2009 Honda Odyssey

Please see the attached closing resume summary.It has been attached to this document as a PDF.

The investigation found that the liftgate struts were failing prematurely and at an abnormal rate in certain model year (MY) 2008 Honda Odyssey Touring and 2009 Honda Odyssey Touring and EX-L model vehicles equipped with power-operated rear liftgates (note: MY 2008 Odyssey EX-L was not equipped with a power liftgate).Unlike vehicles with non-powered (manual) liftgates, the subject vehicle's liftgate can be opened automatically (via the power liftgate motor) even when the struts are in a degraded condition and can no longer support it in the open position.Consumers standing or accessing the rear cargo area under the liftgate and expecting the liftgate will stay open, can be struck when the liftgate unexpectedly drops, or can be trapped under the liftgate as it power closes, both of which can occur when the system detects and reacts to degraded struts.By contrast, users of a manual liftgate assist in lifting it, and thus notice the lack of support as the struts degrade.Honda is conducting a recall to replace the liftgate struts in approximately 45,747 MY 2008 and early MY 2009 Odyssey vehicles equipped with power liftgates built before a manufacturing change of the liftgate strut assembly that occurred on January 13, 2009 (see NHTSA Safety Recall No. 12V-062 for further details).The vehicles subject to the recall account for 101 complaints, 12 injuries, and 5,630 of the warranty claims shown above (i.e., the MY 2009 and 2010 vehicles built after the manufacturing change experience lower failure rates).In addition, and based on consumer complaints to NHTSA, Odyssey vehicles without power liftgates experience lower complaint and injury rates than the Odyssey vehicles equipped with power liftgates (subject vehicles).The reports cited above can be reviewed online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers:10442027, 10441232, 10437461, 10432557, 10430420, 10429962, 10412908, 10401388, 10395475, 10390216, 10343678, 10336744, 10294156

Honda installed a VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) in this engine which shuts down the back three cylinders to save fuel when the car warms up. You’ll know when it kicks in when you see ECO on your dash. When the cylinders shut down it starts an abnormal wear and tear on those cylinders. High oil consumption, fouled plugs, the need to repair the back three cylinders and misfiring of the engine are some of the problems. Honda did repair some vehicles if they experienced rough running and misfiring on those cylinders because they knew the issue was the VCM. However, when my 2009 Honda Odyssey started having those problems in 2024 they wouldn’t fix the problem and stated it was too late to fix the engine. The timeline, according to Honda, had passed to repair the damaged engine. I never received a recall for this known safety issue. The engine would cut out and the engine light would come on and it sputtered down the road on three of the six cylinders. Honda knew this was a problem but they wouldn’t fix my engine. If I had brought it in years earlier they would have fixed the known problem with the VCM but they wouldn’t deactivate the VCM to prevent it from destroying the repaired engine. The price to fix the engine was over $4200. I feel they should have repaired the engine and then deactivated the VCM by bypassing the the temperature sensor to prevent it from going into ECO MODE VCM. The safety of the occupants was at risk due to the lack of acceleration and the ability to drive the vehicle in a normal manner. I feel a safety recall is justified and the sensor should be deactivated to prevent further damage to the engine.

NHTSA ID

11683004

Incident

May 30, 2024

Passenger side slider won’t shut, Driver’s side slider won’t latch. Driver side door suddenly opens when driving!!!! Honda dealer Tech found worn bushing on passenger side center rollers, faulty, driver side, sliding door rear latch, passenger side, outer handle cable popped out. Check installed cable for passenger side outer handle recommended replaced driver side sliding door rear latch assembly estimated $930. Also recommended latch passenger side center rollers estimated 485.

NHTSA ID

11656024

Incident

Apr 18, 2025

White paint is peeling, chipping and of inferior quality to a black Chevy Trailblazer I own that is 8 years older.

NHTSA ID

11633932

Incident

Jan 1, 2009

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while underneath the vehicle, he became aware that there was severe rust on the muffler. The contact stated that there were flakes on the ground. The contact touched the muffler and put a hole in the plate. The manufacturer and dealer were notified of the failure however, the vehicle was not inspected by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11611090

Incident

Aug 23, 2024

Mileage

10,000 mi

Windshield wipers and also the key fob and the sliding doors as well as the blinkers do not work all at the same time first time it’s ever happened. It was December 8, 2023 and now it happened again in January 29 of 2024 and the issue still persisted when I look this issue up this has been an ongoing issue for many years and yet Honda has done nothing about this and it’s not just the 2009 it’s other years as well as other Hondas from other years as well, it is a defect within the company where they’re doing something that causes these things to go! It is a safety issue as this just happens out of nowhere without any warning while I’m driving. All of a sudden it just happened the first time and I didn’t even realize it until I didn’t hear the clicking and someone said hey your blinkers are not working. Also, the second time it happened happened all over again while I was driving out of nowhere would not work and it was raining as well and I couldn’t see anything and my lights wouldn’t work so it’s definitely a safety issue .

NHTSA ID

11569848

Incident

Dec 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door failed to open. The contact’s handicapped wife was trapped in the vehicle. The contact had to remove the door handle to unlock the door. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 231,438.

NHTSA ID

11510431

Incident

Mar 5, 2023

Mileage

231,438 mi

Twice during the last year, the bolt securing the drive belt tensioner has broken while driving the vehicle. This results in loss of steering, electrical, and cooling of the engine. The first time the incident occurred on a stretch of rural highway where the lone occupant had to wait for help to arrive. The first date was on May 12, 2022. The second incident took place in an urban area on January 25, 2023. But, with only 8 months in between the incidents, it is apparent there is a problem in this. The original repair in May was accomplished by a Honda dealer.

NHTSA ID

11504351

Incident

Jan 25, 2023

Transmission gears, while driving gears don't engage properly. It struggles to change gears specifically between 3rd to 4th gear. Also when parked and change to Drive makes a stump noise.

NHTSA ID

11501896

Incident

Jan 15, 2023

Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time.

ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time. As a result, once specific triggers are met, the navigation date and time will be incorrect.

"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"

These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB standards, but parts on vehicles are not effected.

These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of CARB certification. These SKUs can no longer be sold as they do not meet CARB standards, but parts on vehicles are not effected.

Dealer Message - The May episode of Tech2Tech is now posted. We've got some valuable information for you, so check it out! This month we're featuring "Replacing That Leaky Front Rocker Arm Oil Control Valve."