2012 Honda Odyssey: fire, smoke or burning smell

6 of the 246 complaints about the 2012 Honda Odyssey describe fire, smoke or burning smell.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 2%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 19 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year

2023
2
2022
2
2021
1
2020
1
2019
8
2018
8
2016
3
2015
3
2013
4
2012
6
2011
1
2010
10
2009
5
2008
9
2007
8
2006
5
2005
13
2004
7
2003
15
2002
4
2001
4
2000
6
1999
9
1998
2
1997
1
1996
2
1995
3
1994
1

What owners say

Filed May 1, 2026 · Electrical · NC · fire

The 2012 Honda odyssey alternator caught on fire after the battery light came on which luckily I, the driver, was able to put out. The next day I towed the vehicle to Boyd Honda Auto in Oxford, NC, where they confirmed with diagnostic that the alternator was overworking and that there was a seeping spool valve. This seeping spool valve is a manufacturer’s defect.

Filed Apr 24, 2026 · Electrical · NC · fire

On Wednesday night, the battery light initially came on and after a few minutes the van had this burning smell so I pulled over and the alternator was on fire. I put it out with several bottles of water from papa John’s. Today, at Boyd Honda in Oxford said in the diagnosis that there was a sweeping spool valve that had leaked which must have caused the alternator to blaze because this is a manufacturer’s defect from Honda.

Filed Jul 21, 2021 · Engine · 141,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 35-45 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and the vehicle was shuddering. The contact continued driving the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact they could not provide any assistance as she was the second vehicle owner. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000.

Filed Apr 29, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 128,438 miles · IL · fire

Van caught fire while driving

Filed Jan 10, 2019 · Engine · 70,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 honda odyssey. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied in the driveway, a loud explosion was heard from the engine compartment. Moments later, the engine caught fire. The orange county fire department arrived to extinguish the fire and provided phone number 321‑313‑0541 in lieu of a report number. The vehicle was towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Oct 26, 2017 · Engine, Fuel system · 81,000 miles · CA · fire

I stopped at a t-intersection and turned right. As soon as I made the turn, the vehicle suddenly began shifting oddly. It was going to very high rpms before it would shift. I immediately checked the temperature gauge, but the engine was not overheating. We were on a mountain road so I began looking for a place to pull over. I checked my rear view mirror and saw the car behind me flashing their lights and honking their horn. At that point I noticed smoke in the rear view. I immediately stopped the car and as soon as I did, the front of the vehicle went up in flames. My pregnant wife and I got our three little children out of the car extremely quickly and they got back down the road a ways to get away from the burning vehicle. I began throwing car seats and other things out of the car as quickly as possible, but within two minutes after I stopped the car, the flames were to big to be anywhere near it. The car burned extremely fast and the fire was extremely hot, completely destroying the car.