Honda Odyssey Complaints (2021)
147 consumer complaints on file.
- #11640068February 1, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On 1/31/25 our rear tailgate automatically opened upon parking the car in our garage. Later that day, the tailgate would no operate properly and had to be manually opened. The key fob was functional and could operate all other doors in the car, except the tail gate. Later that day, while the car was parked in our garage, the tailgate started operating by itself, without pressing any buttons on the remote control key fob. It would open and close by itself and repeat the entire sequence over and over again. Upon turning on the car, the display identified a Power Tailgate Problem. The problem was reproduced by the Olathe Kansas Honda dealership. We took it to the dealership today and they diagnosed the problem, stating it is a Gate Control Unit failure (error code P1378 and P1379). Dealer confirmed what we experienced. We documented the safety problem via video. We were able to temporarily fix the issue by disconnecting the car battery overnight and reconnecting it the following morning. Safety concerns - This is a concerning issue as the tail gate could open by itself while driving, and/or could open by itself when you have the car parked in public, allowing theft of any items left inside. It could also open while someone is driving along a parking lot and cause an accident. There was no warning light prior to the malfunction of the tail gate control unit. We have found online that there may be a class action lawsuit regarding this issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11637656January 22, 2025FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving in light snowfall when several alerts notifying me that the radar sensor was not working. This is common in snow fall. Later I cleared off the radar unit cover (The Honda logo on the front of the car). The alerts remained. I took it to the dealer and they dubiously told me it was "damaged by snow". This is impossible. It was light snow. There was no collision or impact. This device should be durable. It has no moving parts. But Honda wants me to believe that it simply stopped working from driving in a light snow. They want $1300 to replace. How do I know the next one won't conk out after the first snowfall? These units should have a lifetime warranty with only exceptions for collisions or impact damage. If the unit is damaged by snowfall, it's clearly too fragile and should not be on the market. It's a HUGE safety concern that the vehicle's advertised safety systems can be toppled like a house of cards from one light snowfall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11636666January 17, 2025UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Power tailgate problem displayed on dashboard. Suddenly stopped working. Constant dinging noise when driving.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11635334January 10, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On 28-Dec-2024 I noticed the power tailgate stopped working on my 2021 Honda Odyssey. I tried to press the power tailgate button on the key fob, the button on the driver's side control panel, and the button on the tailgate itself, but none of them works. I did some research online and found out it's a common problem in 2018 to 2021 models and the cause was the failed Power Tailgate Control Unit due to water leakage through the cracks on the vehicle body. I opened mine and found there was water in the control unit box which might have caused short on the circuit board. I bought a new control unit a week later and it fixed the issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11635070January 9, 2025FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11630524December 13, 2024AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that vehicles with present failures were being prioritized for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11629582December 9, 2024ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose automotive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway before stalling. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11629558December 9, 2024STRUCTURE:BODY
The sliding door closed on my child's hand cutting the top of his finger off down to his finger bone.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11628305December 2, 2024LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on one occasion while the vehicle was parked, the rear hatch failed to open. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the rear hatch opened inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the road where the door was closed but failed to securely latch. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that condensation had leaked into to the driver’s side of the gate and damaged the rear gate control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,500.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11624620November 11, 2024LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
A few weeks ago, the car I was driving steered itself dangerously close to a pedestrian in the breakdown lane. I was driving my wife’s car which I drive infrequently. This model has a lane-keeping function which steers you back into your lane if you veer. I was rounding a bend in the right lane on a highway as a man appeared on the edge of my lane, changing a tire, partially in the roadway. I was pointed away from him so I let the car coast out of his way but the car literally turned the wheel and fought me as I tried to veer left out of the man’s way. It all happened in less than a one or two seconds. Had I used the turn signal the system would have temporarily disabled itself. I shared this story on Facebook with my friends and several friends reported nearly identical issues with lane keeping driving them towards a hazard.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11623065November 1, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Drive side rear power door stopped working. Upon using handl to opperate as usual the door stopped only a few inches open. A gentle shove got it open and opperational. The next day it did the same thing this time refuding to eithe ropen completely or re-latch. My children were in the car with me on the way to school and the door could not be opened to let them out or closed to safely proceed on our route. We began diagnositcs and found that the door continued to be problematic; opening just enough to be unlatched but nor going further, opening only half way and locking in place, or openeing completely then refusing to close... the door being in manual mode or power mode makes no differnece. after complelty disasembling the door/panel to check calbles and motor, checking fuses etc we put it all back to gether and suddenly it worked fin for about a dozen tries. HOWEVER the passanger side rear door (perviously untouched) suddenly developed the same problem. Now both doors will not function in either power or manual mode and I am waiting on the dealership to look into possible computer issues.