The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, the engine did not start, multiple warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle had an issue previously with loud noises and slow acceleration and the vehicle taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a high pressure and low pressure fuel pump failure and was repaired at the time. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic a second time where it was diagnosed as a fuel pump failure. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate 147,000.
2018 Honda Odyssey: won't start
19 of the 1,016 complaints about the 2018 Honda Odyssey describe won't start.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 1
Won't start by model year
What owners say
While driving on the highway, the engine light came on and off. Pulling over, I inspected the engine compartment and heard what I believe was cylinder knocking, but could not obtain an engine code with an OBD code reader. Oil was of sufficient level as it had just been replaced within 1,000. After this I attempted to drive it to the dealership, where on going 45 MPH, I pulled to the right lane for emergency police vehicles and when the vehicle was stopped, the engine stopped and seized up. After not being able to start the vehicle, I could not find the neutral safety switch to put the transmission in neutral to move the vehicle from the flow of traffic (turns out the switch is not readily accessible and is on the side of the transmission underneath the air intake and battery compartment. Police officers pulled behind the vehicle and assisted me in getting a tow truck to take the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. At Coggin Honda in Jacksonville, the vehicle was inspected and the engine would not turn over manually by the crankshaft. The engine was deemed to have catastrophic failure and would need to be replaced at 126,000 miles. This vehicle is a 2018 which is on TSB 24-003, however is not listed on the applicable VINs. This TSB is for connecting bearing rod failure which would lock this vehicle’s engine the way the dealership found it. I believe this to be the issue as several Honda engines have had this failure. The vehicle was maintained per Honda’s maintenance programs and even had an extended warranty of up to 100,000 miles which when the TSB the vehicle was underneath that mileage and would have been covered by Honda if they had released the full list of VINs for that year to be inspected instead of a sub list of VINs of the production. Honda needs to be investigated to see if that TSB needs to be expanded since 2023-2024 timeframe other users have had a similar failure and seized engines.
2018 Odyssey EXL engine seized up at 111k miles. There's now a bunch of metal shavings in the oil. The engine will not turn over.
Honda issued a recall on the fuel pump December 2023. They did not have any parts available to replace mine. I had brought in my Odyssey Elite to Space Coast Honda multiple times before the recall stating my engine wouldn't crank. I was unable to get the fuel pump replaced until December 5, 2024. ONE YEAR after the recall. I am now getting Emissions System Problems and Stop Driving When Safe Engine Temperature Too Hot. The dignostics that were pulled were P219A Secondary P219A, P0420, P219A. Also, my intake manifold gaskets are leaking coolant. I have had nothing but problems with this van since April 5, 2023 with my car not starting and stalling. My kids and I were stranded at their school two times and there were multiple times at my work. I don't believe I should have to pay thousands of dollars for these items to be replaced since I believe they're an issue due to me driving on a faulty fuel pump. I even called Honda Customer Service multiple times and they told me to keep driving it even though I expressed concern for my kids and having been stranded multiple times. Both dealerships said there was nothing wrong even though I brought it in multiple times for the same issue.
Engine shut down driving on [XXX] in Colorado just past [XXX] (XXX). Had to pull over and car towed to shop that found engine would not start, locked and could not rotate by hand. They suspect timing may have jumped causing major internal damage to engine, possibly bent valves. Hole found in side of engine block thought to be from cap or other component breaking off. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The seam seals on the rear driver's quarter panel of the vehicle are faulty and allowed water to flow into the cabin of the vehicle. The resulting damage was loss of function to the rear power lift gate, front seats, remote start and other key fob functions, as well as a dead battery(assumedly due to arcing on wet circuitry). The damage rendered the lift gate inoperable as I it initially closed but came open during operation. We continued to receive a power lift gae problem on the "Heads Up Display" but the power gate would not open or close, electrically or manually. After a few days the gate opened but would not close, rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. Furthermore, the battery was dead and would not start. Had this incicdent not occurred in our driveway we could have been susceptible to being stranded in sub-freezing temperatures with kids. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they confirmed a roof leak was a cause of the water incursion. The power lift gate module and floor harness were damaged causing failures to lift gate operation and other electronics. It will cost $7000 to have it repaired at the local Honda dealer. Pending completion of repairs and paperwork for submission.
Tailgate warning beeps. Tailgare Will NOT open or Close. Dashboard lites flash. Vehicle will NOT START ! CANNOT START or move Vehicle!
