10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,734 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2012 Honda Odyssey engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Honda Odyssey Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #15

Jun 042017

Odyssey

  • 63,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The positive battery cable became disconnected from the battery terminal post while driving at full highway speed (75 mph)!! this resulted in complete electrical failure. I was able to pull off the road, but the door locks were locked and inoperable. Without power I was unable to unlock the doors or roll down the windows. Without power I had no air conditioning. I was trapped in the car on a hot day. The battery cable mismatch (clamp too big to tighten completely on post) is a known Odyssey problem that has been discussed on online forums. Door auto-locking problems in a variety of Honda models have also been documented. Putting the two together is a deadly mix. Without a cell phone to call my husband and 911, I and my three small dogs would have died in the hot car. This is a fatal design flaw.

- Los Altos Hills, CA, USA

problem #14

May 252017

Odyssey

  • miles
My van has an issue with excessive oil consumption (a known issue by Honda), the spark plugs excessively fire which is what causes the excessive oil consumption as well as an excessive need to change the spark plug. This may also lead to pre mature wear on the engine, also may cause the engine to get too hot with no oil in it and may catch fire. When I first noticed the issue I took my car in for an oil change and was told it had no oil in it (my oil light never came on) this was the first time I was told this and the first time I went to a non-Honda mechanic. I am now having to under go a series of tests in order to get the issue fixed

- Kuna, ID, USA

problem #13

Jul 012016

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
The vehicle has been diagnosed as missing on 5 of 6 cylinders. Driving performance is greatly impaired. The vehicle misses while stationary idling and while operating in motion. The exhaust blows soot on the passenger rear end and side of the van. Fuel economy has dropped to about 18 on the hwy. Honda declines to make the repair until it displays dtc code. Dealerships advise that it is compensating for the misses currently. This van is included in the class action lawsuit for 3.5 engines made by Honda. Even with it being a known issue and their own mechanics diagnosing the missing they have set requirements that prolong repairs.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #12

Nov 122016

Odyssey

  • 37,926 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was in my driveway, stopped, getting ready to pull in to the garage. I had stopped with my foot on the brake pedal, and then I pressed the button to open the garage door and waited for the garage door to go up. While the garage door was starting to go up and the brake pedal was still pressed, the car suddenly, unintentionally, unexpectedly accelerated by itself into the garage door causing the windshield to break on the garage door and the garage door to break off of its tracks. It is unknown the component or system that caused the sudden unexpected acceleration. It could have been the engine, fuel/propulsion system, or speed control. But something caused a sudden unexpected acceleration while the brake pedal was applied.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #11

Jul 202016

Odyssey

  • 80,000 miles
1. brakes and rotors are undersized and warped causing a massive vibration when you break. Honda dealers worked 3 times on it but the problem continued until I purchased after market parts and replaced them. 2. I received no warranty letter or warning about an engine failure (piston recall warning) letting me know that the engine needed repairs. I was on a trip when the car almost stalled on the freeway and I had to take evasive actions to prevent a devastating accident.

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #10

Aug 012016

Odyssey

  • 15,000 miles
There was a check engine light and upon inspection, Honda notified me that the piston ring replacement was necessary and that Honda extended the warranty to 100K miles. The problem was the timing belt and few other parts needed to be replaced because they would get damaged during this warranty repair. Honda refused to pay for the timing belt replacement and made me pay almost $800 in parts and labor. 2. my car stared to vibrate every time I braked from about 15K miles. I took it in and instead of making the proper repairs the service center had the front rotors re-surfaced 3 times. The problem kept on coming back because the front rotors are undersized for the vehicle. I had to buy my own front rotors from a generic maker along with pads to correct the problem. It cost me $350 for parts and $200 at Honda service center to repair it properly. 3. there's a popping sound when I make turns. I've addressed it and no one will fix it. I don't think its normal that clicking and popping sound comes while steering.

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #9

Feb 022015

Odyssey

  • 40,752 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Al conducir la camioneta de regreso del trabajo sent una vibracin O zangoloteo a no mas de 20 mph Y como a unas 1500 RPM, despus de 15 minutos de haber arrancado la camioneta, solo al hacer el cambio de velocidad "transmisin automtica" SE percibe tambin, Y en una subida hace mas fuerte el zangoloteo O jaloneo, no SE si tengan que ver con algo acerca de los convertidores de torcion que salen defectuosos Y provocan este tipo de fallas pero solo he escuchado que en modelos 2004 quisiera saber si algn propietario de este modelo de camioneta a tenido algn problema similar oddysey 2012.

- Mexico, NM, USA

problem #8

Apr 012014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
Judder and vibrates and makes buzzing sound constantly but intermittently. Dealer and Honda state this is in relation to the eco feature. Research by me indicates either torque converter and/or rear motor mount needs replacing. It seems the issue is worsening as I was told by my Honda service tech that it will get worse the more miles driven. Presently has 40K miles and still under warranty. Car lost power on open highway and was able to drive it to Honda service...(unrelated) to vibration issue. Did a computer update and that took care of power issue.

