Home · 2011 Honda Odyssey · Complaints

What 232 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Honda Odyssey

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (232)Crash / fire / injury (18)Electrical system (65)Brakes (43)Engine (25)Body & structure (20)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Seats (14)Tires (12)Airbags (11)Steering (10)Visibility & wipers (10)

Newest first · 232 complaints · page 1 of 10

Mar 30, 2026Latches & locks

The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the driver's side sliding door failed to latch while being closed automatically, causing the door to reopen and to restart the process continuously. The contact stated that upon pulling the door handle to close the door manually, the door closed and latched securely after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

NHTSA ODI 11727999

Nov 24, 2025Transmission & drivetrainEngine

On 3/8/14, I purchased this van as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle from an authorized Honda dealership, but wasn't notified of known defects resulting from the Alex Soto v American Honda Motor Co, Inc class action suit. The suit wasn't finalized until 4/10/14, yet Honda NEVER notified me, as REQUIRED by the settlement. Had I been notified prior to purchase, I would NOT have purchased the van. If I'd been notified per the settlement's requirement(s), I could've used Indiana's Lemon Law to nullify the purchase. Honda PURPOSELY withheld the suit's settlement and associated SB 13-081 from me, even though I did receive OTHER SBs and recall notices from them (which is UDAP/fraudulent concealment). Since 5/1/25, I've spent over $10,000 repairing the van, caused by these known defects and it requires another $7,000 to replace the engine, which Honda was made known of the problem prior to 100,000 miles. The Indiana Attorney General's office has agreed to take on my complaint against Honda.

NHTSA ODI 11701312

Sep 11, 2025Electrical systemEngine

The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the messages "check Systems" and "Check Power" were displayed, and the battery warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, after refueling, the vehicle failed to restart. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to restart; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was constantly illuminated, and the battery warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The contact stated that since the failures started, the battery had been replaced twice. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11686590

Aug 20, 2025Electrical system

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while attempting to trade the vehicle, the Carfax Report indicated that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 121,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 211,000.

NHTSA ODI 11681809

Jul 28, 2025Body & structure

Severe rust and corrosion since 2015. Spreading across the whole roof line and visibly peeling paint. Not typical peeling paint, it appears to have originated beneath the trim or roof components, suggesting a possible failure of seem sealant, design drainage or factory primer. This points to a latent defect due go early onset and location and not normal wear.

NHTSA ODI 11676801

Jul 28, 2025SuspensionAirbags

On may 25, 2025 I was driving down a local road with several occupants in the van. I did not collide with another car, object my driver side curtain airbags went off trapping me and the occupants in the car. Had to cut the airbags to get out.

NHTSA ODI 11676856

May 31, 2025Electrical system

Vehicle stalled was able to safely get to side of road and stop and then everything locked up. I tried to get out of the doors. I manually unlocking them, but they would not allow me to get out. It was 90° outside and at this point the internal temperature was probably creeping to 120. I started to panic as I tried the other doors. Finally realizing I had to call 911. It was taking a while for her to believe me that I was stuck inside vehicle and not able to physically get out. I then tried the last sliding door and was able to pry it open and get out. This was a very scary situation. If the vehicle computer system turns off there should be a way to manually get out of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11664125

Feb 10, 2025Engine

My engine failed on [XXX] after my 2011 Honda Odyssey consumed all the oil in my reservoir. I bought my vehicle in October 2024 and have stayed up-to-date on my oil changes. I was up for my next oil change but did not receive any indicators from the vehicle that my oil was low or needed to be changed. My drive into work that day was fine, but when I went to move my vehicle around lunch time I noticed it was making a strange sound and was shaking a little bit. After work I decided to take my vehicle into AutoZone to have someone take a look a my vehicle and run an engine diagnostic on it. The AutoZone was 12 minutes from my work and I did not even make it to the parking lot. I ended up stranded on the side of the road in an unfavorable part of downtown San Antonio while [XXX]. Finally my husband and a mechanic were able to come out to me and take a look at my vehicle where I was informed that the oil had been almost completely consumed and I was lucky my engine had not blown up yet. The mechanic then told me about the class action lawsuit against Honda for their 3.5L V6 engine VCM excessively burning oil. If I had been aware of this before, I would have been able to have the VCM disabled. The vehicle gave me no warning signs that this was going to happen. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11641627

