Honda Passport SUV | Crossover

Honda Passport SUV | Crossover 

DESCRIPTION

The Passport comes standard with a 3.2-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6 with 205 hp and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Choose between the 2 or 4 wheel drive models.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 111-120 of 146  
[May 17, 2000]
Sanjeev

Strength:

Quick acceleration
High ground clearance
Driving Feel

Weakness:

Gas mileage, but its an SUV isn't it?

I paid 25,500 and I like it alot

Similar Products Used:

Range Rover was my previous vehicle and I got rid of it because of expensive repairs. I purchased this truck to carry my dogs and kids.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 24, 2001]
David Sass
Model Reviewed: Honda Passport

Strength:

Good looks

Weakness:

Quality problems all over the place. Bad 4wd shift lever design, electrical problems, rides very rough, lots of road noise, stereo system is below par, etc. etc. etc.

The worst vehicle I have ever owned. To make matters worse - the Honda dealer won't fix anything and has an arrogant attitude. The car has been in so many times for repair I have lost count. I have had electrical problems galore. The 4wd shift lever buzzes and vibrates so bad it drives you nuts. The dealer tells me that this is just normal. The CD changer has been replaced more than 3 times, the doors opened on their own due to multiiple electrical problems, everything rattles.

This is one piece of junk. I can't wait to get rid of it once my lease is up but unfortunately have to live with it for 9 more months.

I will never buy another Honda product as long as I live.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Apr 24, 2001]
Robert
Model Reviewed: EX

Strength:

Looks good. Tires are inexpensive. Haven't had an engine problem.

Weakness:

Terrible gas mileage. Very noisy. Not as nice as s ome other SUVs on the inside. Not a very smooth ride.

I read a lot about this model before I bought it. Consumer reports said it had better than average gas milage. I would hate to see average cause this thing gets no gas mileage. I probably wouldn't buy another SUV at all. My wife wanted this, I wanted here to get a Jeep or just pay less and get one with the Isuzu name on it. We are going to try to trade it in for an Accord or anything doesn't drink gas. Haven't really had a major problem with it other than that.

Similar Products Used:

Jeep Grand Cherokee beats this hands down.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
2
[Apr 22, 2001]
Ed

Strength:

Very good engine. Excellent SUV for this price range.

Weakness:

It's really an Isuzu Rodeo. You get a much better warranty if you purchase an Isuzu (100,000mi) rather than the Honda version (36,000 mi). MAJOR TIRE PROBLEMS CAUSING VERY STRONG PULL TO RIGHT. I am suprised that a company with as good a reputation as Honda would treat me the way they did on a vehicle still under warranty.

Mine is an 1998 with around 25,000 miles. Has performed flawlessly except for the crappy low-end Goodyear tires (Wrangler AP). Everytime tires were rotated, it would pull strongly to the right. It also developed a 'bouncy' ride in the rear. Honda said they did not deal with tires and would do nothing to help resolve the problem. Twice I had to take it to Goodyear to have problem tires replaced, and had to pay for them even thought the car was still under warranty. 22,500 mi service - same thing happened. Honda said another tire was defective (belt problem), but would once again said I would have to take it up with Goodyear. I took it to Goodyear to have the third tire replaced. They could not replace the tire because all tires of that model that was in stock was so lop-sided that they could not balance them. To make a long story short, I convinced Goodyear that the tires are not safe and that I wanted all 4 removed and replaced with Michelins. They agreed with me (suprisingly) and put on some Michelin LTX and it now drives and handles like a new car. If you have Wrangler AP's, good luck.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 20, 2001]
Niki
Model Reviewed: /Honda Passport

Strength:

Seemingly Sound Frame, and Roomy

Weakness:

Rides Rough, Poor Engine Preformance, Very Noisy inside and 4-WD malfuntions frequently.

