Body Problems of Honda Odyssey - part 1

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

See all problems of the 2020 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

White pearl paint of my 2014 Odyssey is peeling on the roof, almost all of the paint has peeled off on the top front part of the roof and this seems to be a common problem with this paint color and year of Odyssey.

See all problems of the 2014 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

Water getting into trunk.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

The power tailgate on my 2021 Honda Odyssey suddenly failed. A “power tailgate problem” warning appeared, and the tailgate became completely inoperable. It would not latch manually or automatically, even when applying force. The latch would spring back open, and no mechanical sound came from the door. Because the tailgate would not latch, the interior lights stayed on, and the vehicle continued to display “tailgate open” warnings. I could not secure the tailgate for driving, which created a safety hazard since the door could not be properly closed during travel. A few days later, both sliding doors also stopped functioning, and none of the powered doors (tailgate or sliding doors) would operate from the interior switches, exterior buttons, or key fob. The Honda service center inspected the vehicle and reported that the tailgate control module was corroded and had clear evidence of water damage. They stated that they would not replace the module until the vehicle was evaluated by a body shop because a water leak was likely present and would continue damaging components. The body shop later confirmed that water intrusion was entering through the upper left rear pillar, caused by a leak in the roof seam area. Water traveled into the rear side panel and damaged the tailgate control module and related electrical systems. Their findings were documented and also confirmed by my insurance inspector. Prior to the failure, there were no symptoms. The only warning occurred at the moment the system failed (“power tailgate problem”). The issue occurred without any impact, accident, or misuse. The defects caused multiple powered doors to become inoperable, which is a significant safety risk for both passengers and the driver. Based on publicly available information, this appears to be a recurring problem in 2018–2021 Honda Odyssey vehicles involving water leaks near the rear pillar leading to electrical control module failures.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

My wife and I purchased a new 2025 Honda Odyssey van as it currently has about 11,000 miles and we both have noticed a front end vibration/rattle/noise that can be heard and felt in the steering wheel at varying speeds in the front suspension which leads me to believe as an engineer there are issues with sway bar end links, bad strut mounts, or loose control arm bushings that are especially noticeable over any bumps. This issue could pose a serious safety issues in dealing with failed suspension or steering that could cause a potential wreck or loss of control of a vehicle and result in a product liability suit for all parties involved especially given suspension and steering are considered critical auto parts in nature. The problem has been reproduced with my making an appointment at watermark Honda located at 3201 park Ave, paducah, ky 42001 on November 19th, 2025 with the master service tech caleb buchanan and service advisor harley littrell both driving the vehicle and acknowledging the noise and vibration. I also have any recorded video while driving at 5-10 mph in the parking lot of watermark Honda that was shared and viewed by harley littrell. The vehicle was inspected with some strut bolts and other front end component bolts being torqued down the same day with the issue not being resolved. Harley/caleb noted that they were dealing with the same issue on another 2025 Honda Odyssey on the lot to be sold and they were trying to address issues. As of follow-up appointment on 12/11/25, harley noted this van had several front end parts replaced and it still made noise with this van not being able to be sold to the public. I was advised by harley to contact american Honda and to file this report. See uploaded video below.

The power sliding door on the driver’s side failed and will not open, even manually. The mechanism engages and stops after about an inch. This creates a significant safety risk because passengers cannot exit through the door in an emergency. This appears to be a widespread defect in 2018–2020 Honda Odyssey models. Repair cost is approximately $1,000. Honda needs to address this as a safety issue.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

Driver side rear sliding door will not open even when the automatic release button is disengaged. Some could be trapped in an emergency or I am worried that if it opens I will not be able to get it closed.

Power tailgate problem is going off repeatedly while car is on. Power tailgate does not open with remote or button inside car. There seems to be water leaking in tailgate seams. The constant beeping of problem popping up is startling and distracting to driver.

The rear power liftgate on our 2019 Honda Odyssey has repeatedly closed automatically while the vehicle is parked on a slope, including our driveway. This has occurred multiple times, and in one instance, the door struck me on the head. The issue seems to be gravity-related and may involve a malfunction in the tailgate spring or motor system. I reported this to the dealership, and they were unable to replicate the issue. However, I have video evidence and found that Honda issued service bulletin 22-018, which may be related. The dealership has not confirmed whether this bulletin applies to our vehicle. This is a serious safety concern, especially for families with children or elderly passengers. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this issue is widespread and whether a recall or further guidance is warranted.

