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
142 reports, newest first.
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.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 22, 2025
I was driving in light snowfall when several alerts notifying me that the radar sensor was not working. This is common in snow fall. Later I cleared off the radar unit cover (The Honda logo on the front of the car). The alerts remained. I took it to the dealer and they dubiously told me it was "damaged by snow". This is impossible. It was light snow. There was no collision or impact. This device should be durable. It has no moving parts. But Honda wants me to believe that it simply stopped working from driving in a light snow. They want $1300 to replace. How do I know the next one won't conk out after the first snowfall? These units should have a lifetime warranty with only exceptions for collisions or impact damage. If the unit is damaged by snowfall, it's clearly too fragile and should not be on the market. It's a HUGE safety concern that the vehicle's advertised safety systems can be toppled like a house of cards from one light snowfall.
Other or unspecified, Jan 17, 2025
Power tailgate problem displayed on dashboard. Suddenly stopped working. Constant dinging noise when driving.
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.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 9, 2025
The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.
Air bags, Dec 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that vehicles with present failures were being prioritized for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose automotive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway before stalling. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000.
Structure, Dec 9, 2024
The sliding door closed on my child's hand cutting the top of his finger off down to his finger bone.
Latches/locks/linkages, Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on one occasion while the vehicle was parked, the rear hatch failed to open. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the rear hatch opened inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the road where the door was closed but failed to securely latch. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that condensation had leaked into to the driver’s side of the gate and damaged the rear gate control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,500.
Lane departure, Nov 11, 2024
A few weeks ago, the car I was driving steered itself dangerously close to a pedestrian in the breakdown lane. I was driving my wife’s car which I drive infrequently. This model has a lane-keeping function which steers you back into your lane if you veer. I was rounding a bend in the right lane on a highway as a man appeared on the edge of my lane, changing a tire, partially in the roadway. I was pointed away from him so I let the car coast out of his way but the car literally turned the wheel and fought me as I tried to veer left out of the man’s way. It all happened in less than a one or two seconds. Had I used the turn signal the system would have temporarily disabled itself. I shared this story on Facebook with my friends and several friends reported nearly identical issues with lane keeping driving them towards a hazard.
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.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 25, 2024
After having the Honda Dealership perform an oil change and software update 23-008 (updating the Auto Idle Stop Software) last week, my engine stalled while at a busy intersection (PA turnpike/70 junction) during a road trip. At the long stop light the auto idle function engaged and the engine turned off. When the stop light turned green and I lifted my foot off the brake and pressed the gas the engine shut down and automatically went into Park. I had to press the start/stop button to fully turn off then turn back on the car to get the engine to restart. This is with a giant semitruck honking right behind me. The auto idle feature does not work. It sounds terrible every time the engine restarts after it has been engaged. There really should be an option to allow users to permanently disable it, and not have to remember to turn it off every time they start the car--terrible user experience.
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.
Air bags, Oct 5, 2024
I attempted to have recall repair work done at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle a few months ago and they told me the part will not be available until 2025.
Suspension, Sep 19, 2024
I purchased a 2021 Honda Odyssey with 55,000 miles on it. At 57,000 miles with normal driving conditions, I heard a metal on metal noise on rear passenger side. Upon taking it to the mechanic, both rear springs were rusted & broken - essentially giving my van no rear suspension and making it very dangerous to drive. I had to find a new vehicle for my kids for a month and a half as there is no aftermarket part. Honda would not find the part for me and wanted me to work through the dealership, but I did not have the time as this is family vehicle that I need each day. I had an independent mechanic find a pair of springs from a junkyard & he confirmed that in his 40 years of servicing exclusively Hondas, he's never seen springs fail like this at this mileage. He expected a faulty part. I drove this vehicle multiple times thinking that it was safe & only something loose in the car. At any moment, the suspension could have failed & caused a serious accident. I do have the springs & have attached photos. Component has not been inspected by anyone other than myself & mechanic. No prior warnings or messages noting a problem.
Engine, Sep 18, 2024
My Honda Odyssey is experiencing an issue where it intermittently fails to restart automatically after coming to a stop and engaging the idle stop feature. Despite following Honda's recommendations, which included applying Service Bulletin 23-008 (updating the PGM-FI Idle Stop Software) and replacing the battery, the problem persists. I've also had the vehicle inspected at two different dealerships, with no resolution. I discovered Service Bulletin 23-009 on your website, which directly addresses this exact issue and extends the warranty for the Ridgeline, Pilot, and Passport models. Given that my Odyssey shares the same engine, it's concerning that it's not included in this bulletin. I believe it's unfair that I'm being forced to pay dealership fees to diagnose and fix a safety issue that Honda has already acknowledged and addressed for other vehicles with the same engine. I urge you to reconsider the exclusion of the Odyssey from Service Bulletin 23-009 and provide a solution that doesn't burden owners with unnecessary costs.
Air bags, Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Aug 30, 2024
After a slight rain, the error of Radar Obstructed is being displayed. Can’t get this error removed or fixed. After searching more I found out that: 1. Honda has a defective design in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) of all Honda Odysseys, models 2018-2023. 2. Namely, Honda has placed the RADAR behind the large HONDA emblem on the front grille. This causes the radar to give a "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning, which disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in the car (Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning). 3. The "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning cannot be reset by restarting the vehicle or disconnecting the battery, requiring recalibration of the RADAR at the cost of $800 each time since it takes several hours to do (per Dealership). 4. The official Honda Odyssey Forum online has countless complaints on the same issue without resolution by Honda. 5. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers since this defect impacts the vehicle's advanced safety features for which buyers incur additional expenses, endangering the lives of passengers. 6. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers by designing a system that requires continuous and substantial expenditures without resolution because it is an engineering problem, i.e., the placement of the radar behind the large, thick plastic H emblem obstructs the radar. 7. I hereby ask that the NHTSA investigate this issue and order Honda to offer a solution in the form of a RECALL that permanently addresses the problem.
Air bags, Aug 26, 2024
Took my odyssey to the local dealer a few months back for the recall and dealer told me they wouldn’t have the part until next year. Now this has caused an issue to where my whole airbag system is short circuiting and the dealership wants to fix all the other issues and not fix the open recall. Family safety is at risk.
Air bags, Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
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.
Suspension, Jun 3, 2024
The inside shoulder of all four tires are bald and unsafe. The rest of the tire tread has ~7/32 of depth remaining. Because this suspension issue only affects the inside edge of the tire it is difficult to detect. Not all Gen 5 Honda Odysseys have this problem but I've read of others with the same problems as mine. The tires cross the threshold of 2/32" by approx. 23k miles. When the rest of the tire still looks good the avg consumer is not inspecting the inner shoulder because it would require tire removal or getting under the vehicle. Therefore, the issue goes undetected until a traction event occurs.
Seats, May 1, 2024
The third row seat latching mechanism will not lock the seat into place on the floor. We had a child who was sitting in the seat and the seat flipped backward. It is the left side seat in the third row. It appears the mechanism inside the seat that secures to the floorboard is missing or broke.
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.