general problems of the 2020 Honda Odyssey - part 1

After a heavy rainstorm, the power tailgate motor stopped opening or closing the tailgate.

The auto slide door latch will not disengage. The rear passenger door cannot be opened electronically or manually.

Front camera goes bad and all the driving safety indicator lights go on. I have been reading so many problems with this. Owners complaining. They want over $2000 to replace my car is over the warranty time limit.

Honda Odyssey idle stop system failure vehicle: 2020 Honda Odyssey (elite) incident description: while driving, the vehicle's "idle stop" system engaged as I came to a complete stop at [e. G. , a traffic light, intersection, stop sign]. The engine shut off as designed, but failed to restart automatically when I released the brake pedal. This left my vehicle stalled and disabled in the middle of [e. G. , an intersection, a lane of traffic] with no forward power. I was scared as there were lots of cars behind me in the intersection. This has happened over a dozen times. Safety risk: this failure created an immediate and dangerous safety hazard. My vehicle was a risk for being rear-ended by traffic from behind, and my family was stranded in a vulnerable position. The vehicle was unable to move out of harm's way, and I had to put the vehicle in park and manually restart the engine. This is unacceptable for a system designed to work seamlessly and automatically. Additional information: this is not an isolated incident. The auto start-stop failure has occurred multiple times since March 2025. The system failure has put me and my passengers in a position of significant risk multiple times. Failed component: the vehicle's "auto idle stop" (ais) system, which failed to restart the engine after it was automatically shut off. Resolution: an immediate and permanent recall is necessary to address this dangerous defect. Existing service bulletins have not corrected the problem. I urge the NHTSA to require Honda to provide an effective, long-term solution to ensure the safety of Odyssey owners.

My can intermittently fails to start after the auto idle start system has engaged. I am stopped at a light on a busy road. When the light turns the car tries to start but fails. Some times it is able to start but I get warnings that multiple systems had an issue or at disabled. Other times it fails to start completely and I have to cycle the power off and open my driver door before I can start the car. This has been happening for more than a year and the battery has already been replaced.

For the last few days I turn on my car and get alert lights that I have problems with: the acc, lkas, collision mitigation, road departure mitigation systems and auto high beams. From online Honda forums I can see that many people have had these problems and it’s likely due to needing to have the windshield camera replaced. This is a 2020 model but I bought it new in 2021, so it is less than 5 years old and I’ve got 94k miles on it. Honda markets itself on its safety features, but nearly all of my safety features are not operating properly less than 5 years from the date of purchase, it’s a widespread issue, and Honda still has not issued a recall.

I was driving and the message power tailgate problem popped up on dashboard of Honda Odyssey 2020. When I got to my destination I tried to open the trunk and it would not open. I took the car to Honda and they said there's water somewhere that caused problem to the tailgate. I spent over $1,000 to fix it and two weeks after getting the car back, that same message popped up and the trunk would not open again. I did research on this and found out that this is a known issue/defect for all 2018-2021 models. Honda did not take any responsibility and blamed me for not taking the car to a body shop to fix whatever issue that's causing water to infiltrate. I found that there has been class action lawsuits involving Honda tailgate issue for a defective seal on 2018-2021 Honda Odyssey models that allow water to infiltrate, yet Honda will not recall and fix it.

My vehicle was at the dealer for service in March of 2025. At that time they performed recall 23-008 although the vehicle did not have issues with the idle stop system. Since some time in June, at multiple occasions, the vehicle shifted to park on its own when restarting from idle stop. Last night, the vehicle fully shut off and lost all electrical power when restarting from idle stop leaving me stranded in the dark at a busy intersection without the ability to turn on my hazard lights. The vehicle repowered after a few minutes. When the system restarted, the info-tainment system activated the anti theft software which happens during full power loss.

Lift gate sags. Lift gate sporadically closes without any activation. It does sound warning prior to closing. Lift gate has come down on person causing bruises more than a few times.

Sunroof exploded while driving on the highway.

1) infotainment system crackles, pops, and shuts off frequently. Will not come on sometimes until 5 minutes into the drive, meaning we cannot use our rearview backup camera. This was recalled in other models but not our specific VIN. 2) “shutter grill problem; power reduced” comes on randomly even when just idling. 3) sliding doors will bounce shut or not open all of a sudden! both doors affected similarly. Turning off the power doors does not solve the issue, so we lose access to one side. There was a recall on sliding doors for other models but not our VIN. We are taking it into the dealer to investigate but this is a safety issue.

Tailgate control unit failed due to water entering through the seals of roof seal which resulted in damaging the functionality of the tailgate. Failure to open. I noticed one day that the tailgate would not open (the back hatch). My Honda dealership got the vehicle in rather quickly (one week). Dealership stated they have never seen this and requested repairs of over a thousand dollars. After further research on the issue, I noticed that there are multiple class-action lawsuits with multiple law firms. This is not an isolated issue. However, I am glad that the dealership was able to get my vehicle in and fixed in an appropriate amount of time. The worry was that just one day, the back tailgate quit working and there was no manual way to open the vehicle in case of collision, fire, or water incident and used as an escape route. With multiple class action lawsuits on the same incident, I believe this incident needs to be followed up on. Solutions: revist the type of seal Honda is using. Move the control unit to a different location within the vehicle so the control unit will not become waterlogged and damaged. Lastly, provide a manual unlocking and opening mechanism for escape out of the rear tailgate if vehicle is involved in a collision, fire, or water event.

