2016 HONDA ODYSSEY Engine Problems

Repeated misfires despite repairs at a certified Honda dealership. The van has been under service since the end of August 2025. The vehicle is power off and shut down while driving or cause significant engine/transmission shuddering and stalling. I have had my kids in the vehicle when this has happened on a highway. All service records have been done by certified servicers.

I am sending you information about how a situation was handled by Honda, so hopefully others do not go through the same problems we did. Honda customer service and product advisory is what failed us and we are grateful that we didn't have an accident. I am attaching my documentation below.

Honda states they have issued a recall for : You paid for repairs to address a condition of engine misfire due to piston ring deterioration (that triggers DTCs P0301 thru P0304). e The repairs were completed or started prior to the notice date; repairs made after the notice date must be administered by a Honda dealer. o You owned the vehicle at the time of repair. You are still eligible if you no longer own the vehicle. • You provide a paid invoice. However when presenting receipts from a certified Honda Dealership repair shop, Honda Corporation states that not enough detail was gathered by the Honda Dealership to reimburse for the failed pistons. Honda corporation is not honoring the recall by creating additional red tape to avoid reimbursing consumers. If I had taken this to a mechanic outside of Honda I could understand, but this is an actual certified dealership...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM increased, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. In addition, there was an abnormally loud sound and smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby business parking lot. The contact stated that the failure started while the cruise control was enabled, so the contact disabled the cruise control. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently purchased from a dealer. The contact obtained a CARFAX report, which indicated that in January 2025, the dealer performed an unknown recall repair where the piston rings were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that shortly afterwards, the vehicle vibrated abnormally and hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ignition coils and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. However, the failure returned a year later, with a misfire coming from the engine while driving, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ignition coils and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred months later. This vehicle was taken to a Honda dealer to be diagnosed,...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine, resulting in damages to cylinders #1 and #3. The contact was informed that a partial rebuild of the engine was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000.

While driving on the interstate my 2016 Honda Odyssey with 120k miles experienced a blinking check engine light along with strong engine shudder. Luckily I was close to home, and after reviewing numerous complaints of the same VCM issue from others I checked the plugs and coils and found that the 3 rear plugs covered in oil. I replaced the plugs and coils and ran fuel system cleaner for the next few fill-ups. There was no prior warning, and if I would have been further from home or continued driving i assume I would need new rings and that would be a multiple-thousand dollar fix. I still don't know if they're permanently damaged.

Vehicle had a dead misfire on cylinder number one. Initially occurred in May 2024 - all of my dashboard lights went on and car was very shaky - made me nervous because manual said car could overheat or catch fire, so had towed to shop - Girard's Automotive in Franklin, WI. They diagnosed as spark plug needed replacement. Van was at about 98K miles at the time so recommended changing all spark plugs, which I did. Three months later - in August 2025 the same thing occurred - all warning lights on. This time I brought it to my regular mechanic - Import Minded in Greenfield, WI - insisting it was a faulty spark plug replacement. He removed the spark plug and found it to be oil fouled which typically indicates the vehicle was experiencing high levels of oil consumption caused by a known piston ring issue. He changed the...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. In addition, the contact noticed the knocking sound when the vehicle started. The contact stated that the failure was persistent, and the abnormal knocking sound had gotten louder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road and noticed several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. However, the dealer replaced the oil gasket, and the spark plugs. Ken Garff Honda of Orem (195 E University Pkwy) replaced the timing belt. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

I own a 2016 Honda Odyssey. This past summer ,while driving the vehicle began to lose power and shake. I had it towed in where I was told that the piston rings needed to be replaced, however, the first step would be to replace the spark plugs. They knew exactly what was going on because numerous individuals have had the same issue with their Honda Odyssey. Now just last week the same problem happened and the piston rings are being replaced for $5000. There was previously a class action lawsuit on earlier model year Honda Odyssey's due to the same issue. Honda then did nothing to fix the issue with the next model of the Odyssey. It is frustrating that their is a known issue that they are doing nothing about. We literally lost power while driving down a busy highway putting us and others at risk. Luckily we were...

Dear Honda Customer Service, I am writing to formally report a serious issue with my 2016 Honda Odyssey and to request a full repair at no cost due to what appears to be a manufacturer defect. In March 2024, my vehicle began experiencing a mild shudder/vibration noise, and the Check Engine Light turned on. I took the vehicle to Vacaville Honda, where a diagnostic was performed. The technicians informed me that the engine has a faulty VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) system, causing misfiring due to oil leakage on the spark plugs and piston rings. The only solution given was to replace the engine at a cost of $6,000, which is an unreasonable expense for a known issue related to Hondas VCM system. I have maintained my vehicle regularly at Honda dealerships and followed all manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedules. This engine failure is not due to negligence or wear and tear, but...

