2018 Honda Odyssey transmission problems

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · 117,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with several warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, shifted the vehicle into park(P), and there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle failed to restart after the failure. The vehicle was towed to a service center, where an engine failure was confirmed, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine and front axle had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

Filed Sep 19, 2026 · Transmission · UT

2018 Honda Odyssey EX-L, The vehicle consistently has a significant delay in acceleration. This is especially noticeable when starting from a stop or low speed and attempting to make a left turn across traffic. The accelerator pedal is pressed, but the vehicle sometimes provides little or no acceleration for 1 to 2 seconds. The vehicle will then begin accelerating, sometimes abruptly. This has created a safety concern because the vehicle can begin entering an intersection but fail to accelerate as expected, leaving it exposed to approaching traffic. The problem has occurs regularly and has been noticeable for an extended period. There are no intentional actions by the driver that would account for the delayed response. I am aware of two other Honda odysseys doing the exact same thing. One being my neighbor who brought it up themselves and another, an individual at work. My neighbor has the same year and model. The other I am unsure about. This seems to be a consistent and likely widespread issue. The vehicle is a 2018 Honda Odyssey EX-L equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission. I will be scheduling the vehicle with a Honda dealership and ask the dealership to diagnose this acceleration-delay problem.

Filed Sep 9, 2026 · Transmission · FL

My vehicle intermittently shifts from normal automatic Drive (D) into S mode without any intentional driver input. I do not touch or activate the steering-wheel paddle shifter when this occurs. Searching on reddit and other forums I see many other drivers have the same issue. The problem appears to happen primarily after coming to a complete stop, such as at a traffic light or stop sign. When I then press the accelerator to proceed, the vehicle may have very little acceleration because it has unexpectedly entered S mode. This has occurred while I was attempting to turn or proceed into traffic and has nearly caused an accident on multiple occasions. The issue is intermittent and cannot be reproduced on demand. However, it has happened multiple times under similar circumstances. I am certain I did not intentionally activate the paddle shifter. I am concerned this may be a safety defect involving the electronic shift control, paddle shifter, transmission controls, sensors, or related software. An unexpected change in transmission mode immediately after stopping can create a dangerous situation because the driver expects normal automatic operation and acceleration when entering an intersection or traffic. I am requesting that the federal safety agency document this complaint and investigate whether this is a safety-related defect that may affect other vehicles.

Filed Sep 1, 2026 · Transmission · TX

The vehicle would not accelerate over 40MPH, we took the vehicle into the dealership for what we thought was a failed fuel injector, upon inspection they found metal shavings in the oil and mentioned the engine is not repairable and would need a whole new replacement. We had this vehicle 9 months. Upon investigation there was a known recall that is identical to the issues we are experiencing. The whole engine is failed and we cannot utilize it. It was inspected by the dealership. The check engine light is illuminating, and does not increase in speed. My family and I were unable to drive at a reasonable speed on the highway once it failed.

Filed Aug 27, 2026 · Transmission · VA

The car on a weekly basis or almost every time it is driven. The car jerks when driving at low speeds. This is a safety risk when driving for vehicles in front or behind me, as the car jerks forward. This has been mentioned to the dealer, but they stated a charge of 180 USD will be incurred for diagnoses. If you look at the federal safety agency complaints database there are numerous complaints similar to what I am experiencing from other owners stating the same issue of jerkiness on the honda Odessey. I am surprised there is no recall on this. I put the date in down below but it happens almost every time the car is driven.

Filed Aug 9, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · TN

Wife was going to the store engine lost power and died prior to that steering got loose like trying to turn itself, towed to dealer inspected dealer cleaned throttle returned vehicle after cost of 807.00 and drove van to church tailgate would not open without vehicle running, got home turned off windshield washers operated brittle with key off, remote key system problem displayed also hill hold, brake failure and steering message on dash prior, dealer picked up van inspected again found defective seal sealer on passenger side leak in water on wiring harness pins and soaking power distribution box said that was causing issues and stalling driving and safety system issues, van is at dealer, also tailgate after you open with ding when open and will close by itself, safety issues will close while you or small child in at back closes from behind you

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Driver assistance, Transmission · OH

While driving the car lurches as it shifts gears. This had gone on for quite some time but no codes have been thrown. This last time the car lurched so badly at the beginning of acceleration that I thought it was going to stall. It did not, but lights began flashing on the dash and when codes were (finally) thrown I was told I needed a new transmission altogether.

Filed Jul 13, 2026 · Transmission · VA

My Honda Odyssey has always had continuous issues when sometimes driving the car at low speeds it randomly jerks, which can become an issue when driving. I believe this is related to the manufacturers reference to service bulletins #19-014 and 20-016 stating a software upgrade is required. However my local dealer is stating this software can only be carried out if it is diagnosed first and a fee will be charged and only if jerkiness is found then another fee will be charged for the software install. As this is a known issue - should this install of software be a recall item. As this to me is a safety hazard, when the car jerks unexpectedly and should not have a cost involved for diagnostic and then additional for the software update.

Filed Jun 18, 2026 · Steering, Transmission · FL

I purchased a 2018 Honda Odyssey and reported during my 7-day inspection window that the transmission was acting sluggish. The Carvana-authorized inspection service (Pep Boys) claimed the transmission was fine. Over time it showed more and more signs of failure until it completely failed. On the directive of the seller (Carvana) and warranty administrator (SilverRock), the vehicle was taken to an authorized Pep Boys facility for a complete transmission replacement. Less than two days after picking up the vehicle, the replacement transmission suffered a complete failure on a public roadway. The vehicle suddenly lost all acceleration and forced itself into 'limp mode' on a highway, and loss of steering control, nearly causing a severe collision. The vehicle is inherently unsafe, and the authorized repair network has failed to provide a merchantable or safe repair, creating an immediate life-threatening hazard.

Filed Jun 1, 2026 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as the check engine and several other various warning messages appear on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for service; however, the dealer was unable to diagnose or duplicate the failure. The contact then stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly downshifted and failed to shift out of neutral(N). The contact pulled over and attempted to correct the failure; however, the vehicle shut off. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the diagnosed the vehicle with a failed torque converter and transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was given a case number. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.