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What 241 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 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 (241)Crash / fire / injury (35)Brakes (59)Engine (39)Electrical system (33)Body & structure (25)Transmission & drivetrain (24)Steering (21)Seats (13)Speed control (13)Fuel system (11)Airbags (10)

4 of 241 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 8, 2020Speed controlBrakesCrash

MY WIFE'S 2012 ODYSSEY TOURING WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP TO OUR GARAGE, WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND APPLIED SLIGHT PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR WITH THE CAR IN REVERSE GEAR: IT LURCHED BACKWARD AND THE BRAKE COULD NOT STOP IT, THOUGH A NEIGHBOR'S GARAGE DID. WHEN I DROVE IT FORWARD TO PARK IT THE CAR SPED FORWARD THIRTY FEET OR SO BEFORE IT OBEYED THE BRAKE. THE GARAGE WILL NEED A NEW DOOR -- AT LEAST -- BUT THE CAR SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE, EXCEPT THAT THE TAILLIGHTS WILL NOT GO OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11297899

Nov 1, 2016BrakesEngine3 injuries

1. BRAKES AND ROTORS ARE UNDERSIZED AND WARPED CAUSING A MASSIVE VIBRATION WHEN YOU BREAK. HONDA DEALERS WORKED 3 TIMES ON IT BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED UNTIL I PURCHASED AFTER MARKET PARTS AND REPLACED THEM. 2. I RECEIVED NO WARRANTY LETTER OR WARNING ABOUT AN ENGINE FAILURE (PISTON RECALL WARNING) LETTING ME KNOW THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED REPAIRS. I WAS ON A TRIP WHEN THE CAR ALMOST STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT A DEVASTATING ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 10920508

Sep 15, 2015Speed controlBrakesCrash

AFTER MAKING A RIGHT TURN AFTER A FULL STOP, I ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 5 MPH AND WAS ABOUT TO PARK (LESS THAN 20FT FROM STOP SIGN) WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO A HIGH SPEED. I WAS UNABLE TO BREAK AFTER REPEATEDLY APPLYING PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS UNABLE TO AVOID A HEAD ON COLLISION. AIRBAGS DEPLOYED INCLUDING THE SIDE BAGS NEXT TO MY 6 YEAR OLD SON. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED 2 MONTHS AGO FROM GROSSINGER HONDA ON WESTERN AVE. IN CHICAGO, A CERTIFIED HONDA DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 10763837

Nov 30, 2013BrakesCrash

AT AROUND 5:20PM ON 11/15/13, I WAS ON SANTOMAS EXPWY @ MONROE AND THE TRAFFIC LIGHT HAD JUST TURNED GREEN. VEHICLES HAD STARTED MOVING INCLUDING MINE. SUDDENLY ONE OF THE CARS AHEAD OF ME STOPPED SUDDENLY (NOT SURE WHY). THE CARD IN FRONT OF ME WAS SUCCESSFUL IN STOPPING. BUT, MY CAR (HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING 2012) DID NOT STOP. I APPLIED BRAKES, BUT THE BRAKES WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING THE CAR STOP. I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO APPLY OTHER BRAKES. I TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE TO GET A WIDTH FOR STOPPING, BUT THE BRAKES STILL DID NOT WORK AND MY CAR HIT THE BACK OF THE CAR IN FRONT WHICH THEN CREATED A CHAIN REACTION TO TWO MORE CARS AHEAD. THERE WAS NO PASSENGER IN ANY OF THE CARS AFFECTED AND JUST THE DRIVER. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10554188

Working with the data? Download all 241 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 2012 Honda Odyssey verdict →