10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 11,989 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
The vehicle has a very significant delay in accelerating from a stop or slow roll. Often the delay is up to 2 or 3 seconds and has caused several near misses when attempting to cross traffic. It's inconvenient and more important, a safety problem. Upon research I have discovered it is a wide spread issue among Odysseys in this generation. It seems to be an issue with cars equipped with either the 9 speed or the 10 speed transmission.
- Medford, OR, USA
The transmission does not accelerate properly from a rolling stop. When at a stop and slightly depressing of the accelerator to get the vehicle moving prior to making a turn (for example), if you take slight pressure off the accelerator pedal the vehicle will not accelerate until the engine RPM's fall below 1,000RPM. This causes a slight delay in acceleration as the vehicle is rolling but unable to accelerate. This poses a collision risk from oncoming traffic. I reported this issue multiple times with my local Honda dealership and was told each time that there was no issue, this is normal for a Honda and "this is a known issue with no fix". Three times with three different excuses. This has been occurring from around 30K miles and continues today with 72K miles. There are no warnings or lights. The dealer has reprogrammed the transmission computer and I have paid for a transmission fluid change hoping for improvement but nothing has worked. I have sent a message to Honda Motors about 4-6 months ago and has not heard a response from corporate or the dealership.
- Munster, IN, USA
Vehicle suddenly shifts to Nuetral when driving forward at approximately 30mph to 55mph. The Collision warning system and the Emergency Braking system then shows falt/inoperative on the information display. This is an extremely dangerous situation that causes the vehicle to suddenly lose forward power.
- Lutz, FL, USA
The transmission has intermittent harsh or jerky upshifts with steady acceleration, or the MIL comes on with DTC P0716. Abnormal TCM adaptation values or a miscalculation in the TCM software causes the MIL to come on with DTC P0716. The harsh upshifts cause a momentary driver distraction which may cause an accident.
- Cypress, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission failed to operate as needed and was shifting hard. Additionally, the vehicle would hesitate to respond and there was an abnormal loud mechanical sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed a Transmission Control Module (TCM) software update. However, the failures persisted. The contact also stated that the vehicle would jerk and would shudder when depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the rear driver's side and passenger's side sliding doors would reopen independently after being closed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 50,000.
- Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
While attempting to cross a road the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating. This happened after entering the roadway with heavy traffic and my family in the vehicle, I pressed the accelerator pedal all the way down nothing. Then after a brief 5sec of fear the vehicle jerks into gear making everyone slam back into their seats. This has been reported by many owners on various forums, some of which were in accidents. This will not end well for a few drivers and their families. Honda technicians try and diagnosing this with no luck, said-?? I-??ve never seen this issue, 64K miles great condition no damages to the transmission core unfortunately we are 4K miles over warranty!? At here is a recall for very similar issues same VF 9 speed transmission but my vin didn-??t fall under the recall, American Honda said they weren-??t going to help because I didn-??t have -??customer loyalty-?? I-??m asking the technician to dissemble the transmission and take a bunch of pictures to try and help explain how this happened and how to avoid this from happening again because next time we may not be so luck.
- Spring Branch, TX, USA
Auto idle system engaged when the car was stopped waiting for a train to pass last night. When I took my foot off the brake to move forward, the car completely went dead. No engine start up after auto idle, no electrical system available for emergency flasher lights. No response from the van at all. This put us at considerable safety risk when we could not process through traffic, at night, on a dark country road. A kind passerby attempted to jump start the car for us and while the electrical system came back on momentarily, the engine would not turn over. After five attempts to jump start the van, we stopped trying. There was zero response from the van after that. We purchased this vehicle brand new in December of 2017. It has had electrical issues ever since the day we bought it. We have reported this to our Honda dealer several times over the course of the past 4+ years. Initially, the auto idle never worked. Then the sliding doors wouldn't shut all the way, reliably. They continue to cause issues and won't close all the way, without popping back open, about 60% of the time. The radio and entertainment center has malfunctioned. The collision warning has malfunctioned and alerts at times when there is nothing in the way of the vehicle. It has been several electrical issues after another. We have had multiple new batteries installed over the past 4+ years. Last night was the absolute greatest risk to our family's safety. The vehicle has experienced this "black out"/stall another time in the past year, but was temporary and came back on after a full restart of the engine. Last night, however, there was no hope to restart. The van was completely seized up and a tow truck had to drag it onto its flatbed truck, assuredly damaging our tires and transmission, potentially. We will have to have the van towed to the Honda dealer Monday morning (this incident happened last night, Saturday Oct 1, 2022.). Now we are without our primary family vehicle.
