This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The brakes rotors appear to be warped and vibrate very violently when braking moderately at higher speeds. This violent vibration makes control of the vehicle difficult in those situations when it occurs. The dealer has identified nothing wrong.
This vehicle has issues with excessive wheel vibration when braking at high speeds attributable to premature failure or warping of the brake rotors. I have nearly 60,000 miles on my van and have had to replace and/or turn my brake rotors about every 10,0000 to 15,000 miles. When the condition occurs, it seems to progress rapidly to the point of becoming dangerous when trying to stop at high speeds. The steering wheel shakes violently and it is difficult to control when stopping. I have searched online and have seen numerous accounts of other people with the same problem. I searched for "Honda Odyssey pulsating brakes" and got several sites listed. I added my complaint to one of the sites that had over 100 complaints. Honda should pay to have the rotors turned or replaced at regular intervals to prevent this from occurring so frequently. It is either a defect or bad design or both.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while decelerating, the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were not available.
12/23/13-while driving on I95 at 65mph the vehicle engine shut off without warning but the radio/lights remained on, vehicle became difficult to steer and brakes had to be pushed to the floor, vehicle came to a stop on the side of the road approx 300 feet later. Vehicle restarted and was driven to dealership, dealer stated could not be replicated and that fuel system needed to be cleaned, service performed as suggested. 12/25/13- while coming to a traffic light, engine shut down without warning but radio/lights remained on, restarted and drove home. 12/26/13- while approaching stop sign vehicle engine failed but radio/lights remained on as in accessory mode, steering and braking became difficult to control vehicle, this time the engine light came on and remained lit. Van was towed to dealership to be repaired. Dealer stated no error code although the engine light was visibly on, no obvious reason for the vehicle to do this. Dealer suggested replacing engine control module at their expense. Repairs have not been completed yet as they are waiting on the part to arrive. During these failures there was no warning and little time to react, the van became near impossible to steer as if the steering wheel was locked when in the anti-theft mode after parking. The vans brakes although pushed to the floor did not respond immediately even while traveling at low speed.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the brakes failed causing an increase in stopping distance and time. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 11/6/13 the consumer stated during a recent drive down the mountain hill, the brakes began vibrating. With the brakes violently pulsating, they failed to effectively slow the car down. The front brake vibration occurred several times before on mountain roads. Several auto mechanics including the dealer, gave a general explanation that heat build-up warped the brake discs and caused the vibration. It was also suggested when traveling down steep mountain roads, the driver should switch to 3rd gear and ease off the accelerator allowing the engine to help reduce speed. Updated 11/14/13
- Gilbert , AZ, USA
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We bought the vehicle brand new in 2011. We first experienced the problem with the brakes in April 2012 (at 19,327 miles) when heavy vibration was felt during braking. The vehicle was taken to Honda for inspection, determined the rotors were warped. New pads were replaced and rotors resurfaced. Eight months later (at 30,593 miles), same issue occurred again. Rotors were warped for unknown reason; necessitating a resurfacing and replacement of brake pads for the second time. Seven months after second visit (at 38,841 miles), the same issue occurred for the third time - the rotors were found warped again. Like the previous visits, the adviser was not able to articulate the cause of the issue, only this time blamed my driving behavior. I told the adviser I have other vehicle which is driven and handled in the same way but does not need constant brake services like the Odyssey (3 times in 16 months). He then change his theory and concluded that I wasn't driving enough - not allowing the pads to properly sync with the rotors, and suggested I should drive the vehicle more. To make matter worse, I was forced by the adviser to agree that the dealer will not be warranting any more front brake job because I wasn't driving enough and that the issue could reappear again 6 months later. I contacted America Honda but they offered no assistance, since they indicated there were no known issue filed. I feel the vehicle was poorly made or assembled thus creating the above issue.
On 9/3/13, while driving five children to school in our leased 2011 Honda Odyssey, the engine shut down abruptly and without warning while I was turning through a major 4-way intersection. The steering wheel and brakes immediately locked, leaving me completely paralyzed and unable to control the vehicle. The Odyssey coasted into a yard, narrowly missing a large pole, where I was able to place it into park and restart it. I drove back onto the street and exercised great caution to proceed the short distance to school. Approximately one mile later, the engine completely shut off once again. This has occurred a total of 5 times over the past year (twice while stopped at a red light and three times while the vehicle was in motion - twice on city streets and once on the highway). I delivered the vehicle to our leasing dealer, ganley Honda in North olmsted, Ohio, on 9/3/13 for service, where it remains to this day. Ganley Honda's service department has been unable to identify and/or resolve the cause of the engine problem. They have indicated that unless they have "evidence" of the malfunction, the vehicle is fine and safe to drive. Since their computers have generated no error codes and road tests have not replicated the potentially latent malfunction, they maintain that there is no problem. They are now ready to return the vehicle to us for the duration of our lease (we have five months remaining). This is the fifth vehicle over the past 16+ years that we have purchased through this dealership. Given the engine's pattern of shutting down unexpectedly and without warning, leading to the steering wheel and brakes locking, we feel the vehicle is unsafe to drive and are unwilling to place ourselves or our children into it unless the cause of the engine malfunction is identified and the problem is resolved.