Read driver side power sliding door, got stuck halfway open. I've had this happen on the passenger side as well, but after turning the car off, putting power doors to manual, and rocking it back and forth, I got it fixed no problem and ended up having to replace a bump sensor on the door and it resolved. I thought that's what was going on when it happened to my driver side door as well. However after I turned the car off, and turned the doors to manual it still wouldn't close. I turned them back to automatic, turned the car back on, and the door proceeded to start going back, it rocked violently then broke the rear window and before stopping again. I read this track roller has been a problem for many users of this van and in some cases the entire door has fallen off because of it.

The sliding doors will not open at intermittent times. Warnings will flash off and on about door error but not consistently. If there is an incident or an emergency, the door will not open. If there were an accident and the driver cannot turn off the power door switch then anyone in the back cannot get the door to open, they would be trapped. We have had one motor replaced already. We opted to do that because we had a newborn on that side and we needed to be able to get to her quickly if she needed us and we were unable to rely on that door. The other door is doing it as well.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

The moonroof on my 2025 Honda Odyssey spontaneously exploded while I was driving it on [xxx] between new orleans and slidell, la. The date of the incident was [xxx]. I was traveling at about 65 mph, the outside temperature was 93 deg f and the sky was clear. The highway was smooth and there was no construction in the area which would have produced loose pebbles or rocks. The explosion was like an artillery piece had fired overhead. I was lucky to have maintained control of the vehicle and the moonroof sliding cover was closed preventing broken glass from showering down on my wife and me. The next day I brought the car to the dealership (royal Honda, metairie, la)to report the defect and to have the car repaired. I was told by the dealer that the manufacturer does not inspect failures such as this one and that Honda declined to repair the damage under warranty even though the minivan had less that 4,000 miles on it and 3 months old. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Description of the problem I am filing this complaint regarding a serious safety concern and poor quality repair on my 2025 Honda Odyssey, which I purchased new less than one year ago. 1. Engine auto idle stop / starter failure issue the vehicle suddenly shut down when the “auto idle stop” feature was activated. This incident occurred multiple times, and I was unable to restart the engine until several attempts later. This creates a dangerous situation, especially in traffic or intersections. When I contacted the dealer, they confirmed that the issue is caused by a starter motor failure, and the replacement part will not be available until early November — meaning I must drive for over a month with this feature turned off. Many other owners have reported similar problems online, which strongly suggests a potential defect that should qualify for a safety recall. 2. Water leak and poor quality repair my vehicle also experienced a water leak from the roof area. The dealer attempted to fix it by simply applying sealing material on the roof molding (see attached photos). The repair looks extremely unprofessional, and I requested them to properly replace or reinstall the roof molding, but they refused. This type of repair is unacceptable for a new vehicle of this class and price. 3. Honda’s unsatisfactory response I contacted Honda customer service (1-800-999-1009) and spoke directly with a representative. However, I was told that: they cannot extend the warranty. They cannot offer any compensation or goodwill service. They cannot provide me with a record or copy of our phone conversation (even though they recorded it). They will only repair the starter once parts arrive. I explained that I have already spent time, fuel, and lost work hours visiting the dealer multiple times, yet they refused any support. Safety concern and requested action the engine shut-off issue clearly affects vehicle safety and could cause accidents in traffic. I request that NHTSA inv.

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.

Severe rust and corrosion since 2015. Spreading across the whole roof line and visibly peeling paint. Not typical peeling paint, it appears to have originated beneath the trim or roof components, suggesting a possible failure of seem sealant, design drainage or factory primer. This points to a latent defect due go early onset and location and not normal wear.

See all problems of the 2011 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

Driver side sliding door fell off, cable broke first then the door fell off while manually opening. This resulted in extensive damage to the body and almost cause physical harm.

