2008 Honda Odyssey: engine failure

Filed Oct 30, 2026 · Engine · WA

Incident: In Mar 2019, while driving down a highway with my family, the vehicle experienced a sudden engine malfunction while driving, characterized by a flashing Check Engine Light, severe engine shaking, and a dangerous, immediate loss of acceleration/engine power. We had to get the vehicle towed to the dealership. A diagnostic scan revealed fault code P0302, indicating a misfire in Cylinder 2. Upon mechanical inspection, the spark plug in Cylinder 2 was completely fouled and covered in engine oil. At this time, only the fouled spark plugs were replaced, and the PCM software updated. This essentially is a temporary band-aid pushing the problem further down the road. The vehicle only had around 87,481 miles, and was a little over 10 years old. The same thing happened again in Dec 2025, at around 147,979 miles. This time, we had to do an extensive and really expensive repair. The root cause was determined to be premature failure of the engine's piston rings. This is a direct result of Honda's VCM system, which shuts down cylinders during operation, creating a vacuum that forces oil past the piston rings, fouling the plugs, and causing unexpected power loss during transit. I wasn't aware of this known issue until I had to do the major repair, and have now realized that Honda is very well aware of this well known and widespread issue. Request: This mechanical failure represents a severe, documented safety hazard that puts occupants at risk of being rear-ended due to sudden deceleration on active roadways. Honda is aware of this exact VCM defect for certain model years. A manufacturing design defect that causes unexpected highway engine failure does not cease to be a safety risk or a corporate responsibility due to age. Honda should have taken proactive steps to mitigate and prevent this issue. I am requesting that Honda reimburse the cost of the engine teardown and piston ring replacement required to make the vehicle safe to operate again.

Filed Sep 26, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 99,500 miles · HI

Turning onto highway, heard a loud bang, checked my dash, no warning lights illuminated, thought it was a rock or road debris that hit the vehicle. Continued toward our destination at 55 MPH, about a mile down the road the ABS lighted up, then the vsa, then the TPMS, then the seatbelt light, then the radio went out, the gauges were next, finally the battery light came on, I let the vehicle come to a halt using very little brakes. As soon as I stopped the engine died and no lights would come on, had to manually unlock and manually open the door. Called the honda dealership, said it would be towed in that day 24 sept 2016, there was no accident, but for this to happen with no warning whatsoever, is of concern to me. I don't know if this is a hardware or software glitch, we had the vehicle in for maintenance just this past week, timing belt, rear brakes, oil change. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you for considering this statement.

Filed Aug 11, 2016 · Engine · 100,000 miles · IL

Engine is burning about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. I think this should be covered under their extended warranty. Here is what I found out about this extended warranty... On october 22, 2013, honda america agreed to settle the class-action suit. As part of the settlement, honda extended the powertrain warranty on these models for eight years from the time of purchase or lease with no mileage limits. Honda also offered to reimburse customers who had to pay out-of-pocket expenses for related repairs such as spark plugs, pistons or even entirely new engines (with limitations). United states district court for the northern district of california a federal court authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. If you are a current or former owner or lessee of any of the following honda vehicles equipped with a 6-cylinder (?v6?) engine with variable cylinder management (?vcm-2?) you could receive benefits from a class action settlement concerning engine misfire, 1 including a limited warranty extension and reimbursement of outof-pocket expenses for engine misfire-related repairs: ? 2008-2012 honda accord; ? 2008-2013 honda odyssey; ? 2009-2013 honda pilot; ? 2010-2011 honda accord crosstour; or ? 2012 honda crosstour my van meets all the criteria... 1. 2008 odyssey 2. Motor is a 6-cylinder (?v6?) engine with variable cylinder management (?vcm-2?) 3. Motor is burning oil I've called honda USA directly and they were not able to tell me why my vehicle was not covered. The only they said was that, "my VIN was not part of the batch for the extended warranty. I only have until september 1, 2016 to qualify for this extension and after that date my van will not qualify if honda will let it qualify. I am asking for your assistance with trying to get my van to qualify for the extended warranty. Thank you

Filed Apr 27, 2015 · Engine · NE

2008 honda odyssey. Consumer writes in regards to spark plugs caused engine failure.

Filed Nov 24, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · MD

Spark plugged fouled in may. Oil consumption was at least a quart per 1000 miles at the time (every few weeks of driving). Had to replace spark plug and excessive oil consumption remains the same or greater. I am afraid that oil consumption will eventually cause engine failure while driving. Spoke to honda multiple times and they either say oil consumption is normal or wait until failure for extended warranty to kick in.

Filed Mar 27, 2013 · Engine · 90,000 miles · FL

I heard a strange noise coming from the engine when I accelerate. I took it to headquarter honda who does my service. I was told by carlos that they would have to diagnose it and the there would be a charge for it. When he got back to me he said that it was the left axel. I said that I couldn't believe that. I said that even though it only happens when I accelerate it is the axel? He said yes. I left it to get it done. I was told a few hours later that it was ready. I picked it up and about five miles away it started making a loud noise and oil went everywhere. The car behind me had oil all over the windshield. The axel repair didn't go well. They came and got the car. Later that day they told me the car was ready again. When I picked it up the engine noise was still there. The manager came over and I told him that it sounded like the engine. He told me that it was not the engine. He said that honda engines never go bad. I believed him because I looked up honda engine problems and couldn't find anything. They kept the vehicle for further investigation. The next day they called and said that it was the tensioner and they recommended that I get the timing belt changed. I told them that I was coming to get my car because it seemed like they don't know what they are doing. Carlos called me back and said that they would fix the tensioner at no charge because of all of the problems they caused me. They ended up rebuilding the engine. New engine is consuming a lot of oil. Dealer doesn't want to fix problem. I have much more information.

Filed Dec 21, 2011 · Acceleration · 70,400 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 honda odyssey. The contact stated that as she removed her foot from the brake pedal to attempt to proceed from a traffic stop, the vehicle abnormally accelerated to 60 MPH. The accelerator pedal independently moved toward the floorboard and became stuck. In addition, the steering wheel seized abnormally. The contact was able to shift gears and remove the key from the ignition but the vehicle continued to accelerate. After applying the emergency brake and continually depressing the brake pedal with extreme force, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued to drive without further issues. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,400.