2020 Honda ODYSSEY

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Honda ODYSSEY has 820 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 10.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is driver assist/cameras problems (37% of all complaints), specifically: major safety concern (brake fail during driving) with new 2020 honda odyssey with 2618 miles driven. brake made loud squeak noise right after purchase and took it to local honda dealership where car was purchased 4 times. honda dealership resurfaced rotor 2 different times. about 12-14 days ago, hon. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 3 crash reports 18 injuries

820

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

10.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

304 complaints

37%

• MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN (BRAKE FAIL DURING DRIVING) WITH NEW 2020 HONDA ODYSSEY WITH 2618 MILES DRIVEN. BRAKE MADE LOUD SQUEAK NOISE RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE AND TOOK IT TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED 4 TIMES. HONDA DEALERSHIP RESURFACED ROTOR 2 DIFFERENT TIMES. ABOUT 12-14 DAYS AGO, HON
• RECALL # 20V-438 INCOMPLETE. PARTS ORDERED 12/16/2020 . PARTS HAVE NOT ARRIVED AS OF 4/3/2021.
• RECALL # 20V-438 INCOMPLETE. PARTS ORDERED 12/16/2020 . PARTS HAVE NOT ARRIVED AS OF 4/3/2021.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN (BRAKE FAIL DURING DRIVING) WITH NEW 2020 HONDA ODYSSEY WITH 2618 MILES DRIVEN. BRAKE MADE LOUD SQUEAK NOISE RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE AND TOOK IT TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED 4 TIMES. HONDA DEALERSHIP RESURFACED ROTOR 2 DIFFERENT TIMES. ABOUT 12-14 DAYS AGO, HON”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

151 complaints

18%

• FREQUENT LOUD CRACKLING NOISES COME FROM THE SPEAKERS, FOLLOWED BY A NETWORK CONNECTION LOST ERROR MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN, AND THEN THE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK AND EVENTUALLY THE SYSTEM WILL REBOOT. THIS WILL HAPPEN REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING AND DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE STATE OR USE OF THE INFOTAINMENT SYS
• HAD ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE ODYSSEY SHORTLY AFTER CROSSING 2K MILES. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT START RELIABLY. CALLED HONDA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE MULTIPLE TIMES TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO PREFORM NHTSA RECALL NUMBER:20V-066 ON FRIDAY MARCH 27TH AND HAVE THEM IN
• I PURCHASED AN ODYSSEY AND WITHIN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS, THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM STARTED DISPLAYING PROBLEMS. THE SYSTEM GIVES A LOUD, CRACKLING NOISE OVER THE SPEAKERS. SOMETIMES THE AUDIO CONNECTION WILL CUT OUT WITH VARYING ERROR MESSAGES. OTHER TIMES THE ENTIRE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK/TURN OFF FOR SEVE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“FREQUENT LOUD CRACKLING NOISES COME FROM THE SPEAKERS, FOLLOWED BY A NETWORK CONNECTION LOST ERROR MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN, AND THEN THE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK AND EVENTUALLY THE SYSTEM WILL REBOOT. THIS WILL HAPPEN REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING AND DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE STATE OR USE OF THE INFOTAINMENT SYS”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

115 complaints

14%

• I went to park at a curb, and when I went to stop the van jumped over the curb and almost into a building. I had to almost push the brakes into the floorboard. It was like the car accelerated on its own. I was lucky there was only a flower bed it went through and nobody was on the sidewalk. I h
• While driving at approximately 40 mph with the lane keeping assist feature turned on, I attempted to turn on the cruise control. The cruise turned on, but the center instrument panel did not report that cruise was on, nor the speed at which cruise was set. Using the steering wheel controls to increa
• On several occasions our honda van has slammed on the brakes without any vehicle or obstacle present. The automatic braking system has worked properly when someone ahead brakes aggressively ... but the instances i'm talking about have occur without vehicles in our lane. 1 time it was coming around

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“I went to park at a curb, and when I went to stop the van jumped over the curb and almost into a building. I had to almost push the brakes into the floorboard. It was like the car accelerated on its own. I was lucky there was only a flower bed it went through and nobody was on the sidewalk. I h”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

