general problems of the 2018 Honda Odyssey - part 1

Tailgate door is not functioning. Tailgate problem message on dash. Cannot open door with remote nor manually.

Rear hatch power door issue indicated on dash display, and complete failure of powered door feature. Investigation finds many other drivers of this make/model/year have issues with faulty seals allowing water intrusion into circuitry in left rear panel where the power lift fat control unit box is, causing damage to the circuitry. Other drivers have described more widespread electrical issues, some even causing the gate to unlatch while the vehicle is in motion. Upon inspection of my personal vehicle, signs of water damage were found both in the base of the area covered by the panel and within the circuit box and panel itself, confirming these suspicions.

2018 Honda Odyssey rear tailgate problems, what was the issue? problem is because water is leaking from the roof rails onto the tailgate module, causing the power liftgate control unit to short circuit, leading to unintended opening/closing or complete failure. I checked every fuse and my tail gate still wont open! tailgate module failed due to leak on the roof rail. The "holes" are three very small spots that the weld didn't cover. . . . . . .

Upon further investigation, lots of 2018 Honda Odysseys are experiencing the same problem I am. There is a leak coming in from the top of the van in the rear that causes water to leak through and overtime damages the control unit in the back. Damage to this causes my power lift gate to completely stop working, my passenger drive door to stop working, and a bunch of features like the front collision warning, the lane departure, sensors, fog lights, so on to fail and go on and off. I had problems here and there with it but it wasn’t until it rained 4 days straight that I made the connection with the leak and started trying to figure out the problem. I took it to the Honda dealership to get diagnosed and they confirmed this problem. We have not been in any accidents to cause body damage to the vehicle.

The vehicle previously received a manufacturer dash wiring recall repair. After the recall repair was completed, the vehicle began experiencing intermittent and cascading electrical and communication failures across multiple integrated systems. Affected systems include apple carplay, the dvd system, in-vehicle camera systems, cabinwatch, and repeated “most network unavailable” error messages. These failures occur intermittently and result in multiple systems disabling simultaneously. The vehicle was inspected by a Honda dealership, which confirmed the issue involves wiring within the dash harness. The dealership stated the affected wiring is not sold or serviceable separately and that correction would require replacement of the entire dash harness, but that this portion of the harness is not included in the original recall coverage. Because these systems share common power and communication pathways, failures cascade across multiple modules. When the camera system fails, rear view camera functionality and related warnings are unavailable while backing up, reducing the driver’s ability to detect obstacles, pedestrians, or children behind the vehicle. When cabinwatch is unavailable, the driver is unable to visually monitor children seated in the rear rows while driving, which affects situational awareness and the ability to respond quickly to unsafe conditions inside the vehicle. These failures also impact driver information systems and create intermittent loss of critical visual feedback, increasing driver distraction as systems drop out unexpectedly while the vehicle is in operation. The condition began after the recall repair and appears to be related to or a continuation of the original recall defect. The vehicle remains available for inspection, and the condition has been confirmed by a manufacturer-authorized dealer.

Defective body seam on roof panel over drivers side rear wheel - resulting water leak on control panel for power liftgate caused the rear tailgate to continually open and close while driving. The vehicle was parked and the fuses controlling the tailgate were removed to enable the closure of the hatch and allow vehicle operation. Prior to this, the vehicle battery died while parked due to the continuous tailgate operation and required a battery jump. The vehicle was taken to d&j auto (an independent service center) where a previous liftgate control panel was replaced for failure to open the tailgate. A search of the internet on 2018 Honda odyessey liftgate problems revealed multiple instances of water leaks on the liftgate control panels due to body seam issues which caused liftgate failures. This information was relayed to the auto repair shop where the leak was discovered. The vehicle was taken to a body repair shop across the street where the seam was fixed, returned to the auto repair shop where a third tailgate control panel installed.

Vehicle experiences engine stalling and failure to restart at intersections when the auto idle stop (ais) feature is engaged. This creates an immediate life-safety hazard as the vehicle becomes non-functional in live traffic. This has occurred 2 times. Once on surface streets and once on the highway in stop-and-go traffic. This issue persists despite service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. Honda corporate and Honda dealership refusing to cover the repair. Separately, during a 37-day repair attempt (Jan 22 – March 2, 2026), autonation Honda chandler admitted the vehicle was sold with an 'incorrect' battery type (lead acid instead of required agm), which caused electrical instability. The dealership attempted a repair on Feb 13, but the vehicle failed to start again on Feb 11 during a pickup attempt. The dealer has since refused to provide accurate service records or further communication. The vehicle remains unsafe to drive as it continues to stall randomly.

