2021 Honda Odyssey

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

On October 28, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE25018 to investigate complaints of inadvertent deployment of the side curtain and/or side thorax air bags. These complaints concern model year (MY) 2018-2022 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured by American Honda Motor Co. (Honda). Honda issued recall 26V227 on April 9, 2026, to address concerns of inadvertent side air bag deployment. In the recall filing, the company stated that “[a]s of April 2, 2026, Honda has had 130 warranty claims, 25 reports of an injury, and no reports of death related to this issue from January 24, 2017 – April 2, 2026.” Honda states that the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) contains incorrect deployment parameters for the side thorax and side curtain air bags, which may cause inadvertent deployment when the vehicle encounters strong road impacts, such as driving over potholes, speed bumps, or road debris. Honda stated that the SRS control logic for the second and third rows of seating contained an insufficient deployment threshold margin, allowing signal inputs to be misinterpreted as side impacts and causing inadvertent deployment of the side thorax and side curtain air bags. Recall 26V227 states that dealers will reprogram or replace the SRS ECU with improved air bag deployment parameters. Consumers received notice of this recall in late May 2026. In view of the recall being conducted by Honda, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera display flickered on and off. The contact stated that while using the GPS, the display went blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer attempted to reset the rear-view camera display; however, the failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and a diagnostic test was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact contacted NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V431000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,231.

NHTSA ID

11756220

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

Mileage

49,231 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while stopping at a red light, the vehicle idled and automatically turned off while stopped and then the vehicle restarted but the vehicle stalled. The electronics on the vehicle were not operating as designed. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The contact's brother was able to jumpstart the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11753593

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

Mileage

72,000 mi

2021 Odyssey EXL shuts off completely at a traffic stop light. Happened 2 times in a 2 week period. Without warning the engine switches off completely and puts itself in "P" mode, all light comes on as if in accessory mode, radio switches off, all doors unlocked. To get going, the driver had to press brake pedal and start the car again (via Engine Start /Stop button). This issue started in my car at 93K miles. Never had any issue with mine before that. But it is scary especially the engine switch off at stop lights and blocking traffic for a number of minutes before you know what happened and are able to restart the can. I have seen this issue reported a number of times on this site and it appears repetedly in web searches. Honda needs to identify the cause of this problem and issue a recall for it.

NHTSA ID

11752152

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

The infotainment screen randomly shuts off and displays the errors "Network communication lost" and "MOST Net Off". This has happened numerous times while in the middle of backing up and using the backup camera that normally displays on that screen. We took it to the dealership for repairs of the problem in 2025 and after changing a wiring harness, the screen itself, and then the harness again, they thought they had fixed it but the issue continued to happen and has increased in frequency since then. Honda has a recall that includes our model (NHTSA Recall No. : 23V-431) but we were apparently not included in it and their press release on it estimates 50% of vehicles of the year and model are affected. It's unclear what arbitrary data was used to determine effected vehicles but it's obvious by the amount of discourse about it online that it affects more than their initial estimate. Many people, like us, have tried to have it repaired at a dealership to no avail.

NHTSA ID

11751816

Incident

Jul 21, 2026

Our van is experiencing Auto Idle Stop failure to restart. We experienced it one time last month (June 2026) and then again 2 days ago. I also experienced it 2 summers ago in 2024. We noticed it seems to happen in the heat and when we have been driving a while. In 2024 and then June 2026, I was able to quickly turn off and restart the car. Two days ago, we were stuck at a busy intersection with the car unable to start but also unable to turn off the car nor switch gears. After 5 min with multiple security alerts flashing it seems as though the computer timed out and we were able to start the car. We drove another 300 miles this weekend on a road trip with no further issues but we were sure to manually turn off auto stop each time. We are concerned about the safety implications of being stopped at traffic stop due to auto stop.

NHTSA ID

11751420

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

COMPONENT/SYSTEM: The infotainment/audio head unit and instrument display, which communicate over the vehicle's MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) fiber-optic network via FAKRA connectors. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. FAILURE: While driving, the center display and Carplay screen spontaneously reboot and show "Network Communication Lost." During these events I intermittently lose the rearview backup camera and other display functions and navigation as well as communication. The failures are intermittent, happen more often over bumps, and sometimes at startup, and even during smooth road conditions. SAFETY RISK: Losing the rearview camera is a hazard when backing up, and having the instrument/infotainment display reboot while driving is distracting and removes information the driver relies on constantly. CONFIRMED BY A DEALER: Yes, repeatedly. The manufacturer issued a safety recall (Recall 23-047, "MOST FAKRA service cables"), which a franchised dealer performed in May 2024, replacing MOST network components. About 15 months later, the same defect returned; the dealer found the audio-unit connection was not secured, reseated it, and confirmed the wiring had proper continuity (ruling out rodent or wire damage). The dealer otherwise offered only workarounds - an aftermarket Bluetooth adapter and recording video of the failure - not a durable repair. The issue still persists. INSPECTED BY MANUFACTURER: The manufacturer-directed recall remedy was performed by the dealer; there has been no police or insurance inspection. WARNING MESSAGES: Yes - a "Network Communication Lost" message accompanies each reboot. The problem was present before and after the May 2024 recall and had clearly recurred by mid-2025. KEY POINT: This is a failed safety-recall remedy. Recall 23-047 was performed at about 29,000 miles and the same defect returned by about 36,700 miles - a failure within roughly 7,600 miles. It persists today.

NHTSA ID

11750723

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

I have a 2021 HONDA Odyssey ,40K miles, some lights on about few months ago, then i went to dealer on June 29,2026. I paid for a dealer diagnoses, they told me is the VSA modulator faulty. I don't believe that is over 36K miles warranty , so i search it on Google, shows Honda had some recall on different model and year car with the VSA modulator, so i think we must check it ,if on odyssey need recall it too.

NHTSA ID

11750699

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

My 2021 Honda Odyssey Touring has experienced a severe engine stalling defect that creates an immediate traffic hazard. On multiple occasions during warm weather conditions, the Auto Idle-Stop system has engaged at a stoplight, but the vehicle completely failed to restart automatically when pressing the accelerator. Instead, the engine completely stalled out mid-drive, leaving the vehicle stranded in active traffic and requiring a manual cycle of the ignition button to turn back over. There were no dashboard warning lamps, error messages, or check engine lights prior to the engine stalling. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership (Honda of Middleburg Heights) for an emergency safety evaluation. The certified technician physically tested the starting system and explicitly confirmed the physical hardware failure on the invoice, stating: "The starter motor can be heard cranking slower than usual during start up. Recommend replacing the starter motor and relays." Despite this official mechanical diagnosis of a failing starter component causing an immediate traffic stall, regional management issued a flat refusal of coverage because my specific VIN was omitted from the automated database recall screens for Service Bulletins A23-008 and A23-010. I am filing this complaint to ensure federal investigators document this rigid VIN exclusion loop under the active NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA25004.

NHTSA ID

11750213

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

Owner Notification Letter - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engaging, your vehicle may not automatically restart.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2022 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the power sliding door not opening or closing under its own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect certain parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2022 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the power sliding door not opening or closing under its own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect certain parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2022 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the power sliding door not opening or closing under its own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect certain parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2022 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the power sliding door not opening or closing under its own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect certain parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2022 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the power sliding door not opening or closing under its own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to collect certain parts from the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.