The best Odyssey years to buy are 2015 and 2021. Avoid the 2018 and 2019: the redesign brought infotainment, power door and engine complaints at more than twice the Odyssey's average rate.
Best years: 20152021 Years to avoid: 20182019
Every Odyssey year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Known Odyssey problems
Year by year
| Year | Complaints | Per 100k sold | Recalls | Top issue | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 128 | - | 3 | Electrical | Too new to judge |
| 2023 | 105 | - | 5 | Electrical | Too new to judge |
| 2022 | 143 | 300 | 9 | Electrical | Average |
| 2021 | 147 | 193 | 8 | Electrical | Good year |
| 2020 | 492 | 590 | 14 | Collision avoidance | Watch out |
| 2019 | 998 | 1,007 | 20 | Collision avoidance | Skip this year |
| 2018 | 1,014 | 954 | 16 | Electrical | Skip this year |
| 2017 | 39 | 39 | 2 | Engine | Good year |
| 2016 | 271 | 224 | 6 | Engine | Good year |
| 2015 | 207 | 162 | 6 | Engine | Good buy |
| 2014 | 310 | 253 | 5 | Transmission and drivetrain | Average |
| 2013 | 211 | 164 | 6 | Engine | Good year |
| 2012 | 245 | 195 | 5 | Brakes | Good year |
About the Odyssey
The Odyssey is a favorite family van, but the 2018 redesign had a rough start. Its new 10-speed automatic, power tailgate, sliding doors and screens all drew complaints, and the 3.5L V6 shares the connecting rod bearing recall seen on the Pilot. By 2021 most of these were fixed.
- 2012-2017: Fourth generation. Generally reliable; watch for rough shifting and second-row seat recalls. The 2017 had few cars sold before the redesign, so its record is thin.
- 2018 on: Fifth generation. 2018-2019 are the problem years; 2021 on is much better.
Odyssey warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Honda files with NHTSA. 768 Odyssey bulletins are on file in total.
Today, February 18, 2021, American Honda is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2018-20 Odyssey, 2019-20 Passport, and 2019-20 Pilot vehicles.
Owner Notification Letter - On some 2018-20 Odyssey models, a loose connection in the MOST bus network is causing a popping or crackling from the speakers or no sound from the audio system.
On February 18, 2021, American Honda announced a warranty extension for certain 2018-20 Odyssey, 2019-20 Passport, and 2019-20 Pilot vehicles.
Service Bulletin - The PCM software may misinterpret sensor inputs as a deteriorated catalytic converter.
On, November 24, 2020, American Honda announced a warranty extension for certain 2016 Pilot vehicles.
Owner Notification Letter - On some 2017-19 Pilot, 2017-19 Ridgeline, and 2018-19 Odyssey models, the malfunction indicator light (MIL) may come on if one or more of the following diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) are stored: - P...
Owner Notification Letter - On some 2016-17 Pilot, 2017 Ridgeline, and 2018 Odysey models, the malfunction indicator light (MIL) may come on if one of the following diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) are stored: - P0420 (rear bank...
The exterior paint on the roof and/or tailgate may peel off.
Today, June 1, 2019, American Honda is announcing a warranty extension for certain 2011-14 Odyssey and 2013-16 Pilot vehicles with either Taffeta White or White Diamond Pearl paint to address customer concerns with peeling paint.
In the last few weeks, American Honda has issued several paint warranty extension service bulletins on the Pilot, Odyssey, HR-V and Fit models due to paint defects under S/B# 19-055, 19-056, 19 057, 19-058 and 19-064.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Government investigations into the Odyssey
NHTSA opens an investigation when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Some end in a recall and some close without one.
Defect petition DP26005 · 2012–2017 · opened Jul 2026, closed Sep 2026
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has completed its review of a Petition dated May 30, 2026.
Preliminary evaluation PE25018 · 2018–2022 · opened Oct 2025, closed Jun 2026 · led to recall 26V227
On October 28, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE25018 to investigate complaints of inadvertent deployment of the side curtain and/or side thorax air bags.
Preliminary evaluation PE25008 · 2018–2020 · opened Aug 2025
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 414 reports of connecting rod bearing failures in the 3.5L V6 engine used in the following vehicles: Model Years (MY) 2018-2020 Acura TLX, MY2016-2020 Acura MDX, MY2016-2020 Honda Pilot, MY2018-2020 Honda Odyssey, and MY2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline.
Engineering analysis EA25004 · 2018–2024 · opened Mar 2025
On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles.
Recall query RQ24013 · 2018–2020 · opened Nov 2024, closed Aug 2025
On November 8, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ24013 to assess the scope of Honda recall 23V-751 after receiving complaints that alleged connecting rod bearing failures in vehicles that were not within the scope of recall 23V-751.
Odyssey vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Honda Odyssey?
2015 and 2021. The best Odyssey years to buy are 2015 and 2021. Avoid the 2018 and 2019: the redesign brought infotainment, power door and engine complaints at more than twice the Odyssey's average rate.
Which Honda Odyssey years should I avoid?
2018, 2019. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Honda Odyssey average.
Based on 4,310 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2012 to 2024, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.