general problems of the 2016 Honda Odyssey - part 2

84 problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2016 Honda Odyssey. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2016 Honda Odyssey based on all problems reported for the 2016 Odyssey.

36 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/25/2023

My car technician found that my car has leaking problems, and is burning engine oil for a long time which means the engine oil leaking from the engine that might cause fire or damage engine and cause serious engine failure and this is a serious safety concern. I heard this is a common problem for Honda cars. Please advise to recall the vehicles with this problem. Thank you very much.

37 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2023

My wife experienced a sudden loss of power and a very rough running engine at interstate speeds. The check engine light as well as the fsw lights indicated problems with the engine. We brought the vehicle into a Honda dealership for diagnosis. The technician observed an oil soaked spark plug in the #3 cylinder which caused the issue. There were no lights associated with the issue until the sudden loss of power. This dramatic loss of power put her at risk as she limped to a safe area. Honda not only recommends replacing the plug but also all the rings on the rear three cylinders to make the vehicle safe. This is the second time this same vehicle has experienced the same failure and it appears to be an issue with the vcm system on this model. First instance was around 60k and now at 120k.

38 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/15/2023

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 65 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal to pass another vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to respond and the engine sputtered. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop the failure recurred. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

39 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/15/2023

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was later informed that the piston ring on cylinder #3 was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

40 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/27/2023

Per Honda dealership technician: oil seeping into cylinders 1-3 when vcm system is on. Spark plugs are fouled up and causing misfires on engine. Scoring on cylinder 2 also likely due to vcm issues requires engine block replacement. The above engine issues are the reason for blinking check engine light, traction control disabled light, and forward collision warning disabled light to all be on. These ultimately are occasionally causing stuttering/shuddering of the engine during acceleration. While trying to accelerate on an freeway on-ramp the engine appeared to hit a rev limiter at ~4,000 rpms and wouldn't up-shift to the next gear while doing ~45 mph with other vehicles behind us also trying to accelerate. Had to let off the gas and gently accelerate over a longer distance/time keeping rpms low and was able to accelerate to 75 mph speed limit after merging onto freeway. Vehicle is otherwise in good condition and has maintenance attended to regularly.

41 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/15/2023

On September 28, 2023, the check engine light came on while on the freeway. I pulled over at the closest exit and checked the manual and did as instructed and let the engine cool down. Upon it cooling, I started the car back up and the light did not come back on. Being close to where I was going, I proceeded to my destination. The following week I scheduled an appointment with the dealership to have it looked at. This was scheduled for October 18, 2023. On October 15, while stopped at a stop light, the car started to make banging loud noises and when the light turned green and I stepped on the gas, the check engine light came on again and the car sounded so rough I immediately pulled over and called a tow truck and had it towed to the dealership. This was on a busy 45 mph road, causing a hazard to just have my car fail like that. The dealership discovered that three of the six piston rings had failed, causing oil to leak out and corrode the spark plugs prematurely. I had the repairs completed and have contacted Honda corporate to inform them of the issue and reimburse me, of which they did not. This has been an issue is previous models with recalls, and this continues to be a safety issue that Honda needs to correct.

42 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/04/2023

I have had the same issue now twice with my vehicle. The first repair was done in 2020 and covered by Honda under warranty. They repaired cylinder block-piston rings misfiring. It was I believe about a $3,500 repair when covered under warranty. I now have the same thing happening again. I took it in to Honda for diagnostic test and and I have the need for immediate attention to repair-end of October, 2023. I also already had labor service April 11, 2023 and had a code po303 cylinder#3 misfire, swapped plugs 3 & 5. Spark plugs causing issues. Again the beginning of October I had to take my vehicle in again for spark plugs and misfiring. Had the spark plugs changed twice this year. And already had a major repair for the piston rings on this same vehicle. This should not be happening again. When my car needed the plugs changed in October 2023 my check engine light came on and was flashing and driving rough. I had to towed to shop to get looked at.

43 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/18/2023

The exact issue was reported for 2011-13 Honda odessey models, all trims and Honda was issued a extended warranty for those vehicles and Honda is denying the same warranty extension for 2016 Honda odessey models. The details are published in service bulletin 13-081 , which says.

44 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/08/2023

This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me on my 2016 Honda Odyssey which has less then 50,000 miles. When the engine cylinders misfire while driving, it causes sudden loss of power and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in the 2008-2013 Honda Odyssey - Honda settled the lawsuit March of 2014. Honda extended the warranty and would fix the issue on the existing 2008-2013 Honda Odysseys. Honda has not fixed the problem and they continue to sell vehicles with this known issue and not disclosing it to their customers. It remains a safety issue while driving.