Summary of the problem: the power tailgate motor on my 2020 Honda Odyssey has failed multiple times, causing the liftgate to stop midway, refuse to open, or abruptly close on its own. This failure creates a safety risk because the tailgate can unexpectedly drop or close on adults or children standing underneath it. Detailed description: the tailgate motor on my 2020 Honda Odyssey has stopped working correctly on three different occasions. I have taken the vehicle to the Honda dealership repeatedly and have paid hundreds of dollars for repairs, yet the problem keeps returning. The tailgate will randomly stop while opening, won't fully lift, or will close unexpectedly and forcefully. This is especially dangerous when loading children or cargo, as the tailgate can fall without warning. After researching online, I found many other 2020 Odyssey owners reporting the same tailgate motor failure, indicating that this is a widespread issue rather than normal wear. The repeated failure suggests a potential design or safety defect. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this recurring malfunction as a potential safety issue and determine whether a recall or corrective action is necessary.

Rear tailgate doesn't open with keyfob or with switch on the back door. It had to be pulled hard to open in manually and pushed hard manually to close it. There are so many incidents reported on line for the same. The fix seems be a control board (which gets bad due to water getting in the compartment (or on the board). We have talked to Honda - as per them there is no active recall on this.

Infotainment system - while driving suddenly there is a cracking/ shrieking startling noise and infotainment system goes off shutting down ( network communication lost sign comes on) and the screen goes blank. No camera works. Radio and all electronic display goes off for a couple of minutes. Slowly, it begins to come back to life by itself in a couple of minutes. This happens randomly on and off. In last 4 weeks, it happened at least 15 times while driving. Honda dealership has my car for three days without a diagnosis or correction.

The radio/screen will go blank when I am driving.

Right sliding door fails to fully open and fully close when entering or while driving , it's available for inspection, high safety concern while driving door may open 4 kids ride everyday. The problem shows everyday on the info center and bips showing malfunctioning , will showw 100% on the computer reading ,has not being inspected by dealer service department yet, I have reported safety issue and descrived and officially reported to Honda customer service [xxx] case #[xxx] (laura) on oct-21-2024. Yes warning lamps and messages of the problem showed few times at first and now it shows constantly ,sliding door can not be operated. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The multifunction camera which is responsible for adas features suddenly failed.

Several times over the last 18-24 months my van has 'stalled' after the auto engine start/stop feature restarts my car. This has mostly happened while at stop lights/signs, or idle. However, it has happened twice while driving, my car will just die and slow dramatically. I have been able to restart by pushing the start/engine button. There has been two times where restarting (while idle) has not worked. Most recently it happened while at a stop light. When the light turned green I went to accelerate and the van would not move, all the dash lit up, and there was no power to the engine. It took several minutes to get the van restarted, holding up traffic and causing me panic and fear that I could be hit.

Shortly after purchasing my vehicle and replacing the battery, I received multiple dashboard warnings. I took it in to the dealership, and I was advised that the van's multipurpose camera located behind the rear view mirror needed to be replaced. I have researched this issue and this appears to be very common with the Honda Odysseys. The vehicle is less than 48 months old, and it's already an issue? wondering if this can be logged so that it can be recalled.

The rear lift gate fails to hold in the up position, the powered lift gate subsequently and randomly closes on its own without any driver intervention. The powered lift gate closed on me while I was retrieving groceries, almost crushing me had I not forced it back up by force. This has happened multiple times and could be lethal to a child or even an adult. The vehicle only has 39,xxx miles and has been used lightly as a family vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection by NHTSA officials. Additionally, I have seen other vehicles with the same problem video taped on youtube. Such links can be provided to investigators. Honda should recall these vehicles and disable the automatic closing of the lift gate that is occurring without any driver intervention. It is beyond reasonable to assume this fault can be lethal or cause serious bodily injury.

The auto-idle engine system malfunctions constantly. For example, several times I almost got into dangerous or possibly fatal accidents- I was in stop and go traffic on an interstate. Traffic slowed to a stop. I held the brake. The engine idled. I took my foot off the break and moved it to the gas when the traffic abruptly restarted. The car stalled and shut down. The cars around me expected me to go and had to swerve around me while I desperately tried to restart. There is no way to set a default that the auto idle feature is off when I start the car. I have to remember to turn it off. This also happened at an on ramp with a stop light, I almost got rammed by the car behind me. This feature is a drain on the engine and battery and is dangerous when it is not working correctly. The default should be off or just not have it at all. Honda dealerships aren’t willing to help me.

Rear door would not open with key fob, button on the dash or the button on the rear door. Then it randomly opened one morning and would not close. Through research I found out there is a problem with water leakage, the vehicle is not properly sealed. Resulting in a damage micu. I was able to replace the micu and the rear door works now. I believe this is a safety concern, how can I drive with the door not latching. When I unplugged the micu water poured out and you can see rust in the fender well where the micu sits.

