2012 Honda Odyssey
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Service brakes is the leading concern among 245 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 17th highest complaint count among 26 Odyssey model years with reports.
Of the 2012 reports, 14 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 22 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Seats, mid/rear assemblyNov 17, 2017
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats can slide sideways to one of two positions. If a seat is placed between either of the two positions when attaching the seat to the vehicle floor, the seat will not latch properly to the seat striker, allowing the seat to tip forward unexpectedly during braking.
If the seat tips forward during braking, it can increase the risk of injury.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket to the second row outboard floor strikers, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2018. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is S0G.
Campaign 17V725000 on NHTSA.gov
Seats, mid/rear assemblyDec 27, 2016
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 17, 2010, to October 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have second row outboard seats that have a release lever that allows the seats to move for easier access to the third row of seats. This release lever may remain in the unlocked position allowing the seats to move unexpectedly.
An unlocked second row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional bracket and spring to both second row outboard seats, free of charge. Interim letter has been mailed, and a second notification will be sent . Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD5.
Campaign 16V933000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionApr 15, 2013
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."
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.
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.
Campaign 13V143000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsJan 18, 2013
Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Campaign 13V016000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, frontDec 22, 2011
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012, ODYSSEY VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 31, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2011. THE RETENTION NUT FOR THE FRONT RIGHT LOWER SUSPENSION DAMPER BOLT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER TORQUE, POTENTIALLY ALLOWING THE NUT TO LOOSEN.
IF THE NUT LOOSENS, THE FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY WOULD ONLY BE ATTACHED BY ONE BOLT, ALLOWING THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO SHIFT TO AN EXTREME INWARD ANGLE, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF STEERING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
HONDA CONTACTED ALL NINE OWNERS BY PHONE ON DECEMBER 19, 2011, AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLES AS NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
Campaign 11V602000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
245 reports, newest first.
Structure, Apr 16, 2023
Paint is falling off
Other or unspecified, Apr 12, 2023
I was driving down the highway and my sunroof exploded.
Electrical system, Structure, Other or unspecified, Feb 6, 2023
The power door was not shutting correctly. A 5 year old was getting into the car when the door decided to shut. It hit her, and then reopened. When it reopened, the door went off the tracks and fell on my husband. Now the door is completely off the tracks and the body of the car is messed up.
Tires, Jan 13, 2023
Mastercraft Stratus As size 235/65R17 While driving on highway tire pressure light illuminated then immediately proceeded to tire shop to check tire . Then found left rear tire had a ball and saw the sidewall bead protruding. I had a shop dismount the tire and they mentioned they have seen this before where the inside of the bead started to come apart. He saw the brand and mentioned it seems like they haven’t fixed the issue.
Service brakes, Nov 23, 2022
My break petal went soft - as in goes all the way to the floor - it has been looked at by 2 different mechanics - no warning lights, no sounds, just all of a sudden no breaks - it has all new break pads, master cylinder, rotors, etc… the break petal is as soft as can be. I can not stop suddenly.
Service brakes, Sep 10, 2022
My 2012 Honda Odyssey brake suddenly failed today. I felt the brake paddle was very soft and had to push all the way to the floor and the vehicle would slowly stop. I had to push very fast repeatedly to feel enough pressure on the paddle to stop the vehicle quickly. There is no indications on the instrument panel indicating the failure at all. My car is maintained regularly.
Service brakes, Sep 7, 2022
Without warning the breaks will not work. You have to push them all the way down and it sometimes lurches forward after breaking. I’ve had it looked at and they can find nothing wrong. This is a serious problem and needs recalled.
Power train, Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made ticking sounds. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an appointment for the diagnostic test. The contact related the failure to the timing belt; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.
Engine, Jun 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that oil was leaking onto the spark plugs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Engine, Apr 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light would suddenly illuminate and the vehicle would not properly accelerate and would drive very rough. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that cylinder number one was faulty. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the oil pressure switches were faulty and needed to be replaced. The oil pressure switches were replaced; however, failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Structure, Mar 10, 2022
Sliding doors on both sides will not close reliably. When closing the sliding doors, the door slides along the track smoothly initially but when it is close to shutting anywhere from 2 feet to a couple inches (usually within inches of closing) the moving door studders its motion, or hesitates and then the door opens again. This has been ongoing for a couple years and although it is intermittent, it has become worse over time. There are only two reliable ways to close the sliding doors. One is to lean heavily on the sliding door at the end of the closing cycle and the other is to drive the vehicle either forward or in reverse while the door is near the end of closing. This poses an obvious safety hazard. We have had a local mechanic look at it but it was not reproducible and seems to be better when the whether is fair so she did not find a solution. We just took it to Marion Honda in Southern Illinois and they cleaned the tracks without charging us and thought it had resolved the problem but it did nothing to help. Problem persists
Service brakes, Mar 4, 2022
False abs activation at speed above 45mph.
