Table 1 shows one common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2026 Honda Odyssey.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems |
The vehicle was slowing due to stopped traffic and the engine suddenly shut off (before the vehicle had come to a complete stop) and put itself into park. The vehicle could not be immediately restarted. The car was blocking traffic. After leaving the car off for approximately 10 minutes the car was able to restart.
My 2026 Honda Odyssey has only been driven for 7 months so far but several times has left me stalled in the middle of the road due to the auto idle stop (start-stop) system failing to restart the engine. When it happened today, I was stopped at a light, but when it turned green, the engine didn't restart, leaving me stuck in the middle of the road with cars going around me. This created a serious threat of a rear-end collision, which could result in serious injury or death. Three children were in the vehicle at the time, which is especially common for most people who drive this vehicle. When it occured, the dashboard displayed the message "to continue to drive, depress the brake pedal and push switch," but this did not work. The vehicle had to be completely turned off first then restarted normally. There was no prior warning or indications this would occur. The problem only occurs sporadically making it hard to reproduce by a dealer.
The van turns completely off very often when at a complete stop. I am not referring to the auto start/stop feature which is equipped standard on the vehicle. The van physically turns completely off, as if I turned off the car, requiring me to turn the car on completely. This has created very dangerous situations as im often traveling trying to merge into traffic etc and the vehicle is off on active roadways. There is no warning, just turns off completely.
Our 2026 Honda Odyssey ex-l repeatedly shuts off completely while stopped at a traffic light or intersection and does not restart on its own. This is not normal auto idle stop operation. When the brake is released, the engine fails to restart; the vehicle must be manually restarted by pushing the engine start/stop button. This happened four times in the week of October 19, 2026 alone, in addition to earlier occurrences. Each time the vehicle is left stranded in live traffic in an active intersection, blocking traffic and creating a risk of a rear-end collision. No crash, fire, or injury to date. Approximate mileage 8,000. This appears to be the same auto idle stop failure-to-restart condition under NHTSA engineering analysis ea25-004, but that investigation covers only 2018-2025 Odyssey -- this vehicle is a 2026, outside its scope. The vehicle is under factory warranty. We request that the investigation be expanded to include the 2026 model year.
Start stop engine when on drive, car wont tyrn on got stuck on a interstate very damgerous I consider this a lemon.
On xxx my 2026 Honda Odyssey touring, bought new on xxx and driven about 6,000 miles, was stopped at a red light in [xxx], with auto idle stop engaged as designed. When the light turned green and I released the brake, the engine did not restart. The transmission shifted itself into park, and the display showed a message to hold the brake and press d to restart. I followed it, but the vehicle would not shift into drive. The only way to get moving was to turn the vehicle completely off and restart it with the start button, stopped in a live traffic lane while cars behind me honked. The vehicle was disabled without warning in a travel lane at an intersection, exposing its occupants to a rear-end collision. Had the same failure happened while I was turning or crossing an intersection, the vehicle would have been stranded in cross traffic. For about two before this, restarts from auto idle stop had become slow and labored, with a noticeable delay before the engine caught. No warning lights appeared before the failure. The failure appears to involve the auto idle stop restart system. The vehicle has not yet been inspected. It is scheduled for warranty diagnosis at a Honda dealer on xxx, and is available for inspection on request. I understand NHTSA’s engineering analysis ea25-004 covers this failure on 2018–2025 Odysseys; this 2026 model shows the same failure. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Three times in the past two months my car has failed to switch out of auto idle stop to drive when at a stop sign or light. A warning appeared all three tomes and I could not switch out of park. I had to restart the car, which took longer than usual to restart, and then out it back into drive.
My 2026 Honda Odyssey’s auto idle stop system shut the engine off at a red light, and when I lifted off the brake the engine failed to restart, leaving the vehicle completely inoperable in traffic. I had to shift into park and manually restart the engine. This has happened three times.
There is some sort of starter issue. It has a way to turn the starter off when I’m idle but multiple times it’s taken a long time to start after idling. Today it would not move after I was idle at a light so I had to park and restart the car. Then I went home and was going to go out again and it didn’t start. I waited a minute and it started again. I feel unsafe in this vehicle.