After I received a software update for my 2018 Honda Odyssey elite the car has been stalling when idle. It is very dangerous because I will be at a stop light in drive, and the vehicle will shut off with no power. Cars will be behind me or no cars, and I have almost been rear ended. I did not have this problem until I received the new software update. It keeps occurring more and more often.

Since I own this vehicle, 3 times tailgate failed. I have done repair it twice in Honda dealership at paramus NJ. Now it happened again after a year of last fix. Instrument cluster = warning sign appears stays there. Somewhere on back = constantly sound beeping - when driving tailgate = does not open and if open some how, it does not close. Neither automatic nor manually. I have to drive vehicle since I have no choice. I inspected all fuse in front under hood and in rear at cargo area.

The infotainment display has been malfunctioning. The display goes black and the back-up camera is not available. On the night of December 12, 2025, we were driving the car on the highway and the screen flickered in and out and then went black and so did the dashboard display. This was very scary as the entire car went dark and we were driving blindly on the highway. It appears that all 2018 Honda Odysseys have a recall for the infotainment electrical system except for the elite model that we purchased. I called the dealer last week and was told no recall available and we will need to pay the $179 diagnostic fee plus the cost to repair which will be significant. We will take the car in this week as the car cannot be driven safely without full dashboard and backup camera display.

My vehicle repeatedly and unexpectedly shifts into neutral while in drive, causing a sudden loss of power in traffic. This has happened multiple times without any input from me and has nearly caused a crash.

The tailgate control module failed due to water getting in to it from normal rain. There seems to be a leak in the seam and caused the failure. I took it to the shop and confirmed the failure, purchased a new control module and replaced the faulty one. I opened up the faulty one and it had water damage inside.

The front facing camera has stopped working. Anytime we turn the vehicle on we get multiple warning lights (lane assist, cruise control, bright lights, braking, etc) aren't working.

My computer screen that has my radio and backup camera will black out randomly while I’m driving. There are times I can’t use it for a backup camera because it won’t cut on. I’m not able to control my heat and a/c when it goes blank too.

The roof leaks in the lh rear of the van under the roof strip thru a bolt or bad seam rfom a bad build causing the power unit liftgate module pn - 74970-thr-a11 to get wet and sit in water causing a short to the battery, the sliding doors to fail and the rear liftgate to fail which is a safety hazard if someone cannot exit the vehicle in an emergency. It is also a fire potential. This should be a safety recall at Hondas expense. The world wide web is flooded with videos and forums pertaining to this exact issue and Honda has not stepped up to the plate and addressed this issue.

The media touch screen display periodically goes blank and reboots during driving, which affects the backup camera, defrost control, and every other component controlled on the touchscreen display.

Failed monocular camera : it is a very common issue across majority of Honda Odyssey. It's the overheating of the camera and start to malfunction, causing all the warning systems lights to illuminate. A lots of people and families who have owned or currently owns Honda Odysseys minivans have either faced this problem in the past or having it more commonly now. Due to the malfunction caused by the failed monocular camera, it tends to automatically disables the lane assist function, engine light comes on, cruise control get disabled and two other warning comes on the dash. Please note that there are a lots of families who own these Honda Odyssey have been facing this manufacturing fault that Honda needs to address.

Mass safety system failure due to front projector camera/ wiring harness. Noted systems below failed: adaptive cruise control auto emergency braking forward collision warning lane departure warning lane keeping assistance auto high beams all above system are not operational.

The camera started malfunctioning and now I have a bunch of warning lights on the dash. I think is crazy that a lot of people have the same issue and still there is no recalls for it. Is a major safety issue.

