NHTSA Complaint #11503647 — 2015 HONDA ODYSSEY

I own a 2015 Honda Odyssey EX-L purchased new at the Pacific Honda dealership in San Diego, CA. I wrote to American Honda Motor Co. requesting a partial reimbursement for the cost of significant engine repair work required on my Odyssey over the Christmas holiday, even though the car was well-maintained and had only been driven for 88,700 miles. Specifically, on or about December 14, 2022, my wife was driving our Odyssey with our two young children when the car began shaking and became difficult to drive, the check engine light began blinking, and numerous other warning lights flashed on the dashboard. My wife stopped the car and we reviewed the owner’s manual and learned that the blinking check engine light and other warnings could indicate a critical malfunction, and that the car should not be driven and should be taken to a dealership. We immediately contacted our local Honda dealership, Pacific Honda, and had the car towed, at a cost of approximately $100, to this dealership. The dealership (where the engine repair work was done) said my car needed an “engine rebuild” because the piston rings needed to be replaced and charged me $6,000 for the repairs, despite the car’s relatively low mileage. During the engine repair process, which spanned weeks and ruined my family’s Christmas holiday, multiple employees at the dealership repeatedly admitted that this engine problem was a “common” and “known issue,” and my brief research showed that this same engine problem has been the subject of a class action and recall in the past. In addition, online forums indicate that numerous Odysseys from 2014 through 2016 or later continue to have piston ring, fouled spark plug, and related problems potentially tied to the Variable Cylinder Management system.