Honda has issued a service bulletin (service bulletin 22-018 [xxx] ) for the issue stating that "after powering open, the tailgate either slowly sags down or the power tailgate control unit sounds a warning tone before powering the tailgate closed" this is a danger as the liftgate closes aggressively and anyone standing under it can be hit in the head and severely injured. The force required to reverse the closure is significant and requires active attention. If one had opened the liftgate and started removing items from the trunk, as has happened to both my wife and myself, the liftgate can hit very hard. If a child is there the risk is significant. This has happened to us multiple times. This should not be a mere service bulletin which requires out of pocket cost to the consumer, but an active recall for repair information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2022 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

The passenger side sliding door was generally having issues with latching fully closed. But even after managing to get the sliding door fully closed, the rear passenger sliding door partially opened up by itself whilst going over a speed bump. It seems to be very dangerous for a sliding door to even partially open itself while the vehicle is driving and in motion. I've asked Honda to look at this pursuant to recall no. 20v-437 (which would seem to be the issue described in the recall of the door opening by itself), but Honda is advising that I may need to pay for even the diagnosis out of pocket without any acknowledgement that the repair or diagnosis will be covered. Date below is very approximate - all of this has happened over the last month or two.

The tail gate automatically closes on us due to failed strut to support it. This is a repeatable process. When open the tail gate, it will closes automatically - very dangerous when the user (me) is trying to put stuffs in or out of the trunk. It closes on my head a few times. Went to dealership, they said this is a common issue where the strut holding up the tailgate failed and had to be replaced. It is currently not under recall, so I must pay fully for it to be safe.

Driver side rear sliding door fell off after cables snapped when opening. This puts my kids at risk of falling out of the car. This happened spontaneously without any accidents or force.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

On a rainy day, the power tailgate began to malfunction. First it would open part of the way, beep, and then close, then when trying again it would go move back and forth on its own, and then close. Trying it again later, however, it completely stopped working to the point where we had to manually force it to open and close, only the latch would work. The heads-up display showed power tailgate error. On my attempt to troubleshoot I found that water had leaked into the area behind the driver's-side rear inside body panel where the rear control module and fuse housing is located, which I noticed was covered with water. I was able to partially dry this. Later on the rear tailgate started working again briefly but the problem returned and now it no longer works. I contacted Honda USA about this issue and they told me there is no recall for this, however when I did a google search this issue immediately pops up and seems to be a common manufacturing safety problem that has not been addressed.

The rear hatch will randomly close after it is opened. The hatch will not stop closing if someone is standing under it. Several times now it has closed while someone is getting something out of the back and you can not make it stop without quickly getting out of the way and pressing the button. Both, myself and my wife have been hit pretty hard on the head by the hatch closing on us. This is a huge safety concern as I have children that could easily be harmed by the sheer power of this hatch. I have had the issue inspected by an independent shop and was informed that it would need both new power struts at a cost of over $1,200! the van is only 5 years old with 75,000 miles! there are no warning lights, messages or problems prior to the failure.

The rear lift gate malfunctioned, causing my rear lift gate to get scratch from top to bottom because the lift gate would not stop. I have never had issues with manually stopping the lift gate. I pushed the button and let it come up and then used force to stop it and it would not stop. I do crossfit 5 days a week and find myself to be strong suit, I physically could not stop this lift gate. It broke two of my nails in the process because I was doing everything I could to stop the lift gate. Instead of stopping it kept going scratching up against our basketball hoop because it malfunctioned. What if this was my arm or my leg stuck in between versus an item? what if this was someone's head, including my children's head? it would have decapitated them. The amount of force of this lift gate was insane, there was absolutely no stopping it. I have an issue with this, not safe at all. You should be able to easily stop this back lift gate without that much physical force. Our Honda Odyssey lift gate malfunctioned and would not stop.

Safety recall #18-128, power sliding door rear latches was performed on or around September of 2020 on my vehicle. Last week (04/30/2025), my passenger side sliding door would not open. After removing passemger side inner door panel to inspect, found rear latch cable frayed closest to a microswitch found (as of 05/04/2025, it is currently held together by 2 strands of the cable). I also verified the operation between the front and rear latch of the passenger sliding door with the door panel off, and noticed it intermittently touches the microswitch when closing the door, further confirming the issue. My concern is the rear latch cable being frayed. The latches operate normal and as intended, the problem is I cannot purchase the cables separately, only as a complete unit with the latch.

Passenger side slider won’t shut, driver’s side slider won’t latch. Driver side door suddenly opens when driving!!!! Honda dealer tech found worn bushing on passenger side center rollers, faulty, driver side, sliding door rear latch, passenger side, outer handle cable popped out. Check installed cable for passenger side outer handle recommended replaced driver side sliding door rear latch assembly estimated $930. Also recommended latch passenger side center rollers estimated 485.

See all problems of the 2009 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

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.

