Fixing a Honda Odyssey Automatic Sliding Door

Posted by Michael
 
Posted on January 17, 2007
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I’m going a bit away from my usual tech talk on this one but still, it points to how truly information packed, the Internet is. We had a deep freeze last night, rain and then below freezing temperatures. Most of the Country is experiencing that now…but here in California, it is a bit rare to go below freezing (especially in my area). Anyway, as my wife was trying to get the kids off to school, she discovered that our 2001 Honda Odyssey (the “mommy mobile”) power sliding doors decided not to work anymore. The “door” light was lit, indicating an error of some sort.

Armed once again with the power of Google (as well as “unrelatedly” telling my kids that on the Internet, “you can find out anything about anything”), I searched for “2001 honda odyssey doors won’t open” and the first hit had the answer. Here is what fixed it, and I will quote (with a little editing):

1.) Disable the power door switch on the left dashboard.
2.) Remove fuse #13 for 30 seconds or more from the passenger side fusebox. This will reset the door and the clock. Fuse box is located under the front passenger leg area.
3.) Manually open and close both sliding doors.
4.) Restore the power door fuses located under the front passenger leg area.
5.) Enable the power door switch on the left dashboard.
6.) Try opening the sliding doors.

I must admit that I did skip step #3 (which I think is just there for you to do something while you wait the 30 seconds. Anyway it works flawlessly! I probably saved myself a couple hundred $$$ at the dealer for a “diagnostics.” But more importantly, I saved my wife a lot of inconvenience and got the school drop-off routine back to norm.

For those interested, the thread where I found the fix is here.

If this tip saved you some money, I would really appreciate a minor donation to offset some of my hosting expenses. Thanks!

HTD says: There is always a fix out there, you just have to find it and share it with others!

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  • matchless
    Worked like a charm. On my 2001 odyssey it is fuse #12 (Automatic door locks). Thanks!
  • alocke1
    I cannot freaking believe this worked. 5 months no power passenger door. 2 seconds on the internet and fixed. little confusing on fuse location. label is confusing. took out wrong fuses initially. take out top clock fuse first. 4th in from feet or seat-same on bottom. 12:17pm. couldn't wait until tomorrow. I am so excited. ps I love Lynne
  • savanahdanielle85
    Worked like a charm!! Thank you so much!
  • savanahdanielle85
    Worked like a charm! My 2001 Honda Odyssey's sliding door hasn't worked all winter..since the first ice storm. Thank You so much!!!!
  • rdtrew
    Had my doubts about something you read on the internet but this work and saved me $500 plus for my 2000 honda Odyssey
  • Glad that it worked! (Don't forget that little "donate" button - shameless plug). But actually, a lot of fixits you find on the net actually do work!
  • Pat Smith
    My 2001 Odyssey with 145,000 miles on it had the door buzzing problem. If I hit close on the driver side door to the left of the steering wheel, it stopped temporarily. Changing the fuse worked. Changing the fuse to the wing windows that would sometimes not close also worked.
  • Thanks for the feedback. It's amazing that something as inexpensive as a fuse can fix these types of problems.
  • Tim Smith
    I just had the same experience and success. Thank you so much for the tip! My door stop working after trying to open it after a deep freeze and icing over. I took it to the local Honda dealer and the service department charged me $42 to tell me I needed a new sliding door motor. The cost would have been over $800!
  • Thanks Tim for the comment. It's amazing how much Honda would charge for something that is pretty easy to fix on your own. I have decided to add a "Donate" button to this post for those people who saved money through this solution. It's obviously not a requirement but does help me handle some of my costs.
  • P. Andrews
    This was great and worked like a charm, Thank you!
  • Amy
    Thank you so much for this tip !!!! It worked and saved me alot of money !
  • gbn
    This stuff actually works. Thanks for the step by step instructions. Very appreciative of the tip. It saved us a few bucks.
  • MA
    I have a 2007 Odyssey and was having trouble finding the right fuse. Disconnected the battery instead and it worked. Make sure you have the radio code.
  • topher55
    Just did it. and it worked!!! Great tip and thanks so much...love to save the repair bill money for Christmas presents!!!
  • Miguel
    Wow, this was a gem to find!! This morning after struggling with opening the door manually and making a few calls to the Honda Service department I decided to give this a whirl and I too skipped step #3 it as a bunch of other people have mentioned, it works great!!!