- Piperton, TN, USA
My 2018 Honda Odyssey elite regularly hesitates from the stopped position. This often causes a safety hazard when turning right into traffic or making a left turn because I am not able to accelerate for several seconds and the vehicle feels as if it is stalling out. It is a known mechanical defect with Honda and they do not currently have a resolution. When reported, I was told the mechanical system defects to switching through all the gears before accelerating, causing the delay. I have brought the car into the dealership regarding the issue and have been dealing with Honda headquarters with no resolution. There have been several close calls when I have made a left turn/ right turn into traffic and the vehicle hesitates for a few seconds.
- Louisville, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, there was a delay in response from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure however, the TCM module software was updated and the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated the dealer informed him that the failure could reoccur. The manufacturer was contacted and suggested that the vehicle be diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 17,000.
- Placentia, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration with the transmission message displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a transmission specialist who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V299000 (Power Train, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.
- Tulsa, OK, USA
My wife was waiting outside in our vehicle with our kids while I was running an errand. She stated that she went to move the car and as she put it in reverse, the car rolled forward and automatically engaged itself into park. Then she stated that the van also started sputtering and shaking. She shut it off and got our kids out of the car. When I got back to the car, she was explaining it to me. I then started to troubleshoot by checking for blown fuses, bad battery connections and etc. Everything appeared as it should be. I turned the car on to the accessory mode, and it was throwing almost every code possible if not all of them. It showed emissions system, abs systems, hill start and several others. With the car still in accessory mode, I noticed the radiator fans were not coming on as they should have. Also the engine bay was hot, as in the air filter housing was hot enough that you could not keep your hand on it. After letting it cool down, I inspected the battery terminals again for any loose connections and could not find anything. We ended up having to get a tow truck to tow it to a shop to get it worked on. The van has 73k miles on it. The vehicle would not go into gear for us. It was also sputtering when running. It sounds like an electrical issue.
- Woodbine, GA, USA
While attempting to cross a road the vehicle suddenly will not accelerate. This happened after entering the roadway with cross traffic coming at you. This happens more and more frequently and seems to occur after the vehicle initially rolls out from a stop or after coasting at low speed. If you press the accelerator pedal all the way nothing happens and you panic as traffic comes barreling towards you. Then after a brief moment of fear the vehicle jerks into gear making everyone slam back into their seats. This has been reported by many owners on various forums, some of which were in accidents. This will not end well for a few drivers and their families. Honda technicians when diagnosing this complaint say No Trouble Found or do not have a repair or recall for this.
- Islip Terrace, NY, USA
I have taken my Honda to the dealership on multiple occasions, regarding lack of acceleration, after a complete stop. The engine does not engage after pushing the pedal down, so that my vehicle can move. It has a very long delay after coming to a stop. This is a huge safety concern, considering when making a right turn, and perceiving there is enough time to accelerate my vehicle, before another oncoming vehicle, there is a delay a potential accident will occur. This should never happen and my family has been in multiple situations where there was almost an accident. I love my Honda but this safety concern has made me rethink and potentially inform others of this matter. Please help me find a solution to this problem. I even purchased an extended warranty I hopes there may be a solution, but I-??m beginning to lose hope. I have a family of 7, and I shouldn-??t fear having to drive a stock vehicle, that my families life may be in danger due to this faulty engine delay. Please help a pleading father feel safe. Thank you and I hope to hear a response.
- Eastvale , CA, USA
Own a 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite w/10 Speed Transmission that is still under powertrain warranty. Current Mileage is approx 51,400 miles. On 06/23 while driving on I-680 south bound driving my kids to school - experienced severe jerking and gears slipping in Drive. Car continued to drive, but there was hesitation in gearing. As a precaution decided to pull over and stopped the vehicle in Milpitas, CA. On restart the car was completely stalled, The car would not engage in "Reverse" gear and on pressing accelerator it seemed like it was in Neutral. All modes, Drive, Sport, Neutral and Reverse were flashing and got a warning in the dashboard saying "Transmission System Problem/Blind Spot Info System Problem". Also see this thread. https://www.odyclub.com/threads/2020-ex-l-10-speed-transmission-failure-at-11k-miles.358491/ - Problem exactly similar to this reported and others in Odyssey Consumer Forums. Looks like Transmission Manufacturing Defect by Honda Car totally endangered my and my 3 kids safety today and we fell lucky we did not stall on the highway. Answers to questions: 1) Component Malfunction is Transmission System - and ADAS/Blind Spot 2) Car was slipping and jerking on the Highway 680S in the middle of high speed traffic and trucks endangering our safety. Car completely stalled and was not drivable after pull over. 3) Problem reproduced 100% of the time on 06/23. Towed the car to nearby Honda Delaer. Awaiting further Diagnosis 4) Car has been towed to Envision Honda of Milpitas, CA and no further info received on root cause. Created case with Honda Automobiles. Case #13101086 5) Yes warnings in dashboards - recorded video - see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cImyqZl5cc.