Problem No. 1) Problems, Problems, Problems!! When I first purchased the vehicle I was sold on a bill of goods that it was the best SUV made yet. It would last forever because of the Honda life expectancy and I would love the versatility of how the seats folded down and so on. In the first few months I noticed a terrible shimmy in the front end. I took it back several times and finally after the third visit the service manager Brett told me the tires had a weird manufacturing defect. The tires apparently were egg shaped and caused this shimmy.
I was first told, I would have to pay for new tires and quite frankly, I had a bit of a hissy fit....NO WAY....I explained that the vehicle wasn’t even a year old and this was not my fault. They found a way to do this under a separate warranty from the tire manufacturer they ordered the new tires. I had to wait about a month and they put the new tires on and I left the lot. It was a very windy day and I couldn't really get a good feel for the new tires so I waited. The next day I did the old "let go of the steering wheel” test going down the interstate running about 65mph and sure enough it pulled to the right terribly, almost into the ditch. I called the dealership again and they said they couldn't understand it. I took it back in a week later and went for a test drive with the service department manager, I ask that he drive. After we drove a little way out into the country I told him to let go of the wheel.....when the car drifted to the right, and then left, he said the road out that way was a little humped in the middle. I told him that was a poor excuse for this vehicles performance. He assured me they would get to the bottom of it, “if there were a problem”. After months of rotating, and shifting tires here and there....I gave up and learned to live with it.
Problem No. 2) Now for the next discovery about my “HONDA” passport. My daughter and I were in Findlay Ohio 2 years after I purchased the Honda Passport beginning of winter. It was a very drizzly day not quite cold enough to snow, but rain had turned to sleet. We ended up losing control of the SUV and sliding into a guardrail going about 10-15mph. (Front Left Bumper area). I happened to be about 1/2 block from a Toyota, Honda Dealership in Findlay and they towed it to the garage to see if it was drivable. They told me that I could drive it home, but to get it into a shop ASAP. (I’ve purchased from them before and they are a great bunch) I took it to 3 different shops for estimates and the one I picked got it in fairly quick. During the time he had it in for body repair, he told me it would take a bit longer because the body parts had to be special ordered. I said why, and he told me that ISUZU parts for the passports were slow to come. I said: "WHAT"? How can that be, it's a Honda. He said didn't the salesman tell you that this is just an ISUZU body and frame parts with a Honda label on it? He then opened the drivers door and said to look at the tiny little sticker inside the hinge area….it read ISUZU! I was furious and made a point to complain that I thought I was buying a Honda and the next time I had it in for full service I spoke to Mr. Bob White Jr. that I couldn’t believe that they don’t tell customers that they are buying a glorified ISUZU RODEO. (I’ve never owned a Rodeo so I am not slamming them) Of course it was a big laugh up at the dealership that day, because I'm a woman and probably everyone knows a Honda Passport is nothing more than a ISUZU Rodeo with a ticket price of about $8,000.00-$11,000.00 U.S. $$$.
Problem No. 3) After owning the Passport for almost 3 years, I noticed one day that when I checked the oil the dipstick did not register any oil. I took it to my fiancé and said something is really strange and explained it to him. He checked it too, and the same thing happened. He told me to call them up and make an appointment to find out what the problem was. I took it immediately to the dealership for service and explained the problem. They knew that I religiously had the Passport serviced on time, and probably were sick of me by now. After they checked it out, they said they couldn't figure out what I was talking about, because it was fine. They tried to tell me that I must not have been doing it correctly. I'm 40 years old and have owned many Toyota and Honda vehicles in my day, but I don't know how to check my oil. What a crock! I ended up taking it back two more times for the same thing, but nothing was ever said that eluded me to believe there was anything seriously wrong.
Four months later we had a new diagnostic shop open up in our hometown and I decided to go in and have someone with an unbiased opinion look at the Passport. Give it a full overhaul and tell me the bitter truth about what they thought. Much to my surprise I then found out that the engine is an ISUZU engine as well. Mr. Mark Tompary of Tormpary's Diagnostic center (30 some years experience) told me that this engine was shot about a year ago, and it needs many things done. The bottom line is about ($4,000.00) or more. Mr. Tompary told me I could drive it for about 2-3 years more and add oil every time I fill up, get the oil changed every 1000 miles and serviced about 10 times a year if I wanted to. He then said but if I were you, I would go up to the dealership give them the keys and tell them it is their problem and walk out. He said either they have incompetent mechanics that don’t know what they are doing, or they didn’t want to deal with your problem.
I have researched the proper avenues for dealing with this and I find that in my manual under customer satisfaction I have options to take. I plan to take advantage of these options which could end up a full pledged court case, but hopefully Honda will stand behind there good performance name and their quality engines and help me in someway become justified. If anyone else has had these similar problems, please email me at charli61@hotmail.com and give me feedback. Thanks a bunch!

Similar Products Used:

This was my first SUV, but not my first Honda. I typically love the Honda preformance and indurance.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Apr 14, 2001]
Shawn Atique

Strength:

Power,comfortable, heavy.

Weakness:

gas milage is high, stereo system not that good. No security alarm installed.

overall its great.Its only a month so don't know a whole lot but so far seems great.