Other or unspecified, Jan 11, 2022
a cable on the automatic sliding door snapped while normally opening door with my fob. The door would no longer work automatically. Both automatic doors have been sensitive to weather changes and won't open sometimes, before the cable snapped.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 11, 2021
Misfire in cylinder 1 Caused van to lose power on freeway almost causing an accident. From 2011-2013 there was a settlement that gave an 8 year extended warranty, but why is it only 8 years when not everyone’s driving is the same? My van was brought to the Honda dealer Check engine light came on, then it flashes
Steering, Wheels, Service brakes, Sep 20, 2021
When applying the brake fro my 2012 Honda Odyssey I feel my steering shaking that may cause an issue while driving on Freeway. I have done the wheel balancing on new tires again too... But still i fee the same.
Structure, Sep 12, 2021
The sliding door on the driver's side would open when the handle was pulled even when the lock was engaged. As this is the primary door used, I didn't not know it wasn't supposed to do this. Several years ago, the started sticking, then making a popping sound when it opened. The dealership inspected and found nothing wrong. It progressed to opening a little bit and getting stuck which required closing the door using the electronic controls. Then it started getting stuck in the open position which using the electronic controls multiple times to get it to close. As it is getting worse over time, I don't know if that will continue. At each oil change, I had the door checked. For years it was sporadic so they claimed they could not reproduce. A few months ago, we lost the ability to use the manual door handles. At this point, it was fully reproducible, but the dealership claimed they couldn't find a cause. They can't explain why the door is attempting to open when the lock is engaged.
Engine, Jul 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 35-45 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and the vehicle was shuddering. The contact continued driving the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact they could not provide any assistance as she was the second vehicle owner. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 7, 2021
The following referenced items have been in constant or recent trouble status: The two-sliding doors repeatedly have resisted closing for at least a year or more. They are eventually forced to close by manipulation of the track system (i.e. closing mechanism). This issue has repeatedly been brought to the attention of the service team at Clear Lake Honda, and diagnostic tests have been conducted but to no avail. This is definitely a safety hazard. Recently, the rear door refused to close and would not engage either manually or automatically when attempting to close. This issue has been brought to the attention of the service team at Clear Lake Honda as of this reporting.
Engine, Jun 3, 2021
The Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) System continues to burn my spark plugs on the rear of the engine where the VCM activates and deactivates. Spark plugs and cylinder fills with oil deposits when cylinders are deactivated. Also burning in excess of one quart of oil per 1,000 miles. Not safe to continue to drive because engine failure could cause other systems like, power brakes, ABS, power steering wheel, etc to fail. Also unsafe unreliable to have my family to take long trips where road side assistance might not be available due to no cell telephone signal in certain areas of Texas isolated roads. Thank understand Honda has had recalls on these engines and VCM systems in the past but their fixes don’t appear to work. I am one of many Honda owners that are left out to spend thousands of dollars in new engines because of original and extended warranties expiring. Honda should extend these engine warranties and take ownership and responsibility for their engineering / manufacturing mistakes. A simple switch to turn off the VCM should fix this problem. Other car brands have this feature that allows vehicle owners to turn it off. This is the fourth time this vehicle gets either a p303, P302 or P301 code for damaged spark plugs and excess oil in the cylinder.
Other or unspecified, Mar 26, 2021
THE BACK SIDE TRACK DOORS POP OPEN WHILE DRIVING. THEY SET THE LIGHTS OFF ANYTIME YOU BRAKE OR TAKE TURNS.
Structure, Feb 12, 2021
PAINT PEELING. ON TOP OF VAN AND TAILGATE. NOTICED SEVERAL HONDA ODYSSEY'S HAVE SAME ISSUE ON PEARL COLOR VANS.
Power train, Jan 22, 2021
ENGINE WORKING BUT NO POWER WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WHEN PUSH GAS.
Structure, Nov 3, 2020
THE SLIDING DOOR ON PASSENGER SIDE IT IS AN AUTOMATIC OPERATING DOOR. DOESN'T OPEN OR CLOSE IN PROPER WAY FOR MOST OF THE TIME. IT IS TRYING BUT IT GET STUCK AND REVERSED BACK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT, I CAN'T BRING IT TO THE DEALER IT WILL BE A LOT OF LABOR. THAN YOU!!
Engine, Nov 2, 2020
VAN STARTED TO CHUG WHEN DRIVING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED AND IT WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. PISTON RINGS ARE BAD AFTER 130,000 MILES.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 28, 2020
WAS DRIVING NORMAL STARTED MISSING AND SPUTTERING REALLY BAD JERKING VIOLENTY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING BARELY WAS ABLE TO GET SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. GOT BACK HOME IGHT GOES OFF AND DRIVES NORMAL FEW DAYS LATER SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN.