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Auto Transmission Slips/Computer Upgrade

4627 Views 22 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  hotrodder
Hey all. I'm new here. This is my first thread and I need some help. Any replies are greatly appreciated.

The car is a 07 Element SC. It is my sister's car. I chose it for her and she liked it. Well just last week, she got a letter for the brake recall so she took the car in to Honda for the repair. I guess they fixed what needed to be done with the brakes. When she picked up the car, the tech said that they also updated the computer because there was an update. Not sure what is meant by computer. That's all the tech said to my sister. Does anyone know anything about a computer update? I figure ECU maybe. Well anyways after my sister picked up the car, it would not shift into 2nd gear. The motor will just rev up and the car won't go anymore. It drove perfect before that. She went back to Honda and the tech said that it was probably something she did before like jump starting the car that messed up the computer. What are your thoughts? I'm driving 2 1/2 hours to check out the car with my sister at Honda. If they say she did it, I'm gonna give the tech some shiiet.
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Thats CRAZY! I hadnt heard of a jump start jacking anybodys ECU up! Sounds like the tech is trying to pull one over on ya to me. Just my opinion.
No one but you has reported any kind of ECU update. Something smells fishy...
There is more than one person here on the forum that works for Honda as
a tech. I'm sure they will chime in. They usually let us know ahead of time
if there is some kind of update or problem. Several people on this site have
had the recall done (myself included), and no mention of any kind of ECU or
computer update. I hope the techs chime in, I'm curious as to what they did
to your sisters E!!!

Good luck, and keep us posted.
They certainly did a test drive after working on the brake system. They didn't notice it not shifting? Something smells fishy about this dealership. Take it back and do some foot stomping with the dealership's general manager.
sounds like a scam,the tech might of screwed something up & is trying to cover his butt,. kinda sounds like the dealer hear in fort walton beach.do not pay them for any thing,they need to fix it & stand behind the repair for at least 100000 miles, if a trand ges befor that it has a problem.good luck, contact the bbb.file a complaint.make sure everything is in the service records.
There is a software update for all 2007-2008's...But it should not affect shifting. But i could be wrong.
If the update steps are not followed exactly damage can occur to the ECM.




MIL COMES ON WITH DTCS P0111 AND P2183
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]On some 2007-08 Elements, the MIL may come ON with DTC P0111 (intake air temperature [IAT] sensor circuit range/performance problem) and DTC P2183 (engine coolant temperature [ECT] sensor [sensor 2] circuit range/performance problem). The most probable cause is when a vehicle is parked in direct sunlight, the underhood air temperature can rise faster than the engine coolant temperature. This could create a higher than normal voltage difference between the IAT and ECT sensors, causing the PCM to store DTCs P0111 and P2183. To correct the problem, follow the repair procedure below to update the PGM-FI software. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]APPLIES TO: [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]2007-08 Element …..….……[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]ALL [/FONT][/FONT]​
I'll let you guys know how it goes tommorrow. This Honda dealer is in the San Jose, CA area.
sorry to hear, but want to welcome you and your sister to the bayarea chapter. SFhonda is pretty good in service. palo alto anderson is good in parts.
trix..i know your very pissed,,but when you go tomorrow try to keep a cool head,,and stay calm,,your not going to get anywhere if you start yelling and screaming,,,please keep us posted and good luck..
trix..i know your very pissed,,but when you go tomorrow try to keep a cool head,,and stay calm,,your not going to get anywhere if you start yelling and screaming,,,please keep us posted and good luck..
Sadly, many car dealerships have confirmed the average customer to be weak minded and easily handled. If one has patience, one can play the timely back and forth game while escalating the subject. Dealerships hate irate customers in their showroom and would rather please them quickly to get rid of them. Plus, the general manager often doesn't know what problems are going on in the service dept and needs to know.

Think of it as doing them a favor. :grin: :lol:
What is the warranty on these cars? It's an 07 Element SC. It's got 60,900 miles. Doesn't warranty go up to 70,000 miles.

Well I'm here in San Jo and test drove the car. When it tries to go into second, the gear won't pick up and the engine will rev. If you don't let the rev come back down soon, it'll go into some gear and kick real hard. I don't think that's to good on the tranny. Can this be a computer controlled problem or is it the tranny gone bad? I changed out the atf. It didn't look to bad. I put in Honda atf. Didn't do the trick. Still did the same thing. I was looking around to see if anything was disconnected like sensors but didn't find anything.
What is the warranty on these cars? It's an 07 Element SC. It's got 60,900 miles. Doesn't warranty go up to 70,000 miles.

Well I'm here in San Jo and test drove the car. When it tries to go into second, the gear won't pick up and the engine will rev. If you don't let the rev come back down soon, it'll go into some gear and kick real hard. I don't think that's to good on the tranny. Can this be a computer controlled problem or is it the tranny gone bad? I changed out the atf. It didn't look to bad. I put in Honda atf. Didn't do the trick. Still did the same thing. I was looking around to see if anything was disconnected like sensors but didn't find anything.

Unless you bought an extended warranty the factory powertrain warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles....Which ever comes first.
Will the car throw a code for this problem?
Will the car throw a code for this problem?
It should throw a code.
The computer could be doing something goofy, but hard to say.
Do any of the lights on the dash go crazy or light up when it slips?
How long has your sister had the car?

Keep us posted.
Check for a disconected or leaking vacum hose. Then reset the ecu by disconnecting the battery for at least 20 min. JMO
I didn't find anything disconnected. Couldn't figure anything out, but I have good news. Sister went to the dealer and spoke to the manager. She told him it started happending after she brung it in. He says factory warranty is over after 60K. The E has 60,900. He says the tranny shouldn't go bad around 60K so he will use the warranty to repair her E even though it's already past 60K. At no cost. So hopefully no cost means no cost. That was very honorable of him. Sister said it was a tech that was givin her crap. This is Hopkins Honda in San Jose. He said the tranny should be finished by Thursay.
No info on the computer upgrade but I guess someone in here was saying there was a computer upgrade for some kind of check light issue.
I know this comment wont really help now but this is exactly why I dont go to the dealer for anything but parts. I dont let them touch my cars or do their "free XX point inspections". I had a 2000 Honda insight and the glove box would fall open when you hit a bump. Thinking that would be covered on warrenty I took it to the dealer. After they fixed it for $60 I magicly had a strage problem when driveing at a constant speed. I found out that my EGR valve needed to be replaced when the car was perfect before I took it in. The dealer wanted a ton of money in parts and labor so I just bought the part and took it to a local shop. The local guy dident even charge me to put it in because as he said "it just pluged in like a video game". Im pretty sure that the dealer took out my EGR valve and put in a bad one so I will never trust a dealer again. If I had a recal or something like that I'd rather just do the work myself or just go without. A lot of local small shops have honest people but its always a guessing game.
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