Our 2018 Honda Odyssey has the defect described in this recall: [XXX] However, the VIN search says that it is not eligible. This defect causes all of the vehicle's electronic safety systems to malfunction. Occasionally it will not start at all. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There is an electrical drain causing the battery to drain to the point where it will not start. Alternator was replaced, then the issue persisted. Most recent problem include the power tailgate opening on its own. Rear power tailgate issue. The rear tailgate will attempt to open while driving, but the warning sound chimes and alerts to the problem. If the vehicle is left unlocked the tailgate will open itself. The power tailgate button in the driver seat does not work. The close button on the bottom of the door is illuminated (has power) but will not close the door. The soft rubber button above the license plate will engage the motor to lift the tailgate, but not to close it. Others have filed complaints about a water leak impacting the rear control board and causing it to fail. Leak may be from the fin on the roof or related to the cracking and rotting seal on the bottom of the rear windshield.
This vehicle has had numerous electrical issues, culminating in the need for three batteries in a six year. Period. From day one there were electrical issues with the auto stop start and the car in one occasion the battery completely died. Honda was unable to identify the issue and electrical issues. Continue to happen. in the last 18 months I’ve had numerous occasions where this auto stop start would engage at a stoplight stop sign in the middle of busy traffic, but would not start back up. I took it in for service and they cannot re-create or identify the issue. This is very scary when it happens as I have been on start and go traffic on the interstate on busy intersections and the car will not move nor can it be restarted for 5 to 10 minutes. Honda offers no solution to this dangerous problem. After months of not being able to fix this. Identify a problem the car no longer moves into reverse consistently Honda recommends new transmission. After becoming frustrated with Honda and feeling unsafe with my family in this vehicle, I had to trade it in for a new vehicle as no solutions were offered to make me feel safe driving it or to get it repaired effectively or identify why it keeps needing new batteries and has electrical dysfunction since purchase
When the vehicle’s auto start-stop feature is active, the feature will malfunction causing the engine to not start properly. Instead, the vehicle stalls and must be restarted manually. However, there are many occasions when the vehicle does not start manually either. In these cases, it takes many attempts to restart the vehicle. While these events are happening, the vehicle displays an error message for the auto start-stop feature on the instrument cluster, and the instrument cluster will flicker on and off. The events often occur during the middle of an intersection and attempting to turn in front of oncoming traffic. It creates a very dangerous situation. the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others because the issue occurs regularly, and the dealership has asked us to come back when the problem is occurring. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. However, there are other Honda vehicles (e.g., Honda Pilot) which have the exact same issue, and a recall has been issued for those vehicles but not the Honda Odyssey.
several times when stopped at a light, the vehicle's auto idle engine engages and shuts the car off. When the brake has been released, the vehicle has failed to start. Most recently, this occurred while waiting in a car line of traffic and it took many different attempts to get the car engine back on - about 10 minutes before the engine could be started, resulting in myself and my children stuck on the road while we opened doors, the hood of the car, tried to start the car and turn it completely off. It was in a stuck position until it wasn't. that was the first time the vehicle wouldn't start after numerous attempts to start the engine. We have been told there is no way to fix this - only to manually turn the function off every time the car is started.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the auto idle stop feature engages, the vehicle...
- Dealer Message
- Owner Notification Letter
- MIL flashes and vehicle will not accelerate, low power
- The MIL flashes and vehicle will not accelerate, low power
- Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not...
- Dealer Message
- The engine will not crank on initial startup after precipitation and sub-freezing temperatures
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.
- Risk
- A damaged engine may run improperly or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a fire, crash, or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.
Recall number 23V751000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2018 Honda Odyssey won't start
Is won't start a common problem on the 2018 Honda Odyssey?
19 of 1,016 owner complaints about the 2018 Honda Odyssey (2%) mention won't start. The model year with the most reports is 2025.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Honda Odyssey?
There is 1 recall and 43 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2018 Honda Odyssey
Collision warning 126Lane assist 117Adaptive cruise 113Stalling 91Knocking 65Hesitation 59Engine failure 55Check engine light 52Jerking 48Headlights 46Backup camera 42Fuel pump 42Warning lights 41Loss of power 37Water leak 31Door locks 27Transmission failure 27Won't shift 20Harsh shifting 13Screen failure 13Overheating 13Key fob 11Battery drain 10Grinding brakes 10Airbag light 8Fire or smoke 8Seat belt 8Shudder 7Slipping 7Sunroof shattered 7Misfire 6Start-stop 6Power steering loss 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2018 Honda Odyssey?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history