2021 Honda Odyssey
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 142 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 22nd highest complaint count among 26 Odyssey model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 2 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, air bag/restraint control module, softwareApr 9, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Odyssey vehicles. A software programming error can cause the side and side curtain air bags to deploy unexpectedly.
Air bags that deploy unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will reprogram the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ECU) software or replace the ECU, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is UNW. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 16, 2026. The information in your report suggests that Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) may have been aware of this issue more than five business days before filing a report with NHTSA. Please be reminded that under Federal law, this agency is to be notified of all safety defect and/or noncompliance decisions within five business days. 49 CFR 573.6 Significant civil penalties can be assessed for this violation.
Campaign 26V227000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment adaptive/mobility, wheelchair restraints/securement, latch/anchorDec 17, 2025
Vantage Mobility, LLC (VM) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Honda Odyssey, 2021-2025 Chrysler Pacifica, and Toyota Sienna vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect and replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters was mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Vantage Mobility customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
Campaign 25V877000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerFeb 1, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Campaign 24V064000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Back over prevention, display functionJun 15, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the MOST cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are EEL, ZEM, and SFC.
Campaign 23V431000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, rearview mirrors/devices, exteriorMar 16, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
Campaign 23V174000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storageJan 14, 2021
Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Braun-modified Honda Odyssey vehicles. The fuel tank assembly installed by Braun may be susceptible to the fuel tank overfilling into the charcoal canister. If the charcoal canister fills with a sufficient amount of fuel, fuel may leak out.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Braun will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles. If evidence of a fuel leak is present, a new fuel tank assembly and a new Honda charcoal canister will be installed, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.
Campaign 21V010000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
54 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Aug 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to crank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the starter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
Electrical system, Jul 14, 2025
The vehicle's Auto Idle Stop (AIS) malfunctioned. The vehicle stalled and required a complete "shut down" to restart. The vehicle was first in line at a traffic light. The AIS system engaged. When I took my foot off the break to "go" when the light turned green, the car stalled. An error message popped up, indicating that I needed to shift the car into "park". I did so and the car did not start. I attempted to turn the car off several times, while in park and my foot depressing the break pedal. The car would not turn off. After three minutes of attempting to turn off the car and waiting, I was finally able to successfully start the car. I was traveling with my four young children, three of them in child car seats. I was nearly rear ended by one vehicle, despite having my hazard flashers on, because my car stalled at a traffic light when it was green. Two cars drove around me who were also stopped behind me at the traffic light. Another car came up to the traffic light and my vehicle and nearly rear ended me with my four young children in the car. This is the third time that this exact issue has occurred in my car. I brought it to my local Honda dealership on the same day that the issue first occurred. They inspected it but were unable to replicate it. They said they would make note of it but had not heard of such an issue. I had no idea this could be reported on this website. I was never told about this otherwise I would have reported this on the day that each of the two previous incidents occurred. This issue originally occurred the first time approximately 10/2022 and again for the second time approximately 4/2023. It just occurred for the third time today, 7/14/0225.
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 30, 2025
2021 Odyssey EXL shuts off completely in traffic stop and go conditions. Happened three times in a 2 week period. Twice in city roads at traffic stop light and once in highway when the cars are in stop / go mode due to heavy traffic. Engine switches off completely and puts itself in "P" mode, all light comes on as if in accessory mode, radio switches off, all doors unlocked. To get going, the driver had to press brake pedal and start the car again (via Engine Start /Stop button). This issue started in the car at 43K miles. Never had any issue with mine before that. But it is scary especially the engine switch off in highway and traffic stop light.
Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 30, 2025
2021 Odyssey EXL the Electric parking brake 'issue' warning comes on while driving and collision mitigation warning / lane assist switches off and flashes in console; when this happens the car continues to run but the dashboard warning lights comes up for Parking brake / Collision Warning and or Lane assist. It gets cleared after I turn on/off the car couple of times and drive for approximately 5 miles. Those features had to be turned on manually, once the car is in parked mode, again. The issue started in the car at around 48K miles. Never had any issue with it before that.
Electrical system, May 12, 2025
After my van sit at home all day while it was raining. I went out side to put something in the back of the van and the tail gate wouldn't open had warning symbol on the dash board. I only have 61,729 miles on my van and no accidents
Electrical system, May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the engine turned off; however, once the accelerator pedal was depressed, the Auto START/STOP failed to operate as intended. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started to work as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.
