The driver sliding door would not close and would sometimes reverse direction. Eventually, it failed completely and would not close. Dealership repair involved the rear door latch and motors and cost over $2600. Two weeks later and the passenger sliding door is doing the same exact thing. This is clearly a safety issue as I cannot be sure the door will not open completely while driving. The computer receives "door open" signal even while the car is off which drains the battery. I will not spend another $2600. Over $5000 to maintain a vehicle less than 5 years old for something as simple as the use of plastic components in a door latch is ridiculous and should be covered by Honda for choosing to use inferior components.
Honda Odyssey door locks problems
362 of the 12,943 owner complaints about the Honda Odyssey describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 362
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $654
- typical mileage
- 67,000
By model year
Often reported together
Key fob 17Wipers 8Seat belt 4Jerking 4Headlights 4Fire or smoke 4Grinding brakes 4Won't start 3
What owners say
This is a follow-up to Complaint 11769813. On October 16, 2026, American Honda corporate officially denied repair assistance for a failed power sliding door latch assembly that refuses to cinch shut on my 2019 Honda Odyssey. Honda corporate stated that a primary door safety latch failing to lock a door shut is "normal wear and tear." This vehicle routinely transports children. The manufacturer is actively refusing to remedy a severe, documented safety hazard that mirrors the exact behavior of the federal safety agency Safety Recall 18V‑795. The manufacturer's refusal to act leaves children at risk of the door opening while in motion.
The power sliding driver-side (left rear) door latch assembly on my 2019 Honda Odyssey has experienced a complete mechanical and electrical failure. There were absolutely no warning signs, dashboard lamps, or messages prior to the door suddenly malfunctioning. The built-in closer motor now completely fails to cinch or suction the door shut, preventing it from securing safely into the vehicle frame and triggering a persistent error message on the dashboard after the failure occurred. This creates an immediate, severe safety hazard because this vehicle is routinely used to transport children passengers. An unlatched or unsecured sliding door places my children at direct risk of injury should the door open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion. An authorized Honda dealership service department was contacted regarding this issue and flatly refused to provide a safety remedy or repair assistance, claiming my specific VIN falls outside the narrow manufacturing window of the federal safety agency Safety Recall 18V‑795 (Honda Campaign Z33/O36). Furthermore, I escalated this critical safety issue to American Honda corporate to request assistance, but they have failed to give me an answer within their standard 48-hour response window and I am now approaching 72 hours with no resolution. Despite their refusal and lack of response, my vehicle is exhibiting the exact same dangerous component failure and defective behavior that prompted the original federal recall. The scope of the original recall is clearly too narrow, and it needs to be expanded immediately to protect families facing this manufacturing defect.
1. Idle Stop System Failure: On three separate occasions over the past two months—including today—the vehicle failed to restart after idle stop engaged. The engine remained unresponsive until I shifted into Park and manually restarted it using the start/stop button while pressing the brake pedal. This is not a minor inconvenience; it is a dangerous malfunction that could result in catastrophic consequences in traffic. 2. Uncommanded Loss of Vehicle Settings: Several system settings, including the automatic door lock function when exiting the vehicle with the key, have reset or disappeared without any action on my part. The vehicle has only about 11,900 miles on it. Failures of this magnitude at this mileage are unacceptable and represent a clear threat to driver and passenger safety.
The automatic door will not close. It will bounce back open like something is in the way when nothing is. You either have to turn that feature off and close it or you sit there hitting the button 40 times for it to finally decide to close. Has been happening for months and have brought it up to the dealership repeatedly. I have multiple videos of this issue
Rear sliding door failure, doors wouldn't latch properly resulting in opening when driving down the road. Took to dealership for repair. Paid $1633.78 they replaced rear latches 3/31/2026. Rear latches failed to open resulting in one Rear door cable breaking and one that will not open at all 9/1/2026. Neither door opens at this point.
Auto idle/stop system engages while sitting at a traffic signal as designed. When attempting to proceed, the engine fails to restart and all electrical components completely shut off for several minutes. All components stop working (information screen, gauges, hazard lights, and door locks are non-functional) and the vehicle is unable to turn on for several minutes. This creates an unreasonable safety risk for the occupants of the vehicle and for surrounding motorists when this failure occurs in active traffic lanes as the vehicle when it is reasonably expected for the vehicle to resume propulsion and with no ability to turn on hazard lights to warn approaching motorists of the vehicle's disabled status. The failure of the door locks during the event traps the occupants inside the vehicle, which we are in Florida so, hot summer days the internal temperatures can reach deadly levels within minutes with no way to escape. The vehicle was initially inspected by a manufacturer authorized dealer service department on 7/8/25 and the issue was dismissed. The vehicle was again inspected on 7/30/25 by the same service department and confirmed. A starter motor assembly and relays were replaced by the dealership and the vehicle returned to use on 8/4/25. Again, on 8/5/26 the vehicle exhibited the same safety defect while in an active traffic lane. The vehicle was returned to the same service department on 8/6/26 where it remains as the date of this report with no communication on resolution for the problem from the manufacturer. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure.
