Wednesday, September 23, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2016 Honda Odyssey problems & reliability

269 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Odyssey, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
269
Recall campaigns
6
Fire reports
2 (1%)
Crash reports
9 (3%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.

NCAP overall rating
5 / 5 stars
Front 5 / 5 · side 5 / 5 · rollover 4 / 5
EPA fuel economy
22 MPG combined
City 19 · highway 27 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
131
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
1
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

10 complaints report injuries (10 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 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

ComponentComplaints
Engine92
Electrical System39
Power Train38
Unknown / Other31
Seats26
Structure25
Fuel/propulsion System18
Forward Collision Avoidance13
Vehicle Speed Control12
Service Brakes11

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

All 26 reported components →

Common symptoms owners describe

Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.

Mileage when problems occurred

Among the 116 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 35,500 miles (middle 50% between 17,750 and 79,250 miles).

under 20k
30
20–40k
32
40–60k
12
60–80k
13
80–100k
14
100–150k
12
150k+
3

Complaints by incident year

16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

What owners report

  • I am reporting a serious electrical shock/electrocution hazard involving the factory-installed 115V AC power inverter outlet in my 2016 Honda Odyssey. While the vehicle was in motion, my [XXX] son was able, without tools, to pull the AC outlet assembly completely out of the interior panel. He was then able to detach…

    Electrical System · filed Aug 30, 2026

  • the problem only happens after driving for more than 30 minutes. when I stop at a light, the engine starts shaking and stalls. the starter seems cranking normally, but it takes about 3 attempts and about 40 seconds to restart. One day, the engine stopped while I was driving. There is no Check Engine Light. I took it…

    Engine · filed Aug 27, 2026

  • The central front adjuster lever (the release mechanism located at the front bottom of the car seat shell) has suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. The lever is physically stuck in the "open" position and fails to snap back down or engage. Because the lever remains stuck open, the internal metal locking teeth…

    Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness · filed Aug 27, 2026

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Federal defect investigations

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.
  • · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 35,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Honda or NHTSA.