- Danville, CA, USA
Transmission delays in shifting from neutral to first on acceleration, when it engages it finally squeals the tires. Also at around 25 miles an hour it club is into the next gear and the whole car shudders. It is a safety issue and makes crossing roads scary. It has been looked at multiple (4?) times by different Honda dealers and they always reply it is functioning normally. There are no warning lamps or errors showing on the instruments but it is not normal.
- Troy, MI, USA
My transmission on my 2018 Honda Odyssey has failed multiple times since I have owned the vehicle. I have brought this safety issue up to the dealer multiple times and nothing has been done to fix the complaint. My safety concerns have been ignored by Honda. The vehicle is shifting into park while it is moving creating a safety risk for my family and I. You can feel the entire car shift gears while driving and the vehicle shifts/accelerates forward on its own without pressing on the gas. I have almost hit the person in front of me when the car shift gears and accelerated on its own. The problem has been recently noticed by the dealership as well. The transmission warning lights did not come on prior to all of the failures. The transmission warning lights came on for the first time on 04/17/22, which was way after all the problems started occurring. Another safety concern that I have is my passenger side sliding back door will pop open while driving and often will not close. This has been witnessed by others in my child's car line. I have to pull over, stop the engine and restart the vehicle to get the door to close. This is a safety concern when I have a child sitting next to a door that opens while the vehicle is in motion.
- Madisonville, LA, USA
Merging from west bound I-40 to south bound I-15, there was a slight incline. I accelerated to merge and change lane from 4 to 3, the van suddenly lost power. Engine was running and I could hear it rev up but transmission seemed to not have engaged. The car decelerated to almost 50 mph forcing me to move back to lane 4 in order to avoid being hit by an incoming 18-wheeler. It's most likely an transmission issue of old with Honda. The vehicle regained power after I let go of gas pedal for about 4-5 seconds. It happened again on I-40 near Flagstaff at high speed on my way home to Dallas from SoCal on Jan 2nd. To lose available power to wheels at high rate of speed, it's surely a safety hazzard. I don't feel safe to allow my wife to drive the vehicle. Please help investigate.
- Frisco, TX, USA
I have had 4 incidents where I was in heavy traffic and acceleration onto a busy freeway from a ramp and when I merged into heavy traffic, my car quit! Suddenly I had no power and was slowing down rapidly. The driver behind me got no warning brake lights and I had no place to go. Needless to say I was greeted with a loud long horn blast and luckily not the expected crash sound I was expecting. It took 3 to 5 seconds for my transmission to get back in gear and generate power. At 70 miles an hour you travel quite a distance in 3 to 5 seconds. The scariest incident was on a crowded four lane divided highway. I pulled out to pass a slow moving semi truck and as soon as I got into the faster crowded lane, the car lost power again. This time I had a semi truck barreling down on me and and one to my right side. Fortunately, the truck was able to slow down and not hit me, but again the long horn blast was accompanied by a rude gesture. If any of these incidents had resulted in an accident I probably would not have survived to even explain the cars malfunction. This is totally unpredictable and not reproducible. We took the car into a Honda dealership and reported the problem and were told they drove it and couldn't reproduce the problem and it was fine. I strongly suspect there have been multiple incidents where people were not as fortunate as I was and the failure resulted in serious rear end collisions. It would be interesting to see if Honda vehicles with this year CVT have seen an increase in rear end collisions. I hope I am not a victim of a fatal collision due to this defect, but I can't help but feel nervous any time I am merging into traffic or passing in heavy traffic. This problem has been reported before by others as a quick internet search confirms. It would be a very expensive recall for Honda, but what price do you put on safety and a human life. Friends have suggested I get a different vehicle. I can't afford this in today's economy.
- Stillwater, OK, USA
Car had 60,000 miles when my wife was driving and stopped on a red light the car never moved again, check engine light turned on and the car put itself in park, she couldn't shift to drive or reverse. The transmission stopped working, no prior notifications, no weird noises it just stop working, I got to her and tried everything but I had to eventually tow it to the dealership. After a week of troubleshooting we were told a new transmission was needed, at 60K Miles! Thank god I opted for the extended warranty and only had to pay $800 of deductible, if not it would have been a $8K repair, it is unacceptable that a transmission stop working at 60K Miles!
- Weston, FL, USA
- St. Johns, FL, USA