Similar Products Used:

none

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 05, 2001]
Lisa

Strength:

a lot of storage space; not a bouncy ride

Weakness:

EVERYTHING else

NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS! It was in the shop more than 12 times in the first 6 months...boy, was I glad I went with my gut and took the extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. heater core blew and i had antifreeze all over the inside of the car. "Check engine" light came on for about 4 months and the dealer kept turning it off without trying to fix it ("We just re-set the code"). Door locks stick; stereo is below quality; burns oil like crazy (2 quarts low every 3000 miles..the dealer tried to scam me in an oil consumption study-they put too much oil in it and didn't think i'd check it when i got home so i could do my own study. that was the last time they touched my oil!) Airbag light flashes randomly, so i don't know if it's going to deploy while i'm driving or if it's not going to deploy if i'm hit. Car is currently in the shop for the ABS light...naturally, it needed a part, but the dealer didn't fix it until they turned off the light and re-set the code.
This is without a doubt the biggest mistake i've ever made! If i'd known when i bought it that it was an Isuzu Rodeo, i never would have taken it. My faith in the Honda name has been decimated and will never buy a product from them again. When they saw me coming, they got out the super size jar of Vaseline! I hope it blows up soon....
Avoid this product at all costs..unless you like taking your car to the shop once a month(minimum). Let's not forget that it has a poor safety rating. Unless you're planning to pull a "Thelma & Louise" and drive it off a cliff, don't waste your time or money...learn from my mistake!

Similar Products Used:

94 Toyota 4Runner, 92 Acura Integra, 90 Ford T-Bird, 97 Chevy Truck

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Apr 04, 2001]
Tom Hartshorn
Model Reviewed: 95.5

Strength:

4X4 - Great engine performance!
Very Durable!!

Weakness:

Starting engine (sometimes)
Gas Mileage
Tailgate doesnt close properly

Coming from a hot damp climate to the frick'n artic realm (MN) I have to say my passport has held up like a champ in the transition. 4x4 comes in handy with 6ft of snow in your way. This SUV was made for the snowy weather. Heated side mirrors melt away all the ice. Brakes and shocks are starting to go, but I have 85K mileage now so I guess that is expected. It helps to make sure you are proactive in services to avoid any problems. Timing belt change is a big one on Honda's. ( Fathers CRX bent some rods when his timing belt broke )**Always has problems starting..service cant find a problem as usual **Gas mileage (gas prices compound that problem)!! **Tailgate has not worked properly since I bought it..Serviced 3 times and still not working. (you have to slam the glass down to point of almost breaking the glass in order to get the tailgate glass to lock. I hate that! **Grinding sound in the engine that has always been there and of course service cant find a problem. **Chrome bumper is rusting along with grill guard, but with all the salt on the roads I guess it is also expected. The snowy states are hard on vehicles in general.

Similar Products Used:

Chevrolet IROC-Z (1988)and Chevrolet Z28 (1993)- Similar in gas milage lacks in performance and speed..haha! Tires are a heck of a lot cheaper!

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 07, 2001]
William Johnson
Model Reviewed: Passport

Strength:

Sharp looking, roomy, great in snow

Weakness:

Gas hog, transmission trouble, poor service

We've had our 97 Honda for 3 years, didn't have a problem until the warranty ran out, the tranny light keep coming on so we took it to the dealership to have it serviced. They told us they can't find a problem, they reset the system and it was ok for about 1 month, light came on again, same deal, the third time they called Honda, they couldn't identify the problem but suggested we replace the tranny for $5,000, but could not gaurantee it would solve the problem. We decided not to have it fixed, since it was so costly and there was no gaurantee it would fix the problem. We complained to Honda they listened but offered no help. So at this point we would not recommend a 97 Passport and we will never buy a Honda again. We thought they would stand behind there product, but we were wrong!

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jul 21, 2000]
Lance

Strength:

It'a a SUV and does good offroad. It has honda quality. It gets good gas milage.

Weakness:

It has low ground clearance. IT IS NOT A SAFE VEHICLE!!!! It has a lot of road noice. Doesn't pass government crash test standerds.

I paid $27,984 for mine and it is NOT WORTH IT WITH A V6. I wrecked mine
going 75mph into a bridge and it rolled 4 times and I wore a Kneck brace
for 4 months and was in wheel chair for 2 weeks. It buckled the frame severly, all the passenger were injured and one killed

Similar Products Used:

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited is a lot nicer, more power, more back seat
room, and better clearance.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
Showing 111-120 of 146  

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