Three problems related to alternator/generator/regulator have been reported for the 2003 Honda Odyssey. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Honda Odyssey based on all problems reported for the 2003 Odyssey.
The top bracket holding the alternator to the engine block failed again for the third time while my wife was driving the van. As a result of the failure of the top bracket, the stress on the main serpentine belt caused the bolt holding the alternator in place to snap off at the engine block. This caused the alternator to become loose and caused a burning smell to come into the cabin of the vehicle. The alternator loose and un-attached poses a potential catastrophic failure with the pully system and the power steering which may cause an accident. I reported the previous incident of the same problem on October 25th, 2010. My concern is that this is a recurring problem that Honda is aware of and not correcting with a recall and addition of a re engineered and strengthened top alternator bracket. I am also very concerned that failure of this part/system while my wife and children are driving the van will cause an accident and injury or death to my family. I have called Honda and their solution or recommendation is to replace the part and use proper torque specifications. This has not worked 2 times so far and my mechanic tried to weld and additional piece of metal to the oem bracket to make the bracket stronger, and this did not work.
Top alternator mounting bracket failed for the second time in one month. On first failure at night, headlights became very dim while vehicle was operating causing danger to occupants and other motorists. On second failure vehicle was close to home and no immediate hazard to driver or other motorists. Research shows this is a known component failure to Honda and nhtsb.
2003 Honda Odyssey. The consumer stated that the horn did not blow and the srs light was on. The consumer had an appointment on Thursday to have the vehicle looked at. The srs light came on September 30, 2005, and the horn quit working on September 19, 2005. The consumer stated that the vehicle had the cruise control switch replaced. This did not help the problem. The alternator was replaced, since the consumer purchased the vehicle a metal on metal sound had been present, the keyless entry has never performed properly, the cruise control was inoperative, the srs light stayed on, the horn had gone out, the windshield wiper was inoperative, the alarm had gone off for no reason, there was a wind noise coming from the driver window, the remote was intermittent, the dash lights would illumnate while the vehicle was in motion, and the alternator bracket had broken.