2021 Honda Odyssey Complaint Log

Power tailgate problems caused by water leaking through body seams. A visible gap in the rear hatch allows water to flow into the vehicle and shorts out control module. This has ruined my control module, caused mold and I noticed a burning smell.

Both door latches have failed, the first was at 3 years and the second at 5 years. When this happens the door cannot close all the way. This should be a recall as it’s a safety issue and also very costly to repair.

Leaking from the roof and tail gate caused the electronic control modules in the sliding door and rear gate to fail.

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.

Rear passenger side shock absorber snapped on a family road trip. Vehicle began to fishtail with every bump in the road leading to excursions very close to lane markings at times. Inspection by dealer not only confirmed the damage but also found older damage involving the right front control arm which also had to be replaced. Owner had noticed a rattle in the steering column before original new car warranty expired. Original dealer could not locate the source years ago. Problem completely vanished after the current control arm repair. Owner is concerned that had rear passenger side shock absorber and front swing arm completely failed at the same time that vehicle would have departed.the road surface at speed. Vehicle has 64,000 miles on it, relatively low, light mileage for a vehicle of this age. A Google search reveals many other owner of this same make and model year have experienced the same problems.

The rearview camera that does not display an image which can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. I had the vehicle inspected by a third party which believes this could be from insufficient repairs as part of the prior recall NHTSA ID Number: 23V431000 related to this same issue. Honda's recall service center's only solution is that I take the vehicle to a Honda dealership for inspection, at my expense, and that they will reimburse me if they determine it is related to this recall. The issue with the display not working has been going on for several weeks. The display will work temporarily when the battery is reset, the fuse is reset, or when the display itself was removed/replaced by the party I had inspect the unit.

Power tailgate stopped working. Warning indicator indicated Power Tailgate failure. Dealer found water to be leaking onto tailgate unit from driver’s side roof rail. Recommended replacing and programming new PTG unit and resealing water leak. Repair cost was $1,311.51

the trunk door stopped working due to a leak from the rear left window seal causing the computer to become waterlogged the mechanic that fixed it said its a common issue with the Honda odyssey and should be recalled by Honda, I am therefore requesting the nhtsa to investigate this matter further so Honda should reimburse for the cost of the repair this issue can be a safety hazard in the event of a emergency egress from the trunk as it's not possible to open from the exterior and there was no prior warnings lamps or messages

After driving for 2 hrs in single digit temperatures I entered the on ramp to interstate freeway. I lost power, couldn’t accelerate further and the Check engine light was flashing. I pulled over on the 4 lane interstate, turned off my car and restarted. CEL went away. This is the 2nd time in 2 Winters this has occurred during cold weather. Both on exit/entrance ramps when trying to accelerate after turning with traffic behind me. This can only be reproduced in specific situations and diagnostics are not stored. Honda has a service bulletin on this issue 24-085. I feel it should be covered on all vehicles, regardless of warranty status due to the safety risk.

My rear hatch for the trunk was filling up with water every time it rained. Took it in to be looked at and they found the door wasn’t sealed during manufacturing and they sealed it. The water damage was already done and buttons for all things no longer lifts or opens the trunk door. My dash displays “ power tailgate problem” and nothing works to open it. I have to do it manually and I’m afraid it will cause further problems to the door.

The main screen went black for 3 mins while driving. Booted halfway back up then crashed again. Booted up again and then worked. Its done this 3 times and I've had van for 6 days. 32k miles one owner. Mint looking

