At a stop light, car threw a large BRAKE warning and stalled when the foot was taken off the brake. The car then had to put in park and turned off and on again. Having a car die in the middle of traffic, even when at a stop light, is not safe. We took the car to the dealership, where they informed us the starter needed replacement. Prior to this the car has been jerky when coming out of that idle stop feature, but hasn't stalled. The BRAKE warning did flash on the screen earlier that day but the car didn't stall.
Honda Odyssey jerking problems
428 of the 12,930 owner complaints about the Honda Odyssey describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 428
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,700
- typical mileage
- 71,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 69Check engine light 61Stalling 46Harsh shifting 43Slipping 42Hesitation 40Shudder 22Loss of power 18
Trouble codes mentioned
P0730 2P0301 2U3000 1P0848 1P0763 1P0756 1P0740 1P0736 1P0716 1P0087 1
What owners say
The Auto Idle Stop (AIS) failed to work properly for my wife when she was stopped at a stoplight. When she stopped at a stoplight the engine stopped. When she took her foot off the break and applied pressure on the gas pedal a warning of some sort showed on the screen where the speedometer is and the car failed to restart and move forward. This caused a hazard because the people behind her lurched forward because they assumed she would move forward once the light turned green. When our car failed to start she wasn't sure what to do to fix the problem so all the cars backed up behind her for a short time before she realized she needed to put our car in park, turn it off and then restart the engine. I will take my car in to the dealer as soon as possible. Until then we will have to disengage the auto stop function so prevent any further dangerous incidents.
When attempting to accelerate after completing a stop, there was no response from the vehicle when the accelerator was pressed for 2-3 seconds, then the vehicle suddenly lurched violently forward and hit the rear end of a vehicle in front causing severe damage to the cars.
My vehicle has been failing to restart at stoplights after the auto start/shutoff turns off the vehicle. Instances where it does start, the starter frequently struggles to kick the engine over and when it does fire the vehicle jerks forward before driving.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a pothole and the driver's- and passenger's-side curtain airbags deployed. The air bags deployment frightened the contact’s wife, and the steering wheel was jerked, and the vehicle crashed into the concrete median. The contact stated that the front driver's side tire was flat. The contact removed the deployed side curtain air bags and replaced the driver's side front wheel. The vehicle was inspected by the insurance company. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V227000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that the recall notification was received the day after the failure had occurred. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the case was denied. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
For several weeks, my 2025 Honda Odyssey, with approximately 30,000 miles, had been jerking while being driven. An independent mechanic believed the problem might be transmission-related. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership, reported the jerking and specifically stated that I suspected a transmission problem. The dealership recommended and performed a transmission-fluid service. On August 24, 2026, at approximately 4:00 p.m., my wife was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike with our children when the vehicle suddenly jerked and behaved as though the transmission was attempting to engage reverse while the vehicle was moving forward. This created an immediate loss of predictable vehicle control and nearly caused an accident. My wife managed to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle then would not move in reverse and displayed a transmission-system warning. The vehicle was returned to the authorized Honda dealership. The dealership subsequently determined that the transmission required replacement, and it is currently being replaced under warranty. No collision or physical injury occurred, but this sudden transmission malfunction placed my wife, our children and other motorists at serious risk. The vehicle is currently at the dealership, and the failed transmission may be available through the dealer or manufacturer. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether this is a safety defect affecting the transmission or powertrain in the 2025 Honda Odyssey.
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.
Three times in the past week my van has shut off while I was preparing to move forward at a stop light. My car begins to idle as soon as it’s stopped, but when I lift my foot off the brake, instead of turning back on, my van engine shuts all the way off or jerks hard before acceleration. Resulting in me having to hurry and put my car in park & restart the engine. It’s very dangerous!
The engine auto idle system failed at a stoplight. The auto-idle engaged, but when I took my foot off the brake, the engine did not restart. It completely shut down, putting my car in park in a busy intersection. The engine light and an error message flashed briefly but disappeared. I was able to restart the car and drive, however, only after waving several other cars to pass by me. I've noticed recently the restart function lagging, and if I put my foot on the gas too soon, the car lurching and jerking forward (indicating the engine isn't restarting quickly or properly). I recently had a full routine service on the vehicle, indicating battery life is good. No other issues appeared such as overheating.
Vehicles turns off when the brake is pressed and does not turn back on. The van has to be put into park and the start button has to be hit 2-3 times before it will restart. This has happened 3 distinctive times where it was difficult to restart. We try to disable the start/stop system each time we drive. It has left us stranded at traffic lights for up to 20 seconds trying to restart the van, impeding traffic at high speed interchanges. The van does eventually restart but each time it feels like it’s getting more difficult. This problem first appeared about 1 year after purchasing the van with about 23k miles on it and now has 26k miles. There are warnings that display because the vehicle is still in drive when it shuts off and it needs to be placed back into park to restart it. It occurs the most during a long drive on the highway. It can be very jerky when it restarts, perhaps slamming into gear. It is available for inspection and I plan to go to the Honda dealership soon for a scheduled oil change. I have not been there since the 18k mile oil change.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.
Recall number 13V143000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
- Risk
- Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicles will start receiving letters on june 28, 2004, and on june 29, 2004, for owners of the tl and cl vehicles. Owners should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009 or acura at 1‑800‑382‑2238.
Recall number 04V176000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Odyssey jerking
Which Honda Odyssey years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (53 complaints), 2018 (48 complaints) and 2014 (46 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix jerking or lurching on the Honda Odyssey?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,700 (median of 40 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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