2016 Honda Odyssey Engine Problems

See attached document for complaint.

Repeated misfires despite repairs at a certified Honda dealership. The van has been under service since the end of August 2025. The vehicle is power off and shut down while driving or cause significant engine/transmission shuddering and stalling. I have had my kids in the vehicle when this has happened on a highway. All service records have been done by certified servicers.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM increased, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. In addition, there was an abnormally loud sound and smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby business parking lot. The contact stated that the failure started while the cruise control was enabled, so the contact disabled the cruise control. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently purchased from a dealer. The contact obtained a CARFAX report, which indicated that in January 2025, the dealer performed an unknown recall repair where the piston rings were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 80,200.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the low-end rod nut had failed and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

09/01/2025 - Claim submitted under recall for "2016 Honda Odyssey, the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system can cause premature piston ring wear, leading to oil consumption, spark plug fouling, and misfires (P0301-P0304)" 09/24/2025 - Honda sent email confirming all required documents submitted and reimbursement would be processed in 6-9 weeks. 03/13/2025 (today) - No reimbursement received. Have called Honda claims 3 times over 3 months with no further information. Representatives state that reimbursement department very busy, will "flag for expediting", and to "call back in a week". It has been 24 weeks, way longer than acceptable processing by the OEM.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine, resulting in damages to cylinders #1 and #3. The contact was informed that a partial rebuild of the engine was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000.

Vehicle had a dead misfire on cylinder number one. Initially occurred in May 2024 - all of my dashboard lights went on and car was very shaky - made me nervous because manual said car could overheat or catch fire, so had towed to shop - Girard's Automotive in Franklin, WI. They diagnosed as spark plug needed replacement. Van was at about 98K miles at the time so recommended changing all spark plugs, which I did. Three months later - in August 2025 the same thing occurred - all warning lights on. This time I brought it to my regular mechanic - Import Minded in Greenfield, WI - insisting it was a faulty spark plug replacement. He removed the spark plug and found it to be oil fouled which typically indicates the vehicle was experiencing high levels of oil consumption caused by a known piston ring issue. He changed the spark plugs at the time at recommended checking with Honda as this was a known issue in which they had put out a service bulletin in Oct 2020 and extended warranties for year 2011 to 2013. I went to the Honda dealership. They were familiar with the problem but stated they needed to diagnose the problem and could not do that until the engine lights came on again. So, I could not reliably drive my car any distances for fear all my engine lights would come and the shakiness would come back. This went on until this last month, March 2024 in which the engine lights came on again and I was able to get it back to the dealership where they did diagnose the issue as the piston ring problem. They would not guarantee me any assistance with the repairs but required I have them done there for any chance at getting goodwill assist to pay for the repair- to the tune of $6000. After the work was complete, they let me know they would not be able to help me out - not because they do not acknowledge this to be a known issue, but because I do not spend enough money at Honda dealerships. Safety concern - overheat/fire and shakiness causing difficulty driving.

While driving on the interstate my 2016 Honda Odyssey with 120k miles experienced a blinking check engine light along with strong engine shudder. Luckily I was close to home, and after reviewing numerous complaints of the same VCM issue from others I checked the plugs and coils and found that the 3 rear plugs covered in oil. I replaced the plugs and coils and ran fuel system cleaner for the next few fill-ups. There was no prior warning, and if I would have been further from home or continued driving i assume I would need new rings and that would be a multiple-thousand dollar fix. I still don't know if they're permanently damaged.

I own a 2016 Honda Odyssey. This past summer ,while driving the vehicle began to lose power and shake. I had it towed in where I was told that the piston rings needed to be replaced, however, the first step would be to replace the spark plugs. They knew exactly what was going on because numerous individuals have had the same issue with their Honda Odyssey. Now just last week the same problem happened and the piston rings are being replaced for $5000. There was previously a class action lawsuit on earlier model year Honda Odyssey's due to the same issue. Honda then did nothing to fix the issue with the next model of the Odyssey. It is frustrating that their is a known issue that they are doing nothing about. We literally lost power while driving down a busy highway putting us and others at risk. Luckily we were able to get off of the road safely without causing any issues. You have previously looked into the earlier model Honda odyssey's I would appreciate it if you would with the newer models as well. Thank you.

Local mechanic informed me that there there is a defect in the piston causing oil to leak in and ruin the piston and spark plugs. This is fouling up the spark plugs, which are covered in oil. Temporarily he said to replace the spark plug. If that does work, he recommended a valve cover replacement. And if that still doesn't work to replace the engine. This was on cylinder number 1. This also happened last year with cylinder number 3. The engine light comes on and the vehicle starts shaking and causing engine misfiring. The oil was changed approximately 1 week ago when cylinder 1 was having issues. Yes, this vehicle is currently available for inspection. This could be a safety issue due to engine failure while driving on a busy road. This van was purchased used in 2018 with 1 previous owner. This problem has been confirmed by a repair shop.

