2021 Honda Odyssey Driver assistance Problems

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

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

The forward collision prevention system engages the brakes when nothing/no one is in front of us. It will also engage the lane departure warning, which also engages the brakes, when construction zones remove the actual lane lines and temporary lines are put down. The car gets confused and brakes the car to a stop in the middle of a highway.

NHTSA ID

11724497

Incident

Mar 15, 2026

I hear a popping/crackling noise from the speakers then I get complete network loss for my backup camera, my dvd player, my clock, maps etc.System does a report after 5+ minutes. Message displayed before everything goes black is Network Connection Lost and MOST Net Off. This issue is ongoing and seems to happen now every day sometimes multiple times in a driving session. It just started about 2 weeks ago. There is an active recall for this exact issue for 2021 Honda Odysseys but my VIN does not seem to be included.

NHTSA ID

11689851

Incident

Sep 12, 2025

My van is braking when there are no cars or dangers in front of it. Sometimes there's a metal plate on the ground or speed bump when it brakes. Other times there's nothing in front. The car slams on the brakes and I cannot override it with the gas pedal. This puts my kids and I in danger of being rear-ended. This most commonly happens around 7:30am or 4pm when I'm taking kids to school or dropping off. I'm often in the carpool like or headed to the school when the car slams on the brakes. It's very frightening. The dealer cannot find an issue and cannot replicate the problem.

NHTSA ID

11689340

Incident

Sep 24, 2025

Vehicle applied brakes for no reason. Lost ability to see reverse camera during backing up. Half of the instrument cluster went dim to become barely visible. Radio screen freezes randomly. Engine cuts out or shudders intermittently.

NHTSA ID

11682827

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

2021 Odyssey EXL the Electric parking brake 'issue' warning comes on while driving and collision mitigation warning / lane assist switches off and flashes in console; when this happens the car continues to run but the dashboard warning lights comes up for Parking brake / Collision Warning and or Lane assist. It gets cleared after I turn on/off the car couple of times and drive for approximately 5 miles. Those features had to be turned on manually, once the car is in parked mode, again. The issue started in the car at around 48K miles. Never had any issue with it before that.

NHTSA ID

11670202

Incident

May 24, 2025

It started that all the sensor in our car started to go off. We were told we had a bad battery, even thought we had replaced it new just last year. Once we had the battery checked and alternator. The sensors started to act up again, out tail gate started to malfunction. Wouldn’t automatically close. A few weeks ago driving down the road the tail gate opened and the anti theft system started going off while the car was running and still going. Come to find out there is a water leak in the rear that has gotten into the rear fuse box and has cause substantial corrosion. The latch to the tail gate is broken. Honda is telling us our extended warranty doesn’t cover any of this, even though it is common knowledge, that the water leak is a known problem from 2018-2021. We just found out a few days ago.

NHTSA ID

11652678

Incident

Mar 26, 2025

All of my assist lights just came.on one after another saying there was a malfunction with the emmision light continues to go.on go.off even after I paid 580 to have the car serviced for the assist lights. Now the lift gate stopped working three weeks ago yesterday with all the rain that poured now the lift gate is open and will.not latch.

NHTSA ID

11648579

Incident

Mar 15, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11637656

Incident

Jan 16, 2025

The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.

NHTSA ID

11635070

Incident

Jan 8, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11624620

Incident

Oct 22, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11619730

Incident

Oct 14, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11611850

Incident

Aug 26, 2024

Team Honda in Merrillville refused to fix my recall unless I paid for diagnostics.

NHTSA ID

11582755

Incident

Apr 12, 2024

I am writing to urgently bring to your attention a critical issue plaguing the driver assist systems in Honda Odyssey 2018+ vehicles. Despite meticulous maintenance and adherence to manufacturer guidelines, I have encountered a persistent and alarming problem that appears to affect numerous other vehicle owners, as evidenced by online forums and discussions. The issue initially arose during a rainstorm, where I received a warning message stating, "Some Driver Assist Systems Cannot Operate: Radar Obstructed." Despite the weather clearing and thorough cleaning of both the sensors and the windshield camera, the warning persisted. Subsequently, a series of related problems emerged, including: Illumination of the BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT Malfunctioning adaptive cruise control Faulty collision mitigation system Inoperative road departure mitigation system These errors not only pose a significant safety risk to myself and others on the road but also indicate a systemic issue with the vehicle's safety systems. As my vehicle is just past the three-year mark and out of warranty, I am apprehensive about incurring substantial costs for dealership repairs, especially considering the widespread nature of these complaints among Honda Odyssey owners. Extensive research reveals that I am not alone in experiencing these issues. Multiple reports and discussions online highlight similar complaints from other Honda Odyssey 2018+ owners, particularly following exposure to adverse weather conditions. Therefore, I implore the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. It is crucial to identify the underlying cause of these recurring issues and hold the manufacturer accountable for any design flaws or defects contributing to the malfunction of critical safety systems. Furthermore, I urge NHTSA to prioritize public safety and take immediate action to ensure affected vehicles are promptly recalled or repaired to prevent further incident

NHTSA ID

11582551

Incident

Feb 6, 2024

Rear view mirror on the windshield has a factory defect. It falls off and causes hazardous conditions. I backed into a parked and unoccupied vehicle. It was dark, the warning beeper did not sound until I hit the vehicle. The dealership has attempted to fix the issue 3 times, the item is ordered to fix the mirror. I have reported this issue to the NHSTA twice. This is my second update after the initial report. The sales manager, Bobby, (cell#336-740-4273), says that he is aware that other Honda vehicles have had this problem with the mirror.

