2012 Honda Odyssey problems, complaints & recalls

2012 Honda Odyssey recalls (5)

• Recall 17V725000Nov 17, 2017806,936 vehicles
  SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 16V933000Dec 27, 2016633,753 vehicles
  SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 13V143000Apr 15, 2013204,169 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 13V016000Jan 18, 2013748,481 vehicles
  AIR BAGS

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 11V602000Dec 22, 20119 vehicles
  SUSPENSION:FRONT

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

• DP26005Opened Jul 13, 2026Closed Sep 24, 2026

  Inadvertent Deployment of Air Bags

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a Petition dated May 30, 2026. The Petition requested an investigation into inadvertent air bag deployment in model year (MY) 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The Petition contended that air bags can deploy absent a sufficiently severe event to trigger a deployment, such as an impact, rollover event, or G-force threshold breach. The Petition further alleged that the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) conflict and inaccurate data is being recorded for the air bag system. An air bag is a s…

Recent 2012 Honda Odyssey complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 20, 2026VAElectrical SystemSeats & Seat Belts

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11765690 · source
2. Filed Sep 11, 2026180,000 miFLElectrical System

   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 was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11763713 · source
3. Filed Sep 9, 2026190,000 miMOElectrical SystemOther / Unknown

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11763084 · source
4. Filed Aug 11, 2026GAElectrical 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 to restart promptly when I attempted to proceed. On several occasions, while stopped at red lights on major roads and highways,…

   NHTSA complaint #11756147 · source
5. Filed May 16, 2026OHTransmission & Drivetrain

   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 codes p303 and p304. they said the rings were worn and spark plugs fouled. they said this is a common issue because of the vcm.…

   NHTSA complaint #11738298 · source
6. Filed May 1, 2026214,000 miCAElectrical System

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11735117 · source
7. Filed May 1, 2026NCFireElectrical System

   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 manufacturer’s defect.

   NHTSA complaint #11735013 · source
8. Filed Apr 24, 2026NCFireElectrical System

   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 the alternator to blaze because this is a manufacturer’s defect from Honda.

   NHTSA complaint #11733644 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology