Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
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Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Honda Odyssey submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 38 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 38, in the owner's own words
I am sending you information about how a situation was handled by Honda, so hopefully others do not go through the same problems we did. Honda customer service and product advisory is what failed us and we are grateful that we didn't have an accident. I am attaching my documentation below.
Spark plug fouling, Piston seal leak on 60,000 miles car
Vehicle shudders on acceleration
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to pass another vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to respond and the engine sputtered. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop the failure recurred. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
I was traveling on a local street around 35mph and braking for a red light. The braking felt funny in that it didn't slow the car down like normal, but it felt like the car's accelerator was still engaged. I managed to come to a stop, but the car seemed to want to move forward and I had to really stomp on the brake to keep it from moving forward. I put the car into park and the engine started revving and the car started shaking. I then turned the car off. When I turned the car back on, I was not able to shift back into drive from park. I turned the car off again. Waited about 10 seconds and started the car again. I was able to put it into drive and was able to drive home. This was normal braking for a red light, not a panic brake when I might have hit the accelerator. I also check the pedal positions and when the brake is pressed, it is about level with the accelerator, so I doubt that I was pressing both pedals at the same time. I don't have an extra floor mat and the mat I have is an OEM mat that is secured down. Brought the car to a Honda Service Center and they could not reproduce the problem. This is certainly a safety issue if the braking and engine do not respond to the driver input.
Timing belt tensioner failing with only 51K miles
The engine failed, at 90,238 Piston misfire it was replaced 1-3, This happened a second time at 143,000 miles- while the car was moving and same thing engine failed a second time- had it towed in due to the engine not working it doesn't accelerate on a highway to merge has been dangerous- Brought to Honda a few times, because the engine was not working right you cannot accelerate properly on a on ramp and will not accelerate how it should, this is the same issue that was known by Honda. Called Honda they will not do anything more - it was "fixed" according to honda , but still not running how it should it feels like a bad transmission wont accelerate property when- so the car is not safe to drive in any distance misfire ALL WORK VAN WAS DONE AT HONDA DEALER ONLY
The engine. I have a 2016 Honda Odyssey. All scheduled maintenance has always been done on this vehicle. I have all the documentation. And I mean it has been babied. It has 110,000 miles. Driving one morning last week and the car just seized up. No warning. No previous warning light. Had it towed to the dealership. The Variable Cylinder Management system had allowed a build up of gunk in the engine. Need an engine rebuild.$5600. Honda just had a recall for cars of the same model manufactured before 2014 for the same issue. As for safety having your engine seize up on the highway is dangerous.
Our Honda Odyssey was in for regular maintenance around 70,000 miles. Our Odyssey currently has about 71,000. All maintenance has been completed by Honda of Chantilly, except two oil changes which were done at a Honda dealer in SC. Shortly after the regular maintenance the car would jerk while driving (like hitting a pot hole or a bad shift). We took the Odyssey to the dealership and had to have diagnostics run to try and identify the problem. I was told there was a service bulletin that identified the problem and there are a list of steps to address the issue. On [XXX], We started with the computer update and transmission fluid flush to see if that fixed the issue. We were going to replace the trans cap Assembly but the parts had to be ordered. After we had that service completed, we took it home ([XXX]) to wait for the Trans Cap’s to come in to have those replaced. On [XXX] the Odyssey kicked again and I contacted David Burnell our Service Advisor. He sent an estimate showing the next step is to replace the Torque converter, and the rack and pin should also be replaced. In general the Torque Converter should last around 200,000 miles and the Rack and pin should make to past 150,000. I know we’re outside the 5yr 60,000 mile warranty, but you can’t tell me these two items should go bad on a vehicle regularly maintained at a Honda dealership. Due to the kicking/ jerking of the car we felt unsafe driving it with our kids in it. We took the car to the Honda dealer to have repairs done. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Consumer complaint: Repeated failed batteries (3), alternators (3), Start button (1) and left stranded multiple times due to no start. Problem: Honda Odyssey keyless entry computer board not fully sealed. This allows dendridic growth of corrosion on the board. This causes a short that endlessly sets the vehicle ignition into "Run" position. Eventually this shorts the alternator and drains battery. Solution: Cleaned and seal affected area. You can find a repair video and explanation here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The transmission shifts hard in first and second gear, It happens at different time sometimes when it is cold and a lot of times when it is at driving temp. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. This has been happening for over a year. We could be rear ended because it happens after a stop at a red light or stop sign, which could cause someone to hit me in the rear and could injure both us and them. It bucks so bad that it hurts me as a driver and my passengers. There is a class action law suit in California for this problem. No warning lamps or messages or other symptoms of problem prior to the failure. It just happens and every service center says it just happens which is not right.
The van has approx 83,000 miles and always maintained by Allen Honda in College Station Texas, and all scheduled maintenace has been implemented. For sometime now the van judders/vibrates during acceleration from a full stop condition till about above 30-35 MPH. The condition has gotten progressively more noticeable. There are no caution / advisory lights on the instrument panel. I took the van to Auto Zone to see what fault codes be read. The Auto Zone scanner revealed codes 83-1 and 61-1 related to Anti-Lock Brake System. But after reading 26 pages of this site I'm inclined to believe that the cause is related to the power train.