Vehicle started showing "check engine" light and some other incidental warning lights. Engine started running roughly. We took this to the dealer and they said that engine needed to have piston rings replaced (along with some other unrelated items.)

Local mechanic informed me that there there is a defect in the piston causing oil to leak in and ruin the piston and spark plugs. This is fouling up the spark plugs, which are covered in oil. Temporarily he said to replace the spark plug. If that does work, he recommended a valve cover replacement. And if that still doesn't work to replace the engine. This was on cylinder number 1. This also happened last year with cylinder number 3. The engine light comes on and the vehicle starts shaking and causing engine misfiring. The oil was changed approximately 1 week ago when cylinder 1 was having issues. Yes, this vehicle is currently available for inspection. This could be a safety issue due to engine failure while driving on a busy road. This van was purchased used in 2018 with 1 previous owner. This problem has been confirmed by a...

The engine failed while driving on the highway. All lights flashed on dashboard and loss of power to the vehicle. There were no prior check engine lights on before it activated and started flashing. Piston 3 failure that had to be replaced (pistons 1-3). Engine had been burning oil but no low oil indication had been illuminated nor was car due for an oil change. Spark plugs and ignition coil had been replaced approx. a year prior due to similar but less severe incident of check engine light coming on and misfiring engine. Six months after the pistons were replaced, the oil pressure switches were diagnosed as faulty and needed replacement due to a false low oil pressure reading.

Alex from Germaine Honda informed us “There is a defect in the piston causing oil to leak in and ruin the piston and spark plugs. The only option is to replace the engine. There was a light that came on indicating oil was low a few weeks before it symptoms started however there was plenty of oil when checked and it was not time for oil change per record. While driving one day car started shaking and engine misfire. Multiple engine and system warning lights came on. In 2022, we had a similar issue with piston rings out of alignment and spark plugs fouled with oil that resulted in costly repairs. Yes this vehicle is currently available for inspection. This could be a safety issue due to engine failure while driving on a busy road. This van was purchased used in 2018 with 2+ previous owners. This problem has been...

Just before hitting 100k miles and planning for timing belt maintenance, I got hit with the well known VCM V6 engine issue. Fix for 7k from my own pocket? No. I just replaced spark plugs and as the advisor suggested I have to install the VCM Muzzler (from after market, as Honda don't do this) to deactivate ECO mode in order to prevent future damage. I hope NHTSA will force Honda to recognize this is their fault (poor design) and fix this on a big recall, otherwise I'll participate in a lawsuit when that will occur for this lemon car.

Connecting rod failure. This could have been a serious issue as it happened on the highway. I was in the middle lane when it locked up. Luckily I was able to safely get to the shoulder. There was no warning before it happened. ( No engine light, no noises at all). This has been inspected by my local Honda dealer and confirmed.

Brought brand new in 2016, our Honda odyssey has been well maintained by the dealer. Just hit 148k miles, and the check engine light started flashing - took it straight to the dealer. Said that we need the engine rebuilt for $4k replacing spark plugs and cylinders. Upon further research, this is a known issue with the VCM motors by Honda, and had a class action lawsuit for previous years of the odyssey- but when the lawsuit was done, our years had not reached over 100k miles yet. Honda service is saying there is now a software update to prevent this from happening again, when we replace cylinders, but why is this happening when we have brought it to the dealer for all maintenance and if there was a preventative fix for this, why wasn’t it done before damage was done to the engine? We are being given the run...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to pass another vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to respond and the engine sputtered. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop the failure recurred. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

My engine's check-engine light began flashing, and it turned out to be misfiring on one of the cylinders. The dealer disassembled the cylinder and found that it was filled with oil, and the piston seals had failed for cylinders 1-3, and they are now saying it will be a $4K rebuild of the seals. Looking online, this appears to be a VERY common problem with these V6 Honda engines that have VCM on them; this is the same VCM system for which Honda had to settle a class-action lawsuit for this exact issue happening to thousands of engines. They only included vehicles through the 2013 model year, but continued to use the VCM system in later engines; there are thousands of reports of this same issue continuing to occur.

