1,849 of the
17,040 complaints filed about the Honda Odyssey
are about the electrical system —
11% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2018.
A warning for Power Tailgate Problem keeps coming up. It tried to open multiple times while driving, beeping at us. It wouldn’t open with the buttons at all. We had to manually open and close it. This makes the second time it’s done it. And it always has to do when it rains. Honda knows this is a well known issue with their odyssey’s and it needs recalled. The dealership wants us to pay for a well known issue. We had a friend with the same year odyssey and the same thing happened but their tailgate completely opened a few times while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11758966 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I'm filing a formal safety complaint regarding my 2019 Honda Odyssey, VIN [XXX], & requesting an engineering-level review by American Honda. I've brought this vehicle to an authorized Honda dealer numerous times for recurring & increasingly serious electrical, engine/power-loss, & transmission problems. Despite thousands of dollars in repairs, the problems continue. The vehicle has unexpectedly shut off/lost power; the power sliding doors have failed & required manual opening; low-battery warnings have appeared; & the radio/infotainment system repeatedly loses power and resets. I have photographs showing the message: “Anti Theft System–This system has lost power.” More seriously, the vehicle has malfunctioned in Park, Reverse, while shifting into Drive, & while turning. Most recently, the transmission would not engage properly and the vehicle had to be shut off and restarted multiple times before it would go into Drive. Delray Honda documented this transmission failure/no-drive incident on its August 2026 repair order. In May 2026, I brought the vehicle to Delray Honda for a Check Engine Management System warning. Repairs were performed, but the warning returned within days. Delray Honda then replaced the power distribution module, costing me approximately $2,000. I've spent thousands more dollars addressing these recurring problems without resolution. I understand Honda/NHTSA Recall 19V-299 involved certain 2018–2019 Odysseys and a loss of power to the Transmission Control Unit. My Odyssey appears to have been manufactured around the time of those Hondas that were covered by that recall. I'm not claiming without diagnosis that the defect is identical, but the similarity of the symptoms warrants an urgent investigation. I request that Honda open a formal safety case, review my complete service history, DTCs and TCM/PCM data, determine whether my vehicle has the same or a related defect, and review my prior repair costs for reimbursement. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
NHTSA complaint #11758453 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The engine fails to restart on its own after the Auto Idle Stop (auto start/stop) system shuts it off at a stop. When this occurs the vehicle is left without power and I must shift to Park and restart the engine manually with the ignition button. This has happened while I was stopped at an intersection in traffic, leaving the vehicle disabled in a live lane until I could restart it. This is a serious safety hazard — the vehicle cannot move when traffic begins to move, and it cannot be moved out of the path of cross traffic. Honda's service campaign remedy for this condition (PGM-FI software update) was performed on my vehicle in March 2025. The failure recurred after that repair and has continued for approximately nine months. On [XXX] I returned to the selling dealer (Bob Rohrman Honda, Lafayette, Indiana, RO #[XXX]) and was charged $170 for diagnosis. The technician road-tested the vehicle, performed a battery test, and reported that the system was operating correctly with "no problem found." No cause was identified and the condition was not corrected. The failure has continued to occur since that visit. My vehicle is within the scope of NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA25004. I am filing this report because my vehicle demonstrates the specific pattern cited in that investigation: the failure persisting after the manufacturer's service campaign repair was completed. My family, including a teenage driver, operates this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11758668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While waiting at a stop light, the engine turned off and the vehicle forced itself into park. Taking my foot off the brake, had no effect. I was not able to put the vehicle back into drive. I had to shut off the engine and restart it in order to drive again. Of note, the AC and carplay were running at the time of the engine failure. No warning lights appeared. Cars behind me were honking at me. I have an appointment scheduled with the dealership to assess the auto-idle function.
NHTSA complaint #11758648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle turns off unexpectantly at red lights/intersections when auto idle engages and will not restart automatically. It takes 1 to 2 minutes for the vehicle to restart. There is no predicting when the issue occurs. Causes vehicle to be immobile in busy and congested intersections which results in safety issues to us and oncoming traffic. There is a potential for a head on or T-bone collision when this happens. We've had starter replaced before at 22,000 miles and now we have to do it again at 36,000 miles. The Honda dealer said he sees this issue twice a week so we aren't the only ones. To my knowledge, Honda has yet to come out with a permanent repair.
NHTSA complaint #11757915 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At a stop light and in traffic several times the vehicle has failed to restart when stopping for the idle start/stop. The vehicle will not immediately restart and takes several minutes, leaving me idle in the middle of traffic. The vehicle has been to the dealership several times for repair however I'm still experiencing this issue. This is a serious safety concern for my family.
NHTSA complaint #11757590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seems like due to the auto idle, it makes the engine idle so low that it dies- my car died in middle of the road- the first time, I had it jumped, and mechanic said it was a fluke, second time, despite the testing not showing any issue, he said we can try to replace the battery, so we did, but 6 weeks later my car died, and it took 5 attempts to get it to restart with the external battery pack! each time there was NO issue with the electrical system- my A/C was running fine, the whole dashboard showed up fine. Seems like according to a class action suit in california this is an issue Honda KNEW about! People now know to press the Auto-off button so the car does not auto idle- but this needs to be done EACH time, or you will end up KILLING your engine! How is this allowed to be sold?? I was stuck in MIDDLE of a busy street with my DAUGHTER in the car!!!!
NHTSA complaint #11757567 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was at the red light and the car wouldn't come out of idle. The battery light came on and the i tried to turn the car off and it just keeps cycling. I had to open the door for the car to cut off and then restart the car. This is the 3rd time this has happened and almost resulted in me and my children being hit.
