2016 Honda Odyssey
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 270 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 15th highest complaint count among 26 Odyssey model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 9 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 10 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Seats, mid/rear assemblyMar 13, 2018
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats have a lever to fold the seatback and slide the seat forward to access the third row seats. Due to a manufacturing error, if the walk-in release lever is used to fold a fully reclined left outboard seatback forward, the seatback may stay in the unlocked position (free-folding) or unexpectedly unlock without engaging the walk-in or recliner lever.
An unlocked second row left outboard seatback increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will confirm proper operation of the second row left outboard seatback, and install a support bracket to the seat recliner. If the seatback cannot lock, dealers will replace the seatback frame assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X0R.
Campaign 18V170000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Seats, mid/rear assemblyDec 27, 2016
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Odyssey vehicles manufactured September 23, 2016, to October 24, 2016. The affected vehicles have a second row center seat with a horizontal adjuster bar that may stick in the unlocked position, allowing the seat to unexpectedly slide. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seat Systems."
An unlocked second row center seat may increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the slide function and replace the horizontal position adjustment bar, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD4.
Campaign 16V932000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assemblyJun 9, 2016
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2015 Acura MDX 2WD and MDX 4WD vehicles, 2016 Acura MDX 4WD vehicles, 2015-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD and 4WD vehicles. The affected vehicles have fuel tanks that were manufactured with insufficient welds which may separate and allow fuel to leak out.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks, free of charge. Owners may contact Honda/Acura customer service at 1-888-234-2138. The recall began on July 29, 2016. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA9 (Honda vehicles) and KB0 (Acura vehicles).
Campaign 16V417000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
270 reports, newest first.
Engine, Jan 6, 2025
The engine failed while driving on the highway. All lights flashed on dashboard and loss of power to the vehicle. There were no prior check engine lights on before it activated and started flashing. Piston 3 failure that had to be replaced (pistons 1-3). Engine had been burning oil but no low oil indication had been illuminated nor was car due for an oil change. Spark plugs and ignition coil had been replaced approx. a year prior due to similar but less severe incident of check engine light coming on and misfiring engine. Six months after the pistons were replaced, the oil pressure switches were diagnosed as faulty and needed replacement due to a false low oil pressure reading.
Engine, Jan 2, 2025
Alex from Germaine Honda informed us “There is a defect in the piston causing oil to leak in and ruin the piston and spark plugs. The only option is to replace the engine. There was a light that came on indicating oil was low a few weeks before it symptoms started however there was plenty of oil when checked and it was not time for oil change per record. While driving one day car started shaking and engine misfire. Multiple engine and system warning lights came on. In 2022, we had a similar issue with piston rings out of alignment and spark plugs fouled with oil that resulted in costly repairs. Yes this vehicle is currently available for inspection. This could be a safety issue due to engine failure while driving on a busy road. This van was purchased used in 2018 with 2+ previous owners. This problem has been confirmed by a honda dealer.
Engine, Jan 1, 2025
Just before hitting 100k miles and planning for timing belt maintenance, I got hit with the well known VCM V6 engine issue. Fix for 7k from my own pocket? No. I just replaced spark plugs and as the advisor suggested I have to install the VCM Muzzler (from after market, as Honda don't do this) to deactivate ECO mode in order to prevent future damage. I hope NHTSA will force Honda to recognize this is their fault (poor design) and fix this on a big recall, otherwise I'll participate in a lawsuit when that will occur for this lemon car.
Structure, Dec 30, 2024
the trunk has been difficult to open in cold weather ever since car was purchased. car was new when purchased and the issue was infrequent over time, issue has become so pervasive that we are unable to open the trunk at all even when weather is reasonable honda issued a "service bulletin" in 2018 admitting part was faulty however as it was not an official recall, we were not notified when looking into solving this problem, we came across the "service bulletin" information. Honda has NOT included our VIN # in this issue and accepts no responsibility for fixing the faulty part of this car *** inability to open the trunk reduces means of egress from the vehicle in the event of an accident thereby creating a safety risk *** please see:[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Dec 26, 2024
Connecting rod failure. This could have been a serious issue as it happened on the highway. I was in the middle lane when it locked up. Luckily I was able to safely get to the shoulder. There was no warning before it happened. ( No engine light, no noises at all). This has been inspected by my local Honda dealer and confirmed.