Like many other people on the [xxx] forums, our Honda Odyssey has a water leak that dripped onto the tailgate control module, causing it to corrode and stop working. Now, our tailgate door will not open or close electrically, nor even manually using the handle outside. We have to crawl through the vehicle into the trunk, open a trim piece with a screwdriver, and stick our finger into the mechanical parts to disengage the latch to allow the door to open. Safety issues: 1) it's hard to know whether the door is fully closed and latched, so it could pop open while driving. 2) in the event of a car crash or other emergency, we may need to rely on that tailgate door being operational, so it being jammed by a widespread and known problem seems like a predictable life threatening issue. Links to some of the forum threads where other people report the exact same issue: [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On [xxx], while driving in traffic, my 2018 Honda Odyssey suddenly and without warning shifted itself into park. The vehicle slammed to a stop in the middle of an intersection, stranding my family and creating a serious risk of collision and injury. The vehicle would not move afterward and had to be towed from the scene. After the failure, the dashboard displayed multiple warnings: “transmission problem,” “stop driving when safe,” “emission system problem,” and *“blind spot information system problem. ” the gear shift indicator also blinked. The Odyssey has remained undrivable since the incident. The vehicle is at stockton 12 Honda in sandy, utah, where the dealer confirmed a hard transmission failure (ro #[xxx]). Honda corporate opened two cases (#[xxx] and #[xxx]). Despite my repeated calls and emails, Honda’s assigned case manager verbally denied coverage on sept 12, 2025, stating the denial would only be reflected in Honda’s internal case notes. This failure is identical to the defect described in NHTSA recall 19v-299, in which the transmission control unit (tcu) can reboot due to low voltage and cause the transmission to shift into park while driving. Although my VIN is not currently flagged, my Odyssey ex-l uses the same zf 9-speed transmission and tcu as affected trims. I have a tow record, witnesses, and video evidence documenting the event. The vehicle remains disabled, leaving my family without safe transportation. This is a serious safety defect that should require investigation and expansion of the existing recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The infotainment center has completely failed. It began with sporadic shutting off and then restarting of the infotainment system as if a wire or connector were loose, along with popping sounds until the unit no longer turns on and appears to have completely failed. This effects ability of back up camera to function because the screen no longer works. There appears to be a recall of other Honda vehicles needing new wire connectors for a similar problem but it does not seem to include this vehicle.

In our 2018 Honda Odyssey ex-l, a few weeks ago 5 different warning lights started coming on when the vehicle was started and continued while the car was driven. Lane assist, collision warning, auto high beams, braking system and adaptive cruise control. Just yesterday the rear hatch started to malfunction; currently the rear hatch can be opened and closed manually but the power lift does not function and now is the 6th warning on the driving display. The car was taken to a Honda dealership for diagnosis, and after paying $99 for the diagnosis of the issues, several other diagnosis fees would be required to get to the root of the issue which the tech states is most likely a control module malfunction due to a water leak. The fix would then be finding and fixing the leak, then replacing the module and wrapping the module in plastic to prevent future issues. Then more diagnosis fees to find and correct the other issues which could include replacing the multipurpose camera. -if a selling point of the driver assist, collision warning and automatic braking are safety improvements, by default if the system is faulty then ours and others safety is at an increased risk. -the vehicle has been inspected by a dealer -before a few weeks ago no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms were present. All of the symptoms have been rather sudden. We have been getting rain almost daily for the past few weeks.

The vehicle body weather seal did not function water was leaked into the rear trunk of the vehicle, resulting in water damaged carpet/ foam and malfunctioning/ broken power liftgate control module for the rear hatch. The control module was found to be corroded resulting in a nonfunctional rear hatch.

Water intrusion, verified by observation/application of water. The leak resulted in water dripping on the tailgate/liftgate control module and the general rear cargo area, causing corrosion inside the control module rendering the control module inoperable, which made the power liftgate inoperable as well. Additionally, the rear cargo area had standing water that had accumulated over an unknown period of time that was visible when you lifted the carpeting. The liftgate latch mechanism also "locked" while the liftgate was open, making securing it closed in the normal way impossible. I would have needed to secure it with bungee cords or tape or some other haphazard way if I wanted to drive it safely on the streets or any contents in the back of the van could have fell out in traffic, or the liftgate may have inadvertently lifted at any time or place uncommanded, causing any type of hazard. Replacing the control module ($331. 53) remedied the liftgate failure. However, the leak remains, and will allow the same thing to continue to happen. Applying water to the area where the seam on the drivers side body panel and the roof panel meet resulted in water being seen dripping in the interior of the vehicle and onto the liftgate control module. This area should have been made waterproof before the vehicle left the factory, and should be recalled to make it right.

