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.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 10, 2023
While driving in October 2022, my car suddenly had the check engine light begin flashing. My car immediately began to lose power and would barely accelerate. Multiple other dash lights then started flashing. I called the Honda dealership who told me to drive it there. I barely made it to the dealership (having to drive slowly, not being able to accelerate, and not knowing if the car was suddenly going to die). The Honda dealership diagnosed it as a failure of the piston rings leading to a catastrophic engine failure. These piston rings needed to be replaced, which could only be done with an entire engine rebuild. This cost approximately $5000. I got the car back and then the next day was driving on a major interstate traveling 70mph. All of the sudden the car completely shut down. It was so extremely dangerous. I had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for a tow truck. The town truck took the car back to the Honda dealer, which diagnosed a timing belt failure. The timing belt and water pump had to be replaced, costing an additional $1-2k. Then in August 2023 the alternator has now failed. This caused the car to again suddenly die while driving it.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 2, 2023
This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me on my 2016 Honda Odyssey which has less then 50,000 miles. When the engine cylinders misfire while driving, it causes sudden loss of power and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in the 2008-2013 Honda Odyssey - Honda settled the lawsuit March of 2014. Honda extended the warranty and would fix the issue on the existing 2008-2013 Honda Odysseys. Honda has not fixed the problem and they continue to sell vehicles with this known issue and not disclosing it to their customers. It remains a safety issue while driving.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 26, 2023
The exact issue was reported for 2011-13 Honda OdesseY Models, All TRIMS and HONDA was issued a extended warranty for those vehicles and Honda is denying the same warranty extension for 2016 Honda Odessey models. The details are published in Service Bulletin 13-081 , which says
Electrical system, Jul 17, 2023
Control Module system failure escalated to an extent where the vehicle will not turn off after pushing the off button and cause flickering while the vehicle is in motion. Part #38329-TK8-A01 is currently in the shop due to part replacement on critical backorder. The vehicle has and can shut off during transit making it a hazard on the road. The vehicle had to be disconnected from the battery to be able to shut off the vehicle, but the on-road transit shut-off was not reproduced. Honda Dealership has inspected the part, and they're unable to correct or resolve the part without a complete replacement. Issues before the incident: Lights would flicker, a clicking noise would be heard from under the hood, car alarm would go off with nothing attempting or touching the vehicle.
Engine, Jul 10, 2023
This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me twice now, where the engine cylinders misfire while driving, causing sudden loss of control of the vehicle and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in 2013, but Honda has not fixed the problem and it remains a safety issue while driving.
Engine, Mar 20, 2023
I was driving down a city road and engine light came on as well as traction control light. The car began shaking and lost power slowing down while I had 4 kids in the van. I took it to a Honda dealer the next morning and they said that oil is leaking past the piston rings and fouling the #3 spark plug causing misfiring. They suggested a replacement of the engine as they indicated a head job may not fix the issue. The engine light had come on once before accompanied by the loss of power and shaking about 4-5 months prior but the issue was not found at that time by the Honda service shop as when I brought it in the check engine light was gone. But I I had all the spark plugs replaced as I was at approximately 106,000 miles at that time. Now I'm at 109,000 and the issue returned as noted above, but much worse. Basically I'm forced to sell the van as it's unsafe to drive and too costly to repair.
Engine, Mar 4, 2023
While driving my family on a major highway, the flashing check engine light was triggered Upon checking the oil level, which was fine, I again slowly drove the van to a mechanic. The mechanic removed all spark plugs and checked the coils. Spark plugs 1-3 all had oil on them causing them to foul and the coil on piston 3 was destroyed. This very same issue was the cause of a class action lawsuit for which honda issued recalls and extended warranties for vehicles ranging from 2008 - 2013, yes the issue continued in honda vehicles such as mine until 2018. I am now forced to pay for a repair that should have been covered under a voluntary recall. Oil in the spark plugs is a known fire hazard and this willful neglect by honda placed the lives of myself and my family at risk. Even more shameful is that multiple honda service departments in my area were contacted as a result of this faulty piston issue and each independently stated that this is a known issue in honda models up through 2017. If honda service centers can attest to this, and they are the face of honda america to consumers, yet have taken no responsible actions to date to offer consideration for their loyal patrons, then the government has a duty to protect consumers through a mandatory recall to address this prevalent safety issue. Do so now before an engine fire caused by gross negligence takes the life or lives of innocent children.