NHTSA complaint #11757371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While stopped at a red light or intersection, the vehicle's Auto Idle Stop feature engages and shuts off the engine as designed. However, on multiple occasions, the engine has failed to automatically restart when the brake pedal is released. The vehicle remains stalled and unresponsive in the middle of the intersection or traffic lane, creating a safety risk to myself and other drivers, particularly at busy intersections. In some instances, the vehicle needed to be fully powered off and restarted before it would move again. This is a known and widely reported defect affecting Honda and Acura vehicles with the Auto Idle Stop system, currently under NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA25004. The problem has occurred repeatedly and unpredictably, with no consistent warning beforehand. The vehicle and its Auto Idle Stop system are available for inspection upon request. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer, though I intend to bring it in for diagnosis. There were no warning lamps or messages before the failures occurred; the only symptom was the engine simply not restarting after an automatic idle stop.
NHTSA complaint #11757543 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After driving the vehicle and stoppping for gas or to run a quick errand the van sometimes will not start, or gives difficulty starting. Slow to crank or turn over, sometimes has to be started multiple times before it will restart. It happens after the motor has been running. It never has issues first thing or the first time turning the car on for the day. The issues come once the motor has been run. -took the vehicle in to Honda dealer on 6/8/26 they recharged the battery. -7/9/26 took van into Honda dealer they replaced the battery. 8/15/26 van still having issues starting once engine warm. Dealership said starter is failing and replaced the starter.
NHTSA complaint #11757306 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2018 Honda Odyssey Elite I am reporting an unresolved issue stemming from a failed recall remedy for NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-431 (Honda TSB 20-049) regarding the MOST bus fiber-optic network. My vehicle has been taken to an authorized Honda dealership twice to receive the official recall repair (replacing the FAKRA network connectors). Despite these two repair attempts, the network defect continues to escalate.The vehicle experiences sudden, violent, and near-constant loud popping and clicking noises through the audio speakers while driving. This occurs both at random and predictably when driving over bumps. Following the increase in these network pops, the vehicle's Blu-ray player completely failed and stopped working. Furthermore, the central infotainment screen frequently freezes, reboots, and displays an "Audio Connection Lost" error message, which also cuts out the FM radio tuner entirely.Crucially, this fiber-optic network failure recently caused a total loss of the digital instrument cluster and speedometer while driving. While this complete cluster blackout has only occurred one time so far, it presents an unpredictable and dangerous safety hazard, as I am left with no knowledge of my current speed or critical vehicle safety alerts while in motion.The manufacturer’s standard recall remedy of swapping plastic connector clips is ineffective for my vehicle. The recurring failures after two repairs indicate a permanently compromised factory wiring harness or a damaged network module that is continuously dropping the signal. The manufacturer needs to authorize a thorough diagnostic and full harness/module replacement to permanently resolve this safety defect before the instrument cluster fails again.
NHTSA complaint #11757122 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Early in a driving session, the accelerator pedal, when applied pressure, will not rev the engine and provide power to the wheels for 1-3 seconds. This issue happens once or twice in a driving session and then doesn't do it again until a future driving session. It is random and doesn't happen every session. This issue causes me to have concerns entering traffic, particularly left turns, as I am unsure if the vehicle will accelerate when needed to safely enter traffic. I have had Service Bulletin 19-124 completed on my vehicle and it did not fix the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11757174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sometimes the engine wouldn't start. Sometimes the engine would be slow to start. Checked battery and nothing wrong with it. Took it to Honda and asked to look into common starter problem. They did say the starter was faulty and replaced it.
NHTSA complaint #11757128 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When coming to a complete atop, the engine switches off (the idle stop function), which is ok, but when I release the brake the engine often fails to restart. I’ve replaced the battery but this appears to be a common problem. It’s been happening more now at the end of summer when it’s hot for some reason. I was told there is a similar investigation open: EA25004
NHTSA complaint #11757074 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
power tailgate stopped responding to all inputs (button, remote, driver switch), dash displayed a "liftgate power failure" message, manual latch still functions. fuses are good, connectors looked clean, and the boot is intact, points to module failure
NHTSA complaint #11756834 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The speakers make a popping and crackling noise that is repeated, in a mid tone - high tone - low tone noise pattern, when the radio is on or off. It begins when the engine is turned on. It also occurs in standby/engine is not on/radio is on mode or in standby/engine is not on/radio is not on. The popping/crackling occurs whether the radio is on or not, and the radio can be heard along with the popping and crackling noise. I am guessing it is similar to the recall 23V-431, but this van VIN number does not have any recalls associated with it yet. Restarting the radio, resetting the radio, etc does not alleviate the issue. Also, the cabin camera is not working, says "problem with camera" and displays "loading" with the moving circular icon. The display remains dark for the cabin camera, and rear entertainment screen is also not accessible. Cannot recall any large bumps in the road, no collisions with anything. If the design of the cables has not changed, then the recall needs to cover all VINS manufactured with the same wire assemblies and procedures, including all future VINS, as this problem is clearly repeatable. The customer should not bear the burden to fix an issue that has been deemed an issue in prior year models, with no changes to the design or assembly procedure to the related components.
NHTSA complaint #11756836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle with 37k miles. When the idle stop feature is activated at a stop, it causes the vehicle to stall requiring a restart. The starter occasionally does not work as well. Starter and battery was replaced at 12k and the issue has resurfaced. This poses a significant safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11756666 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My van has an auto-stop feature that shuts the engine off at stop lights. This feature will now occasionally shut the car off, but then fail to restart it. We have stalled out at intersections with the van not restarting for up to a full minute. This is incredibly dangerous and needs to be addressed immediately
NHTSA complaint #11756849 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.