2016 Honda Odyssey problems & reliability
264 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Odyssey, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
10 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles were involved in 47 fatal crashes with 14 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 91 | 34% |
| Electrical System | 38 | 14% |
| Power Train | 38 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 30 | 11% |
| Seats | 26 | 10% |
| Structure | 25 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 17 | 6% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 12 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 35,000 miles (middle 50% between 17,500 and 78,250 miles), based on 115 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have needed to replace my spark plugs multiple times because of an issue where, apparently when in eco mode, the pistons in the third cylinder flood with oil that causes the spark plugs to misfire. I was informed this is an issue common to Honda Odysseys on or about May 19th, when I was experiencing a misfiring…”
Engine · filed Jul 30, 2026
“In December 2021 My 2016 Odyssey experienced serious engine breakdown and could not be driven due to deterioration of piston ring functions in cylinders 1-3. That malfunction caused serious engine problems. It was diagnosed and repaired by Riverside Honda, [XXX] on 12/28/2021. The total cost paid by me for that…”
Engine · filed Jul 14, 2026
“After the vehicle is off, and after the smart key fob is removed from the vehicle, the dashboard will flicker, the alarm sometimes goes off and the headlights turn on draining the battery and leading to me having to jump the car to get it started. This makes the car undependable as it could happen after driving…”
Lane Departure · filed Jul 7, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Deployment of Air Bags
Defect Petition DP26005 · opened Jul 13, 2026 · open
Technical service bulletins
131 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Odyssey. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A26-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2026
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A25-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2025
Owner Notification Letter - the piston ring function can deteriorate due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301…
ONL6Z6072025 · Other · issued Jul 29, 2025
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring wear and sticking from sludge. Oil from the crankcase adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A25-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
Dealer Message - Piston ring effectiveness may be reduced due to excessive wear and oil sludge build-up, which can cause oil to adhere to the spark plug, potentially leading to carbon fouling and misfire triggering DTCs…
AEBM06172025901 · Other · issued Jun 17, 2025
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire.
A25-061 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&04082024901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&03212024905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&03192024902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 19, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&02282024908 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Honda Odyssey has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Honda Odyssey?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 35,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.