A problem with the frame of the van in the rear/above the liftgate not being properly welded created leaking/malfunction of the liftgate and water remediation needed under the headliner. A significant safety issue was created-causing unprovoked opening and closing of the liftgate during operation of the vehicle both while parked and moving. Multiple times were individuals harmed during this process, as well as health issues from riding in the van during long period in an environment with mildew and mold development.

While driving in a construction zone, the vehicle's lane departure system jerked the wheel and almost made me leave the lane very dangerous. Same vehicle, the a'c was found not operating and a dealer diagnosis found that the system was overfilled and that an electrical connection was not hooked up from the factory. Same vehicle, body panels are not properly aligned from the sliding door to the passenger side door, gap is almost 1/2 inch.

I am [xxx]. I purchased this Honda Odyssey van after it was modified by braunability. They put in an automatic underfloor ramp, and other modifications. When used without these modifications, there are three rows of seating. Passengers go in and out, and the passenger-side sliding door opens with an automatic button. There is a sensor that controls that door. It is never in danger of being hit or disturbed in use by an ambulatory person. However, when it is used with a ramp, the second row of seats is removed and replaced with a passenger-side ramp. The ramp is 30 inches wide. The normal power wheelchair is 26 to 29 inches wide. This leaves only 2 inches maximum on either side of the ramp for the wheelchair. It is virtually impossible to not hit the sensor when going in or out by wheelchair!! I have had this van for about two years. I use it about once every two weeks. Most times I have an assistant driving. I have only used it about 50 times total, in two years. On [xxx], I had a doctor's appointment. I activated the automatic door and ramp. I rolled up the ramp, and parked in the passenger area. That seat has been removed for the wheelchair. My assistant pushed the button to activate the ramp to go back under-floor. It did so. But the sliding door on the passenger side did not close at all! eventually he managed to manually slide the door shut. If I had been driving alone, I would have been stranded right there---at the doctor's office, shopping center, etc. , as I do not have the strength to manually close that door! this is clearly a danger to disabled people using this modified Honda Odyssey. Honda and braunability should be required to protect and reinforce the sensor area so users will not easily damage the sensor with light use of this van! this may also be a clear violation of the ada, the americans with disabilities act. [xxx], retired information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The power tailgate continues giving issues. I made the first repair about 1. 5 years after purchasing as a new vehicle purchase. Now a few years, after the first repair, I', seeing the same issue. The power tailgate stops working and makes all the warning lights on my dashboard light up and drains my battery. During the last repair, the tailgate power unit was replaced as water gets into the compartment and causes damage. Initially it affected the driving assistance, the power steering system and lights as they were all acting up, with the dashboard full of warning messages, when the tailgate initially stopped working.

The car is 2019 and has about 23k miles and the tailgate malfunctioned and is completely inoperable. Based on my visit to the lou sobh Honda dealer in cumming, GA, I was told that there is a crack in the body that needs to be sealed and water from there caused the control board to be exposed and get "fried". This is not something I would expect to have a warranty. At least there should be some responsibility to get this fixed, first time for free or whatever. If the diagnostics is replacing tailgate module and reseal, I feel Honda should take some ownership on this. I have read online that many drivers have the same issue. When asked to Honda customer service, I was told there is "no campaign". If there is none, I want to create one. Have to spend 1000$s on a repair that has nothing to do with my driving or care is meaningless.

Under 45 degrees, the back door will not open. The latch is faulty and fails in moderate to severe cold weather. In an emergency where we would need to exit the rear of the vehicle, there’s no way to open the rear door from the inside or outside. It is under 45 degrees for about half the year where I live. It is more than just an inconvenience, it is a safety concern.

See all problems of the 2016 Honda Odyssey 🔎.

There is water leaking in the body which damages the power tailgate control module located at the rear driver side. The tailgate doesn’t open and endanger people inside in case there is any accident.

Profuse amount of water intrusion and pooling of water in the rear of the vehicle near the tailgate of vehicle during rainstorm. Water not from above, ceiling not wet. Concerns about water causing rust, and electrical damage.

I have had 3 power tailgate modules fail due to water leaks in the rear panel or window of the vehicle. I have had 2 leaks repaired and two modules replaced within a 6 month period (June '24 and December '24). 6 weeks later (Feb 14, 2024) have had the 3 module fail due to water intrusion following a heavy rain.