    Thanks for sharing this with the rest of us!
  • shloveru007
    Dear my friend your defiantly the best you know your staff man .I was out my 1 sliding door for wily thank you i did what you wrote on it you finally save lots my money i tell you.I really thank you!!!!!!!!!!
  • allanalpine
    I have a 2003 and I had to remove the 7.5 amp clock fuse for it to work. Thanks!!!!!
  • Susan
    THANK YOU so very much for saving us the headache, time and money associated with taking the van to the dealer....just Googled this problem and there was your remedy. It worked, needless to say. Thanks for taking the time to share this with everyone---you are a good Samaritan!
  • Julie
    Our mechanic quoted my husband $900.00 to fix this problem on our 2002 Odyssey. We didn't think this tip would work since our doors worked, but the problem was that they just would get to almost closed and then open back up again- a problem which has been getting progressively worse. We just got in from going through these simple steps and guess what? Our doors work perfectly now! Yay!
  • tekeni111
    I have an 2005 Odyssey and the passenger slider would close, latch and 3 seconds later unlatch and slightly open. I read these and though they were for a 2000 and 2001, I tried removing my fuse (#3) in the under the hood compartment, left it out for a while and replaced it, and it worked.
    This seemed to happen after a passenger who was unfamiliar with the door tried to pull it open instead of just pulling the handle.
  • Damn I love the internet. This quick fix worked for me too. My passenger door on my 2000 Odyssey hasn't worked for 2 months. The dash light showed it was open and I had to turn the automatic door power on the dash 'off' while driving otherwise it would constantly alarm. Thanks so much!!!!
  • Bridget
    THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS INFORMATION! I READ THIS YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, WENT HOME AND TRIED IT AND AFTER ALMOST 2 YEARS OF MY PASSENGER DOOR NOT WORKING...IT DOES NOW!!
  • My door had stopped working due to a broken gas door sensor. http://dumbassdesigns.com/2009/07/10/the-van-door/
  • al
    i did try it but , do not worked on my 2000 odyssey, does anyone know why?
  • Marcel
    NICE fix! I have a 2002 Odyssey and only one door would not open/close via the power button. I found this thread and now all is well!:) One funny issue though ... I removed the power door fuse (a 20 amp fuse) only to discover the one good door still worked. After removing all the fuses on the top row, the one good door no longer worked which told me I hit the right fuse. I slowly connect each fuse one at a time and eventually discovered the power doors are connected to a 7.5 amp fuse (I do not recall for what though - clock?). Nonetheless, both doors are now working - THANKS!:)
  • Joel Taylor
    Amazing!!! I have a 2000 Odessy. I sware I spent a couple of hundred dollars on that repair a couple of years ago. I just reset both doors and they work great. You are amazing and so is the internet. I love being alive right now. Especially with my doors working and my kids able to get in and out the way they were meant to in this vehicle.
  • Glad that it worked! Yes, I was amazed when I found that forum post (I
    must admit, I can't take any credit for this "fix). I just wanted to
    be sure that people know how to do it and share this information (and
    save some $$$ in the process).
  • Happy Chappy
    Just tried all this to no avail. Found the answer to my problems here http://www.fixya.com/cars/t956567-sliding_door_...

    turns out the door will lock itself if the fuel cap isn't closed correctly. Genius.
  • Ah yes, this is a built in safety feature of the Odyssey to prevent the door from opening when you are fueling the van. Makes a lot of sense actually.
  • cobraman
    Awesome fix. Just fixed mine from Illinois after kids playing stopped the door. Thank you for saving me money.
  • DEF
    I found this out independantly on my own - I was just checking the fuses by removing them (I have a factory shop manual) I remember removing the clock fuse and heard a click. After I was done the inoperable door worked fine. So it saved me a great deal of money at the 'stealer' who would have replaced parts without fixing the problem.
  • Jan
    My door has been broke for two weeks since taking a trip to Idaho in a blizzard. Thank you so much for saving us $$. Today, you are my good samaritan.
  • I'm glad it worked for you! Now if I could just figure out a trick to make my car new again!
  • John in Minnesota
    Thanks for the info. In defense of our dealer they gave us this information over the phone when it happened a few years ago but this time I needed the fix on a Saturday night and it was too late to call them.
    We have a 2000 Odyssey. My wife remembered the fix involved pulling a fuse but apparently she didn't leave it out long enough or the fix involves two fuses. They are numbered differently in a 2000. I pulled # 5 and # 13. One is 7.5 amp (clock and backup lights) the other is 20 amp (door closer). I pulled both, waited 30 sec and reinstalled. Works great.
  • Mike I have a 2008 Odyssey. I have tried your solution with out success i have also found that there is an additional fuse on the drivers side. I repleted your solution on it as well with no help. do you have any other ideas.
  • Hmm, that is a tough one. So that is what the owners manual fuse schematic said? That there were two fuses? If so, and I have no guarantee that this will work, you could try taking them both out at the same time. I believe the point is to completely reset that circuit. Try that out. Worst case, you could try disconnecting the battery, but that will mean that you will need to reset your radio security code (among other things) and there is no guarantee that will work.