May 11, 2024Engine

On April April the Engine light came on the dash. The vehicle was independently inspected on April [XXX]. The number one cylinder spark plug misfired due to oil leak caused by vehicle cylinder management system never identified in the 711 page owners manual, warning or recall from manufacturer or dealer Honda of Escondido to the serial owner of two 2004 and 2011 Honda Odysseys or notice of NORCAL USDC class actin lawsuit despite twenty years at same address Honda has hidden the problem and chain causation to fool EPA CAFE standards despite the safety danger of engine malfunction and failure. Honda proposes a false solution of piston replacement citing unpublished Technical Bulletin due to repeat later failure at Buyers cost instead of Honda Owners recommendation of proven disconnection of VCM system at a fraction of the cost. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11588267

Mar 2, 2024Body & structure

My 2011 Honda Odyssey's tailgate paint is peeling off and just found out they have a recall in the past and they extended the paint warranty to 7 days. The problem is we just found the paint problem last year and just found out they recalled and the warranty is expired. We don't know why Honda limited the warranty for their known issues and set the limited warranty. [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11575070

Feb 2, 2024

The transmission has failed at 186, 000 miles, right outside the warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11569582

Jan 4, 2024Latches & locks

The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the driver’s side sliding door cable fractured, and the door failed to open or close as needed. The contact stated that rear seat occupants were unable to exit through the sliding door; but instead, the rear seat occupant had to exit through the front door. The passenger’s side door not closed message was displayed. There was an abnormal beeping sound detected. Additionally, the passenger’s side sliding door failed to close properly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who repaired the door, but the failure recurred. The contact called the same local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 166,005.

NHTSA ODI 11563611

Dec 23, 2023Engine

Check engine light would pop on for a small amount of time periodically since I purchased it, took it to shop where they stated everything was fine..as check engine light was no longer on. Just started smelling burning when drove for long periods of time. Yesterday, on the way home with my 8 year old daughter, in freezing upstate NY temps, the gears totally went out. Thankfully I was right next to house and able to put in park and back into drive to get it to click into first gear to get us to house. Gears went out in mid drive, going 60 mph.

NHTSA ODI 11561623

Nov 19, 2023Speed controlEngineFuel system

I was at a stoplight on 11/16/23; when it was my turn to go (green light) I went to accelerate, and my engine seemed to sputter/choke or misfire before accelerating at a slower than normal rate and then the engine light came on -flashing- and then the traction control/VSA system indicator light came on my dashboard. I was able to make it home, but when we googled the symptoms: Rough idling Lack of power Engine vibrating or shaking Decreased fuel efficiency Illuminated check engine light Illuminated traction control/VSA system / VSA indicator light we saw that we could have a traffic safety issue and did not need to drive it as normal- take it to repair as soon as possible. I contacted our local EXPRESS OIL Mechanic to see if he could read the engine codes, advise us, and possibly fix our car. He reassured me that he had been working on extensive Honda issues for over 10 years, and it sounded like a pretty simple spark plug fix. When he ran the engine check he called to tell my husband and I that it was a fix related to a recent recall put out on HONDA Odyssey 2018-2019. He advised us to contact our local dealer and let them know it was the same issue as the recall. The dealership first said that the recall did not cover our vehicle, then that they didn't have the parts to fix it. I was then connected with a service advisor who said they could check the codes and should be able to fix it. My concern is that it should possibly be a recall and that it should otherwise be reported. Further, that if it becomes a recall, we've already paid to get it fixed and won't get reimbursed for it.

