2012 Honda Odyssey problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (44) · Structure:body (20) · Steering (18)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Odyssey model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
186 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly 2017-11-17 · campaign 17V725000 · 806,936 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats can slide sideways to one of two positions. If a seat is placed between either of the two positions when attaching the seat to the vehicle floor, the seat will not latch properly to the seat striker, allowing the seat to tip forward unexpectedly during braking.
Risk: If the seat tips forward during braking, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket to the second row outboard floor strikers, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2018. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is S0G.
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly 2016-12-27 · campaign 16V933000 · 633,753 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 17, 2010, to October 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have second row outboard seats that have a release lever that allows the seats to move for easier access to the third row of seats. This release lever may remain in the unlocked position allowing the seats to move unexpectedly.
Risk: An unlocked second row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional bracket and spring to both second row outboard seats, free of charge. Interim letter has been mailed, and a second notification will be sent . Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD5.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2013-04-15 · campaign 13V143000 · 204,169 vehicles
Defect: Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.
Air Bags 2013-01-18 · campaign 13V016000 · 748,481 vehicles
Defect: Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from March 13, 2008, through December 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Risk: The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Suspension:front 2011-12-22 · campaign 11V602000 · 9 vehicles
Defect: HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012, ODYSSEY VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 31, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2011. THE RETENTION NUT FOR THE FRONT RIGHT LOWER SUSPENSION DAMPER BOLT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER TORQUE, POTENTIALLY ALLOWING THE NUT TO LOOSEN.
Risk: IF THE NUT LOOSENS, THE FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY WOULD ONLY BE ATTACHED BY ONE BOLT, ALLOWING THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO SHIFT TO AN EXTREME INWARD ANGLE, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF STEERING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: HONDA CONTACTED ALL NINE OWNERS BY PHONE ON DECEMBER 19, 2011, AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLES AS NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
Service bulletins (133)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Trailer Hitches 2022-04-14 · APD04142022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - on january 23, 2016, american honda announced a product update for 2011-14 odyssey vehicles. the trailer hitch weight was not properly calculated into the gross axle weight rating (gawr) on the vehicle certification label. this can create a situation where the vehicle exceeds the in
Service Brakes 2021-02-26 · APaS02262021902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2011-2016 cr-zs, 2010-2014 insights, & 2011-2017 odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when depressed, almost reaching the floor. to better understand the cause of this condition, ah
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2021-02-10 · APaS02102021902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2011-2016 cr-zs, 2010-2014 insights, & 2011-2017 odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when depressed, almost reaching the floor. to better understand the cause of this condition, ah
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2021-01-23 · A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - there are several a/c leak detection tools available. -refrigerant gas leak detector -ultrasonic leak detector -leak dye"
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2021-01-22 · APaS01222021909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2011-2016 cr-zs, 2010-2014 insights, & 2011-2017 odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when depressed, almost reaching the floor. to better understand the cause of this condition, ah
Service Brakes 2021-01-06 · APaS01062021907 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dealer message - american honda motor co., inc. (ahm) is searching for certain 2011-2016 cr-zs, 2010-2014 insights, & 2011-2017 odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when depressed, almost reaching the floor. to better understand the cause of this condition, ah
Showing the 6 most recent of 133 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-20 · Seats“my vehicle electrical system has been acting up since i got vehicle and i don't know where to take vehicle for recent recalls to fix it.…”
2026-09-11 · Electrical System · 180,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 honda odyssey. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving at undisclosed speeds, the clock on the vehicle was flashing, causing a distraction to the driver while driving. the contact stated that the flashing of the clock was controlled by satellite gps, and the system could not be reset. the dealer…”
2026-09-09 · Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System) · 190,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 honda odyssey. the contact stated that while starting the vehicle and while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio screen displayed "0:00", and the navigation system was inoperable. the manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. the failure mileage was approximately 190,000.…”
2026-08-11 · Electrical System“i own a honda odyssey equipped with the auto idle stop (automatic engine start-stop) system. the feature has not operated properly and behaves inconsistently. in addition to frequently failing to engage when the vehicle is stopped, i have experienced several instances where the engine shut off as part of the auto idle stop function and then failed …”
2026-05-16 · Power Train“piston rings wore out prematurely on our 2012 honda odyssey. this was caused by the vcm system. its a known issue on hondas. it only had 88,600 miles at the time. we were driving our 2012 honda odyssey in december 2023. the check engine light began to flash. it starting running rough. we had it towed to a honda dealer for inspection. they pulled …”
2026-05-01 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“the 2012 honda odyssey alternator caught on fire after the battery light came on which luckily i, the driver, was able to put out. the next day i towed the vehicle to boyd honda auto in oxford, nc, where they confirmed with diagnostic that the alternator was overworking and that there was a seeping spool valve. this seeping spool valve is a manufac…”
2026-05-01 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 214,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 honda odyssey. it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. the vehicle mileage was 117,000 at the time of purchase; however, the title listed the mileage at 14,580. the department of motor vehicle reported that the actual mileage as 214,000.…”
2026-04-24 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“on wednesday night, the battery light initially came on and after a few minutes the van had this burning smell so i pulled over and the alternator was on fire. i put it out with several bottles of water from papa john’s. today, at boyd honda in oxford said in the diagnosis that there was a sweeping spool valve that had leaked which must have caused…”
2025-12-08 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 285,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 honda odyssey. the contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 80,000. it was later discovered, after checking the carfax report that the mileage was 285,000.…”
2025-09-16 · Engine“vcm problems burn oil and misfire code…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.