2020 Honda Odyssey: engine failure

Filed Jul 6, 2026 · Engine · TX

While stopped at a traffic light my vehicle went into auto engine idle stop mode. When the light turned green, I removed my foot from the break, but the engine failed to restart. I had to shift the car to park and fully restart the engine.

Filed Mar 28, 2026 · Engine · VA

Following replacement of the small block in Dec. 2025 for bad pushrod bearings. The vehicle ran for 3000 miles, before the engine seized up again while driving at 50 mph. The vehicle came to a stop in the travel lanes and could not be moved due to engine failure. Upon having the vehicle towed back to the dealership for inspection and repair, they found that the #3 cylinder had both valves broken and metal pieces shavings found in the engine. The dealer claimed that this was not related to the previous replacement of the small block as they did not work on the headers. However I believe the original issue of the bad pushrod bearings caused poor oil flow to the headers and the valves were already worn before the Dec. 2025 engine seizure. The dealer has now replaced the small block (for a 2nd time) headers, intake manifold, injectors and timing chain.

Filed Nov 21, 2025 · Engine · VA

My wife started hearing a knocking sound while driving, coming from under the hood. I opened the hood while the engine was idling and could tell the sound was coming from inside the engine. Checked the oil level and it was in the operating range and looked clean. I had just changed the oil and filter 08/2025. After that we immediately drove it to the Honda dealer where we purchased the vehicle and the service manager heard the noise, checked for recalls, but could only find the recall for the 2019 Honda Odyssey [XXX] The service manager called in one of his mechanics to listen to the noise in the service manager bay and he said, "Sounds like a bad rod bearing". They then took the vehicle to inspect it further in the mechanic's garage, but as they were pulling it into the bay the engine complete seized up. The vehicle only has 68k miles on it, but now its beyond the warranty period. I was also told by the dealer when I purchased it, that it and the 2019 are identical, so why was the recall issued for the 2019 Odyssey, but not the 2020 model? I'm reading lots of similar reports of this same exact issue with the 2020 model from Honda forums and on youtube posts. This engine problem is clearly larger than the initial recall that was issued in 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 24, 2025 · Engine · CA

I was driving with family to a family trip up to the mountains to enjoy the snow when at a rest area I noticed the odyssey just had a slight delay to turning on before continuing the trip. No lights no signs of anything going wrong. As we continued our trip back onto the freeway on a curvy road and night time the odyssey didn’t want to shift gears wouldn’t speed up for freeway traffic. Immediately started pulling over. The odyssey would make like jerking movements decided to call the tow truck and it quickly escalated to draining the battery. After being at the tow facility for one night it completely didn’t want to even turn on next day. Put a new battery and still drains the battery. I took it to Honda service to run a diagnostic and they come back saying the engine is seized. No lights no signs didn’t see this coming with only 87,000 miles. With a black screen displaying electrical issue at times.

Filed Sep 7, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · NC

On [XXX], while driving my wife to the RDU airport, our Odyssey's engine failed to restart after an Auto Idle Stop (AIS) at a busy intersection in Greensboro. Instead of starting, the dashboard displayed a Collision Mitigation System Problem alert, the Drive ("D") indicator light started flashing, and then the dashboard displayed a "Shifting to Park: Apply Brake Pedal" message. We were stranded at a busy stoplight, at the front of a dedicated left-turn lane, unable to drive or shift to park as instructed. The only way to resolve the issue was to hold the Start/Stop button for several seconds to shut the vehicle off. And the vehicles behind us had to swerve around us because our malfunctioning vehicle was blocking the lane. This problem has recurred semi-regularly since [XXX], forcing us to manually disable the Auto Idle Stop feature on every drive to prevent being stranded in traffic. An independent mechanic found no stored diagnostic codes but identified relevant Honda Technical Service Bulletins (23-008 and 23-009) addressing similar AIS failures. A Honda service center misdiagnosed the issue as a faulty battery, but subsequent testing by the independent shop confirmed the battery was in excellent working order. The actual Auto Idle Stop malfunction remains undiagnosed. The vehicle and its Auto Idle Stop system remain available for inspection. This issue appears to be part of the ongoing the federal safety agency Engineering Analysis EA25-004. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 2, 2025 · Electrical · 88,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving with the idle stop feature engaged, while the vehicle was idling and stopped, the engine failed to restart as intended when the brake pedal was released. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer however, the failure was not able to be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

Filed Mar 20, 2025 · Engine · 84,688 miles · NJ

The contact’s daughter-in-law owns a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while his daughter-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that an unknown flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the sound had become louder over time. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,688.

Filed Jan 7, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · OH

Several engine failures, starting one month after purchase in September 2020. multiple system failures (all on video) leading to very poor acceleration and operation. No compression in engine and only able to go 20 mph. White-Allen Honda made four attempts to solve the matter over the course of two years. The dealer has had the car a total of 120 days. Then end of December 2024 then engine began making a knocking sound and I was told it needed at new engine, to the tune of $10,000.00. Then I see a recall for a similar issue but only up to 2019 Odysseys. Please help find resolution for this.