one poster stated any know problems, and they were of the "Uncle Fred" said variety. No poster cited a problem from towing their own Odyssey.

I had this info from earlier.

Odyssey: trying to determine if i can flat tow my 2014 honda
Resolved Question:
trying to determine if i can flat tow my 2014 honda odyssey touring model behind my RV. I towed my 2010 5 speed with no issues - I know Honda is not going warranty any issues - I just want to know if it can be done. My friend tows his 2011 6 speed behind his RV with no problems
Submitted: 9 months ago.
Category: Honda
Eric
Expert: Eric replied 9 months ago.
HI,

Yes, you can tow it. It can be towed as a dinghy(flat towed), using the same procedures you used for the 2010 model

Ask Your Own Honda Question
Customer: replied 9 months ago.
Just confirming you are aware that this is the 6 speed tranny vs 5 speed
Expert: Eric replied 9 months ago.
HI,

Correct, the 2014 is a 6spd trans versus the 5spd for the 2010. The 2014 with 6spd trans can be dinghy towed. You use the same tow procedure as the 2010. There is no difference in the tow procedure between the 5 and 6spd transmission.

Eric, Automotive Repair Shop Manager

I think they canned the Odyssey towing about 8 years ago (give or take a year). Friends at our park in Florida had their transmission burned out. It was replaced under warranty but Honda told them at the time that they would no longer see it on the list of vehicles that could be towed flat. If you tow flat now and the transmission goes you are on your own for replacement.

I've been researching old threads on Odssey towing. Somewhere in the last couple of years there was a transmission change and the new one is NOT towable (maybe with a pump). The non-towable trannys are 6 speed models as I reacall. I have read reports of successful towing up through 2010 models. That may extend up to 2012, but I don't recall any reports on the 2011, 2012 yers.

My choice is a 2008 EX-L, primarily budget driven. Got a couple of dealers looking for one for me now.

The Touring models usually cost a grand+ more than the EX-L. Some, maybe all, have different wheels/tires which may be less common than the EX. Nice vehicles though.

Try this link for an in-depth discussion.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22744990.cfm

I tow a 2006 Odyssey. I only added the usual stuff (base plate, taillight wiring, BrakeBuddy with breakaway), and no transmission pump. I just go through the "emergency towing" procedures every 5-6 hours and haven't had any problems after over two years. However, I know the newer Odysseys are a new generation and may operate differently.