NHTSA ID

11556927

Incident

Nov 26, 2023

Once the cruise control is set, it consistently drops below the set speed and surges back up or over the set speed. Set on 62, it drops to 59 or 60, then surges back up to 62 or 63. This happens on perfectly flat roads with no traffic in front or beside the car. The dealership tried to tell me that the camera for the adaptive cruise might be seeing things in its peripheral vision area, but there is nothing there, the shoulder of the road is wide and free of obstacles. I've owned many other brands of vehicle, and never had this trouble with the cruise control on any of them. This is also a safety issue because sometimes it just randomly slows down or speeds up when there are cars behind you or beside you.

NHTSA ID

11540905

Incident

Aug 25, 2023

HI, A driver of a 2021 Honda odyssey EX-L struck and ran over my 6 yr old child, driver was unable to see the child sitting on the driveway ground from his view, If this Honda odyssey EX-L would have Parking Sensors this accident would be avoided. I urge you to request Honda to install this feature in all Honda Odyssey models as this feature can save lives. Thanks

NHTSA ID

11537437

Incident

Jul 20, 2023

While driving in highway construction zones the car's lane departure system attempted to steer the car along lane markings set before the construction zone was established. In several instances this caused my car to steer, contrary to my steering input, towards Jersey barriers and dangerously close to a collision. The car's collision warning and automatic braking systems then engaged and applied the brakes regardless of following traffic. After the first instance, luckily in light traffic, I became aware of this issue and aware of how to quickly defeat these safety systems. After several additional instances, some in traffic at highway speed, I determined the lane departure system was more dangerous than helpful and I suspended it by a simple dashboard procedure. I am now able to negotiate construction zones without issue.

NHTSA ID

11537078

Incident

Apr 15, 2021

I was driving through an intersection. My automatic brakes activated for no reason, my car rapidly slowed down in the middle of an intersection, a bus hit my car from behind.

NHTSA ID

11528174

Incident

Jun 21, 2023

The rear camera is missing items that aren’t moving behind the car. Like a parked car or person. When backing up. Will recognize to the sides of the object is moving but not directly behind the car or fully stationary items

NHTSA ID

11526593

Incident

Jun 6, 2023

While driving on a straight, wide open road at approximately 45mph with no vehicle in any close proximity in front, the forward Collision Mitigation Braking System alarmed and activated and strongly braked, slowing the car quickly down to about 20mph before releasing. Fortunately, there was no one behind me to react to the unexpected slowing down of my car. There was no apparent reason why this should have activated. The CMBS has activated previously in other non-threatening situations but there was usually a condition where you could justify why it made a mistake, such as being in the left lane of a two lane road which curves to the left and a car in the right lane slows to turn right, my car thinks it is in front of me when it is not. Still, these situations result in a danger of getting hit from behind.

NHTSA ID

11525332

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Back up sensors stopped working 4 months after purchasing a brand new vehicle. Also the side sensor just randomly lights up when there’s nothing around or the Brake light pops up

NHTSA ID

11518007

Incident

Dec 7, 2021

Exiting a construction zone (I-70 westbound near Mt. Comfort, Indiana) at approximately 60 to 65 mph, our 2021 Honda Odyssey, without warning, momentarily applied unwarranted automatic emergency braking. The brakes were actuated for (an estimated) one second and resulted in an abrupt (approximately) 10mph reduction in speed. A large SUV traveling directly us was forced to take immediate action by making a sudden lane change in order to avoid a serious collision. The involuntary braking action on the part of the vehicle placed the passengers of both vehicles in grave danger. The only warning indication provided by the vehicle was an orange-box “BRAKE” warning displayed on the dashboard and the accompanying warning beeps, both simultaneous to the actual brake actuation. No indications or warnings appeared prior to or after the actual braking. No obstacle or object on the roadway was visible to either the driver or front seat passenger. All traffic lanes were clear for a minimum of 100 yards ahead of the vehicle. Weather was clear and dry. The pavement was dry and clear of any debris. The construction zone where the incident occurred carries both east and westbound traffic on the normally westbound (north) side of the expressway. The left side of the traffic lanes are lined with continuous, concrete “Jersey” barriers. The incident took place at the western end of the zone, at the point where the westbound lanes expand from two to three lanes. This is approximately where the left-side parallel-to-traffic barriers end and a small, separated section of angled-to-traffic barriers is revealed, along with some other barrier sections in the median area between the roadways. This incident (November 26, 2022) was the second time this malfunction has occurred in same vehicle in approximately the same area on I-70. On August 11, 2022, an essentially identical event took place under similar conditions. The vehicle has not been inspected by Honda or any other authorities.

NHTSA ID

11495496

Incident

Nov 26, 2022