64 complaints

• THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN REPEATEDLY FREEZES UP. IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE PARKED AS WELL AS WHEN DRIVING OR USING THE REAR VIEW CAMERA TO BACK UP - WHICH IS THE BIGGEST SAFETY HAZARD. THIS IS VERY MUCH A DISTRACTION FOR THE DRIVER. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO TURN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY OFF, OPEN THE DRIVER'S
• THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM (IS) STARTED MALFUNCTIONING AROUND 2000 MILES. THE SCREEN WENT BLACK AND THEN CAME BACK ON. IT PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE. THERE WAS CRACKLING AND STATIC AROUND AND ABOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. IF SYSTEM WAS ON IT WENT OFF WITH THE CRACKLING AND IF OFF IT CAME ON. THE MESSAGE
• I PURCHASED AN ODYSSEY AND WITHIN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS, THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM STARTED DISPLAYING PROBLEMS. THE SYSTEM GIVES A LOUD, CRACKLING NOISE OVER THE SPEAKERS. SOMETIMES THE AUDIO CONNECTION WILL CUT OUT WITH VARYING ERROR MESSAGES. OTHER TIMES THE ENTIRE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK/TURN OFF FOR SEVE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN REPEATEDLY FREEZES UP. IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE PARKED AS WELL AS WHEN DRIVING OR USING THE REAR VIEW CAMERA TO BACK UP - WHICH IS THE BIGGEST SAFETY HAZARD. THIS IS VERY MUCH A DISTRACTION FOR THE DRIVER. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO TURN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY OFF, OPEN THE DRIVER'S ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

60 complaints

• New ex-l model van with about 800 miles on it began to permeate the cabin with a gaseous odor coming from the air vents in recirculate mode and could be smelled from the outside of the vehicle as well. Initially smelled it when at idle after a 150 mile one-way trip. The vehicle had to be turned off
• My 2020 Honda Odyssey the engine stalled while I am driving. It isn’t the first time in part two years. My first complaint to the dealer on 2020, the first time my engine stalled when I was moving to the Parking. The engine stalled and all the lights on on the dashboard with a big bang sound. I res
• The “auto engine idle stop” system in my minivan is malfunctioning. This is a safety issue because the engine does not always restart when I take my foot off the brake. I am eventually going to be hit from behind by a driver behind me that assumes my minivan will accelerate from a stop when it is

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“New ex-l model van with about 800 miles on it began to permeate the cabin with a gaseous odor coming from the air vents in recirculate mode and could be smelled from the outside of the vehicle as well. Initially smelled it when at idle after a 150 mile one-way trip. The vehicle had to be turned off ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 820 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN (BRAKE FAIL DURING DRIVING) WITH NEW 2020 HONDA ODYSSEY WITH 2618 MILES DRIVEN. BRAKE MADE LOUD SQUEAK NOISE RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE AND TOOK IT TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED 4 TIMES. HONDA DEALERSHIP RESURFACED ROTOR 2 DIFFERENT TIMES. ABOUT 12-14 DAYS AGO, HON
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: FREQUENT LOUD CRACKLING NOISES COME FROM THE SPEAKERS, FOLLOWED BY A NETWORK CONNECTION LOST ERROR MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN, AND THEN THE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK AND EVENTUALLY THE SYSTEM WILL REBOOT. THIS WILL HAPPEN REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING AND DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE STATE OR USE OF THE INFOTAINMENT SYS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: I went to park at a curb, and when I went to stop the van jumped over the curb and almost into a building. I had to almost push the brakes into the floorboard. It was like the car accelerated on its own. I was lucky there was only a flower bed it went through and nobody was on the sidewalk. I h
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN REPEATEDLY FREEZES UP. IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE PARKED AS WELL AS WHEN DRIVING OR USING THE REAR VIEW CAMERA TO BACK UP - WHICH IS THE BIGGEST SAFETY HAZARD. THIS IS VERY MUCH A DISTRACTION FOR THE DRIVER. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO TURN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY OFF, OPEN THE DRIVER'S
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)