Car keeps hard braking on its own.
Honda Odyssey phantom braking problems
29 of the 12,943 owner complaints about the Honda Odyssey describe brakes engage by themselves (phantom braking), most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 62,578
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Collision warning 4Lane assist 3Screen failure 3Steering noise 2Jerking 2Steering lock-up 1Start-stop 1Shudder 1
What owners say
The Forward Collision Warning (FCW) / Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) have almost gotten me into 3 accidents in the past year. I bought the car brand new and it now has almost 13k miles. All three incidents have been when traveling at speed of 35-45 on divided highways with turn lanes and stop lights when passing large vehicles. The video clips I will upload unfortunately does not have volume but the brake sign pops up on the dash and the cat beeps loud and then slams on the brakes for no reason. Even if those vehicles were in my lane, it would have stopped me too late as you can tell by how the car dips in the videos. I don't want to turn off the "safety" feature in case something does actually happen in front of me but its put my family in danger more than it has helped. I was told by honda when it happened the first time to clean the glass in front of the cameras but they were clean. They dont seem to want to take responsibility for this. I see this issue on the 5th gen Odyssey group on Facebook often which ahs finally prompted me to come here and file this incident. Also since your website does not accept MP4 videos here is a link to the videos: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving today at about 30 mph, the minivan suddenly braked on its own—despite there being no obstruction ahead—and began beeping. The word "Brake" appeared in large letters in the center of the panel, flashing, before suddenly releasing. My wife and I both suffered whiplash from the incident. There was nothing in front of the van; the only thing nearby was some cars parked on the curb along the side. My wife told me this has happened a couple of times before, and she reported it to Honda of Tomball. I'm very concerned that if we're driving at highway speeds and there are vehicles on both sides of our lane, this issue could occur again, and we could have a serious safety problem on our hands. In addition to this, we've been experiencing another issue: the van suddenly shifts into park when we come to a stoplight. This has happened three times. Yesterday they replaced the battery, but they still suspect it could be a starter issue.
My car slammed on the brakes on its own. I was almost rear ended. I was going 45-50 miles an hour. I think it saw a shadow. Previously it has alerted me to brake because of shadows. This is the first time it braked hard on its own.
I have a 2025 honda odyssey, I bought mine with 2 miles on it, it was rhe first vehicle ive owned that was new so we had something safe and reliable and this has been far from it. So far we have had 1.The USB port not working in the center console 2.Battery was draining and it was struggling to start, died at lights and barely turned back on 3. Door sensor on passenger side kept saying it was open when it wasnt 4. Air barely working 5. Wind sound whipping through the driver side 6. Raining in to the vehicle on the passenger side 7. Screen barely works, sometimes it takes forever to turn on sometimes it just wont switch or load or it just stays on a black screen 8. After taking it for the who knows how many times for the popping sound they deemed the steering column unsafe to drive and replaced that and they had the vehicle for almost a month because they couldn't get the parts, in that time they even admitted they felt the transmission issues 9. Starter was replaced after complaining for months about it dying at lights or stops and it being rough to start 10. Popping sound from the axle when you go over anything or turn the wheel 11. Back passenger door wont shut it just keeps popping back open 12. Doors dont lock when you walk away 13. Passenger doors will unlock but driver side doesn't 14. The passenger door got stuck and we had to crawl through and push it open 15. Transmission gets stuck and wont go over 30 and the rpms go up but the speed doesn't move, it shifts hard and makes a thud sound, and the engine is crazy loud 16. Has a crazy vibration coming from it 17. Will brake on its own with nothing around it 18. Was switching to sport mode on its own in the middle of driving 19. The new steering column was getting stuck and acting up and it was trying to merge in to the other lane but lane assist off 20. We had an exhaust leak 21. Pieces of trim with vents broken inside 22. Pieces of trim falling off 23. Weather stripping for the
1.The USB port not working in the center console 2.Battery was draining and it was struggling to start, died at lights and barely turned back on 3. Door sensor on passenger side kept saying it was open when it wasnt 4. Air barely working 5. Wind sound whipping through the driver side 6. Raining in to the vehicle on the passenger side 7. Screen barely works, sometimes it takes forever to turn on sometimes it just wont switch or load or it just stays on a black screen 8. After taking it for the who knows how many times for the popping sound they deemed the steering column unsafe to drive and replaced that and they had the vehicle for almost a month because they couldn't get the parts, in that time they even admitted they felt the transmission issues 9. Starter was replaced after complaining for months about it dying at lights or stops and it being rough to start 10. Popping sound from the axle when you go over anything or turn the wheel 11. Back passenger door wont shut it just keeps popping back open 12. Doors dont lock when you walk away 13. Passenger doors will unlock but driver side doesn't 14. The passenger door got stuck and we had to crawl through and push it open 15. Transmission gets stuck and wont go over 30 and the rpms go up but the speed doesn't move, it shifts hard and makes a thud sound, and the engine is crazy loud 16. Has a crazy vibration coming from it 17. Will brake on its own with nothing around it 18. Was switching to sport mode on its own in the middle of driving 19. The new steering column was getting stuck and acting up and it was trying to merge in to the other lane but lane assist off 0. We had an exhaust leak 21. Pieces of trim with vents broken inside 22. Pieces of trim falling off 23. Weather stripping for the passenger back door just fell off, still waiting on them to replace that 24. The fan is extremely loud 25. When putting in to park, or drive you have to really hit the buttons because they aren't switching easy
The CMBS braking system is completely faulty. It regularly brakes for shadows on the ground, going up hills, or for no reason at all. There have been SEVERAL near misses where cars behind me have almost rear ended me because of this cars erratic braking. I have a neck injury from this most recent episode of the car slamming the brakes for no reason.