The power tailgate on my 2021 Honda Odyssey suddenly failed. A “power tailgate problem” warning appeared, and the tailgate became completely inoperable. It would not latch manually or automatically, even when applying force. The latch would spring back open, and no mechanical sound came from the door. Because the tailgate would not latch, the interior lights stayed on, and the vehicle continued to display “tailgate open” warnings. I could not secure the tailgate for driving, which created a safety hazard since the door could not be properly closed during travel. A few days later, both sliding doors also stopped functioning, and none of the powered doors (tailgate or sliding doors) would operate from the interior switches, exterior buttons, or key fob. The Honda service center inspected the vehicle and reported that the tailgate control module was corroded and had clear evidence of water damage. They stated that they would not replace the module until the vehicle was evaluated by a body shop because a water leak was likely present and would continue damaging components. The body shop later confirmed that water intrusion was entering through the upper left rear pillar, caused by a leak in the roof seam area. Water traveled into the rear side panel and damaged the tailgate control module and related electrical systems. Their findings were documented and also confirmed by my insurance inspector. Prior to the failure, there were no symptoms. The only warning occurred at the moment the system failed (“power tailgate problem”). The issue occurred without any impact, accident, or misuse. The defects caused multiple powered doors to become inoperable, which is a significant safety risk for both passengers and the driver. Based on publicly available information, this appears to be a recurring problem in 2018–2021 Honda Odyssey vehicles involving water leaks near the rear pillar leading to electrical control module failures.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Component or System Failed: Idle Stop System – The vehicle completely shuts off and requires a full restart at red lights or when stopped for several minutes. Safety Risk: The vehicle shutting off unexpectedly in traffic poses a serious safety hazard to both occupants and nearby drivers, especially when traveling with young children. I am genuinely fearful for our safety — particularly at red lights, where the risk of being rear-ended is high. There are numerous reports online of this same issue occurring in Honda Odyssey vehicles, indicating a wider safety concern. Reproduction of Issue: I have contacted both Honda and the dealership, and no effective solution has been provided. This vehicle is not safe to operate under these conditions. Inspection: The issue has been inspected by the Honda dealership, but no permanent resolution has been offered. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lights, messages, or alerts prior to the failure. The vehicle shuts off without any prior indication. Assessment of Cause: The problem appears to stem from a malfunctioning Idle Stop system, potentially related to the electrical or battery system. I understand that Honda has received multiple similar complaints from other Odyssey owners experiencing the same dangerous issue.

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.

Dealership has been unable to complete recall repair due to parts being unavailable. The original recall is over 18 months old.

Vehicle lost power resulting in the vehicle automatically going into park and powering off while driving. This has happened multiple times. In addition, we will get strange electronic codes. Tested battery and systems successfully, but problem persists.

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.

When attempting to restart from the autostop function (i.e. the fuel economy function), the vehicle fails to restart successfully. This has happened on multiple occasions. It is not a battery problem and I have had the battery tested and even replaced (by Honda) and the problem has continued. The vehicle will stutter, stall or even completely shut down. This has happened when I have been at intersections and on busier roads or even in traffic on the highway. Its very concerning to me and seems extremely unsafe. No warning signs come in this scenario until the vehicle shuts down and the regular dash light engages indicating the engine is inoperable. I have today's date below but this has been happening consistently the last several months.

Can has been making a popping noise that can be felt in the steering wheel for 2 years. Honda has told me nothing was wrong after taking it in 4 times. Now my car keeps stalling at lights, sometimes it takes a while to get it to restart, and they can not figure out why. They keep saying the battery is fine and diagnostics finds nothing.

While stopped at a stop light at an intersection in our 2021 Hond Odyssey, the idle auto off feature kicked in, and then as we let off the brake and went to hit the gas to move forward the car shut off completely. The car had to be restarted by applying the brake and pressing the start/stop ignition button. This is not the first time this has happened with this vehicle. This also happened a series of times in 2023 and Honda performed a series of software updates, replaced the battery, and replaced a sensor on the battery. However, now two years later the idle auto off issue occured again.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to crank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the starter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