The engine failed and required a complete ring/piston replacement at a cost of $5,670,52 with only 135,946 miles. I purchased the vehicle new and had it serviced at Honda dealerships throughout its life. These vehicles are used by families and many older citizens because of their ease of access and advertised reliability. Such an unexpected expense should be covered by Honda. This ring/piston replacement has been a problem in earlier modules and was covered by Honda.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and ABS warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the fuel tank was not full, the vehicle would not accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone where it was scanned and diagnosed with a code P0848. The contact stated that the cylinders and spark plugs were previously replaced by an independent mechanic. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle further. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

the engine has failure has been twice 5500 repair, because the ECO mode that was known in a former class action. HONDA Motor has done nothing to actually cure the problem and continues to sell faulty engines that can cause engine failure mid drive and causes a safety issue, and has proven over and over again that this failure has not been resolved. We were told by a few places so the engine doesn't go out again this would be a third time and ALL WORK HAS BEEN DONE AT HONDA! TO buy from amazon a item called the VCM muzzler to shut down the software so the engine will work for longer, and there is a secondary market for this , and a few of the 3.5 liter v6 HONDA engines- how is this not been a engine recall, on a 46K vechial with 5500 repairs required 2 times...

Timing belt tensioner failing with only 51K miles

In January 2024 engine began misfiring, towed to shop, all spark plugs replaced due to fouling by oil. June 2024 issue began again, towed to shop, spark plug 1 found to be fouled by oil. Shop states this issue is likely caused by piston ring malfunction known to be an issue in earlier year Honda Odysseys. Honda states issue was fixed in 2014 and newer models, yet many complaints found online for 2016 model.

The engine failed, at 90,238 Piston misfire it was replaced 1-3, This happened a second time at 143,000 miles- while the car was moving and same thing engine failed a second time- had it towed in due to the engine not working it doesn't accelerate on a highway to merge has been dangerous- Brought to Honda a few times, because the engine was not working right you cannot accelerate properly on a on ramp and will not accelerate how it should, this is the same issue that was known by Honda. Called Honda they will not do anything more - it was "fixed" according to honda , but still not running how it should it feels like a bad transmission wont accelerate property when- so the car is not safe to drive in any distance misfire ALL WORK VAN WAS DONE AT HONDA DEALER ONLY

We are reporting a safety concern on the Honda Odyssey that Honda Corporation is aware of on the 2016 Honda Odyssey. They have a defect in the Piston Rings on the Engine. This engine design on the 2016 engine is the same where a recall was called on older versions of the Odyssey and other Honda vehicles. They have not included the 2016 as they say that they haven't had many cases of this version having the problem. With a quick search of the web you will find many people who are reporting or talking about piston ring issues, misfire and spark plug problems on the 2016 Odyssey. They are then asking customers to spend between $3 and $5 to fix this problem in the engine. Which is a known engineering defect! I have kept up with my oil changes and had a well maintained vehicle rating on CarFax. We...

engine in this vehicle keeps having a misfire in Cylinder 2 (when looking at engine in car, it is the back side, 2nd from the left) caused by eco mode per honda techs. The piston ring needs replaced per tech and car is 2 model years outside the warranty for this issue that is still going on. its a common issue and is still occurring even is newer models according to the 2 local dealerships.

The engine. I have a 2016 Honda Odyssey. All scheduled maintenance has always been done on this vehicle. I have all the documentation. And I mean it has been babied. It has 110,000 miles. Driving one morning last week and the car just seized up. No warning. No previous warning light. Had it towed to the dealership. The Variable Cylinder Management system had allowed a build up of gunk in the engine. Need an engine rebuild.$5600. Honda just had a recall for cars of the same model manufactured before 2014 for the same issue. As for safety having your engine seize up on the highway is dangerous.

Piston ring failure at 73k miles. Repair costs $5000. The check engine light started flashing and whole vehicle started shaking while driving it on the highway. This is a known issue with Honda and the VCM system they installed on these vehicles.

The spool valve had a complete seal failure leaking oil onto the alternator causing the alternator to fail. As result the entire electrical system failed, shutting off all propulsion of the van. This occurred while the vehicle was in the high speed left lane on [XXX] @ the [XXX] exit. I had to coast the vehicle across two lanes of 75 mph traffic, cars and large tracker trailers. I was passed by several cars and tracker trailer while coasting across the two lanes of traffic as there was no shoulder on the left side of [XXX]. There were no warning lights prior to the event. American Honda Motor Co. issued Service Bulletin [XXX] on [XXX] to Honda Dealers/Service about the potential for the spool valve casket to leak and fail so that Honda could check for this failure and replace the defective spool valve. The service bulletin covers five (5)...

