Honda Odyssey Complaints (2026)

61 consumer complaints on file.

#11768789October 4, 2026
ENGINE
1. Idle Stop System Failure: On three separate occasions over the past two months—including today—the vehicle failed to restart after idle stop engaged. The engine remained unresponsive until I shifted into Park and manually restarted it using the start/stop button while pressing the brake pedal. This is not a minor inconvenience; it is a dangerous malfunction that could result in catastrophic consequences in traffic. 2. Uncommanded Loss of Vehicle Settings: Several system settings, including the automatic door lock function when exiting the vehicle with the key, have reset or disappeared without any action on my part. The vehicle has only about 11,900 miles on it. Failures of this magnitude at this mileage are unacceptable and represent a clear threat to driver and passenger safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768873October 4, 2026
ENGINE
Starter went bad at 15,000 miles… I’m part of some online forums and it’s a common problem. Honda tech even admitted that it common. Honda knows about the problem, but I don’t see any recall for the common problem. What happens when it goes out and the car is out of warranty? I’ll be eating the cost. It’s something worth looking into…
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768782October 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Auto start/stop is not working properly. Traffic had came to a hault on an exit ramp which caused the auto stop to activate. Once traffic started moving, foot was taken off the brake and gas pedal was pressed. Van would not go. Confused on what was happening, panic mode was setting in. Other cars were blowing their horns. We felt stuck. Husband looked down and realized it had went into P (park) mode on its own. So, he pressed the brake and tried to put it in drive but it would not switch over. So, he had to turn it off completely and restart it. It has done this 2 other times. Probably would be even more often if I didn't turn the auto start/stop off. We had less than 12000 miles on our van at the time of last incident. We have made an appointment with the dealership which admitted that they have had a lot of complaints regarding this same issue. I love everything about this vehicle except for the number 1 thing I should love, safety. I do not feel safe at all times in this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765824September 21, 2026
AIR BAGS, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while pulling halfway into a parking spot with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, turning slightly right to miss a handicapped spot, crashed into a palm tree, and drove over rocks before the vehicle stopped. The vehicle went from 0 to 30 MPH within seconds. The ignition was turned off during the failure. The driver’s side seat and top air bags deployed and struck the contact in the face, causing a burning of the face. There was smoke inside the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle. The contact sustained bruises. The driver's son was seated in the driver's side rear seat. The air pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an oil change the day before the failure. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then later towed to a Geico lot. The insurance company had inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was scheduled to go to a body shop for further inspection. A Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 6,338.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11765543September 19, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle has now on two occasions failed to restart after the auto idle off feature has engaged. I now have to remember to turn it off every time I drive. It has left me stranded in the road waiting and hoping I can get it to restart. This has nearly happened on two other occasions as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764598September 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
At stop lights, the car engine will shut off. It is supposed to turn back on as you lift your foot from the break to accelerate. Three times now, most recently around 4pm yesterday, the car has not restarted. It shifts to park and an error message comes up on the dash. I’m not exactly sure what the message says but it’s something like car failed to restart, shift to park. I have had to power off my car and power it back on all 3 times to get it to work properly again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764602September 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was stopped at the light on Maple and Naper in Naperville. My car engine had turned off as part of the auto idle feature. When I took my foot off the brake, my car did not restart. A message came up telling me to put the car in park. It had already automatically shifted to park and I had to turn the car off and back on to get it to work again. This is a busy intersection and people behind me were honking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764398September 15, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
At a stop light the van turned off and would not turn back on...finally was able to get it to auto zone who said it was a bad battery, we then took it to honda with it only having 7k miles on it. They determined it was the starter from the auto/start/stop feature. What if this was the highway? A 2026 vehicle this should not happen to.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764140September 14, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My AIS system kicked in causing the engine to shut off. Unfortunately, the engine did not restart. I was unable to start my car or even shift it to neutral for a helpful bystander to help me push my car off of the road. I was blocking traffic on a busy road and I am very fortunate that I was not rear ended. Eventually, after about half an hour, was able to get the car restarted (even then, lots of “clicking” and hesitation with starting). I then drove the vehicle home. I took it to Honda and they made me aware today that they were unable to get the car to repeat this problem, nothing was wrong, I could pick it up and let them know if it happened again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763755September 11, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sitting at a light, the auto stop system activated and shut the engine off. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and the engine failed to. Start and the entire electrical system shut off. The card was completely dead. I sat there for several minutes and I was able to restart the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763518September 10, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving my 2026 Honda Odyssey, I stopped at a red light and the engine shut off through the Auto Idle Stop system. I pressed the Auto Idle Stop OFF button because I wanted the engine running again before proceeding. Instead of restarting the engine, the vehicle completely shut down and became inoperable in traffic. I repeatedly attempted to restart the vehicle, but it remained unresponsive for approximately 20 seconds before it finally restarted. This created a serious safety hazard because I was unable to move the vehicle while positioned in active traffic. This was not normal Auto Idle Stop operation, as the engine should have restarted when I pressed the button. This has happened several times already, where the car will not restart the engine. Requesting that NHTSA investigate possible Auto-Idle Stop/failure-to-restart problems affecting the 2026 Honda Odyssey.