2020 HONDA ODYSSEY Safety Overview

Component: ENGINE

"The engine auto idle system failed at a stoplight. The auto-idle engaged, but when I took my foot off the brake, the engine did not restart. It completely shut down, putting my car in park in a busy intersection. The engine light and an error message flashed briefly but disappeared. I was able to restart the car and drive, however, only after waving several other cars to pass by me. I've noticed recently the restart function lagging, and if I put my foot on the gas too soon, the car lurching and jerking forward (indicating the engine isn't restarting quickly or properly). I recently had a full routine service on the vehicle, indicating battery life is good. No other issues appeared such as overheating."

Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"Camera failed after 65,000 miles and is a known problem out there with thousands of these requiring a $2000 dealer replacement."

Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION

"Error U3000-49 Multipurpose camera failure...Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, etc. do not function. I cannot even get a basic cruise control to function! Honda wants $2000+ to fix this problem that has become a common problem with 2020 Honda Odysseys. Please push for a recall!"

Component: SEAT BELTS

"My son turned around in his second-row seat of our Honda Odyssey, causing the seat belt to cinch tightly around his waist. Even after the buckle was released, the seat belt continued to tighten instead of loosening. It became so tight that he could barely breathe, and we ultimately had to cut the seat belt to free him. There was no way to manually release or loosen the belt once it had locked. This presents a serious safety hazard. Seat belts should include an emergency release or override mechanism that allows a locked belt to be loosened during an entrapment situation."

Component: SUSPENSION

"My vehicle is around 40,000 miles. The rear shocks have rusted, leaked, and collapsed. This seems to be due to a manufacturing defect. It makes driving long distances on uneven terrain very unsafe. A vehicle’s suspension should not fail this completely in such a short amount of time."

Component: ENGINE

"Vehicle: 2020 Honda Odyssey VIN: [XXX] Mileage at time of failure: 155413 Component: Engine — Connecting Rod BearingsDescription: My 2020 Honda Odyssey experienced a failure of the connecting rod bearings on 7/30/26, resulting in loud knocking noise. The failure was diagnosed by Luis Asturias at Jim Coleman Honda in Clarksville, MD. This vehicle falls within the scope of NHTSA's open Preliminary Evaluation PE25008, which covers 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey vehicles with the 3.5L J35 V6 engine for this exact failure mode. My dealer declined to cover the repair cost under warranty because no recall has yet been issued. I am filing this complaint to document my experience as part of the ongoing federal investigation. Repair cost estimate: $4573.00. The vehicle is not driveable without this repair.Thank you for your prompt attention,[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE

"adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist system problem, collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation system problem and auto high beam problem"

Component: SUSPENSION

"I was leaving a parking lot when I heard a very loud bang. My vehicle then continued to make noises when going over bumps. I brought the van to a Honda dealership where it was identified both rear coil springs broke at the base and need replacement."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"Multipurpose camera internal failure disabling my all my safety features in ADAS."

Component: AIR BAGS

"NHTSA Campaign 26V227000. My vehicle VIN: [XXX] Vehicle modified by Vantage Mobility International (VMI) into a Mobility Van. Van submitted to dealer 7/16/2026. Dealer claims they cannot perform work until factory clearance obtained. I cannot get information on when repair can be completed. VMI engineer Andrew Socha (602) 304 3294 informed me on 7/20/2026 there was nothing in the VMI modification that would interfere with this safety upgrade I called American Honda Motor Co, Inc Headquarters in Torrance, CA (800 999 1009) pn 7/22/2026 where safety recall department employee Antonio (would not give last name) commiserated with my situation but had no authority to ameliorate the situation I can't get a straight answer from American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and when or whether this repair is done. The 30 day window for this repair is closing in 5 days. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: SUSPENSION

"The driver side rear coil spring broke abruptly on both the top and bottom leaving the majority of the spring mechanically unattached. The driver side rear shock also broke from the additional strain on it. With a complete loss of suspension on the rear driver side, as I hit bumps on the freeway, I could feel the van jerking quickly nearly sending me out of the lane. If it was slippery with rain or snow, I felt like the van would spin out. The broken parts were confirmed and shown to me by an independent service center. The shop also informed me that he has seen many Honda Odysseys from the same model year with broken coil springs. When he called to order parts from the Honda dealer, none of the 3 nearby dealers had springs in stock and all had vans in their service center waiting to replace their broken springs. There were no warning signs before this happened. I perform all regular maintenance such as brakes, tire rotations/replacements, and oil changes by auto shops so the car is regularly looked at. This happened at 6 years old and 60,000 miles. While springs generally lose some tension, snapping through in two places is unacceptable. Honda has recalled other vehicles for rear suspension failures and needs to expand that recall to additional vehicles. Specifically the Odyssey."