45 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/07/2023

This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me twice now, where the engine cylinders misfire while driving, causing sudden loss of control of the vehicle and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in 2013, but Honda has not fixed the problem and it remains a safety issue while driving.

46 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 04/02/2023

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that shortly afterwards, the vehicle vibrated abnormally and hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ignition coils and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. However, the failure returned a year later, with a misfire coming from the engine while driving, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ignition coils and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred months later. This vehicle was taken to a Honda dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the cylinder rings were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

47 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/17/2023

I was driving down a city road and engine light came on as well as traction control light. The car began shaking and lost power slowing down while I had 4 kids in the van. I took it to a Honda dealer the next morning and they said that oil is leaking past the piston rings and fouling the #3 spark plug causing misfiring. They suggested a replacement of the engine as they indicated a head job may not fix the issue. The engine light had come on once before accompanied by the loss of power and shaking about 4-5 months prior but the issue was not found at that time by the Honda service shop as when I brought it in the check engine light was gone. But I I had all the spark plugs replaced as I was at approximately 106,000 miles at that time. Now I'm at 109,000 and the issue returned as noted above, but much worse. Basically I'm forced to sell the van as it's unsafe to drive and too costly to repair.

48 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 02/18/2023

At highway speed (70mph), our van suddenly lost acceleration while the engine began to shudder while the check engine light came on. I had to maneuver to the shoulder of the highway and turn off the vehicle. Upon trying to restart the vehicle, both the check engine and forward collision warning failure messages appeared. The vehicle required towing by aaa to a repair garage. The garage reported that the malfunction code was "misfire cylinder #3". Cylinder #3 and spark plug were removed and cleaned due to deposits from oil entering the engine.

49 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 02/05/2023

On December 7, 2022, while driving my family of six, my 2016 Honda Odyssey ex-l with 83,000 miles triggered a flashing check engine light and lost most acceleration while on a busy highway. I was able to limp the vehicle to a repair shop who identified that the van appeared to be burning oil. Oil was changed in its entirety and was advised to check oil frequently. On February 5, 2023, again while driving my family on a major highway, the flashing check engine light was triggered along with the antilock braking system, lane departure warning and front collision warning, along with a display message of front ‘fcw system failed’. Upon checking the oil level, which was fine, I again slowly drove the van to a mechanic. The mechanic removed all spark plugs and checked the coils. Spark plugs 1-3 all had oil on them causing them to foul and the coil on piston 3 was destroyed. This very same issue was the cause of a class action lawsuit for which Honda issued recalls and extended warranties for vehicles ranging from 2008 - 2013, yes the issue continued in Honda vehicles such as mine until 2018. I am now forced to pay ~$4500 for a repair that should have been covered under a voluntary recall. Oil in the spark plugs is a known fire hazard and this willful neglect by Honda placed the lives of myself and my family of six at risk. Even more shameful is that multiple Honda service departments in my area were contacted as a result of this faulty piston issue and each independently stated that this is a known issue in Honda models up through 2017. If Honda service centers can attest to this, and they are the face of Honda America to consumers, yet have taken no responsible actions to date to offer consideration for their loyal patrons, then the government has a duty to protect consumers through a mandatory recall to address this prevalent safety issue. Do so now before an engine fire caused by gross negligence takes the life or lives of innocent children.

50 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/26/2023

While driving the vehicle the engine began to bog down and the check engine light came on.

51 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/15/2023

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and abs warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the fuel tank was not full, the vehicle would not accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a local auto zone where it was scanned and diagnosed with a code p0848. The contact stated that the cylinders and spark plugs were previously replaced by an independent mechanic. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle further. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

52 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/24/2022

Check engine light flashing towed to the dealership and was inform engine code p0301 misfire cylinder 1 had to replace piston rings on that entire side of the head. Now getting engine cod p3400 vps bank 1 within 1200 miles of the first issue. Engine hesitation between 40 and 55 mph and rpm is around 1500 rpm.

53 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2022

The engine misfired which caused the vehicle to lose power in traffic endangering the people in my vehicle and in the other vehicles on the road around me. The check engine light began flashing and I had the vehicle towed to the dealership to be inspected. Upon inspection I was informed by the dealership that this was a known problem in Honda Odysseys and that the vcm system causes the piston rings to go bad prematurely which causes unburnt oil to foul the spark plug and cause the car to misfire and lose power. Apparently a class action lawsuit about this issue led to Honda extending the warranty and covering the repairs on oddyseys made between 2005-2013, but the issue was never corrected and the 2016 model is not covered. The cost of the repair was $3830.

54 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/31/2022

Less than 4 months after having a thorough engine inspection, the engine developed an oil leak which caused piston rings 1-3 to fail. The car immediately began shaking, flashing caution lights, flashing a notice the fcw system failed and jolting while in idle.