    Let me know what you end up trying.


    -HTD
  • Mia Mia
    Thanks for the tip guys. I fixed too. I saved $80 bugs that the Honda delar was going to charge for diagozing this problem. I just did myself and fixed it.
  • Les,


    I have an older Odyssey. I'm wondering if the fuse arrangements are different in the newer ones. You might want to check your manual to see the fuse locations. I'm sure that they changed some things around.


    Try that before you go to the dealer...dealers cost a lot!


    -HTD
  • Les
    Mike I tried on my 2008 odyssey touring but did not work...still get "check left side sliding door". I took the fuse out & checked it. It looked ok. well at least by flashlight. I even tried to swap the next 20 amp fuse out & put it in to slot #13 but it still didn't work. I guess to the dealer....thanks anyway....
  • Skyriader86
    Mike, I was a bit uncertain about trying this (feeling that I might have fallen prey to being duped), so I did it late at night when everyone was asleep! I cannot tell you how thankful I was when I tried the driver's side door which has been in the "do not use" state for well over a month and it worked! I like to follow all instructions, so I added the step of opening both doors in case I was the owner of the ONE HONDA that needed that step. I cannot imagine what the dealer would have charged me; and now the wife thinks I brilliant (ok, at least not STUPID)..

    THANKS SO MUCH
  • I'm so glad I made you the family hero (grin)! Yeah, I was amazed how easy the fix actually was. Glad it worked!


    -HTD
  • Thanks a lot Michael for posting the detailed steps. It worked great like magic for me on Honda Odyssey 2000
  • ARP
    It worked! Thanks! You just saved me $$ and time.
  • @ARP,


    Glad that it worked! I have used it twice now on my Odyssey. Be sure to spread the word.


    Thanks,
    -HTD
  • Glad that it worked. It has saved lots of people some time and money! Wish that Honda was a bit more forward about providing solutions like this!


    Thanks for the additional info.


    -HTD
  • chris
    Just fixed my passenger side door with this method, the driver side had been working fine. Thank you!!
  • I mean if you skipped step 3 like mike did. I already had my door open.
  • Worked Thanks.
    Step 5B (mentioned in owner's manual) Press and hold the door close button to trigger the locking mechanism and reset the motor position.
    You can probably skip this step if you skipped step 5.
  • Mamma Minivan
    Thank you for the tip. It saved me soooo much money!!
  • Kevin Nordyke
    You are a genius! From everyone else's comments, it sounds like this has something to do with the cold. It has been below freezing here in Portland, OR for a week and a half now. Last night one of the sliding doors all of a sudden quit working. Your tip worked PERFECTLY! Thank you so much. Who knows how much time and headache this would have caused me?
  • Jack Mcc
    This post saved me a lot of time, money, and aggravation on Christmas Eve. I was in Christmas Eve service when my doors froze up and stopped working. This tip got them working on Christmas Day. Thanks a ton!
  • @ Akinjide,

    Thanks for the comment and I'm glad it worked! I actually had to use the method again as well just a few weeks ago. Good thing I had my own blog post to refer to!
    Please DIGG this post if you can.
    Thanks,
    HTD
  • Akinjide
    Mike,

    I just repaired my sliding doors out in the freezing cold tonight in NY. I am estatic. This trick really works.

    THANKS

    Akin
  • dennis
    I took my 2001 Odessey to two mechanics neither of which could fix my automatic door. One was going to remove the door and drop the ceiling curtain to check wiring! I fixed my door with this tip!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!
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