1. Idle stop system failure: on three separate occasions over the past two months—including today—the vehicle failed to restart after idle stop engaged. The engine remained unresponsive until I shifted into park and manually restarted it using the start/stop button while pressing the brake pedal. This is not a minor inconvenience; it is a dangerous malfunction that could result in catastrophic consequences in traffic. 2. Uncommanded loss of vehicle settings: several system settings, including the automatic door lock function when exiting the vehicle with the key, have reset or disappeared without any action on my part. The vehicle has only about 11,900 miles on it. Failures of this magnitude at this mileage are unacceptable and represent a clear threat to driver and passenger safety.
Starter went bad at 15,000 miles… I’m part of some online forums and it’s a common problem. Honda tech even admitted that it common. Honda knows about the problem, but I don’t see any recall for the common problem. What happens when it goes out and the car is out of warranty? I’ll be eating the cost. It’s something worth looking into….
When the car is shutting by every red light and you start driving again, the engine will not start. The car will shut off completely.
Sitting at a light, the auto stop system activated and shut the engine off. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and the engine failed to. Start and the entire electrical system shut off. The card was completely dead. I sat there for several minutes and I was able to restart the car.
While driving my 2026 Honda Odyssey, I stopped at a red light and the engine shut off through the auto idle stop system. I pressed the auto idle stop off button because I wanted the engine running again before proceeding. Instead of restarting the engine, the vehicle completely shut down and became inoperable in traffic. I repeatedly attempted to restart the vehicle, but it remained unresponsive for approximately 20 seconds before it finally restarted. This created a serious safety hazard because I was unable to move the vehicle while positioned in active traffic. This was not normal auto idle stop operation, as the engine should have restarted when I pressed the button. This has happened several times already, where the car will not restart the engine. Requesting that NHTSA investigate possible auto-idle stop/failure-to-restart problems affecting the 2026 Honda Odyssey.
My ais system kicked in causing the engine to shut off. Unfortunately, the engine did not restart. I was unable to start my car or even shift it to neutral for a helpful bystander to help me push my car off of the road. I was blocking traffic on a busy road and I am very fortunate that I was not rear ended. Eventually, after about half an hour, was able to get the car restarted (even then, lots of “clicking” and hesitation with starting). I then drove the vehicle home. I took it to Honda and they made me aware today that they were unable to get the car to repeat this problem, nothing was wrong, I could pick it up and let them know if it happened again.
While stopped at a red light, the auto stop/start system shut off the engine as designed but then failed to restart it. The vehicle remained stalled in the intersection for several minutes while I attempted to restart the engine manually. This left the vehicle and my family stopped in traffic, creating a potential safety risk from surrounding vehicles. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to this incident or after.
While stopped at a red light- the idle stop engaged, but when released brake to go again, the engine failed to engage and I was not able to go- it then showed up on the instrument cluster to in order to drive- I needed to restart my vehicle. This has happened now 7 times in 9 months. 3 being in the last week.
Three times in the past week my van has shut off while I was preparing to move forward at a stop light. My car begins to idle as soon as it’s stopped, but when I lift my foot off the brake, instead of turning back on, my van engine shuts all the way off or jerks hard before acceleration. Resulting in me having to hurry and put my car in park & restart the engine. It’s very dangerous!.
Starter failed.