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11621957October 25, 2024ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After having the Honda Dealership perform an oil change and software update 23-008 (updating the Auto Idle Stop Software) last week, my engine stalled while at a busy intersection (PA turnpike/70 junction) during a road trip. At the long stop light the auto idle function engaged and the engine turned off. When the stop light turned green and I lifted my foot off the brake and pressed the gas the engine shut down and automatically went into Park. I had to press the start/stop button to fully turn off then turn back on the car to get the engine to restart. This is with a giant semitruck honking right behind me. The auto idle feature does not work. It sounds terrible every time the engine restarts after it has been engaged. There really should be an option to allow users to permanently disable it, and not have to remember to turn it off every time they start the car--terrible user experience.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11619730October 14, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
After the PGM-FI update was put into our car, the engine cuts out entirely while at stop lights and will not wake back up. The Honda dealership is saying that there is nothing they can do.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11618224October 5, 2024AIR BAGS
I attempted to have recall repair work done at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle a few months ago and they told me the part will not be available until 2025.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11615521September 19, 2024SUSPENSION
I purchased a 2021 Honda Odyssey with 55,000 miles on it. At 57,000 miles with normal driving conditions, I heard a metal on metal noise on rear passenger side. Upon taking it to the mechanic, both rear springs were rusted & broken - essentially giving my van no rear suspension and making it very dangerous to drive. I had to find a new vehicle for my kids for a month and a half as there is no aftermarket part. Honda would not find the part for me and wanted me to work through the dealership, but I did not have the time as this is family vehicle that I need each day. I had an independent mechanic find a pair of springs from a junkyard & he confirmed that in his 40 years of servicing exclusively Hondas, he's never seen springs fail like this at this mileage. He expected a faulty part. I drove this vehicle multiple times thinking that it was safe & only something loose in the car. At any moment, the suspension could have failed & caused a serious accident. I do have the springs & have attached photos. Component has not been inspected by anyone other than myself & mechanic. No prior warnings or messages noting a problem.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11615252September 18, 2024ENGINE
My Honda Odyssey is experiencing an issue where it intermittently fails to restart automatically after coming to a stop and engaging the idle stop feature. Despite following Honda's recommendations, which included applying Service Bulletin 23-008 (updating the PGM-FI Idle Stop Software) and replacing the battery, the problem persists. I've also had the vehicle inspected at two different dealerships, with no resolution. I discovered Service Bulletin 23-009 on your website, which directly addresses this exact issue and extends the warranty for the Ridgeline, Pilot, and Passport models. Given that my Odyssey shares the same engine, it's concerning that it's not included in this bulletin. I believe it's unfair that I'm being forced to pay dealership fees to diagnose and fix a safety issue that Honda has already acknowledged and addressed for other vehicles with the same engine. I urge you to reconsider the exclusion of the Odyssey from Service Bulletin 23-009 and provide a solution that doesn't burden owners with unnecessary costs.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11612398September 3, 2024AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11611850August 30, 2024FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
After a slight rain, the error of Radar Obstructed is being displayed. Can’t get this error removed or fixed. After searching more I found out that: 1. Honda has a defective design in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) of all Honda Odysseys, models 2018-2023. 2. Namely, Honda has placed the RADAR behind the large HONDA emblem on the front grille. This causes the radar to give a "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning, which disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in the car (Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning). 3. The "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning cannot be reset by restarting the vehicle or disconnecting the battery, requiring recalibration of the RADAR at the cost of $800 each time since it takes several hours to do (per Dealership). 4. The official Honda Odyssey Forum online has countless complaints on the same issue without resolution by Honda. 5. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers since this defect impacts the vehicle's advanced safety features for which buyers incur additional expenses, endangering the lives of passengers. 6. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers by designing a system that requires continuous and substantial expenditures without resolution because it is an engineering problem, i.e., the placement of the radar behind the large, thick plastic H emblem obstructs the radar. 7. I hereby ask that the NHTSA investigate this issue and order Honda to offer a solution in the form of a RECALL that permanently addresses the problem.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11611044August 26, 2024AIR BAGS
Took my odyssey to the local dealer a few months back for the recall and dealer told me they wouldn’t have the part until next year. Now this has caused an issue to where my whole airbag system is short circuiting and the dealership wants to fix all the other issues and not fix the open recall. Family safety is at risk.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11605586July 31, 2024AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0