My Honda Odyssey does phantom braking once in a while. There are no vehicle in front of it but it still brakes. One time it brake till full stop from 40 miles per hour.
My wife was driving our 2025 Honda Odyssey on [XXX] on a neighborhood road around [XXX]. She came to a stop sign and stopped to turn right. Upon accelerating to turn right, the emergency braking system activated slamming on the brakes and bringing the vehicle to an immediate stop. There were no other cars, pedestrians or other obstacles with any line of sight. The sudden stop caused her to whiplash hurting her shoulder. We brought the vehicle to Joyce Koons Honda of Manassas. They downloaded the data and confirmed that the emergency braking system had activated but there were no reason codes given. They couldn't find any other issue and test drove the vehicle for 10 miles with no incident. My wife was really shaken up by the incident and refuses to drive the car until an actual cause is found and fixed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle applied brakes for no reason. Lost ability to see reverse camera during backing up. Half of the instrument cluster went dim to become barely visible. Radio screen freezes randomly. Engine cuts out or shudders intermittently.
Related recalls
Service brakes, air: antilock: wheel speed sensor
- What is wrong
- Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Honda Odyessy vehicles modified to be equipped with an in-floor wheelchair ramp conversion. The rear wheel speed sensor harnesses may have been routed to the incorrect rear wheels, resulting in the possibility that the anti-lock brake system will not recognize each rear wheel speed properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake System" and 404, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
- Risk
- If the rear wheel speeds cannot be correctly monitored, the anti-lock brake system may not engage properly to prevent the wheels from locking up, increasing the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Braun has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the rear wheel speed sensor harnesses, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 4, 2019. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1‑800‑488‑0359.
Recall number 19V213000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
- Risk
- A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.
Recall number 18V777000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 odyssey and acura rl vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as a lubricant for certain brake system components. If replacement brake fluid is used that does not contain such polymers, or that contains only small amounts, a part of the rubber seal located at the rear of the brake master cylinder may become dry, and the seal may curl during movement of the piston. If this occurs, a small amount of brake fluid could slowly leak from the seal into the brake booster.
- Risk
- A leak of brake fluid could lead to a change in brake pedal feel and overtime a degradation in braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder seal free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during december 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 10V504000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air
- What is wrong
- Honda has notified the federal safety agency of a defect in certain model year 2007 and 2008 odyssey and element passenger vehicles manufactured between july 28, 2006 and august 21, 2008. Air can enter the vsa modular pump during an initial self-check process that occurs shortly after each time the engine is started. It is possible for enough air to enter the system to result in a brake pedal that feels soft or lower to the floor.
- Risk
- If the owner does not have any brake service or maintenance performed over a period of months or years, the system can continue to accumulate enough air to affect braking performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Honda will notify owner and honda dealers will repair the vsa modulator by removing any existing air in the brake system then apply sealant and caps to prevent air from entering the brake system free of charge. The safety recall began on may 3, 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 10V098000 · Recall details
Parking brake: driveline: hydraulic: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Honda is recalling 421 my 2009 odyssey vehicles. During assembly, incorrect front brake hoses were installed. The brake hose can contact the caliper bolt and over time a hole may develop which will allow brake fluid to leak. This would eventually result in reduced brake system performance.
- Risk
- Drivers would not be aware of brake system failure and braking capability would not be possible, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect both front brake hoses and replace with the correct brake hoses free of charge. The recall began on february 12, 2009. Owners may contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 09V057000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air: antilock: wheel speed sensor
- What is wrong
- On certain minivans, the anti-lock brake system (ABS) uses a sensor on each wheel to detect wheel speed. Some sensors on the rear wheels were installed incorrectly, which means the sensor may report the wrong wheel speed to the ABS control unit.
- Risk
- The driver could experience a loss of brake force and a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear wheel speed sensors. If an incorrect gap is detected, the sensor will be removed and the knuckle checked for cross threading damage. If damage is found, the knuckle will be replaced. If no damage is found, the sensor will be reinstalled correctly. The recall began on november 12, 2004. Owners should contact honda at 1‑800‑999‑1009.
Recall number 04V536000 · Recall details
Questions about the Honda Odyssey phantom braking
Which Honda Odyssey years have brakes engage by themselves (phantom braking) problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (5 complaints), 2019 (5 complaints) and 2022 (5 complaints).
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