2010 HONDA ODYSSEY — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

A few months ago, the battery went dead. I purchased a new battery and it went dead also. I had the mechanic check it and he said that some Honda Odyssey's had that problem (usually 2011). Even if everything is turned off, the battery will die in less than two days if the van is not driven. This has led to the van being inoperable in various locations requiring a locksmith to come open the car so the hood can be opened so the the battery can be recharged. The mechanic spent a few hours and was able to pinpoint the "faulty" fuse(Driver's side, #7, 7.5A, "backup"), but said that there were 13 different subsystems associated with that fuse and that it would take many hours to isolate and test each individual subsystem which would cost many thousands of dollars--more than the car is considered to be worth. So he recommended that I just either drive it every day or pull the fuse at night. In addition to the battery going dead, one of the problems, is that I don't feel safe to lock the car because I know I won't be able to unlock it if the battery dies.

When having to slow down or stop quickly, the van starts to jerk back and forth and shake a lot and the car becomes very difficult to control. This is especially noticeable when going down hills such as I-70 in Colorado, I-15 in eastern California or mountain passes in the Sierra Nevadas, but also when coming around a corner on a freeway and the traffic is stopped. It would be very serious if driving and a child ran out into the street in front of the van. I recently learned that this has happened fairly frequently with Honda Odyssey vans. I have had to replace brake and strut parts and bearings multiple times. (gratefully the struts were still under warranty, so I only had to pay for labor the ensuing times.)

A few years ago the driver's side rear sliding door stopped working. This seemed like a safety because, if there were ever an incident such as a fire, people would not be able to expeditiously exit the back two rows of the van. There were no warnings, the door just stopped working. I spoke with our mechanic about it and he stated that he had seen that with several Honda Odyssey vans. I had the door repaired. I recently learned that this had been an issue with other Honda Odyssey vans and wanted to let you know it had also happened to me.

The driver's side & passanger side rear sliding doors develop a parasitic battery drain which forces owners to remove the fuse associated with the doors. Those doors are very difficult to open when not powered. This essentially traps children in the back seats. Honda knows about this issue with all the odyssey models and they have not issued a recall.

The fuel pump as been failing and caused issues