Power train, Mar 3, 2023
At highway speeds (50-65mph), the transmission would jutter/shudder when trying to either accelerate or decelerate from constant speed. The issue incrementally got worse and got to the point where the van was undrivable on the highway. I found the service bulletin 14-043 and brought the van into my Honda Dealer with a copy of the service bulletin. They test drove my vehicle and agreed this was the issue. The software was updated and ATF was flushed at no cost.
Engine, Mar 3, 2023
At highway speed (70mph), our van suddenly lost acceleration while the engine began to shudder while the check engine light came on. I had to maneuver to the shoulder of the highway and turn off the vehicle. Upon trying to restart the vehicle, both the check engine and Forward Collision Warning failure messages appeared. The vehicle required towing by AAA to a repair garage. The garage reported that the malfunction code was "Misfire Cylinder #3". Cylinder #3 and spark plug were removed and cleaned due to deposits from oil entering the engine.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 6, 2023
On December 7, 2022, while driving my family of six, my 2016 Honda Odyssey EX-L with 83,000 miles triggered a flashing check engine light and lost most acceleration while on a busy highway. I was able to limp the vehicle to a repair shop who identified that the van appeared to be burning oil. Oil was changed in its entirety and was advised to check oil frequently. On February 5, 2023, again while driving my family on a major highway, the flashing check engine light was triggered along with the antilock braking system, lane departure warning and front collision warning, along with a display message of front ‘FCW system failed’. Upon checking the oil level, which was fine, I again slowly drove the van to a mechanic. The mechanic removed all spark plugs and checked the coils. Spark plugs 1-3 all had oil on them causing them to foul and the coil on piston 3 was destroyed. This very same issue was the cause of a class action lawsuit for which Honda issued recalls and extended warranties for vehicles ranging from 2008 - 2013, yes the issue continued in Honda vehicles such as mine until 2018. I am now forced to pay ~$4500 for a repair that should have been covered under a voluntary recall. Oil in the spark plugs is a known fire hazard and this willful neglect by Honda placed the lives of myself and my family of six at risk. Even more shameful is that multiple Honda service departments in my area were contacted as a result of this faulty piston issue and each independently stated that this is a known issue in Honda models up through 2017. If Honda service centers can attest to this, and they are the face of Honda America to consumers, yet have taken no responsible actions to date to offer consideration for their loyal patrons, then the government has a duty to protect consumers through a mandatory recall to address this prevalent safety issue. Do so now before an engine fire caused by gross negligence takes the life or lives of innocent children.
Engine, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 1, 2023
While driving the vehicle the engine began to bog down and the check engine light came on.
Structure, Jan 30, 2023
Passenger sliding door gave 3 beeps and refused to close upon inspecting the door to manually close the door it fell of the top and side rail track.
Engine, Jan 22, 2023
Check engine light flashing towed to the dealership and was inform engine code p0301 misfire cylinder 1 had to replace piston rings on that entire side of the head. Now getting engine cod p3400 vps bank 1 within 1200 miles of the first issue. Engine hesitation between 40 and 55 mph and rpm is around 1500 RPM.
Engine, Dec 1, 2022
The engine misfired which caused the vehicle to lose power in traffic endangering the people in my vehicle and in the other vehicles on the road around me. The check engine light began flashing and I had the vehicle towed to the dealership to be inspected. Upon inspection I was informed by the dealership that this was a known problem in Honda Odysseys and that the VCM system causes the piston rings to go bad prematurely which causes unburnt oil to foul the spark plug and cause the car to misfire and lose power. Apparently a class action lawsuit about this issue led to Honda extending the warranty and covering the repairs on Oddyseys made between 2005-2013, but the issue was never corrected and the 2016 model is not covered. The cost of the repair was $3830.
Lane departure, Power train, Nov 29, 2022
Car shutters or jolt when start or Accelerate between 20-35 mph .