2026 Honda Odyssey: strong exhaust/fuel odor in cabin causing dizziness and nausea I am submitting this complaint to report a potential safety issue involving a vehicle that is less than one year old. Beginning this past weekend, the vehicle suddenly began filling the passenger cabin with a strong exhaust-like odor during normal operation. The odor is severe enough that multiple occupants have experienced symptoms such as dizziness and nausea after spending approximately 10 minutes inside the vehicle. I visited my local Honda dealership to report the issue and seek assistance. According to the representatives I spoke with, Honda believes this is a known and widespread issue affecting multiple makes and models and that it is allegedly related to recent changes in gasoline formulation. I was further informed that Honda is aware of the issue, that engineering teams are working on a solution, and that there is currently no corrective action available to consumers. Honda also stated that, despite the odor, the condition does not involve toxic fumes and is only an odor concern. I am not ready to accept that explanation without further investigation. At this time: the condition began suddenly and without warning. The odor is strong and persistent. Occupants have experienced dizziness and nausea while riding in the vehicle. Honda has not identified a repair or mitigation. Honda has indicated that this may be a broader issue rather than an isolated vehicle defect. I am requesting that NHTSA review this matter to determine whether similar complaints have been reported and whether this condition warrants further investigation as a potential safety defect. I have also requested that Honda provide written documentation supporting its statements regarding: the alleged fuel-formulation cause of the issue. The assertion that occupants are not being exposed to harmful fumes. Any technical bulletins, engineering analyses, or communications related to this condition.
Idle stop function error during waiting at red light. Engine failed to restart so I had to turned it off and restarted the engine at the traffic light. Happened twice already. Idle stop system is defective need to be recalled.
At a stop light the van turned off and would not turn back on. . . Finally was able to get it to auto zone who said it was a bad battery, we then took it to Honda with it only having 7k miles on it. They determined it was the starter from the auto/start/stop feature. What if this was the highway? a 2026 vehicle this should not happen to.
I own a 2026 Honda Odyssey elite. On multiple occasions, the auto idle stop system shut the engine off while stopped at a traffic light. When I released the brake pedal to proceed, the engine failed to restart, leaving the vehicle disabled in traffic. I was forced to shift the vehicle into park and manually restart the engine using the start/stop button. This defect has occurred multiple times. I first reported the issue to my Honda dealership on June 2, 2026. After two visits where the dealer was unable to duplicate the concern, I captured the failure on video. During my third repair visit, the dealership's engineer personally experienced the failure twice while testing the vehicle. Honda customer relations opened a case and worked with the dealership. The dealership ultimately replaced the battery but advised me that this was only the next diagnostic step and not a confirmed root cause of the failure. This defect creates a significant safety hazard because the vehicle can become immobilized in an active traffic lane after the light turns green, exposing occupants to the risk of being struck by other vehicles.
The auto idle/stop caused my engine to stall not once but twice in the past few weeks while on a major highway. Light turns green and my car won't start back up. I have to let the car sit for a second then restart the car while traffic is flying past me on this highway. Absolutely ridiculous that my brand new car is having these issues and that I am unable to turn this feature off permanently.
My 2026 Honda Odyssey was stopped at a traffic light with auto idle stop engaged. When traffic was ready to move, the engine appeared to restart for about half a second and then shut down. The vehicle then shifted itself into park and would not resume normal operation. The battery warning light was illuminated. Pressing the engine start/stop button caused all of the screens/displays to turn off briefly, but they came back on in the same failed state. The vehicle was disabled in traffic at an intersection. The component or system that failed appears to be the auto idle stop / engine restart system, possibly involving the starter, starter relay, battery/charging system, or engine control software. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the vehicle unexpectedly failed to restart and became disabled while stopped at a traffic light, creating a traffic obstruction and risk of being struck from behind or causing other drivers to maneuver around the vehicle. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Unknown whether diagnostic trouble codes were stored. The vehicle/component has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure that I noticed. The battery warning light appeared after the engine shut down and the vehicle would not restart normally.
The auto stop- start has failed at least 4 times since purchasing in April. First, I was waiting for traffic on a busy 4-lane highway. A spot opened; I went pedal to metal, rolled across the white line with a dead car, lots of horns, but no impact; was able to restart after about 1minute. Another time I was at a stoplight 4 lane 55mph no restart. Cars flying past me, blowing horns. Battery light was on; would not start. Bracing for impact, I pushed buttons, considering running from car, finally started than would not shift from park. I was in life-threatening danger for a full light change until I was able to move. Dealer could not reproduce did relate he had many complaints. 75 years of driving I have never drove such a dangeous car.