Honda Odyssey engine failure problems

Filed Oct 31, 2026 · Engine · MD

My 2018 Honda Odyssey suffered a catastrophic engine failure while I was driving to work on the morning of XXX. I had my vehicle towed to Safford Brown's Honda in [XXX]. According to my service rep at the Honda Dealership, the failure was due to the connecting rod bearings. After some research, I found that the V6 Engines for Honda had a recall on them in 2023, Recall No. 23V751000. I called corporate Honda, and spoke to a rep ([XXX]) there, she said that my VIN was excluded from the recall, and that the recall only affect those engines built at a certain factory. Further research found that the federal safety agency opened a broader 1.4-million vehicle probe because engines built outside that original plant and timeline are suffering identical catastrophic rod bearing failures, like what I just experienced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 30, 2026 · Engine · WA

Incident: In Mar 2019, while driving down a highway with my family, the vehicle experienced a sudden engine malfunction while driving, characterized by a flashing Check Engine Light, severe engine shaking, and a dangerous, immediate loss of acceleration/engine power. We had to get the vehicle towed to the dealership. A diagnostic scan revealed fault code P0302, indicating a misfire in Cylinder 2. Upon mechanical inspection, the spark plug in Cylinder 2 was completely fouled and covered in engine oil. At this time, only the fouled spark plugs were replaced, and the PCM software updated. This essentially is a temporary band-aid pushing the problem further down the road. The vehicle only had around 87,481 miles, and was a little over 10 years old. The same thing happened again in Dec 2025, at around 147,979 miles. This time, we had to do an extensive and really expensive repair. The root cause was determined to be premature failure of the engine's piston rings. This is a direct result of Honda's VCM system, which shuts down cylinders during operation, creating a vacuum that forces oil past the piston rings, fouling the plugs, and causing unexpected power loss during transit. I wasn't aware of this known issue until I had to do the major repair, and have now realized that Honda is very well aware of this well known and widespread issue. Request: This mechanical failure represents a severe, documented safety hazard that puts occupants at risk of being rear-ended due to sudden deceleration on active roadways. Honda is aware of this exact VCM defect for certain model years. A manufacturing design defect that causes unexpected highway engine failure does not cease to be a safety risk or a corporate responsibility due to age. Honda should have taken proactive steps to mitigate and prevent this issue. I am requesting that Honda reimburse the cost of the engine teardown and piston ring replacement required to make the vehicle safe to operate again.

Filed Oct 27, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · UT

The vehicle's Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system engaged normally when coming to a complete stop at an intersection, shutting off the engine to save fuel. However, when attempting go through the intersection after the light changed to green, the engine failed to restart automatically. The vehicle completely lost power in an active lane of traffic, creating a safety hazard. The vehicle had to be shifted into park and manually restarted to clear the roadway. This failure appears directly related to the federal safety agency Engineering Analysis EA25004 regarding Honda/Acura Auto Idle Stop restart failures.

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 Oct 16, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · PA

Start/stop function failed. After stopping at a red light the start/stop function turned off the engine. After lifting off the brake, the engine died when attempting restart. This required turning the vehicle completely off and back on to continue driving.

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · NC

Start/stop function failed. After stopping at a red light the start/stop function turned off the engine. After lifting off the brake, the engine died when attempting restart. This required turning the vehicle completely off and back on to continue driving.

Filed Oct 13, 2026 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled without warning, requiring a manual restart. On multiple occasions, the engine failed to crank initially, requiring several attempts before successfully restarting. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic evaluation; however, the failure could not be replicated. The dealer replaced the battery, but the failure remained unresolved. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · PA

Vehicle auto start/stop was turned on. Vehicle stopped at a red light, vehicle engine shut off. Upon releasing the brake pedal, vehicle engine failed to start, a series of warnings and messages flashed on the dashboard, then vehicle transmission slammed into Park, from Drive. Driver proceeded to turn the vehicle off entirely, and was able to successfully restart the vehicle and drive away. Dashcam video, which captured audio and video through windshield but not dashboard, available upon request (file size too large to submit via this form).

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Engine · AZ

I would like to report two incidents involving my 2025 Honda Odyssey Touring that may be relevant to the federal safety agency Engineering Analysis EA25004, which is investigating failures of the Auto Idle Stop system to restart the engine. The investigation includes 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey vehicles and concerns allegations that the engine fails to restart after an Auto Idle Stop event. On September 27, 2026, and again on October 12, 2026, my vehicle failed to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shut off the engine while I was stopped at a red traffic light. When I attempted to proceed by releasing the brake and pressing the accelerator, the engine did not restart as expected. In both incidents, the vehicle automatically shifted into Park and displayed a message instructing me to restart the engine manually. This left me unable to proceed in an active traffic lane and created a potential safety hazard due to surrounding traffic. Both events occurred unexpectedly and without prior warning. The condition is consistent with reports of Auto Idle Stop no-restart failures that are the subject of EA25004. I respectfully request that this information be included in the ongoing investigation. Vehicle: 2025 Honda Odyssey Touring Incident Dates: September 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 Failure Mode: Engine failed to restart following Auto Idle Stop activation; vehicle shifted to Park and required manual restart. Safety Impact: Vehicle became immobilized in an active traffic lane.

Filed Oct 7, 2026 · Engine · CA

My 2026 Honda Odyssey’s auto idle stop system shut the engine off at a red light, and when I lifted off the brake the engine failed to restart, leaving the vehicle completely inoperable in traffic. I had to shift into park and manually restart the engine. This has happened three times.