Structure, Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH with his daughter sitting in the rear driver's side seat, the rear driver's side seat reclined unintendedly. The contact stated that the seat was moving back forth. The contact that he had not been able to readjust the seat though it was manual seat. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Honda Technical Service Bulletin Number:18-026 as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000
Other or unspecified, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 1, 2022
Less than 4 months after having a thorough engine inspection, the engine developed an oil leak which caused piston rings 1-3 to fail. The car immediately began shaking, flashing caution lights, flashing a notice the FCW System failed and jolting while in idle.
Engine, Sep 29, 2022
Engine light blinking, rough idle, and code reading gives "cylinder 3 misfire". I pull the spark plug out and found it's foul, covered with oil and black stuff. Searched the forums and found it's probably a common problem caused by Honda VCM.
Power train, Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 21, 2022
UNKNOWN I was urged by a Honda World representative to give my account. My vehicle has intermittently flashed forward collision warning failure/lane departure warning and the check engine light. The issue has been reported to the dealership and they've acknowledged that it seems to be a well-known issue with this particular make/model/year vehicle, due to a faulty part. In order to issue a recall there need to be reports. So here you go.
Power train, Sep 14, 2022
While accelerating, especially up an incline, the vehicle (2016 Honda Odyssey) shudders as if the transmission is repeatedly slipping. Instead of rising smoothly, the tachometer bounces up and down as it is increasing. If you plotted the rpms as a function of time, it would look something like a "sawtooth" pattern. The issue seems to go away once a cruising speed is reached. This jerking makes me worried that the transmission could fail at any time and result in an emergency situation and/or accident. The vehicle is currently at the dealership but they seem uncertain as to what will fix the issue. They want to start with a $600 transmission flush. Then if that doesn't fix it, they want an additional transmission flush. And if that still doesn't fix the issue, then they want to try replacing the torque converter. This appears to be an issue known to Honda but of which owners have not been made aware. It appears to be a flaw in Honda's software resulting in an inability to maintain the transmission fluid in an safe and appropriate range. Honda should be required to notify all owners and issue a recall to fix this issue.
Engine, Sep 8, 2022
Constant cylinder misfire
Power train, Electrical system, Aug 23, 2022, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact parked the vehicle, turned the engine off, and removed the ignition key from the ignition but failed to switch the shifter from the drive position. While attempting to exit, the vehicle rolled backward down the driveway and crashed into the mailbox. During the incident, the contact attempted to reenter the vehicle to prevent the rollaway and was pushed to the ground and dragged down the driveway causing multiple injuries which included a back injury, leg contusions, ankle injuries, and a lacerated left leg which required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The contact was also concerned that the ignition key was able to be removed from the ignition switch although the shifter was still in the drive position. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Aug 1, 2022
May 2, 2022 - While driving home one evening, my check engine light came on, flashing. I was able to get into my neighborhood and once I got on my street, the front of the car started shaking violently. I made it into my driveway. This was very distressing and frightening. Scheduled a tow through USAA mobile app for next morning to be taken to Honda. There is way more detail - can't paste all here. July 9, 2022 - At approx 10AM, we left our vacation rental and started the drive home to MS. My check engine light came on and started flashing again. I made it to the middle of the island and met my husband. I was visibly shaken because I knew this was a serious issue. I had three kids and a 175lb dog in my van, along with half of our belongings. If I had gone a few miles or two more, I would have been stranded on a four-mile bridge. I had driven my car frequently while we were on the island (2 weeks) and there were no issues - until this day. - Again, I have WAY more information on this - cannot paste it all here.
Electrical system, Jul 25, 2022
- dashboard warning lights (engine light, LDW, FCW, Emissions, and VSA) come on every couple of weeks; the warning lights stay on for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, then go off again. - car alarm goes off randomly, very frequently. - when the car is turned off and parked, sometimes randomly I would hear rapid clicking from the dash. Sometimes that clicking would be accompanied by all the dashboard lights flickering on and off for about 30 seconds, repeating that sequence for a few minutes. -won’t start at times. Engine won’t turn off when start/stop switch depressed.
Engine, Jul 24, 2022
One of the cylinder valves get stuck open. Happened several times within a year. Car looses power and the engine runs rough due to cylinder misfire. Honda says they would need to replace all cylinders. Problem apparently happened in older models and seen other complaints for same issue in like make and model year.