Electrical system, Apr 20, 2025
Tailgate would not work (electronically or manually) Other Odyssey owners have had similar problems, some included tailgate opening on its own There were no problems until it just wouldn’t open one day Dealer replaced module for $700+
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 3, 2025
It started that all the sensor in our car started to go off. We were told we had a bad battery, even thought we had replaced it new just last year. Once we had the battery checked and alternator. The sensors started to act up again, out tail gate started to malfunction. Wouldn’t automatically close. A few weeks ago driving down the road the tail gate opened and the anti theft system started going off while the car was running and still going. Come to find out there is a water leak in the rear that has gotten into the rear fuse box and has cause substantial corrosion. The latch to the tail gate is broken. Honda is telling us our extended warranty doesn’t cover any of this, even though it is common knowledge, that the water leak is a known problem from 2018-2021. We just found out a few days ago.
Electrical system, Mar 31, 2025
Car has completely shut off when the auto start/stop engaged after coming to a stop at a red light/stop sign on multiple occasions. Everything shut completely off, no radio, lights, etc. Had to push the start button multiple times to turn the car back on. Please investigate as I have read of this happening to many other people with 0 solution from Honda. This is a defect and should be recalled/fixed.
Electrical system, Mar 31, 2025
Auto Idle Stop not restarting after shutting the engine down.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 16, 2025
All of my assist lights just came.on one after another saying there was a malfunction with the emmision light continues to go.on go.off even after I paid 580 to have the car serviced for the assist lights. Now the lift gate stopped working three weeks ago yesterday with all the rain that poured now the lift gate is open and will.not latch.
Electrical system, Seats, Other or unspecified, Feb 14, 2025
contacted dealership in Newburgh NY for recall. The rep pushed back making me wait 8 weeks. Dearlership in Middletown NY did not return call.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 2, 2025
This happened twice to us. While stopped at the red light the car suddenly shuts off and won’t start. We had to press and hold the start button for 5 seconds for the van to start. It appears that on both times the car just stalled.
Electrical system, Feb 1, 2025
On 1/31/25 our rear tailgate automatically opened upon parking the car in our garage. Later that day, the tailgate would no operate properly and had to be manually opened. The key fob was functional and could operate all other doors in the car, except the tail gate. Later that day, while the car was parked in our garage, the tailgate started operating by itself, without pressing any buttons on the remote control key fob. It would open and close by itself and repeat the entire sequence over and over again. Upon turning on the car, the display identified a Power Tailgate Problem. The problem was reproduced by the Olathe Kansas Honda dealership. We took it to the dealership today and they diagnosed the problem, stating it is a Gate Control Unit failure (error code P1378 and P1379). Dealer confirmed what we experienced. We documented the safety problem via video. We were able to temporarily fix the issue by disconnecting the car battery overnight and reconnecting it the following morning. Safety concerns - This is a concerning issue as the tail gate could open by itself while driving, and/or could open by itself when you have the car parked in public, allowing theft of any items left inside. It could also open while someone is driving along a parking lot and cause an accident. There was no warning light prior to the malfunction of the tail gate control unit. We have found online that there may be a class action lawsuit regarding this issue.
Electrical system, Jan 10, 2025
On 28-Dec-2024 I noticed the power tailgate stopped working on my 2021 Honda Odyssey. I tried to press the power tailgate button on the key fob, the button on the driver's side control panel, and the button on the tailgate itself, but none of them works. I did some research online and found out it's a common problem in 2018 to 2021 models and the cause was the failed Power Tailgate Control Unit due to water leakage through the cracks on the vehicle body. I opened mine and found there was water in the control unit box which might have caused short on the circuit board. I bought a new control unit a week later and it fixed the issue.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 1, 2024
Drive side rear power door stopped working. Upon using handl to opperate as usual the door stopped only a few inches open. A gentle shove got it open and opperational. The next day it did the same thing this time refuding to eithe ropen completely or re-latch. My children were in the car with me on the way to school and the door could not be opened to let them out or closed to safely proceed on our route. We began diagnositcs and found that the door continued to be problematic; opening just enough to be unlatched but nor going further, opening only half way and locking in place, or openeing completely then refusing to close... the door being in manual mode or power mode makes no differnece. after complelty disasembling the door/panel to check calbles and motor, checking fuses etc we put it all back to gether and suddenly it worked fin for about a dozen tries. HOWEVER the passanger side rear door (perviously untouched) suddenly developed the same problem. Now both doors will not function in either power or manual mode and I am waiting on the dealership to look into possible computer issues.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Oct 14, 2024
After the PGM-FI update was put into our car, the engine cuts out entirely while at stop lights and will not wake back up. The Honda dealership is saying that there is nothing they can do.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 25, 2024