At highway speeds (50-65mph), the transmission would jutter/shudder when trying to either accelerate or decelerate from constant speed. The issue incrementally got worse and got to the point where the van was undrivable on the highway. I found the service bulletin 14-043 and brought the van into my Honda Dealer with a copy of the service bulletin. They test drove my vehicle and agreed this was the issue. The software was updated and ATF was flushed at no cost.
Car shutters or jolt when start or Accelerate between 20-35 mph .
UNKNOWN I was urged by a Honda World representative to give my account. My vehicle has intermittently flashed forward collision warning failure/lane departure warning and the check engine light. The issue has been reported to the dealership and they've acknowledged that it seems to be a well-known issue with this particular make/model/year vehicle, due to a faulty part. In order to issue a recall there need to be reports. So here you go.
While accelerating, especially up an incline, the vehicle (2016 Honda Odyssey) shudders as if the transmission is repeatedly slipping. Instead of rising smoothly, the tachometer bounces up and down as it is increasing. If you plotted the rpms as a function of time, it would look something like a "sawtooth" pattern. The issue seems to go away once a cruising speed is reached. This jerking makes me worried that the transmission could fail at any time and result in an emergency situation and/or accident. The vehicle is currently at the dealership but they seem uncertain as to what will fix the issue. They want to start with a $600 transmission flush. Then if that doesn't fix it, they want an additional transmission flush. And if that still doesn't fix the issue, then they want to try replacing the torque converter. This appears to be an issue known to Honda but of which owners have not been made aware. It appears to be a flaw in Honda's software resulting in an inability to maintain the transmission fluid in an safe and appropriate range. Honda should be required to notify all owners and issue a recall to fix this issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact parked the vehicle, turned the engine off, and removed the ignition key from the ignition but failed to switch the shifter from the drive position. While attempting to exit, the vehicle rolled backward down the driveway and crashed into the mailbox. During the incident, the contact attempted to reenter the vehicle to prevent the rollaway and was pushed to the ground and dragged down the driveway causing multiple injuries which included a back injury, leg contusions, ankle injuries, and a lacerated left leg which required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The contact was also concerned that the ignition key was able to be removed from the ignition switch although the shifter was still in the drive position. The failure mileage was 101,000.
2016 Honda Odyssey developed torque converter judder as shown in Honda TSB 17-043 dated 2/27/2018. This lead to problems accelerating and maintaining speed which is a safety issue. No warning lamps or messages appeared. The problem was confirmed by a local transmission repair service. We are awaiting warranty information for the repair as there has been no campaign or recall for this well known issue.
Van is stuttering at a low rate of speed 25 mph. Car shakes and rattles. Disappears with higher acceleration. Took it to local car repair shop who suggested Honda as it should be under warranty or recall. Spoke with Honda dealer who states no recall, but there was a TSB 17-044 service bulletin extending the warranty to 8 years or 80,000 miles whichever comes first. We were never notified of this extension and are now at 82,000 miles. Honda Customer Care said there is nothing they can do, but will assign a case manager who should contact us in a week. In the meantime I am adding more miles to the car.
The torque converter is failing. When accelerating, the van will shudder and shake, usually between 25-30 mph and sometimes at 45mph. My vehicle is available for inspection. When merging onto the highway, this problem occurred, slowing my acceration which almost caused me to be hit from behind. I reported the problem to Honda. They are aware of the problem. Said I needed to bring my van in to have conputer reflashed and transmission flushed three times. The price to have complete is $481. I have 64k miles on my vehicle. Honda's warranty was to 50k, and there are no recalls. No warning lights or messages came on prior to this happening. It began around 60k miles.
Problems accelerating, the transmission slipping while accelerating. Possible torque converter locking up. Taking to dealer soon. No warning lamps, messages yet.
The transmission keeps slipping between 20 to 65 mph. The Dealer (Price Honda - Dover, DE) flushed the ATF system like the Service Bulletin 17-043 & 17-044. The issue still keeps happening. They said the Torque converted needs to be replaced but it is national backorder. But since it is on backorder, They can not do anything about it. They are saying the car is safe to drive and that driving it will not cause damage the transmission. This seems very unlikely.
TRANSMISSION KEEPS SLIPPING. NOT TYPICAL FOR A CAR SO NEW. EVERYTIME WE ACCELERATE, IT SLIPS.
STARTED WITH TRANSMISSION JUDDERING AT 45,000 MILES. TOOK IT IN FOR A FIX AND IT GOT FLUSHED AND REPROGRAMMED UNDER WARRANTY. NOW AT 77,000 IT SLIPS IN AND OUT OF GEAR WITH A BANG AND A BIG JOLT. I WAS DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. TURNED ONTO MAIN ROAD AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND IT JUST SLIPPED INTO A LOWER GEAR WITH A BANG. NOT GOOD ACCELERATION. TURNED AROUND AND WENT HOME. SLIPPED IN AND OUT OF GEAR A LOW RATE OF SPEED. NOT SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HAD EXPERIENCED HARD SHIFTING WHEN SWITCH GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (GERMAIN HONDA LOCATED AT 2601 S STATE ST, ANN ARBOR, MI 48104) WHO PERFORMED A TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATE BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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