NHTSA ODI 11555915

Jul 29, 2023Seat belts1 injury

We had a disturbing incident of my 16 year old son getting stuck and twisted in seat belt on a long drive to Montana. We had a safety worker helping us and he tore off the side of the plastic where the seat belt is, hoping to find a release button with no luck.. he ended up having to cut the belt. Now our van has lots of damage from that when it could have been an easy fox with a release .. it was a very tense 40 mins of getting it off.. it was very tight around his waist and constricting his abdomen

NHTSA ODI 11535271

May 22, 2023Electrical system

The passenger side electric door cord snapped while children were getting out of the vehicle and no we cannot open the door any longer. The safety of my children were put at risk since there was no warning that this was going to happen; the door made a loud noise and started to shut quickly. The problem has been confirmed by an independent auto repair center and we were quoted $1,100 to repair (the entire motor and door pulley system needs to be replaced; we cannot ONLY fix the cord - we have to replace the entire thing). Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? NO WARNING.

NHTSA ODI 11523170

Dec 10, 2022Electrical system

Back-up camera screen is black and only shows guide-lines.

NHTSA ODI 11496893

Jul 19, 2022Visibility & wipers

Rear glass/windshield exploded spontaneously while vehicle was parked securely in the closed garage of a private home. The once gray rear glass of the vehicle was now shattered and black. After the explosion a crackling sound was observed emanating from the shattered glass that remained attached along the periphery of the rear window opening.

NHTSA ODI 11474822

May 29, 2022Seats

The front anker bolts with female 6 point hex for the front driver seat keep comming loose no matter what I've tried to bolt them back down with they keep comming loose. Eventually falling out and the seat fly backwords

NHTSA ODI 11466611

May 17, 2022Body & structure

White paint is peeling off the roof in large sections. Massive adhesion failure.

NHTSA ODI 11465050

Apr 2, 2022Engine

I seen a recall for a lawsuit agsinst Honda the VCM or engine but it’s just starting to make problems. Whoever owned it before me had until April 2014 to submit a claim and therefore I’m out a van and can’t claim it.

NHTSA ODI 11459349

Mar 29, 2022Visibility & wipers

Window trim molding on driver, passenger, sliding doors is apparently made of inferior quality rubber and is deteriorating which could cause a fire hazard if too much water gets inside doors. From what I've seen online, this is a common problem not only with the window trim rubber but also other rubber products.

NHTSA ODI 11458762

Jan 28, 2022Airbags

The airbag warning light was come up after the driver seat was adjusted. It happened again after it had been reset.

NHTSA ODI 11449320

Dec 10, 2021Seats

The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated when entering the vehicle and adjusting the front driver seat there was a loud abnormal clicking noise. In addition, the plastic coverage underneath the seat was unhinged and not connected to the seat. The contact stated while seated, the upper frame of the seat suddenly fell back on its own. The contact checked underneath the seat and noticed the bolts connected to the seat frame to the floor of the vehicle were loose and tighten up the connection however the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11443381

Jul 6, 2021Engine

Engine light came on, then started flashing. Needed repaired according to dealership. Repairs made. Engine started sputtering and shaking the van again. Engine light flashing again. Took the van in again for another repair. The van intermittently speeds up when slowing down or breaking. Took the van back in again to the dealership. They found nothing wrong. However, while at the dealership another customer had the EXACT complaints. Intermittent speeding up of the van. Looked online to find that this is an issue with the Honda Odyssey. ECO light comes on when coming to a stop and the RPMs go up then drastically drop. Need to apply breaks hard. The van continues to ride rough. Also while in a construction zone and slowing down, van started to speed up despite me trying to slow down. The engine has already had three repairs done. Each time something new and problem never fixed. Actually seems to be getting worse.

NHTSA ODI 11423651

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Working with the data? Download all 232 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Honda Odyssey verdict →