55 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/23/2022

While driving in October 2022, my car suddenly had the check engine light begin flashing. My car immediately began to lose power and would barely accelerate. Multiple other dash lights then started flashing. I called the Honda dealership who told me to drive it there. I barely made it to the dealership (having to drive slowly, not being able to accelerate, and not knowing if the car was suddenly going to die). The Honda dealership diagnosed it as a failure of the piston rings leading to a catastrophic engine failure. These piston rings needed to be replaced, which could only be done with an entire engine rebuild. This cost approximately $5000. I got the car back and then the next day was driving on a major interstate traveling 70mph. All of the sudden the car completely shut down. It was so extremely dangerous. I had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for a tow truck. The town truck took the car back to the Honda dealer, which diagnosed a timing belt failure. The timing belt and water pump had to be replaced, costing an additional $1-2k. Then in August 2023 the alternator has now failed. This caused the car to again suddenly die while driving it.

56 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2022

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started shuddering and was running rough. The check engine warning light and the traction control warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was oil intrusion on the spark plugs, which caused a misfire. The mechanic replaced the spark plugs and added a fuel additive to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

57 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/25/2022

Engine light blinking, rough idle, and code reading gives "cylinder 3 misfire". I pull the spark plug out and found it's foul, covered with oil and black stuff. Searched the forums and found it's probably a common problem caused by Honda vcm.

58 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/08/2022

Constant cylinder misfire.

59 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2022

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as several warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic on numerous occasions where the spark plug have been replaced each time. The mechanic informed her that the vehicle's variable cylinders were the cause of the failure which had resulted in the spark plugs wearing out at a rapid pace. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was not available.

60 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/23/2022

One of the cylinder valves get stuck open. Happened several times within a year. Car looses power and the engine runs rough due to cylinder misfire. Honda says they would need to replace all cylinders. Problem apparently happened in older models and seen other complaints for same issue in like make and model year.

61 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/09/2022

May 2, 2022 - while driving home one evening, my check engine light came on, flashing. I was able to get into my neighborhood and once I got on my street, the front of the car started shaking violently. I made it into my driveway. This was very distressing and frightening. Scheduled a tow through usaa mobile app for next morning to be taken to Honda. There is way more detail - can't paste all here. July 9, 2022 - at approx 10am, we left our vacation rental and started the drive home to ms. My check engine light came on and started flashing again. I made it to the middle of the island and met my husband. I was visibly shaken because I knew this was a serious issue. I had three kids and a 175lb dog in my van, along with half of our belongings. If I had gone a few miles or two more, I would have been stranded on a four-mile bridge. I had driven my car frequently while we were on the island (2 weeks) and there were no issues - until this day. - again, I have way more information on this - cannot paste it all here.

62 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 06/06/2022

Within the last two years, spark plug number two has been faulty 3 different times. This causes driving issues while on the road, the car will not accelerate.

63 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 05/07/2022

While driving my Odyssey it began having the air conditioner blink off and on, radio was blinking off and on and multiple lights were lit up on the dash. There were no lights on my dash and no warning prior to this happening. My car then lost all power as if it was in neutral. I was pushing the gas pedal but the car would only rev like it was in neutral. Then the car began revving itself and the rpm's were getting dangerously high all while I was frantically trying to get to the side of the highway through traffic. I was in the left lane in a 70 mph area. My blinkers were not working. After I finally got to the side of the road and stopped, the car was able to accelerate again. Then the whole thing happened again. When I shut the car off, the car then began clicking and dash lights were flashing all over the place, but the car would not start, then I was able to finally start it, but I didn't dare to take it onto the highway again. Please help - this is a life-threatening issue and Honda should reimburse this immediately. I have read this same issue on multiple other chat boards.

64 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 04/18/2022

At 59,000 miles my wife was driving down the road and immediately the van’s engine lost the majority of its power and began shaking tremendously. My wife and kids were able to get off the road but had it been on a freeway it would have been extremely dangerous. The Honda technician conveyed to me that 3 cylinder rings busted. How do 3 cylinder rings bust simultaneously on a well maintained Honda engine at 59k miles?? they informed me of the variable cylinder management system that shuts down 3 cylinders during certain times. If I can’t trust my family to drive safely down the road in a well maintained Honda engine with 59k miles, I’m not sure that this system is safe. In addition the repair was out of warranty and cost $3,000! I believe there should be a recall on this system!.