1. While I was driving on the freeway, my radio turned off and my car put itself into NEUTRAL! I was able to safely pull over and put it back in drive. Note: This incident happened after 2 months of weird electrical things happening to the car, such as the radio turning on after the car had been turned off, car not starting, sliding doors losing power when they are halfway closed, coming to a stop and putting the car in park then the car completely loses all power/interior lights, the car turning off while stopped at a light and more... 2. Had there been more traffic I would have been in major danger. I could have easily been rear-ended or hit someone in the process of trying to get off of the freeway. It could have caused a multiple car collision. Grateful my children were not in the car at the time of the incident. 3. The car has been inspected by Spreen Honda multiple times and by an independent Honda mechanic. Spreen Honda has not been able to reproduce the problem. They won't do anything besides hook it up to the computer, and since there are no codes present "there is nothing they can do". The independent mechanic said they'd never seen anything like this. When I reported the incident to Honda America, they recommended I should continue taking the car to the dealership, which makes no sense as the dealership does not actually attempt to diagnose the problem if there is no code. 4. The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle. When I reported this to Honda America they encouraged me to continue working with the dealership service department only. They don't take information from 3rd party service providers. This is completely unacceptable. 5. Right before the car shifted to neutral, the radio turned off and the dash lit up orange.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 25, 2024
1. Incident: I was driving and stopped at a red light, took my foot off of the brake and the car completely died, leaving me stranded at the intersection. The car started back up after 4 minutes. Note: This incident happened after 2 months of weird electrical things happening to the car, such as the radio turning on after the car had been turned off, car not starting, sliding doors losing power when they are halfway closed, coming to a stop and putting the car in park then the car completely loses all power/interior lights, and more... 2. My safety was put at risk by having a non-functioning car in the middle of the road. Someone could have rear-ended me. Also, it was over 100 degrees outside which added to the panic I was feeling. 3. The car has been inspected by Spreen Honda multiple times and by an independent Honda mechanic. Spreen Honda has not been able to reproduce the problem. They won't do anything besides hook it up to the computer, and since there are no codes present "there is nothing they can do". The independent mechanic said they'd never seen anything like this. 4. The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle. When I reported this to Honda America they encouraged me to continue working with the dealer. This is completely unacceptable. 5. Right before the power went out the dash lit up with every warning lamp for maybe 5 seconds.
Electrical system, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Apr 30, 2024
A recall has been issued on my vehicle since February. It is now almost May and when I call Honda about the recall they tell me that they do not have the solution as of yet.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Apr 13, 2024
Team Honda in Merrillville refused to fix my recall unless I paid for diagnostics.
Electrical system, Structure, Mar 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Passenger’s Sliding Door Failure" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the rear passenger’s side sliding door failed to fully open upon entering or exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to two dealers, Honda of Fort Myers (3550 Colonial Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33966) and Coconut Point Honda (22240 S Tamiami Trail, Estero, FL 33928) and the contact was provided a diagnostic test fee to determine the cause of the failure, but the contact declined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
Electrical system, Dec 21, 2023
All of the safety system and efficiency systems had failures which made us take to our local Honda dealership for evaluation. After the first visit we were told that they could not find the problem, although they saw all of the error messages. The error messages appeared again 3 days later so we took it back to our local Honda dealership. This time one of the service reps had seen that problem before and said it probably was due to water entering the rear trunk circuit board controller and shorting out the connections. This was confirmed by a service tech during the 2nd evaluation. After research this is apparently a common issue. We had to pay approximately $700 to fix the situation because Honda does not have this issue as a recall. We believe this is a clear design error that allows water to enter the circuit board housing. This created a dangerous situation as the head lamps as well as the driver safety features and direction signals intermittenly worked due to the shorted out circuit board.
Electrical system, Nov 3, 2023
Upon going to start my vehicle it would not start. I ended up jump starting the car and going to buy a new battery. I replaced the battery even though repair facility stated battery was at 78% and in good state. Two days later I went to start the van again and the battery was again dead. I jumped the car to get it started and have had to continually jump start the car due to no start issue. The alternator is showing a constant 14.3 volt charge when running but the battery continues to die. Has left my family stranded multiple times in the past week. No known cause or fix.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 26, 2023
I was driving on I-270 highway in active HOV lane and had to stop because of traffic. The car stopped the engine as it usually does by "Auto Idle Stop" system but failed to start it back when I needed to continue driving. I noticed that the battery light blinked on the dashboard when it tried to re-start the engine. As a result I was in active HOV lane with quickly approaching traffic from behind. We all (me, my wife and 2 kids) were scared. I called 911 immediately for help. This all could end up with a crash and injuries. While calling 911 I was trying to restart the car by pressing the button to turn the car off and on. About 3 attempts failed when a few minutes later the engine started and we continued the drive. This was the worst nightmare to stuck on a highway. Luckily nothing happened but it definitely could. This is a major concern for me.