When we purchased this vehicle the dealer told us the Odyssey has a new and improved breaking system. Six months after we purchased the vehicle we had a wobble when breaking (8,000 mi). We took the vehicle to the dealer and were told nothing was wrong. The issue continued to get worse and we returned again at 20,000 miles. At that point we were told the rotors were warped but it is an "annoyance" and not a safety issue. Now at 38,000 miles the vehicle shakes violently when breaking. I am told its my driving habits that caused this. I have never had another car with break issues prior tot 50,000 miles. The dealer wants $350 to fix with no guarantee the issue will not occur in another 8K miles.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while traveling 65 mph, the contact decelerated and the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the front rotors and brakes were replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.
The 2011 Honda Odyssey brakes failed when applied when the van was placed in reverse. The brake pedal traveled all the way to the floor on application of the brakes and did not return back. As the pedal did not return back was unable to pump the brake to build any hydraulic pressure. The vehicle was brought to a halt using the parking brake. Subsequently the brakes started working again. The dealership on inspection reports a brake master cylinder failure. Honda when contacted directly does not acknowledge any such prior incident reports. However at least two such failures have been reported on the same make, model year by other owners on Honda owner forums. I humbly request that you investigate this issue before any fatalities occur. Honda is unwilling to acknowledge a systemic failure.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal at approximately 40 mph, he noticed a vibration in the pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated the rotors would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.
Sir / madam: I bought a 2011 Honda Odyssey touring elite, in December, 2010. It has a defective front brake system which causes the front rotors to warp and the brake pads to glaze over from overheating; causing all these components to prematurely ware out. I believe all Honda Odyssey's have this same problem. Honda says the front rotors only have a 12,000 mile warranty, since it is a wear item, I am responsible for the cost of all repairs. On two (2) occasions, while traveling on the us interstate highways, down steep mountains in Colorado and North Carolina, the steering wheel started shaking 3 inches ' which is very frightening ' so much so, I started looking for the 'runaway truck ramp'! the vehicle currently has approximately 46,000 miles and has had two (2) sets of front rotors installed, the current rotors have been turned at least three (3) times, and three (3) sets of front brake pads. The front end currently shakes when the brakes are applied because the rotors are warped again but the dealer wants to wait longer before turning them (they are almost to the minimum rotor thickness). I have documented these problems by email and in person with the local Honda dealer, Honda manufacturing and Honda usa. Honda's district customer service manager drove the vehicle at 46,073 miles and acknowledged the front rotors were warped. However, Honda denies there is a front brake problem. Every other automobile I have ever owned has not required brake pads before 50,000 plus miles, nor new rotors before 100,000 plus miles. There are several other non-safety related issues with this vehicle. Any and all emails and service records are available for review. If you would like to discuss this matter please do not hesitate to call.
When using brakes to decelerate from speeds over 45 mph, the steering wheel begins to vibrate and shake. An initial call to the dealer said that due to excessive heat and wear, the rotors may be warped and was told to bring it in to get rotors resurfaced. I asked whether this was common at about 16000 miles. Dealer told me that shouldn't be the case until around 45,000-75,000 miles. My wife drives the vehicle under "normal" conditions (driving kids to school, etc.) and does not break excessively or suddenly.
Shakes when braking at speeds over 45 mph, drastically increasing 45-0 mph stopping distance, rotors have been resurfaced once and pads replaced already at approximately 13000 miles. At 25968 rotors need to be resurfaced again, pads about 50%, Honda advises that rotors will need to be resurfaced about every 12000-13000 miles to maintain safe driving conditions. No mountainous driving, or hard breaking, never had to resurface or replace rotors on any of my eight previous vehicles, including a mini van.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph the steering began to shake violently. After stopping for gas and letting the brakes cool off the shaking ceased. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who decided to replaced the rotors after having them rotated three previous visits. They continue to warp and cause the shaking in the steering. The front brakes had been replaced three times. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 36,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the brakes and rotors would continuously wear prematurely. The contact did not state what caused the brakes and rotors to wear at low mileage. As a result of the worn rotors, the steering wheel began to shake when driving at least 50 mph. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 17,000.
Noticed when driving at highway speed and then having to brake abruptly there would a pulsation and the steering would start shuttering. Dealer diagnosed it as uneven brake pad wear due warped rotors.
Noticed when driving at highway speed and then having to brake abruptly there would a pulsation and the steering would start shuttering. Dealer diagnosed it as uneven brake pad wear due warped rotors. Cost to replace pads and resurface rotors, with tax, was $219.34. Was advised that rotors could be resurfaced one more time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bradenton, FL, USA