Component: VISIBILITY/WIPER

"Dealership has not resolved the problem since they are waiting for parts"

Component: SUSPENSION

"The rear coil spring snapped with no warning. My safety was at risk because the spring broke and collapsed on the suspension while driving on a tollway. The bottom of the spring that was snapped off completely which presents a safety risk to others as it becomes a heavy sharp steel projectile flying into traffic. The problem has been confirmed by a service center and it is a large issue as the parts are extremely hard to source due to the frequency of these coil springs breaking in Honda Odysseys. They can’t make them fast enough to replace. They are not supposed to break and are not part of any scheduled maintenance. The component has been inspected by a Honda service center. There were no warning lamps or symptoms. The part broke suddenly and without warning."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"Right sliding door warning alarm and at the same time flashing message on cluster. It has happened dozens of times since new. Sets a service code in computer and has been in at local Honda dealer twice and they found failure code in computer but cannot duplicate problem. I also learned part associated with code is on back order. Dealership charges us for diagnosing each time. When this alarm goes on, it makes you panic that the sliding door may open at any time or may not close."

Component: SUSPENSION

"-Left rear spring broke from normal use. -safety: dealership said van was unsafe to drive -part is on backorder from Honda with no estimated production date. In order to get van repaired a used spring out of a junked Odyssey was installed"

Component: POWER TRAIN

"At roughly 5,000 miles, this 2020 Honda Odyssey was brought into an authorized Honda dealership due to transmission concerns. The dealership service department improperly evaluated the 10 speed transmission, and diagnosed a 9 speed transmission system, assured me that what I was feeling was completely normal, and instructed me to only bring the vehicle back if the issue got worse. At approximately 60,000 miles, after experiencing a transmission slip, I immediately took the vehicle to an ASE Blue Seal Certified shop for a complete transmission service to ensure proper maintenance was performed by qualified technicians. At approximately 80,000 miles, while driving on a highway during a family trip, the transmission suffered a sudden, catastrophic failure, resulting in a total loss of motive power at speed. Losing all propulsion on a high-speed highway created a severe safety hazard for my family and surrounding traffic. The complete mechanical failure was subsequently confirmed by a service center, and the failed transmission assembly remains available for inspection upon request. Initial symptoms were presented directly to an authorized Honda dealer in Annapolis MD while under factory warranty and the vehicle was properly maintained by certified technicians thereafter, but the underlying defect went unaddressed until complete failure occurred on the road."

Component: AIR BAGS

"My SRS light went on without being in an accident. Around the same time I noticed that there was a recall reported (NHTSA Recall Number 26V-227) which states that the vehicle may deploy airbags without cause by going over a pothole etc. I took my vehicle in to the Honda dealership and they confirmed that my SRS ECU needs to be replaced bc it detected an airbag deployment but since it already deployed they will not replace it under the recall. However, the recall states that they need to update the SRS ECU to prevent this exact scenario from happening without proper cause and if it already happened the SRS ECU will need to be replaced. The worst part is, that they cleared the recall through the database for my vehicle but did not actually fix any issues and the SRS system is still not functioning. I already made a complaint with Honda corporation over two months ago but so far they have not provided a resolution."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"The electrical component is failing. I have brought in this vehicle 2 times for failed electrical issues over several years (around 2 years), and it only has 52,000 miles currently. The back up sensors no longer work, as well as warning lights for the following began to appear a year ago: collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation. Sometimes, our electrical side door will not close and will keep opening when trying to shut. This electrical issues has been draining our battery, and while driving, my car shut off in the middle of the street while I was waiting for a light. After a few attempts, I got my car started again. We replaced the battery, and a few days later the car would randomly turn on and I could not use an electrical key to open the car door. Only way to open it is with the physical key. The battery had to be unplugged in order to stop the car for randomly turning on. All electrical systems would turn on in the car, including the alarm and radio, even if the radio had been off when the car was last turned off. The car has been inspected by Honda mechanics, who told me the electrical component is dying, but they don't know why, the car isn't that old, and it has very few miles on it."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"Multiple sensors malfunctioned. Mechanic read code U3000-49 (Multipurpose camera unit/millimeter wave radar internal electronic failure). There was no collision or damage of any sort that led to this malfunction. The following systems no longer work: Adaptive Cruise control Collision mitigation system Lane keeping Assist Road departure mitigation system Blind spot info system Tire pressure monitor system Transmission system All of these failures started at exactly the same time. This severely compromises the ability to use this vehicle safely as these systems are all designed to prevent various safety hazards."

Component: LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"The following safety warnings were displayed on my 2020 Odyssey dashboard as early as January 2025: Road Departure Mitigation System Problem Auto High-Beam Problem Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Lane Keeping Assist Problem Collision Mitigation System Problem Currently, the warning messages are displayed continuously without fail upon starting/driving the vehicle. Per my diagnosis through my local Honda service, it is an internal failure with the front-facing camera associated with these safety features."