Vehicle started showing "check engine" light and some other incidental warning lights. Engine started running roughly. We took this to the dealer and they said that engine needed to have piston rings replaced (along with some other unrelated items.)

Alex from Germaine Honda informed us “There is a defect in the piston causing oil to leak in and ruin the piston and spark plugs. The only option is to replace the engine. There was a light that came on indicating oil was low a few weeks before it symptoms started however there was plenty of oil when checked and it was not time for oil change per record. While driving one day car started shaking and engine misfire. Multiple engine and system warning lights came on. In 2022, we had a similar issue with piston rings out of alignment and spark plugs fouled with oil that resulted in costly repairs. Yes this vehicle is currently available for inspection. This could be a safety issue due to engine failure while driving on a busy road. This van was purchased used in 2018 with 2+ previous owners. This problem has been confirmed by a honda dealer.

Just before hitting 100k miles and planning for timing belt maintenance, I got hit with the well known VCM V6 engine issue. Fix for 7k from my own pocket? No. I just replaced spark plugs and as the advisor suggested I have to install the VCM Muzzler (from after market, as Honda don't do this) to deactivate ECO mode in order to prevent future damage. I hope NHTSA will force Honda to recognize this is their fault (poor design) and fix this on a big recall, otherwise I'll participate in a lawsuit when that will occur for this lemon car.

Connecting rod failure. This could have been a serious issue as it happened on the highway. I was in the middle lane when it locked up. Luckily I was able to safely get to the shoulder. There was no warning before it happened. ( No engine light, no noises at all). This has been inspected by my local Honda dealer and confirmed.

Brought brand new in 2016, our Honda odyssey has been well maintained by the dealer. Just hit 148k miles, and the check engine light started flashing - took it straight to the dealer. Said that we need the engine rebuilt for $4k replacing spark plugs and cylinders. Upon further research, this is a known issue with the VCM motors by Honda, and had a class action lawsuit for previous years of the odyssey- but when the lawsuit was done, our years had not reached over 100k miles yet. Honda service is saying there is now a software update to prevent this from happening again, when we replace cylinders, but why is this happening when we have brought it to the dealer for all maintenance and if there was a preventative fix for this, why wasn’t it done before damage was done to the engine? We are being given the run around, was offered $500 to buy our van, or pay the $4k+ to fix. Honda corporate is just going in circles not giving us answers and why this is being allowed to happen. This is my 4th Honda - 2nd to buy brand new- and this is making me question loyalty to the brand.

My engine's check-engine light began flashing, and it turned out to be misfiring on one of the cylinders. The dealer disassembled the cylinder and found that it was filled with oil, and the piston seals had failed for cylinders 1-3, and they are now saying it will be a $4K rebuild of the seals. Looking online, this appears to be a VERY common problem with these V6 Honda engines that have VCM on them; this is the same VCM system for which Honda had to settle a class-action lawsuit for this exact issue happening to thousands of engines. They only included vehicles through the 2013 model year, but continued to use the VCM system in later engines; there are thousands of reports of this same issue continuing to occur.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the DTC: P0301 (Cylinder #1 misfire) was displayed. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and turned off. The driver attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with spark plug failures due to an oil leak. The six spark plugs were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that a year later, the contact received an extended warranty regarding the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact requested to be reimbursed for the repair. The contact stated that the initial reimbursement request was denied. The contact resubmitted the case and all the requested documentation. The contact submitted all the requested documentation. In addition, the contact stated that the mileage was under the mileage limit. The failure mileage was approximately 89,689.

The engine failed and required a complete ring/piston replacement at a cost of $5,670,52 with only 135,946 miles. I purchased the vehicle new and had it serviced at Honda dealerships throughout its life. These vehicles are used by families and many older citizens because of their ease of access and advertised reliability. Such an unexpected expense should be covered by Honda. This ring/piston replacement has been a problem in earlier modules and was covered by Honda.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. In addition, the contact noticed the knocking sound when the vehicle started. The contact stated that the failure was persistent, and the abnormal knocking sound had gotten louder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

In January 2024 engine began misfiring, towed to shop, all spark plugs replaced due to fouling by oil. June 2024 issue began again, towed to shop, spark plug 1 found to be fouled by oil. Shop states this issue is likely caused by piston ring malfunction known to be an issue in earlier year Honda Odysseys. Honda states issue was fixed in 2014 and newer models, yet many complaints found online for 2016 model.