2015 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

Cylinders misfire due to leaky cylinder rings. Causes car to ride rough / shake violently. Needs to replace spark plugs, which were completely fouled out with oil. We have needed to have this car towed multiple times and make repeat repairs.

The VCM system has failed and caused oil to seep past piston rings and gum/foul up spark plugs. This is a known issue by Honda but they won’t do anything about it.

12/21/23: Wheelchair ramp and kneel function failed with no warning. This engaged safety feature that disables gear shift and keeps car in park. Unable to move car or deploy ramp using back-up override. Called Mobility Works (authorized VMI dealer). Troubleshooting failed to deploy ramp or kneel function. Told only option was to pop off tab next to gear shift and insert screwdriver to override “park” lock. Fortunately, quadriplegic spouse was not in the vehicle or he would have been trapped. 12/26/23 to 1/3/24: Vehicle inspected at Mobility Works, technician diagnosed controller board failure and recommended replacement. Told VMI lost supplier for controller board leaving no way to properly restore conversion equipment. On 1/3/24 spoke to VMI technician who confirmed controller board is unavailable. He stated VMI engineering department is trying to develop a workaround for a new controller board. VMI technician also reported two calls a day for this problem, and that it affects their Chrysler conversion equipment as well. 2/7/24: Telephoned VMI technical support. Told workaround for controller board will not be available for months. Told that if quadriplegic becomes trapped in car to call fire department. Told this is an acceptable solution in the mobility industry if back-up fails. Very cavalier, comparing to Ford no longer making fuel pump or fuel hose for his old truck. 4/18/24; 4/25/24: Emailed VMI requesting status of controller board replacement. No response. Conclusion: The controller board failed without warning, causing all conversion equipment to fail, including back-up override, and potentially trapping power wheelchair dependent individuals in their vehicles. VMI has failed to provide parts for repair of its conversion equipment. VMI authorized dealer estimates $1,000 to bypass controller board. This will cause certain accessibility functions to no longer work. The vehicle has been unusable for quadriplegic spouse since December 2023.

I am deeply concerned about the sudden breakdown of my vehicle due to the spool valve leaking onto the alternator and caused the loss of power and stalling of the vehicle while driving out of town and on an Interstate. This was an extremely scary time for me and my family being stranded on an expressway for over an hour and trying to figure out how to get my kids and family to safety. I have heard of others having the same issue with the same make and model vehicle and their repairs was covered by Honda. I don't understand why my issue would be any different and why my repairs are not currently covered by the Honda service bulletin. I would extremely hope honda take a deeper look at including my Vin in the service bulletin. I now understand this to be a well known issue as published in Honda Technical Service Bulletin TSB [XXX] However, no information was sent to owners even though Honda has known about the issue since at least March 2020. This puts unnecessary safety risks for those driving with oil leaking onto the alternator resulting in electrical system shutdowns and issues driving. I believe a recall and safety notice should be issued. Yes, the component was inspected by Honda and replaced. The first indicator was the ABS system warning light along with many other systems shutting down. This occurred at a high-rate of speed on the freeway. I am frustrated Honda has known abut this issue for many years, but has not informed owners nor offered to correct the issue leading to safety issues and costly repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Look forward to hearing better news from Honda and my repair coverage along with Honda standing by its product reliability.

A spool valve leak occurred leaking oil onto the alternator which caused it to fail when driving. When it failed, electrical systems started to shut down. At first, the ABS system indicator lit up. Multiple systems started to fail soon thereafter. Upon pulling over on the freeway, the vehicle was unable to go in reverse. The root cause was a spool valve leak that is well known and consequently puts drivers at risk when driving at high speeds. When driving down the interstate, all the electrical systems started to shut down. The ABS system was the first indicator, along with multiple electrical systems soon thereafter. Once pulled over, the vehicle could not go in reverse as well. I now understand this to be a well known issue as published in Honda Technical Service Bulletin TSB [XXX] However, no information was sent to owners even though Honda has known about the issue since at least March 2020. This puts unnecessary safety risks for those driving with oil leaking onto the alternator resulting in electrical system shutdowns and issues driving. I believe a recall and safety notice should be issued. Yes, the component was inspected by Honda and replaced. The first indicator was the ABS system warning light along with many other systems shutting down. This occurred at a high-rate of speed on the freeway. Upon pulling over, the vehicle also could not go in reverse. I am frustrated Honda has known abut this issue for many years, but has not informed owners nor offered to correct the issue leading to safety issues and costly repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to lose power upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. A warning message appeared on the instrument panel that instructed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for service. The contact initially took the vehicle to a dealer but due to a high volume of customers, the dealer could not service the vehicle. The next day, the vehicle was taken to a second dealer where a diagnostic test was performed that showed a piston ring failure had caused the engine oil to contaminate the spark plugs which led to an engine misfire. The dealer replaced the spark plugs, piston rings, and cylinder rings in cylinders number 1, 2, and 3. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 133,597.

Honda's variable cylinder management (VCM) system puts inordinate wear on engine cylinders that causes the vehicle to shake and misfire and eventually shut down the engine. It causes spark plug and cylinder coil failures and cylinder damage. This is not due to age, misuse or lack of proper maintenance. The VCM causes engine build up as a normal course of action. This is a known issue that Honda has never communicated to owners of these vehicles. Model years 2011-2013 had the same issue. Honda has offered no recourse, or even communication, to owners of 2014-2017 Odysseys with the exact same VCM (VCM2) mechanism and the same wear and tear on the engine. You can read more about the issues these vehicles have and how common this is here: [XXX] Honda dealerships will replace your cylinder rings (at a HIGH cost) but this does not fix or prevent the issue from recurring. Our vehicle had this work done at 77K miles, but it does not stop the VCM from causing build up and malfunctioning again in the future. Families like ours buy these vans because they are supposed to have reliable engines, and be safe for their families. They sold 450K model year 2014-2017 Honda Odysseys and this effects EVERY one of them on the road today. This is a consumer issue AND a safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

At 87,000 miles the piston valves failed in my 2015 Odyssey. Safety was put at risk as the spark plugs would fail due to oil leaking from the piston valves and the engine would flash all the lights and run super hard. Unable to drive it for 1 mile after the spark plugs failed. After the 2nd spark plug failure, a dealership confirmed the issue was the piston valves. 2 Honda dealerships confirmed that this is a known issue with Odysseys, Pilots and Accords and they have multiple vehicles in weekly to address this issue. Honda has had recalls on prior year Odysseys 2008-2013 for the piston valves but does not do anything to recognize this issue remains with the 2014-2017 vehicles. In 2018 the engine/build of the Odysseys changed and the piston valves are not an issue for that year and up.

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM gauge was fluctuating. Additionally, the vehicle was shuddering while shifting between gears. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PGM-FI software had failed and needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. There was no further information provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 61,030.

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while pulling out of the parking space, the vehicle RPM had increased while the brake pedal had been depressed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into another vehicle in the lot. The rpm had continued to increase even with the vehicle being in the park position. The air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision center. The driver was injured. No one outside of the vehicle was injured. The contact sustained back, neck, pelvic, and head inquiries that required medical attention. The doctor provided shots and medicine for the pain. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000. VIN not provided.