Power train, Dec 19, 2024
Vehicle shudders on acceleration
Electrical system, Dec 15, 2024
Passenger powersliding door sensor went off while driving indicating door was open when it was closed, door not latching properly to close
Engine, Nov 27, 2024
Brought brand new in 2016, our Honda odyssey has been well maintained by the dealer. Just hit 148k miles, and the check engine light started flashing - took it straight to the dealer. Said that we need the engine rebuilt for $4k replacing spark plugs and cylinders. Upon further research, this is a known issue with the VCM motors by Honda, and had a class action lawsuit for previous years of the odyssey- but when the lawsuit was done, our years had not reached over 100k miles yet. Honda service is saying there is now a software update to prevent this from happening again, when we replace cylinders, but why is this happening when we have brought it to the dealer for all maintenance and if there was a preventative fix for this, why wasn’t it done before damage was done to the engine? We are being given the run around, was offered $500 to buy our van, or pay the $4k+ to fix. Honda corporate is just going in circles not giving us answers and why this is being allowed to happen. This is my 4th Honda - 2nd to buy brand new- and this is making me question loyalty to the brand.
Power train, Engine, Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to pass another vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to respond and the engine sputtered. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop the failure recurred. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Engine, Nov 14, 2024
My engine's check-engine light began flashing, and it turned out to be misfiring on one of the cylinders. The dealer disassembled the cylinder and found that it was filled with oil, and the piston seals had failed for cylinders 1-3, and they are now saying it will be a $4K rebuild of the seals. Looking online, this appears to be a VERY common problem with these V6 Honda engines that have VCM on them; this is the same VCM system for which Honda had to settle a class-action lawsuit for this exact issue happening to thousands of engines. They only included vehicles through the 2013 model year, but continued to use the VCM system in later engines; there are thousands of reports of this same issue continuing to occur.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Nov 12, 2024
I was traveling on a local street around 35mph and braking for a red light. The braking felt funny in that it didn't slow the car down like normal, but it felt like the car's accelerator was still engaged. I managed to come to a stop, but the car seemed to want to move forward and I had to really stomp on the brake to keep it from moving forward. I put the car into park and the engine started revving and the car started shaking. I then turned the car off. When I turned the car back on, I was not able to shift back into drive from park. I turned the car off again. Waited about 10 seconds and started the car again. I was able to put it into drive and was able to drive home. This was normal braking for a red light, not a panic brake when I might have hit the accelerator. I also check the pedal positions and when the brake is pressed, it is about level with the accelerator, so I doubt that I was pressing both pedals at the same time. I don't have an extra floor mat and the mat I have is an OEM mat that is secured down. Brought the car to a Honda Service Center and they could not reproduce the problem. This is certainly a safety issue if the braking and engine do not respond to the driver input.
Engine, Nov 12, 2024
The engine failed and required a complete ring/piston replacement at a cost of $5,670,52 with only 135,946 miles. I purchased the vehicle new and had it serviced at Honda dealerships throughout its life. These vehicles are used by families and many older citizens because of their ease of access and advertised reliability. Such an unexpected expense should be covered by Honda. This ring/piston replacement has been a problem in earlier modules and was covered by Honda.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 23, 2024
Car stalled while driving, requiring restart. Independent Service Center determined fuel pump failure. Independent Service Center replaced fuel pump.
Service brakes, Air, Engine, Oct 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and ABS warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the fuel tank was not full, the vehicle would not accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone where it was scanned and diagnosed with a code P0848. The contact stated that the cylinders and spark plugs were previously replaced by an independent mechanic. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle further. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
Engine, Oct 14, 2024
the engine has failure has been twice 5500 repair, because the ECO mode that was known in a former class action. HONDA Motor has done nothing to actually cure the problem and continues to sell faulty engines that can cause engine failure mid drive and causes a safety issue, and has proven over and over again that this failure has not been resolved. We were told by a few places so the engine doesn't go out again this would be a third time and ALL WORK HAS BEEN DONE AT HONDA! TO buy from amazon a item called the VCM muzzler to shut down the software so the engine will work for longer, and there is a secondary market for this , and a few of the 3.5 liter v6 HONDA engines- how is this not been a engine recall, on a 46K vechial with 5500 repairs required 2 times in 50K and we know it will go out a third time, and the van is no longer safe and reliable and yet we purchased the car new all work done at honda, and another 5500 for the repair, and the car still does run as it should doesn't accelerate as it should causing safety issues. I really hope you research and get people that own these cars recalled to be a safe car. thank you
Power train, Engine, Aug 15, 2024
Timing belt tensioner failing with only 51K miles
Electrical system, Aug 12, 2024
The keyless entry module on numerous Honda vehicles has a known flaw where one or more chip are inadequately protected from the elements. [XXX] and [XXX] ) This is unsafe and can cause the vehicle to become "immobilized." This happened to my wife on [XXX] while she was out shopping and left her and our kids stranded when the 2016 Honda Odyssey refused to start. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Aug 5, 2024
My car is having misfire since last one year. After diagnosis, my mechanic replaced the spark plugs when I received the engine light sign. Within couple of months I am having the same issues and the spark plugs keep burning due to the misfire. I’ve talked to my mechanic and he said there are multiple vehicles having same issue. Honda should open a recall and fix this ASAP.