The vehicle's Auto Idle Stop (AIS) malfunctioned. The vehicle stalled and required a complete "shut down" to restart. The vehicle was first in line at a traffic light. The AIS system engaged. When I took my foot off the break to "go" when the light turned green, the car stalled. An error message popped up, indicating that I needed to shift the car into "park". I did so and the car did not start. I attempted to turn the car off several times, while in park and my foot depressing the break pedal. The car would not turn off. After three minutes of attempting to turn off the car and waiting, I was finally able to successfully start the car. I was traveling with my four young children, three of them in child car seats. I was nearly rear ended by one vehicle, despite having my hazard flashers on, because my car stalled at a traffic light when it was green. Two cars drove around me who were also stopped behind me at the traffic light. Another car came up to the traffic light and my vehicle and nearly rear ended me with my four young children in the car. This is the third time that this exact issue has occurred in my car. I brought it to my local Honda dealership on the same day that the issue first occurred. They inspected it but were unable to replicate it. They said they would make note of it but had not heard of such an issue. I had no idea this could be reported on this website. I was never told about this otherwise I would have reported this on the day that each of the two previous incidents occurred. This issue originally occurred the first time approximately 10/2022 and again for the second time approximately 4/2023. It just occurred for the third time today, 7/14/0225.

There is a message that pops up in our front touch screen panel " com.honda.auto.hars has stopped" which is not allowing us to use the touchscreen panel.for anything - from making or receiving calls , navigation , etc .. , which makes it hazardous to drive the vehicle on the road & not able to use hands free. We tried factory reset & also using USB drive to update , but the car is not recognizing the USB drive & also says that our system is up-to-date!! We are not able to find a solution . Please help . Advice needed.

Approximately May 2023, while pulling away from stop light, heard loud pop (like gunshot inside vehicle) and vehicle shuddered/jolted. It feels almost like someone hit vehicle with sledgehammer. I looked underneath but no issues found. No bump in road was hit at the time. December 24th 2024, while moving at less then 5 mph, heard another loud pop and shudder/jolt. Someone sitting in the back thought that something fell on the vehicle. This time noticed that left rear tire was into wheel well with vehicle unloaded. After pulling wheel, found left rear coil spring broken in 2 places. Believe broke first in 23 and again in 24. At time, we were 1200 miles from home and needed to delay trip so Honda in Killeen TX could repair. Dealer service advisor stated they had never seen anything like that except from crash. June 19th 2025. On highway doing 70-75 mph when heard another loud pop and shudder. No pot hole or any significant bump hit. Stopped, pulled wheel, and found right rear spring broken. Honda dealership in Marysville OH unable to find new spring either through OEM or aftermarket. We have also been unable to find aftermarket or junkyards. Being told that there is a nationwide backorder and no eta for when replacment parts are going to start being available. So being forced to continue driving a vehicle that is unsafe. First this does not seem normal for springs just to randomly break. Second for a critical suspension component on a relatively new vehicle, why is manufacturer unable to proved parts. We are now 2 months into it being broken and can't even order replacment parts yet because Honda is not allowing orders to be placed.

2021 Odyssey EXL shuts off completely in traffic stop and go conditions. Happened three times in a 2 week period. Twice in city roads at traffic stop light and once in highway when the cars are in stop / go mode due to heavy traffic. 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 the car at 43K miles. Never had any issue with mine before that. But it is scary especially the engine switch off in highway and traffic stop light.

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.

After my van sit at home all day while it was raining. I went out side to put something in the back of the van and the tail gate wouldn't open had warning symbol on the dash board. I only have 61,729 miles on my van and no accidents

Tailgate would not work (electronically or manually) Other Odyssey owners have had similar problems, some included tailgate opening on its own There were no problems until it just wouldn’t open one day Dealer replaced module for $700+

The error message “Power Tailgate Problem” appeared on the dash. Following the error message, the power tailgate stopped working. It would not open or close with the remote, the button on the dash, or the button on the tailgate itself. I discovered water had been leaking in the tailgate and the trunk area of my vehicle as well as the back seat that was folded down in storage had gotten soaked. I took my van to the service center and they told me it was the seal above the door and that the leak had ruined the power module controlling the door. They repaired the issues. That was in April 2025. The same thing happened last week (January 2026). After looking into the error message and the tailgate problem, I’m finding that the door may open or close at any time on its own. The water in the electrical module may also start a fire. I have two small children and this van is our primary vehicle. I’ve reached out to the dealership from which I purchased the van, I reached out to a local Honda dealer and I contacted Honda customer service and no one is willing to fix this issue. I will be required to pay out of pocket again. I’m requesting a recall on this defect in design.