The electrical component is failing. I have brought in this vehicle 2 times for failed electrical issues over several years (around 2 years), and it only has 52,000 miles currently. The back up sensors no longer work, as well as warning lights for the following began to appear a year ago: collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation. Sometimes, our electrical side door will not close and will keep opening when trying to shut. This electrical issues has been draining our battery, and while driving, my car shut off in the middle of the street while I was waiting for a light. After a few attempts, I got my car started again. We replaced the battery, and a few days later the car would randomly turn on and I could not use an electrical key to open the car door. Only way to open it is with the physical key. The battery had to be unplugged in order to stop the car for randomly turning on. All electrical systems would turn on in the car, including the alarm and radio, even if the radio had been off when the car was last turned off. The car has been inspected by Honda mechanics, who told me the electrical component is dying, but they don't know why, the car isn't that old, and it has very few miles on it.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and attempting to place her [XXX] child in the rear passenger’s side seat, the contact touched the door handle, unlocking the door, and placed the bag with the key fob on the floor of the rear passenger’s side. The contact walked around to the driver's side door, and the door was locked. The contact returned to the rear passenger side of the vehicle and became aware that the door was locked. The contact attempted to enter the vehicle but was unsuccessful. The contact called the Fire Department, and the front passenger window was broken to enter the vehicle. A Police report was taken, but the information was not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My vehicle previously received Safety Recall 20V‑437 related to the sliding door handle cable assembly. After the recall repair was completed, the driver's side power sliding door has again begun exhibiting abnormal behavior. The driver's side sliding door does not consistently open fully and has failed to close properly on more than 20 occasions. The problem is reproducible and has become increasingly frequent. On multiple occasions, the power sliding door has also begun closing while children were entering the vehicle, requiring intervention to prevent contact. This condition creates a safety concern because occupants may believe the door has opened or closed properly when it has not. It also creates a risk of injury when the door unexpectedly changes direction or begins closing during entry or exit. The affected component appears to be the driver's side power sliding door system and related latching/closing mechanism. The vehicle has not yet been inspected for this recurrence because Honda advised that a dealer diagnosis is required to determine whether the current condition is related to the prior recall repair. There were no warning lights or dashboard messages associated with the condition. Because this vehicle previously received a safety recall repair addressing sliding door operation and latching concerns, I am reporting the recurrence of similar symptoms for review.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey vehicles. Water may enter the outer door handle cables for the sliding doors. If this occurs, the outer door handle cables may freeze in cold temperatures, preventing the front and rear sliding door latches from securely latching.
- Risk
- A power sliding door that fails to latch may open while moving, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power sliding door outer handle cables, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is A88.
Recall number 20V437000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2018 and 2019 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The latch assemblies for the power sliding doors may stick and not properly latch to the door strikers.
- Risk
- If the power sliding doors fails to latch, the doors may open while moving, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right power sliding door rear latch assemblies, free of charge. The recall began January 3, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Z33 and O36.
Recall number 18V795000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivan. The sliding doors may not latch properly.
- Risk
- An improperly latched door could open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion. Under certain circumstances, a door could open completely. An unrestrained rear seat passenger could fall out of an open door of a moving vehicle and be seriously injured or killed.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the door latch assembly on all odyssey minvans built from december 3, 1999 through december 16, 1999. Also included in this recall are approximately 1,612 odyssey minivans that had the latches replaced under recall 99v‑158 or under warranty, that may need to have the latches replaced again. Owners of these vehicles will be notified by honda to bring the vehicle to their honda dealer for inspection of the previously replaced latch assembly. Latches with the suspect date code will be replaced.
Recall number 00V119000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivan. The power door lock remote control actuator unlatches the door in response to input from the remote transmitter. Excessive grease in the actuator could cause a slow return of the activation lever to the proper latching position.
- Risk
- If the activation lever has not returned to the proper latching position by the time the sliding door closes, the door will not latch.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the power door lock remote control assembly.
Recall number 99V159000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivan. The sliding doors may not latch properly.
- Risk
- An improperly latched door could open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion. Under certain circumstances, a door could open completely. An unrestrained rear seat passenger could fall out of an open door of a moving vehicle and be seriously injured or killed.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the door latch assembly.
Recall number 99V158000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Odyssey door locks
Which Honda Odyssey years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (56 complaints), 1999 (52 complaints) and 2005 (27 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Honda Odyssey?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $654 (median of 23 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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