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762163September 4, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While my 2026 Honda Odyssey was parked and stationary, I operated the driver-side power sliding door normally. The door began opening but became stuck. When I activated the power sliding door again, there was a sudden mechanical failure involving the sliding-door mechanism. The sliding-door rail was severely damaged/deformed, the mechanism appeared to disengage from its normal track/rail path, and the fixed rear quarter/third-row side window shattered. Exterior molding covering the rail was also dislodged and fell to the ground. There was no collision, accident, external impact, obstruction, or other outside force involved. The failure occurred during normal intended use of the power sliding door. Fortunately, my three children had already exited the vehicle. The shattered glass is directly adjacent to a passenger seating position normally occupied by my children, creating a serious risk of injury had a passenger been seated there. There were no warning lights, messages, or known prior symptoms before the door became stuck. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Honda or a dealer. It is currently parked at my residence and is available for inspection. I have extensive photographs taken immediately after the incident documenting the damaged rail, shattered glass, displaced molding, and debris. After the incident, because I was approximately three hours from home with my three children, I was able to carefully reposition the door enough to close and secure it, temporarily cover the shattered window, and drive home. The affected sliding door has remained closed and locked since, and I am no longer operating the vehicle pending inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762021September 3, 2026
ENGINE
While stopped at a red light, the Auto Stop/Start system shut off the engine as designed but then failed to restart it. The vehicle remained stalled in the intersection for several minutes while I attempted to restart the engine manually. This left the vehicle and my family stopped in traffic, creating a potential safety risk from surrounding vehicles. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to this incident or after.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762024September 3, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The blind-spot monitoring system on our 2026 Honda Odyssey Elite fails to operate properly in hot weather. When ambient temperatures are high, the system does not detect or alert to vehicles in the adjacent blind-spot areas, and an error message appears stating “blind spot detection unavailable.” This failure increases the risk of collisions during lane changes or merges because the driver does not receive the expected visual or audible warnings of vehicles in the blind spots, potentially endangering the occupants of this vehicle and other road users.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11760045August 27, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is a very strong exhaust smell in the cabin. This occurs under the flow and recirculate HVAC options and is not improved by changing the engine and cabin air filters.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759963August 27, 2026
ENGINE
While stopped at a red light- the idle stop engaged, but when released brake to go again, the engine failed to engage and I was not able to go- it then showed up on the instrument cluster to in order to drive- I needed to restart my vehicle. This has happened now 7 times in 9 months. 3 being in the last week.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759648August 26, 2026
ENGINE
Three times in the past week my van has shut off while I was preparing to move forward at a stop light. My car begins to idle as soon as it’s stopped, but when I lift my foot off the brake, instead of turning back on, my van engine shuts all the way off or jerks hard before acceleration. Resulting in me having to hurry and put my car in park & restart the engine. It’s very dangerous!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756852August 13, 2026
ENGINE
Starter Failed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11754522August 3, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2026 Honda Odyssey: Strong Exhaust/Fuel Odor in Cabin Causing Dizziness and Nausea I am submitting this complaint to report a potential safety issue involving a vehicle that is less than one year old. Beginning this past weekend, the vehicle suddenly began filling the passenger cabin with a strong exhaust-like odor during normal operation. The odor is severe enough that multiple occupants have experienced symptoms such as dizziness and nausea after spending approximately 10 minutes inside the vehicle. I visited my local Honda dealership to report the issue and seek assistance. According to the representatives I spoke with, Honda believes this is a known and widespread issue affecting multiple makes and models and that it is allegedly related to recent changes in gasoline formulation. I was further informed that Honda is aware of the issue, that engineering teams are working on a solution, and that there is currently no corrective action available to consumers. Honda also stated that, despite the odor, the condition does not involve toxic fumes and is only an odor concern. I am not ready to accept that explanation without further investigation. At this time: The condition began suddenly and without warning. The odor is strong and persistent. Occupants have experienced dizziness and nausea while riding in the vehicle. Honda has not identified a repair or mitigation. Honda has indicated that this may be a broader issue rather than an isolated vehicle defect. I am requesting that NHTSA review this matter to determine whether similar complaints have been reported and whether this condition warrants further investigation as a potential safety defect. I have also requested that Honda provide written documentation supporting its statements regarding: The alleged fuel-formulation cause of the issue. The assertion that occupants are not being exposed to harmful fumes. Any technical bulletins, engineering analyses, or communications related to this condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11754409August 3, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Gasoline fuel vapors enter the passenger cabin of my 2026 Honda Odyssey while driving. The problem began XXX, the day after a dealer oil change, and has recurred repeatedly, growing stronger each time. It is worst in high ambient heat (100 to 116 F), with the fuel tank above half full, and after extended idling or stop-and-go driving on a heat-soaked engine. It initially occurred only after idling but now also fills the cabin at cruising speed. No warning lights or messages precede it. On XXX in about 116 F heat, the cabin filled with gasoline vapor with my two children (ages [XXX] and [XXX]) aboard. Onset was immediate: nausea, lightheadedness, and sore throat. I had to shut off the A/C and open the windows in extreme heat to reduce exposure, and the children had to be taken home in a different vehicle. Poison control was contacted the same day, opened case files for all three of us, and assessed the symptoms as consistent with short-term gasoline vapor exposure. A pediatric follow-up is scheduled. The dealer has confirmed the problem. Repair Order XXX (Tempe Honda, XXX 14,032 miles) states the advisor and tech did confirm smell coming from vehicle, and that the issue is currently under investigation by AHM, with no work done. An earlier dealer inspection onXXX found nothing. American Honda has an open corporate case, and no repair path has been provided to date. In-cabin TVOC air readings of about 2.0 mg/m3, peaking at 6.0 mg/m3, were captured on video. The vehicle is available for inspection, and repair orders, videos, and manufacturer correspondence are available on request. The vehicle is no longer driven with children aboard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0

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