In stop and go highway traffic. Engine cut off when at a stop during "Ecoboost." Had to turn off car and restart. Was able to restart with no problem. Full tank of gas. Fresh oil. No error messages before and after

Auto Idle Stop not restarting after shutting the engine down.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the engine turned off; however, once the accelerator pedal was depressed, the Auto START/STOP failed to operate as intended. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started to work as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

Car has completely shut off when the auto start/stop engaged after coming to a stop at a red light/stop sign on multiple occasions. Everything shut completely off, no radio, lights, etc. Had to push the start button multiple times to turn the car back on. Please investigate as I have read of this happening to many other people with 0 solution from Honda. This is a defect and should be recalled/fixed.

contacted dealership in Newburgh NY for recall. The rep pushed back making me wait 8 weeks. Dearlership in Middletown NY did not return call.

On 1/31/25 our rear tailgate automatically opened upon parking the car in our garage. Later that day, the tailgate would no operate properly and had to be manually opened. The key fob was functional and could operate all other doors in the car, except the tail gate. Later that day, while the car was parked in our garage, the tailgate started operating by itself, without pressing any buttons on the remote control key fob. It would open and close by itself and repeat the entire sequence over and over again. Upon turning on the car, the display identified a Power Tailgate Problem. The problem was reproduced by the Olathe Kansas Honda dealership. We took it to the dealership today and they diagnosed the problem, stating it is a Gate Control Unit failure (error code P1378 and P1379). Dealer confirmed what we experienced. We documented the safety problem via video. We were able to temporarily fix the issue by disconnecting the car battery overnight and reconnecting it the following morning. Safety concerns - This is a concerning issue as the tail gate could open by itself while driving, and/or could open by itself when you have the car parked in public, allowing theft of any items left inside. It could also open while someone is driving along a parking lot and cause an accident. There was no warning light prior to the malfunction of the tail gate control unit. We have found online that there may be a class action lawsuit regarding this issue.

The power trunk stopped working. The car starts warning me about a power tailgate problem. I have seen this issue reported by others as well. The warning light comes and goes randomly. The power trunk does not work at all anymore I have to open and close the trunk manually. I am concerned about the trunk malfunctioning further.

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.

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

This happened twice to us. While stopped at the red light the car suddenly shuts off and won’t start. We had to press and hold the start button for 5 seconds for the van to start. It appears that on both times the car just stalled.

On 28-Dec-2024 I noticed the power tailgate stopped working on my 2021 Honda Odyssey. I tried to press the power tailgate button on the key fob, the button on the driver's side control panel, and the button on the tailgate itself, but none of them works. I did some research online and found out it's a common problem in 2018 to 2021 models and the cause was the failed Power Tailgate Control Unit due to water leakage through the cracks on the vehicle body. I opened mine and found there was water in the control unit box which might have caused short on the circuit board. I bought a new control unit a week later and it fixed the issue.

Power tailgate problem displayed on dashboard. Suddenly stopped working. Constant dinging noise when driving.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that vehicles with present failures were being prioritized for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose automotive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway before stalling. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000.

The sliding door closed on my child's hand cutting the top of his finger off down to his finger bone.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on one occasion while the vehicle was parked, the rear hatch failed to open. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the rear hatch opened inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the road where the door was closed but failed to securely latch. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that condensation had leaked into to the driver’s side of the gate and damaged the rear gate control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,500.