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.
Power train, Jul 21, 2022
2016 Honda Odyssey developed torque converter judder as shown in Honda TSB 17-043 dated 2/27/2018. This lead to problems accelerating and maintaining speed which is a safety issue. No warning lamps or messages appeared. The problem was confirmed by a local transmission repair service. We are awaiting warranty information for the repair as there has been no campaign or recall for this well known issue.
Engine, Jun 16, 2022
Within the last two years, spark plug number two has been faulty 3 different times. This causes driving issues while on the road, the car will not accelerate.
Engine, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 2, 2022
In March 1, 2022, my check engine light started to blink and the vehicle was running rough with a definite loss of power. I took it to a local mechanic. The code was a misfire on cylinder 2. He replaced the spark plugs and coil. On May 4, 2022, the same symptoms occurred and I left it with the same local mechanic. He said no codes were stored and the vehicle was running as it should. On May 5, 2022 the same symptoms occurred again and the FCW and LDW lights were also illuminated. The vehicle showed "failed FCW system". They changed the cylinder 2 spark plug because there was oil in it. On May 31, 2022 the check engine light was blinking again with rough idle and loss of power. After doing some researching I can see that Honda had a previous class action lawsuit settlement for earlier year Honda Odysseys for a "piston-ring issue". Today I called the local dealer where I purchased my vehicle from - Brilliance Honda and the service advisor indicated that this is a common problem with the Honda Odysseys but the 2016 are not covered any extended warranty or safety recall. This is a safety issue. To lose power in the engine when driving. This is a known issue and previous model years had similar issues and there was a class action lawsuit - yet nothing is being done about the problem that was never corrected by Honda putting people at risk for a faulty mechanical design. You can smell gas inside the vehicle when this occurs because the engine is not working properly to burn the gas.
Engine, May 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would shake from side to side and vibrate and the odor of burning oil was present. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where the spark plugs were replaced. The failure later reoccurred and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the piston rings were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,579.
Engine, May 11, 2022
At 59,000 miles my wife was driving down the road and immediately the van’s engine lost the majority of its power and began shaking tremendously. My wife and kids were able to get off the road but had it been on a freeway it would have been extremely dangerous. The Honda technician conveyed to me that 3 cylinder rings busted. How do 3 cylinder rings bust simultaneously on a well maintained HONDA engine at 59k miles?? They informed me of the Variable Cylinder Management system that shuts down 3 cylinders during certain times. If I can’t trust my family to drive safely down the road in a well maintained HONDA engine with 59k miles, I’m not sure that this system is safe. In addition the repair was out of warranty and cost $3,000! I believe there should be a recall on this system!
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, May 10, 2022
While driving my odyssey it began having the air conditioner blink off and on, radio was blinking off and on and multiple lights were lit up on the dash. There were no lights on my dash and no warning prior to this happening. My car then lost all power as if it was in neutral. I was pushing the gas pedal but the car would only rev like it was in neutral. Then the car began revving itself and the RPM's were getting dangerously high all while I was frantically trying to get to the side of the highway through traffic. I was in the left lane in a 70 MPH area. My blinkers were not working. After I finally got to the side of the road and stopped, the car was able to accelerate again. Then the whole thing happened again. When I shut the car off, the car then began clicking and dash lights were flashing all over the place, but the car would not start, Then I was able to finally start it, but I didn't dare to take it onto the highway again. Please help - this is a life-threatening issue and Honda should reimburse this immediately. I have read this same issue on multiple other chat boards.
Structure, Other or unspecified, May 8, 2022
Sliding passenger side door fell off of the track, pulling part of the exterior off of the car. Door was left hanging from the car.
Engine, Mar 21, 2022
honda has recall/extended warranty on 6cyl vehicles dating back as far as 2008, for cylinder misfires caused by bad piston rings. Recently had to have this done on my 2016 vehicle, but it wasn't covered under any recall or warranty. this is clearly an ongoing problem, and Honda should be paying for these repairs.
Engine, Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate and the check engine warning light flashed on and off before the vehicle decelerated and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine pistons had become out of alignment causing oil to leak onto the spark plugs. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 76,650.
Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the check engine warning light started to blink and the vehicle started to shudder. The contact pulled off the highway and safely stopped and turned off the vehicle. When the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle was still shaking. The contact did not take the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Engine, Feb 24, 2022
The piston rings are failing and causing a misfire. The dealer, honda care, and corporation have all said they are aware of this issue, but not willing to help the customer. Currently, my dealer has 6 cars with the same issue. All service men are stating, yes, we know exactly what the issue is when seeing the warning code. The misfire caused my car to not fully accelerate on a major highway. The dealer has documented the issue. A bunch of warnings appeared when this happened. Honda corp said they will give me half the cost and again have stated they know about this issue.
Engine, Feb 2, 2022
My husband was driving the car up a hill and coming to a stop light while slowing the car with the break the engine accelerated (you could hear it). He had to throw the car into neutral to get it to stop in time so as not to hit the car that was stopped in front of him at the stop light. This was not a "hard stop". He saw the red light and was breaking. There were two other witnesses in the car. My husband drives with his right foot and never breaks with his left foot. Though the car was stopping the engine was racing and the car was accelerating despite having his foot on the break petal. Unexpected acceleration is what the dealership called it. No he didn't have both feet on both petals. The car was accelerating despite his foot on the break petal. The witness confirm the car was trying to stop but the engine was racing. We took the car into the dealership and they brought in the "Honda Engineer" who checked out the car and found nothing wrong. They found the floor mats were pinned into place and were not a factor. The dealership seems to want to blame this on "driver error" and deny that there is anything wrong with the vehicle. The service manage with his left foot indicated as if he was breaking with his left foot when explaining that they believe it wasn't mechanical. In other words, they are saying it was driver error (with their body language). I believe they are deny deny deny and not taking our concerns into account. I did a search of similar issues with Honda Odysse's and found that there are other reports of this type of "unexpected acceleration". Thank You.
Engine, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 6, 2022
VCM causes excessive wear on piston rings leading to excessive oil burning, spark plug fouling, and misfiring cylinders. Condition displays flashing engine light and emission, FCW, and LDW warnings codes, disabling the FCW and LDW. Walker Honda (71303) technician, Cody Procell, stated he has dealt with this problem numerous times and was able to quote a near exact price of $4069. Repair total after $100 military discount was $3993. Previous generation Odyssey has been recalled for same issue.
Power train, Jan 5, 2022
Van is stuttering at a low rate of speed 25 mph. Car shakes and rattles. Disappears with higher acceleration. Took it to local car repair shop who suggested Honda as it should be under warranty or recall. Spoke with Honda dealer who states no recall, but there was a TSB 17-044 service bulletin extending the warranty to 8 years or 80,000 miles whichever comes first. We were never notified of this extension and are now at 82,000 miles. Honda Customer Care said there is nothing they can do, but will assign a case manager who should contact us in a week. In the meantime I am adding more miles to the car.
Engine, Nov 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that pistons #1 - #3 were faulty and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.
Engine, Oct 23, 2021
We purchased this 2016 Odyssey November 7, 2016. On July 16, 2020 I had to take the car into the Honda dealer. The vehicle jerked violently when I drive from a stop position to first, second and third gears. The dealer informed that it was due to defective brakes. I paid them $1,500 for the repair but it continued to happen. They informed that they could not duplicate the problems therefore can't fix it. On April 17, 2021 I have been getting multiple warning lights (fcw, ldw, check engine) which occur with sluggish engine performance. The engine will misfire and not accelerate as it typically does or shudders/jitters trying to accelerate. Diagnostic tool shows P0301 for misfire in cylinder 1 and P0848 for trans fluid pressure switch faulty. The dealer informed that we have defective piston rings which cause spark plugs misfire and foul. This will cost 5K and they will not guaranteed that it will fix it! My engine problems seems to be similar to the class action suit as per case no. 3:12-cv-1377-si. Unfortunately, it would appear that the defective piston rings issue was not resolved. I'm concerned that any replacement will result in the same issue again with continued driving. Honda dealerships are aware of the issue and Honda offers us very minimal assistance on the repair. However, they should be fully liable for selling cars with defective design, especially after the prior case. When this issue occurred, it put my family in an unsafe condition because vehicle suddenly lost power and the engine began to stutter. At this point my vehicle is undrivable and this has contributed to financial burden in an already difficult year due to the pandemic. Honda should own this issue for the 2016 model year through full compensation on repairs.