Auto idle stop. When the auto idle stop is on, when the vehicle is stopped at a light or due to traffic the vehicle while in drive will completely turn off. Unable to hit the accelerator to move as designed. We have to restart the vehicle and sometimes it takes multiple restarts. Extremely unsafe since we are unable to keep up with traffic. It has happened multiple times without warning. We have to make sure make a point to keep the auto idle engine turned off, but when you turn the car on it is automatically turned on. Called Honda, no recalls on this issue.

1. Issue: *multiple (5+) warning lights on dash [I. E. Road departure mitigation system problem, adaptive cruise control problem, lane keeping assist problem, auto high beam warning, collision mitigation system problem etc. ] 2. Honda dealer diagnosed & confirmed the issue as "multi purpose internal camera failure" 3. A failed camera affects safety related functionality which affects the safety of both driver and other drivers. 4. The issue first appeared March 16th, 2024.

Power tailgate module exposed to water due to manufacturer defect in sealing above module. Causing various electrical systems to fail including safety features. I do have the damaged module. Tailgate opened and wouldn’t close, when car in motion. Unable to use vehicle, the amount of electric items, due to fear brakes or transmission would fail while driving minivan full of young children vehicle had warning light shortly after heavy rain. Was intermittent.

A latch inside the driver door of the car broke and my husband was unable to exit the vehicle. There was no reason for this part to break, no collision or rough use of the door. We just drove from our home to our destination without incident and the door would not open when we arrived. The dealership had to replace the broken part.

The car stalled when stopped at a red traffic light. This happened on 2 occasions, 11-3-23 and 12-9-23. The second time other cars behind us had to go around us while we tried to restart the car which put them at risk of being hit by cars in the other lanes. There was no warning. I took the car in for regular maintenance a few days ago during which the dealership did a multi point inspection but did not discuss this issue. Yesterday I heard about the fuel pump recall and think this might be the same issue. I called the dealership today but they said our car is not under the recall. Our car is available for inspection upon request.

Occasionaly car will not start of up after idle stop engages. Collision warning flashes then leaves us stranded in intersection. Very danagerous.

My rear entertainment does not show dvds playing however when I insert a dvd I hear audio but the bluray rear entertainment appears to be stuck in loading setting and does not show a picture. Honda said there is a recall for this issue however my vehicle is not listing the recall. It is distracting to the driver and passengers causing stress.

My vehicle has the engine idle option and shuts the engine off when idle in traffic or at traffic lights, etc. There have been incidents where the engine doesn't just shut off but it powers off the entire car and doesn't want to turn back on. My battery is fine because I just had service done on it and they tested the battery and its 100% fine. This issue is not a battery issue for my car. I literally had ptsd when the car shut off though because it happened at a location on the roadway where I had previously been rear ended in another vehicle and after my car shut off this time - my anxiety was very high that day and I was literally shaking. I was scared not knowing what was wrong with my car.

I believe the idle start stop malfunctioned. The three times this has happened, I have been at a stop light and when I released the break and attempted to accelerate, my car turned off. It took several tries to get the car started and I felt very unsafe. In researching online I've discovered that I am not alone and am concerned that Honda hasn't had a recall to address the problem. Are they waiting for someone to die or be severely injured before addressing the issue?.

The right-side sliding door for the rear seat row has a recurring malfunction. When the vehicle is locked and not running the sliding door will open a small bit, all by itself. It will remain stuck in this position and the electrical sliding door mechanism will not operate it. No one can exit or enter the vehicle using that door. The door can be forced to the full open position with substantial exertion by an adult male. It will then close and the electrical opening/closing mechanism will work alright for some time until the problem occurs again. This vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle dealer service department said they had seen this problem before in other vehicles. This component of my vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or others. When this problem occurs, a warning message is displayed on the vehicle electronic dashboard saying "right sliding door problem. ".

When at a stop light at a busy intersection the idle stop feature would not restart the engine. The vehicle became stalled in the middle of traffic and I could not restart the vehicle for approximately 8 minutes. A transmission failure warning came on the screen and I was unable to operate anything in the vehicle. This could have caused me to be hit by oncoming traffic or rear ended. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer and they were unable to reproduce the problem. This has happened a total of 3 times within the last 3 months.

I purchased my 2020 Honda Odyssey 3 months ago. We did notice that part number 72650-thr-a12 the rear door latch was carroded. The dealer had told me not to be concerned. Well I have been unable to drive my vehicle because I am waiting for that part which is on national backorder. The incident happened two weeks ago my sliding door opened while driving with my kids in the car. I had to pull over to try to close it I thought it was a fluke. Turns out I couldn't get it to stay closed. I had to drive it back home with the warning lights that my door is open. I can't get it to close at all or lock the vehicle while driving. There should be no reason why the inside of my door is all rusted and carroded. Not sure how water is getting in there. This leads to a failed door latch which then leads to the sliding door malfunction. The part is on backorder which makes me think that there are many other people experiencing the same problem.