65 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 04/12/2022

Honda states they have issued a recall for : you paid for repairs to address a condition of engine misfire due to piston ring deterioration (that triggers dtcs p0301 thru p0304). E the repairs were completed or started prior to the notice date; repairs made after the notice date must be administered by a Honda dealer. O you owned the vehicle at the time of repair. You are still eligible if you no longer own the vehicle. • you provide a paid invoice. However when presenting receipts from a certified Honda dealership repair shop, Honda corporation states that not enough detail was gathered by the Honda dealership to reimburse for the failed pistons. Honda corporation is not honoring the recall by creating additional red tape to avoid reimbursing consumers. If I had taken this to a mechanic outside of Honda I could understand, but this is an actual certified dealership where the work was done and still it's not enough proof that merits reimbursement. I have included the initial diagnosis and then the repair work that was done that meets all of the standards in the letter. Return letter from Honda corporation: for auditing and compliance purposes, reimbursement under this warranty extension requires that both of the following be clearly documented on the repair invoice: - a qualifying dtc (p0301–p0304) - technician notes identifying the root cause of the misfire we spoke directly with economy Honda superstore, who reviewed invoice #906980 along with the hard copy and technician notes. The documentation does not include any qualifying dtcs or confirmation of oil-fouled spark plugs. We understand that service manager denman provided you with a separate document indicating dtc p0303. While this confirms the presence of a misfire code, it does not include clarification of the root cause of the misfire. Without this confirmation, the repair does not meet the eligibility criteria for reimbursement under the warranty extension. As such, the repair is not reimbursable.

66 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/10/2022

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate and the check engine warning light flashed on and off before the vehicle decelerated and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine pistons had become out of alignment causing oil to leak onto the spark plugs. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 76,650.

67 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/03/2022

Honda has recall/extended warranty on 6cyl vehicles dating back as far as 2008, for cylinder misfires caused by bad piston rings. Recently had to have this done on my 2016 vehicle, but it wasn't covered under any recall or warranty. This is clearly an ongoing problem, and Honda should be paying for these repairs.

68 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/01/2022

In March 1, 2022, my check engine light started to blink and the vehicle was running rough with a definite loss of power. I took it to a local mechanic. The code was a misfire on cylinder 2. He replaced the spark plugs and coil. On may 4, 2022, the same symptoms occurred and I left it with the same local mechanic. He said no codes were stored and the vehicle was running as it should. On may 5, 2022 the same symptoms occurred again and the fcw and ldw lights were also illuminated. The vehicle showed "failed fcw system". They changed the cylinder 2 spark plug because there was oil in it. On may 31, 2022 the check engine light was blinking again with rough idle and loss of power. After doing some researching I can see that Honda had a previous class action lawsuit settlement for earlier year Honda Odysseys for a "piston-ring issue". Today I called the local dealer where I purchased my vehicle from - brilliance Honda and the service advisor indicated that this is a common problem with the Honda Odysseys but the 2016 are not covered any extended warranty or safety recall. This is a safety issue. To lose power in the engine when driving. This is a known issue and previous model years had similar issues and there was a class action lawsuit - yet nothing is being done about the problem that was never corrected by Honda putting people at risk for a faulty mechanical design. You can smell gas inside the vehicle when this occurs because the engine is not working properly to burn the gas.

69 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/31/2022

The piston rings are failing and causing a misfire. The dealer, Honda care, and corporation have all said they are aware of this issue, but not willing to help the customer. Currently, my dealer has 6 cars with the same issue. All service men are stating, yes, we know exactly what the issue is when seeing the warning code. The misfire caused my car to not fully accelerate on a major highway. The dealer has documented the issue. A bunch of warnings appeared when this happened. Honda corp said they will give me half the cost and again have stated they know about this issue.

70 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/26/2022

My husband was driving the car up a hill and coming to a stop light while slowing the car with the break the engine accelerated (you could hear it). He had to throw the car into neutral to get it to stop in time so as not to hit the car that was stopped in front of him at the stop light. This was not a "hard stop". He saw the red light and was breaking. There were two other witnesses in the car. My husband drives with his right foot and never breaks with his left foot. Though the car was stopping the engine was racing and the car was accelerating despite having his foot on the break petal. Unexpected acceleration is what the dealership called it. No he didn't have both feet on both petals. The car was accelerating despite his foot on the break petal. The witness confirm the car was trying to stop but the engine was racing. We took the car into the dealership and they brought in the "Honda engineer" who checked out the car and found nothing wrong. They found the floor mats were pinned into place and were not a factor. The dealership seems to want to blame this on "driver error" and deny that there is anything wrong with the vehicle. The service manage with his left foot indicated as if he was breaking with his left foot when explaining that they believe it wasn't mechanical. In other words, they are saying it was driver error (with their body language). I believe they are deny deny deny and not taking our concerns into account. I did a search of similar issues with Honda odysse's and found that there are other reports of this type of "unexpected acceleration". Thank you.



Odyssey Service Bulletins
Odyssey Safety Recalls
Odyssey Defect Investigations