990 of the
17,040 complaints filed about the Honda Odyssey
are about the other systems —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2018.
I was stopped at a stoplight. The car has idle stop so the engine turns off at the light. When I tried to go the car went into park. I could not get it back in drive and had to turn the car off then back on. Meanwhile I am stuck in the middle of the road with traffic. This has happened several times before.
NHTSA complaint #11758869 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
5 times since July 2026 the vehicle 2025 Honda Odyssey fills with the smell of gas. The smell fills the entire garage. After the 4th incident, it was brought to the dealership on 8/18/2026, however they were unable to reproduce the issue smell. They stated the EVAP system was function and at the time there were no obvious leaks. Despite it being a known issue, there are no recall or repairs per the dealership. They stated that Honda is apparently aware and are "investigating." The smell recurred today and was immediately brought to the dealership since the problems was not reproduced when previously in their possession. It was noted by multiple staff member but since there is no known fix, there was nothing the dealership could do. They are aware of several other Honda Odysseys with this issue in the same area. I was instructed not to park the vehicle in the garage which makes me concerned for mine and my family's safety. The smell can be very overwhelming and makes me lightheaded.
NHTSA complaint #11758800 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving our 2025 Honda Odyssey, my wife came to a complete stop at a red traffic light. The vehicle’s Auto Idle Stop feature was enabled, as it is by default each time the vehicle is started. When the light turned green and she attempted to accelerate, the vehicle would not move. The engine appeared to be running/revving when she pressed the accelerator, but the vehicle remained stationary as though the brake was still engaged. A message appeared on the instrument panel instructing her to depress the brake pedal and press the start/stop button. Initially, we believed the electronic parking brake might have been engaged, so she attempted to disengage it, but this did not resolve the problem. She was stuck in an active traffic lane at an intersection and unable to move the vehicle, creating a significant safety concern. Another person advised her to completely turn the vehicle off, wait approximately 10 seconds, and restart it. After doing so, the vehicle operated normally again. After this incident, I learned that NHTSA is already investigating Auto Idle Stop/no-restart complaints involving Honda vehicles, including 2025 Honda Odysseys, under Engineering Analysis EA25-004. I also learned that Honda has previously communicated with dealers regarding Auto Idle Stop no-restart incidents involving 2023–2025 Odysseys. This was an extremely concerning failure because the vehicle unexpectedly became immobilized at a traffic light and could not be driven until it was shut down and restarted. I am concerned that this could happen again in a much more dangerous situation. I am submitting this complaint so that this incident is documented as part of NHTSA’s investigation and to request that NHTSA determine whether a safety recall or other corrective action is necessary.
NHTSA complaint #11758552 — 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.
After stopping the car in a left turn lane in the intersection, the car engine, dash board and infotainment system shut down. No warnings or other items appeared, the car died. After scrambling since it put traffic to a standstill, I shifter to park and returned on the car. Which worked and allowed me to continue. This happened again 1 week later while at a red light.
NHTSA complaint #11758148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Auto Idle Stop mode has caused my car to stall out at least 10 times since I bought the vehicle in August 2024. Each time it has occurred, it has taken me several minutes to restart the car. I’ve bought my vehicle to Hilton Head Honda in Bluffton, SC two times to have them inspect the vehicle. The only thing they have done is replaced the battery which has not solved the problem.
NHTSA complaint #11758238 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Starter issue both during idle start/stop mode and going from off to on. Owned for about 20mos and happened first maybe 6mos ago and has happened a dozen times since then. So dangerous! We have had idle start freeze at a green light and are worried we’ll get hit. Sister in law has the same problem with hers. This needs to be fixed immediately!
NHTSA complaint #11757592 — 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.
I have contacted HONDA dealership regarding this recall, however they inform that there is no replacement part available all across the nation and no ETA for new part become available. So I would like to report to NHTSA and file a complaint. Thanks.
NHTSA complaint #11757225 — 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.
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.
My 2023 Honda Odyssey (only 2.5 years old with 60,000 miles) recently had a complete tailgate failure. The dealership diagnosed the issue as a failed roof seal. This factory seal failure allowed water to leak inside the vehicle, directly shorting out the tailgate motor module causing the module to get very hot which could have caused a fire.The repair bill is $1,200. I contacted Corporate Honda to request Goodwill Assistance, considering the vehicle is so young and a roof seal should absolutely last longer than 2.5 years.Corporate Honda denied the assistance. They claimed a leaking roof seal is an "external factor" rather than a manufacturing defect. A vehicle's roof seal should protect the internal electronics from everyday weather. Labeling a structural seal failure as an external factor is an unacceptable excuse to avoid standing behind their product.
NHTSA complaint #11756755 — 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.
I am writing to formally report a serious and potentially life-threatening safety issue involving my Honda Odyssey’s locking system. For several years, I have experienced an ongoing problem in which the doors of my Odyssey have unexpectedly locked while the key fob was still inside the vehicle. This has happened to me at various stores and even at my own home. On those occasions, I was fortunate that my husband was nearby and could bring the spare key fob to unlock the vehicle. I have repeatedly brought this issue to my local Honda dealership and specifically questioned the locking system. Unfortunately, the dealership has either been unable to duplicate the problem or has made changes to the locking mechanisms without resolving the issue. The vehicle now no longer under warranty, yet the problem continues. This week, however, the issue became a terrifying and extremely serious safety emergency. My one-month-old grandson was accidentally locked inside the vehicle with the key fob. We were approximately 30 minutes from home, and the outside temperature was around 90 degrees. We had no way to unlock the vehicle ourselves. We had to contact the local police, a tow company, and EMTs for assistance. My grandson was trapped inside the vehicle for approximately 10 very frightening minutes before they were able to get the doors unlocked. Thankfully, my grandson was safely removed from the vehicle, but I cannot stop thinking about how differently this situation could have ended. A child, particularly an infant, can be in extreme danger inside a hot vehicle within a very short period of time. I am extremely concerned that this locking problem has continued for years despite my repeatedly bringing it to the attention of the Honda dealership. The fact that the vehicle can unexpectedly lock with the key fob inside creates a serious safety hazard. This is no longer simply an inconvenience or a mechanical annoyance—it has now resulted in an actual emergency involving an infant
NHTSA complaint #11756578 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was stopped at a stop sign and my 2025 Honda Odyssey shut off. I stopped the AIS engaged, then when I took my foot off the brake the engine didn't engage. The car wouldn't move. I took me about 30 seconds to get the mini van's engine to engage. This is the second time this type of incident has happened.
NHTSA complaint #11756405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.