Odyssey makes a loud "humming" noise at higher speeds

Asked by SadieSam Sep 11, 2009 at 05:05 PM about the 2002 Honda Odyssey EX FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

When driving our 02 Odyssey over 40-45 mph, it develops a loud "humming noise which goes away as the car slows to under 40 mph.  We have had repair shops look it over and to know avail.  It's loud enough that it's hard to hear on the phone, the radio and even other passengers.  It's definitely coming from the driver's side of the vehicle.  

10 Answers

2,685

tires can be the cause. if you have replaced that tire recently... switch the right tire to the left and see if the sound transfer.

8 people found this helpful.
230

I have had the exact same problem in my 02 Odyssey. It started happening after I bought new tires. So I rotated the tires and the noise shifted a little bit but now seems to be back at the driver's side of the vehicle. Tried using a spare to isolate the bad tire but to no avail. Other forums seem to indicate maybe a bad bearing but my mechanic said he didn't think so as the noise intensity didn't change while switching lanes. Does anyone know what it could be?

23 people found this helpful.
160

I have the same problem with my 2005 Odyssey Touring. It started more than a couple of years ago. I thought it was just the tires while driving at a higher speed. But it is now intermittent at 2-5 seconds interval. My sister drove the van last week and she noticed the humming/droning sound that comes with a little vibration on the gas pedal and suggested to take it to the shop to check it. But as I read the comments posted on the web, dozens have the same problem and Honda dealers could not even pin point what causes it. My vand has only over 35K miles as I use it for family travel and not for everyday trip.

16 people found this helpful.
120

I have the same problem with my 2008 EXL, however I have just replaced the tires and now the brakes. With each repair, the sound changed and got a little quiter, but it is still their. The hum appears to coinside with the speed of the output shaft adn not the engine. I was worried about a bearing, but all the fits are tight as expected. There is obviously some kind of imbalance in the system somewhere, but it is near impossible to find.

12 people found this helpful.
310

It is the wheel bearing we had the same humming sound in our 2005 honda odyssey EXL once it was replaced it ran like a champ. It also got louder above 40 mph. Hope this will help. My mechanic also said that the bearing was good but when I actually took the bearing out myself I noticed immediately that there was a problem. Also when it was replaced problem fixed without a doubt.

31 people found this helpful.

I bought a honda certified 2012 EXL and i am getting the same sound when driving above 40 MPH, even i took the vehicle to the servicing center after a week even the mechanic didn't find the root cause of the problem so i am wondering it it just the tires or any serious mechanical problems not quite sure what to do?

9 people found this helpful.
70

Mine started after I hit a pothole and blew out two passenger side tires and replaced them with new tires...same tire brand, etc. as the others. Now hear a roaring at 60-75 mph. Now have both tires on rear of car but still hear the noise.

7 people found this helpful.
200

We had the same issue on the rear of an 06 EX-L, it was the wheel bearings. I might add that we have 188,000 miles on our Odyssey and it went quiet once we replaced both rear bearings.

10 people found this helpful.
200

Actually our Honda dealer fixed it by using a stethoscope while rotating the rear tires, they found it that way. It was a bearing but I had both rear bearings replaced. Quiet now.

10 people found this helpful.

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