On may 25, 2025 I was driving down a local road with several occupants in the van. I did not collide with another car, object my driver side curtain airbags went off trapping me and the occupants in the car. Had to cut the airbags to get out.
2011 Honda Odyssey airbags problems
11 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 69,000. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 69,000
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Honda Odyssey airbags problems in other years
Related recalls
Air bags
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
- Risk
- The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 13V016000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Inadvertent Deployment of Air Bags
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a Petition dated May 30, 2026. The Petition requested an investigation into inadvertent air bag deployment in model year (MY) 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The Petition contended that air bags can deploy absent a sufficiently severe event to trigger a deployment, such as an impact, rollover event, or G-force threshold breach. The Petition further alleged that the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) conflict and inaccurate data is being recorded for the air bag system. An air bag is a supplemental vehicle occupant restraint system that deploys a cushion designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision. The cushion prevents vehicle occupants from striking hard interior surfaces and, in some cases, exterior surfaces. Air bags are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts, the primary occupant restraint system. Seat belts restrain occupants keeping them in place for the air bag to provide proper protection and to mitigate injury from air bag deployment. An air bag system consists of an air bag cushion, an inflator module, an air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and impact sensors. When a crash begins, impact sensors located on the vehicle exterior begin to measure impact severity. If a crash is severe enough, the sensors send a signal to the system’s ECU, which then signals the inflator to fill the air bag. ODI reviewed 9 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs), one Early Warning Reporting (EWR) Death & Injury (D&I) report, and several TREAD (Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation) Field Reports alleging inadvertent air bag deployment in the Subject Vehicles. Several complaints allege that the inadvertent deployment of air bags occurred while traveling over potholes, road debris, or during minor curb strikes. All the complaints allege that there was no warning prior to the inadvertent deployment. In general, different types of air bags are designed for different types of impacts. For instance, frontal air bags are generally designed to deploy during frontal impacts; side curtain air bags are generally designed to deploy both during rollovers and impacts to the sides of the vehicle; and side thorax air bags are generally designed to deploy during impacts to the sides of the vehicle. While these are broad categories of crash scenarios, the specific conditions under which deployment is intended are multifaceted and dependent on complex algorithms. Differences in particular variables can make a deployment an intended part of the design in one scenario and not in another similar scenario. Although the reports described above all contain allegations of inadvertent deployment, the conditions under which those reported deployments occurred differ widely. The reports ranged different types of air bags, different combinations of air bags, and different driving scenarios preceding the deployment. Based on the data available to ODI, there is no clear pattern or factor to prompt the alleged inadvertent deployments. Thus, ODI’s review did not identify a trend of a vehicle defect regarding any type of air bag in the Subject Vehicles. Moreover, ODI did not identify any reports of inadvertent air bag deployment that resulted in a loss of vehicle control. ODI is likewise not aware of any crashes or severe injuries involving the Subject Vehicles that resulted from inadvertent deployment of the air bags. ODI recognizes that inadvertent air bag deployments can create dangerous safety hazards. For instance, an inadvertent deployment can surprise a driver, leading to a loss of vehicle control; or if an inadvertent deployment occurs when an occupant is out of position, the force of the deployment may injure the occupant. Inadvertent deployments have been the basis for past the federal safety agency recalls and investigations. Here, the Petition cites one such recall: Recall 26V‑227, which concerns inadvertent deployment of the side curtain and thoracic air bags in MY 2018 to 2022 Honda Odyssey vehicles (the “Recalled Vehicles”) due to the air bag ECU containing incorrect deployment parameters. Although this recall involved Honda Odyssey vehicles in adjacent model years to the Odyssey vehicles that are the subject of this Petition, ODI understands certain key differences to exist between the two groups of Odyssey models. Honda introduced a new generation of the Odyssey line in 2018. This new generation involved a large-scale redesign and a new vehicle platform compared to the previous model years. As a result, the vehicles covered by the Petition differ from the recalled vehicles in many characteristics, including physical dimensions, engines, transmissions, and air bag ECU algorithms. Given these differences, ODI’s review has not identified evidence that the reports of inadvertent deployment in the Odyssey models covered by the Petition correlate to Recall 26V‑227. After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the Petitioner, consumer complaint information in the federal safety agency’s databases, and other relevant information already in possession of the Agency, the federal safety agency has not found sufficient evidence to indicate that a trend of inadvertent air bag deployments as alleged by the Petitioner is likely to present a safety related defect that would warrant a formal investigation. After full consideration of the available information the Petition is denied. A denial report will be posted in the Federal Register. The closing of the Petition does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. The Petition can be viewed at under ODI Number 11744118.
DP26005
What 2011 Honda Odyssey owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The airbag warning light was come up after the driver seat was adjusted. It happened again after it had been reset.