The sensor/computer/camera on the windshield overheats and causes it to fail mines at 100,000 and its a $1600 repair dealer said because the windshield sits in sun while driving etc and the sensor overheats and melts the inside of the computer soldering. Unacceptable so much for my safety features all gone I dont have the money to replace.

Front camera failure causes multiple safety issues. Lane keep assist collision mitigation road departure mitigation high beam problem this is a known issue and the dealership knew about this immediately hearing the multiple warning signs. Cost of replacement is over $2000.

The power liftgate stopped working so the rear door won’t latch. We had to drive home with it closed but not latched and beeping the whole way. I believe water has leaked into the control unit from the roof. The error on the dashboard says tail gate: power tailgate problem.

Windshield monocular camera overheated. No longer working.

Defect-linked electrical failures and refusal of support – 2018 Honda Odyssey I am filing a formal complaint regarding Honda’s refusal to cover a known, dangerous defect in my 2018 Honda Odyssey (VIN: [xxx] ). My vehicle is experiencing electrical and system-wide malfunctions that directly match technical service bulletin 21-013, yet I’ve been denied goodwill coverage, and I am being forced to pay out-of-pocket for diagnosis and repair. The problems include: •ongoing, loud popping sounds from the speakers while driving and after shutdown •system power failures, with audio and bluetooth activating before the key is turned •low battery warnings without cause •factory Hondavac system failure, now showing “pwr save” despite a running engine I am a parent of five children and rely on this vehicle for daily transportation. These failures not only distract and stress the driver but compromise safety, communication, and vehicle reliability. Honda’s decision to shift financial responsibility for a known defect to the customer feels unjust and exploitative especially as many others have reportedly received goodwill repairs for the same issue. I am asking for assistance in holding Honda accountable under massachusetts consumer protection laws. This is not typical wear and tear it is a manufacturer defect with ongoing safety implications. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Suddenly the van gave me 5 different warnings as below. 1. Adaptive cruise control problem. 2. Lane keep asist problem 3. Collision mitigation system problem 4. Road departure mitigation system problem 5. Auto high-beam problem on top of these, 'brake system' light also turned on.

I have had four diagnostics on this vehicle and it's pointing to sensors which are inside the transmission transmission was not leaking and wasn't slipping or nothing I went to get in the vehicle after it was sitting for an hour and I put it in reverse it went right back in the park I put it in dry went right back in the park I couldn't get it out of the park and it was saying on the dash that stop driving one safe transmission problem emission system problems okay like a four diagnostics that are saying that it is sensors transmission pressure sensor a park neutral switch is bad power source failure steering angle low voltage sensor failure four different things I cannot get any help I hear a bunch of different stories some are saying the transmission not so we're saying it's not a transmission isn't slipping I drove it car was fine it won't go into drive I've been told and I researches so much that if it's happened on the road it could slam in the park the be able to roll they could crash it's a very bad safety issue there are recalls on 50,000 of this year of the Honda Odyssey I'm being told that my VIN number is not on the recall list I don't understand why not it's doing exactly what all the other 50,000 recalls are doing and I can't get help fixing mine.

My tailgate stopped working, I was getting messages on my dash board that there was transmission system problems, reverse warning problems, keyless entry system problems. It always seemed to happen after a rain. I found that the van is leaking water through the driver’s side roof rack gully, near the back, and water is leaking right on the tailgate control system, causing all these other problems. It is also causing the battery to drain when car is parked idle. There should be recall to fix the leakage and replace the controller. It's a design defect, water shouldn't sip inside and burn the electrical components. Costing me hundreds/thousands. This is also safety issue because water damaged controllers causing issues with adas components too - getting check engine, break lights, etc. While the car is in motion. If those safety features are not working, that can be very dangerous. Thanks.

Failure of the tailgate module and blind spot sensor simultaneously. Electrical issues previously fixed due to water infiltration and this seems to be a recurring issue.

Auto engine stop feature shuts off the vehicle when engaged. When the vehicle comes to a complete stop at a light or in heavy traffic, the auto engine stop feature will engage but the engine will not restart. The only way to restart the engine is to shutoff the vehicle, open and close the drivers door, then restart the car. This problem has been occurring for a few years. We have brought the vehicle to a dealer but they say nothing is wrong.