- Bedford, VA, USA

problem #7

Dec 272012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • miles
I have had the same problems that everyone has since I bought this van new (May 2012). Around 41,000 miles (Aug 2014) had warning lights & codes come up. Honda replaced cylinders 1-3 & work order also showed service bulletin 13-081, replaced under warranty. Then I smelled oil & saw a small leak in Sept 2014. Honda found leaking valve cover gasket, replaced under warranty. Took van to Florida. When we got there we had to take the van to a Honda shop for a low tone knocking noise while idling and louder when accelerating. They had the van for 4 days. Honda provided a free rental. Honda wrote on work order. 43307 worn camshaft lobe causing knocking noise 36108, performed inspection found noise coming from front cylinder head, called techline, techline instructed to inspect for worn cam shaft, pulled valve cover found cylinder #6 intake lobe worn. Removed and replaced front cylinder head camshaft & camshaft seal. Noise gone. It also responds better when pushing gas pedal & gas mileage improved. I bet I have had about $5000 worth of warranty work done at this time just from under the hood. During all this, I contacted the better business bureau & Honda was notified. I have been complaining to corporate Honda from the beginning about this van & they always would say that nothing is wrong. Finally I get a call from corporate Honda to tell me they found nothing from my visit involving replacement of my cylinders. Boy was he misinformed and got an earfull. I have also had my front rotors resurfaced (35,657 miles), got a goodwill warranty. They should give a goodwill warranty with all the Honda vehicles we have bought. Each van I buy (1995, 2005, 2012) gets worse and lasts for a shorter length of time before I feel I can't trust it for a trip out of town. I am starting to experience little issues again like I did when I first bought this van.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #6

Sep 282014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 15,000 miles
I was driving my 2 year old Honda Odyssey w/15,000 miles on a 35 mph state road in the evening. All of a sudden the van lost complete power, everything inside went black, brakes went, no lights in or outside working, and the steering got very stiff, making it difficult to steer the van off the road. My 5 young children were in the vehicle as well. (ages 14, 6, 4, 2, & 5 months). Thankfully no vehicles were on the road in front of me or stopped bc I would have hurt them badly. I just missed getting rear ended by 3 other vehicles as well. Thankfully we weren't traveling the busy interstate that evening, or this could have easily been fatal for my whole family and possibly others as well. Previous to this (approx. 3 months or so) I had made complaints to the dealership about a popping noise in the steering column, when a sharp turn was made and was told that it was "normal". I also have a constant vibration in the steering wheel, brake and gas pedal, which Honda balanced the tires and re surfaced the roaders. For a vehicle which almost cost me $36,000 & 2 years old with low miles, shouldn't be having these issues. The issue with the complete loss of power needs to be diagnosed and correctly fixed, or taken off the road before it causes someone to be severely injured or killed!!!! fix it correctly or I want the vehicle replaced or my money back to buy a safer vehicle....not we're unsure of what the issue is or think we fixed it. I don't need my family or any others killed.

- Dallastown , PA, USA

problem #5

Sep 282014

Odyssey

  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. While driving approximately 35 mph, the power steering failed intermittently and the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle became increasingly difficult to control. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.

- Dallastown, PA, USA

problem #4

Jun 042014

Odyssey

  • miles
I was driving the car and the power to the engine started diminishing suddenly while on the freeway. Quickly I could barely accelerate. Apparently the eco driving mode had shift off a few cycling era of the engine making the car impossible to drive and also prohibitively dangerous....

- La Verne , CA, USA

problem #3

Oct 142013

Odyssey

  • 14,050 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. While driving 78 mph, the contact stated the vehicle stalled and all of the warning lamps illuminated, then powered off. The contact was able to get the vehicle safely off of the highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The dealer did not specify what component failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 14,050.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #2

Apr 012013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2012 Honda Odyssey. Consumer writes in regards to acceleration problems. The consumer stated when she slowed down or let off the gas pedal, the engine acted as though it was going to shut off, then all of a sudden it would lurch forward. It also happened when letting off the gas to turn a corner, and when she attempted to accelerate, it felt as though the vehicle was going to stall.

- Flushing, MI, USA

problem #1

Sep 242012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 460 miles
We bought this vehicle with my aunt[xxx] for our family, we were breaking it in around 400 plus miles and we notice there is a vibration when the vcm or variable cylinder management turns on. So we took it a the dealership we bought it from which is norm reeves Honda in West covina ca. Humming vibration noise when the vcm turns on at any speed. To whom it may concern, Sept 27 2012 me and my aunt just bought a bought brand new 2012 Honda Odyssey ex Sept 21,2012 with only 33 miles on it, we notice a vibration in the engine so I took it to norm reeves Honda 1 888 637 7262 on Sept 27, 2012 with 622 miles on it and spoke to [xxx] service advisor I told them that there is a vibrations in the engine, wind noise, alignment problem and the rear sliding door not being pushed. He send a guy to meet me which he's name is[xxx] a service diagnostics who come with me for a test drive, so we went and he notices the vibration, wind noise and the sliding rear door not being plush and the alignment. [xxx] told me that they will hook up the computer system of Honda to see the problem with the vibrations we head back to the dealer and he told the service advisor about it. So I left Odyssey with them the whole day, I got a call from [xxx] around 4:30 ish and told me they fixed the rear door striker, the rear sliding door the fixed also, alignment is now straight and the top part of the door is plushed but the lower door is not plushed any more, they fixed the alignment, they said the wind noise is normal, regarding the vibration, they told me that they drove the new one and they drive the same. They is a big problem here and they just not saying. Pls help us out information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Burbank, CA, USA

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