Purchased vehicle from dealership. According to paperwork, vehicle has clean title. When I try to insure vehicle apparently vehicle is deemed "unsafe" because it suffered significant damage and needs a rebuilt title. Dealership never made me aware the vehicle had 3 accidents. After agreeing to buy back vehicle from me, they said they would no longer accept it.
An unlocked second row outboard seat need to be replaced. Recalled on last dec 2016, but still incomplete
On october 15, 2017 at 10:20pm my grandson was heading to my home and while leaving the expressway, both of the front safety bag covers blew out hitting him and the front passenger. However, the bags never deployed. This happened without a collision but when the cover hit his eyeglasses, only a sizzling sound was heard and powder powder came out causing the loose of control of the vehicle hitting in a frontal manner another vehicle that passed by. My vehicle suffered important damages but my grandson did not suffer injuries except for the broken eyeglasses. His friend suffer bruises in his arm caused by the cover. I went to the honda distributor here in puerto rico and explained the circumstances on how the accident happened but indicated that there was no recall on record for vehicles with tanaka mechanism. I told them to inspect the vehicle so as to determine failure of the safety issue but they declined and referred me to american honda for their advise. I am sure there is something wrong with the airbags that must be investigated by a certified technician in the area of bags safety performance. This needs to be accounted for since it could have cost the life of my grandson and his friend. I will call american honda and make them aware of the issue. Please, advise and where possible indicate further steps. At this moment the distributor representative was reluctant to care for this incident and got rid of me in less than 5 minutes offering the telephone of the manufacturer. Thanks for your attention to this critical matter.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 honda odyssey. While parking, the vehicle surged forward and crashed into a pillar without warning. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
My van was involved in the honda odyssey recall from 2013 regarding missing rivets in the drivers airbag. I brought it in to honda and they repaired and inspected the airbag immediately in 2013. I recently was in a major accident in which the airbag did not deploy at all. Luckily, my only injury was whiplash and ptsd. However, I'm very worried that my airbag did not properly deploy to protect me from serious injury. My accident involved me hitting another stopped vehicle at approx 50miles an hour. I hit their back end with my front end, head on. My front end of my odyssey is smashed in and my van is totaled, beyond repair. It occurred on a country route/state road
I file this complaint to report a dangerous defect in my 2011 honda odyssey van to prevent others from suffering similar or worse harm what happened to me. I stopped my vehicle at the top of my driveway, where it is flat, to get my mail I placed the van in park before I stepped out of the vehicle to get my mail. The van was not moving when I exited the vehicle. My two children remained in the vehicle. As I went to get the mail, the next thing I knew my van was moving on its own down the driveway. Because my kids were still buckled in their seats in the vehicle, I did everything I could to stop the van. However, I did not succeed. The van cut off the driveway, went through the landscaped portion of my yard, rolled over a retaining wall and crashed into my house. As a result of me trying to save my children, I suffered significant injuries which included difficult surgery and the loss of mobility with potential permanent debilitating injury. I am still in physical therapy and will be for a while. We also had a lot of property damage. The car was still in park when it hit the house. The tow truck drivers had to engage the shift lock release to take the shifter out of park in order to drive the vehicle slightly to position it to be picked up by the tow truck. The vehicle moved while in park and never came out of park when it went down the driveway. I have informed honda of this dangerous life threatening defect. Honda inspected the vehicle on may 23rd at brannon honda in birmingham alabama and said nothing is wrong with my van. I know they are wrong. This defect could hurt other people or kill someone. I hope the government will thoroughly inspect my vehicle before somebody else gets hurt. My vehicle is available for immediate inspection.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 honda odyssey. The contact stated that while traveling at 55 MPH, the driver veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained severe head injuries, a concussion, and bruising throughout her body. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. Updated 8/26/13 *cn the consumer stated the right front tire, may have been a factor, in the vehicle leaving the road. The consumer stated only the side curtain air bag deployed. Updated 09/04/13
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 honda odyssey. The contact was driving 57 MPH when the vehicle crashed into a deer. The front passenger side air bags deployed but the driver's side air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was not destroyed. The police were contacted and a police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 9,955.
Questions about the 2011 Honda Odyssey airbags
Does the 2011 Honda Odyssey have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the airbags of the 2011 Honda Odyssey, 5% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2011 Honda Odyssey airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 69,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Honda Odyssey airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 13V016000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Honda Odyssey have bad airbags?
The Honda Odyssey model years with the most airbags complaints are 2003 (131 complaints), 2004 (111 complaints) and 2002 (99 complaints).
Other 2011 Honda Odyssey problems
Electrical 66Brakes 44Engine 28Body 20Transmission 19Seats 14Tires 12Steering 10Visibility 10Acceleration 6Seat belts 6Driver assistance 4Fuel system 4Lights 4Locks 4Suspension 4Wheels 3
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