Seats, Jul 27, 2024
I was attempting to move the passenger side 2nd row seat forward so that my children could extricate themselves from the third row while we were stopped. The mechanism locked, and subsequently the seat back was unable to lock. This was a safety issue, and so I move my child to another seat. We took the vehicle to a dealership and we're informed that it was an issue with the lock for the recliner function and that it was damaged. Upon reviewing recall information, it was noted that there were recalls for 2016 Honda Odysseys with a reported similar issue of second row seats being unable to lock after releasing to allow access to the third row.(Recall Numbers 18V170000 and 16V933000). I was informed that my vehicle was not covered as the end of the recall ended with vehicles made two months prior to mine despite being the same year model. A seat not locking is a significant safety issue and I question if the above recalls need to extend to include more cars.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 16, 2024
One day my car just turned on. Lights come on will not turn off. Dashboard lights up with every symbol blinking, relays under the hood turning off turning on non-stop. Took it to the Honda dealer, who said I needed a VSA module. Only catch here is the part will not be available until October 2024. 4 months from now. Was told they put me at the bottom of the list as my car is 7 years old. Newer vehicles get priority. Rich people first poor people last. When it would run car would randomly just turn off while driving. Car unsafe to operate.
Engine, Jul 1, 2024
In January 2024 engine began misfiring, towed to shop, all spark plugs replaced due to fouling by oil. June 2024 issue began again, towed to shop, spark plug 1 found to be fouled by oil. Shop states this issue is likely caused by piston ring malfunction known to be an issue in earlier year Honda Odysseys. Honda states issue was fixed in 2014 and newer models, yet many complaints found online for 2016 model.
Power train, Engine, Jun 11, 2024
The engine failed, at 90,238 Piston misfire it was replaced 1-3, This happened a second time at 143,000 miles- while the car was moving and same thing engine failed a second time- had it towed in due to the engine not working it doesn't accelerate on a highway to merge has been dangerous- Brought to Honda a few times, because the engine was not working right you cannot accelerate properly on a on ramp and will not accelerate how it should, this is the same issue that was known by Honda. Called Honda they will not do anything more - it was "fixed" according to honda , but still not running how it should it feels like a bad transmission wont accelerate property when- so the car is not safe to drive in any distance misfire ALL WORK VAN WAS DONE AT HONDA DEALER ONLY
Engine, Jun 3, 2024
We are reporting a safety concern on the Honda Odyssey that Honda Corporation is aware of on the 2016 Honda Odyssey. They have a defect in the Piston Rings on the Engine. This engine design on the 2016 engine is the same where a recall was called on older versions of the Odyssey and other Honda vehicles. They have not included the 2016 as they say that they haven't had many cases of this version having the problem. With a quick search of the web you will find many people who are reporting or talking about piston ring issues, misfire and spark plug problems on the 2016 Odyssey. They are then asking customers to spend between $3 and $5 to fix this problem in the engine. Which is a known engineering defect! I have kept up with my oil changes and had a well maintained vehicle rating on CarFax. We are reporting the problem to you as when this happened it was extremely dangerous to drive the van. We were stopped at a red light just stopped and the engine was idling when all of a sudden the van started shaking. No sign of a problem prior to this happening. Then we looked and no lights were on but as soon as we started to drive the check engine light came on. We drove the van the couple of miles home as it was a Sunday and the engine had no pick up and go. Pulling into traffic or turning was a danger. This is a danger to not only us in the van but others around us who are not aware of a problem. We drove the van to the dealership on Monday morning. They said that it had caused a bad spark plug and they could clean the area and we may get 5000 to 20000 more miles but that recommended that we would some point need to spend the $4600 to fix the piston rings as well. We did the spark plug repair and they returned the van to us. It still seemed sluggish but we quickly realized that it was having major problems. This is a danger to people in the vans as well as others on the road. Honda should be required to cover the cost of piston ring issues on all years.
Engine, May 24, 2024
engine in this vehicle keeps having a misfire in Cylinder 2 (when looking at engine in car, it is the back side, 2nd from the left) caused by eco mode per honda techs. The piston ring needs replaced per tech and car is 2 model years outside the warranty for this issue that is still going on. its a common issue and is still occurring even is newer models according to the 2 local dealerships.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 14, 2024
The engine. I have a 2016 Honda Odyssey. All scheduled maintenance has always been done on this vehicle. I have all the documentation. And I mean it has been babied. It has 110,000 miles. Driving one morning last week and the car just seized up. No warning. No previous warning light. Had it towed to the dealership. The Variable Cylinder Management system had allowed a build up of gunk in the engine. Need an engine rebuild.$5600. Honda just had a recall for cars of the same model manufactured before 2014 for the same issue. As for safety having your engine seize up on the highway is dangerous.