Power train, Oct 11, 2021
The torque converter is failing. When accelerating, the van will shudder and shake, usually between 25-30 mph and sometimes at 45mph. My vehicle is available for inspection. When merging onto the highway, this problem occurred, slowing my acceration which almost caused me to be hit from behind. I reported the problem to Honda. They are aware of the problem. Said I needed to bring my van in to have conputer reflashed and transmission flushed three times. The price to have complete is $481. I have 64k miles on my vehicle. Honda's warranty was to 50k, and there are no recalls. No warning lights or messages came on prior to this happening. It began around 60k miles.
Power train, Sep 29, 2021
Problems accelerating, the transmission slipping while accelerating. Possible torque converter locking up. Taking to dealer soon. No warning lamps, messages yet.
Engine, Sep 24, 2021
My spark plugs keep wearing out due to a piston ring issue. The Honda dealers have informed my that after 100,000 I will need my piston rings replaced. This is an issue with Honda Odysseys. My vehicle idles hard and will not properly accelerate. It is a hazard on the roadway because I cannot accelerate as fast as I should and the vehicle loses engine power.
Engine, Sep 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle jerked violently. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact exited the highway. The contact called the local dealer and the vehicle was taken to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cylinder failed and the vehicle loss engine compression. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
Engine, Aug 27, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,178.
Power train, Aug 4, 2021
The transmission keeps slipping between 20 to 65 mph. The Dealer (Price Honda - Dover, DE) flushed the ATF system like the Service Bulletin 17-043 & 17-044. The issue still keeps happening. They said the Torque converted needs to be replaced but it is national backorder. But since it is on backorder, They can not do anything about it. They are saying the car is safe to drive and that driving it will not cause damage the transmission. This seems very unlikely.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 14, 2021
Failure of computer module in my 2016 Odyssey caused the key safety systems to all fault. ABS, traction control, LDW, and other systems all went into fault after a light tap on the breaks at parking lot speeds (less than 10 mph). This van has under 30,000 miles on it and was purchased by me brand new.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jun 8, 2021
This car has a failure/malfunction that is well documented on the internet by other owners and is being willfully ignored by Honda. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. It is a major safety concern. In cool weather, there is no way to open the back hatch of this vehicle. So if the only way to reach passengers trapped in the car was from the back hatch and the weather was cool there would be no way to open the hatch and no way for the passengers to get out or for help to reach them. This failure occurred without warning and we did not detect it until we traveled from Florida to North Carolina where the weather is cooler. The vehicle has not been inspected by Honda, the police, or insurance but we would happily have it inspected. It has not been confirmed by the dealer. We did ask the dealer to look into it but they could not find the problem because we are in Florida and the weather is warm. Honda must know about the issue. I reported it to them and it is all over the internet. I am not the only person with this defect.
Other or unspecified, Jun 8, 2021
My family was recently faced with unnecessary added stress with what appears to be a design flaw in the child safety lock feature on my 2016 Honda Odyssey purchased in 2019 from Ed Napleton Honda in Illinois. I felt the need to bring my concerns to your attention as I’m concerned for not only my son’s safety, but any other families that could face a similar frightening situation. Last weekend, while I was driving the car on the interstate outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, despite having turned the child safety locks on, my seven year old was able to squeeze his finger in between the space of the door and the side panel to reach the child safety lock, flip the position to un- locked, and open the sliding door while I was driving 70mph. I was very fortunate that I was able to pull over and call for safety assistance; however, it goes without saying that this situation could’ve ended much differently. Upon returning home, I took video of my older son being able to recreate the situation by manipulating the child safety lock from inside. I have this video if you want to see it. I purchased what I believed to be a vehicle full of adequate safety features. Now, I’m extremely concerned with my ability (or lack thereof) to safely transport my son at this time knowing this design flaw exists. I urge you to escalate this issue for immediate recall consideration to avoid potentially dire consequences.