Piston ring failure at 90K miles. Mechanic says repair will cost over $10K. Seems to be a known issue with this year/model based on internet searches.

Pistons Ring premature wear . Car only have 100000 miles on odometer but during 100000 mile service. Honda dealer find abnormal wear of piston ring due to which they suspect leak in combustion chamber which can cause further issue . I bought the Odyssey to last longer , did not expect to do major repairs on only 100k miles and unfortunately that's not the case. Now, I need to make a decision. Pay the 4k get it fixed or keep it as is.

My vehicle problems started on February 6, 2024 while my daughter was driving back to her house. My 2016 Honda Odyssey EXL started shaking violently at 55 - 60 mph. Upon towing my vehicle to have my certified mechanic to check it out, check engine light was on with codes and misfires. He determined that the variable timing valve solenoid was bad. He replaced faulty part as well as both oil pressure switches and it then came up with check engine light, as well as FCW, LDW, & anti-skid warning lights!? It also had a couple different codes. He then replace other variable timing valve solenoid on front of the engine. After taking vehicle to dealership, to get diagnosed, they suggested several repairs totaling over $3800, which none could insure that it would fix problem (2 of their suggestions were already done by my mechanic). Taking dealership suggestions, my mechanic...

While driving the engine started to run rough and the vehicle started to decelerate. The check engine light and the traction control light came on. I let up on the gas pedal, the van continued to run rough. I made it home and the next day took the van to a mechanic, he told me that he observed oil fouling on the #3 spark plug, consistent with worn piston rings. The van is a 2016 Honda Odyssey with 91,000 miles.

I have had the same issue now twice with my vehicle. The first repair was done in 2020 and covered by Honda under warranty. They repaired Cylinder Block-Piston Rings misfiring. It was I believe about a $3,500 repair when covered under warranty. I now have the same thing happening again. I took it in to Honda for diagnostic test and and i have the need for immediate attention to repair-end of October, 2023. I also already had labor service April 11, 2023 and had a code PO303 cylinder#3 misfire, swapped plugs 3 & 5. Spark plugs causing issues. Again the beginning of October I had to take my vehicle in AGAIN for spark plugs and misfiring. Had the spark plugs changed twice this year. And already had a MAJOR repair for the piston rings on this same vehicle. This should not be happening AGAIN. When my car needed the plugs...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was later informed that the piston ring on cylinder #3 was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

My wife experienced a sudden loss of power and a very rough running engine at interstate speeds. The check engine light as well as the FSW lights indicated problems with the engine. We brought the vehicle into a Honda dealership for diagnosis. The technician observed an oil soaked spark plug in the #3 cylinder which caused the issue. There were no lights associated with the issue until the sudden loss of power. This dramatic loss of power put her at risk as she limped to a safe area. Honda not only recommends replacing the plug but also all the rings on the rear three cylinders to make the vehicle safe. This is the second time this same vehicle has experienced the same failure and it appears to be an issue with the VCM system on this model. First instance was around 60k and now at 120k.

My car technician found that my car has leaking problems, and is burning engine oil for a long time which means the engine oil leaking from the engine that might cause fire or damage engine and cause serious engine failure and this is a serious safety concern. I heard this is a common problem for Honda cars. Please advise to recall the vehicles with this problem. Thank you very much.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and was running rough. The check engine warning light and the traction control warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was oil intrusion on the spark plugs, which caused a misfire. The mechanic replaced the spark plugs and added a fuel additive to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Per Honda dealership technician: oil seeping into cylinders 1-3 when VCM system is on. Spark plugs are fouled up and causing misfires on engine. Scoring on cylinder 2 also likely due to VCM issues requires engine block replacement. The above engine issues are the reason for blinking check engine light, traction control disabled light, and forward collision warning disabled light to all be on. These ultimately are occasionally causing stuttering/shuddering of the engine during acceleration. While trying to accelerate on an freeway on-ramp the engine appeared to hit a rev limiter at ~4,000 RPMs and wouldn't up-shift to the next gear while doing ~45 MPH with other vehicles behind us also trying to accelerate. Had to let off the gas and gently accelerate over a longer distance/time keeping RPMs low and was able to accelerate to 75 MPH speed limit after merging onto freeway. Vehicle is otherwise in good condition...

On September 28, 2023, the check engine light came on while on the freeway. I pulled over at the closest exit and checked the manual and did as instructed and let the engine cool down. Upon it cooling, I started the car back up and the light did not come back on. Being close to where I was going, I proceeded to my destination. The following week I scheduled an appointment with the dealership to have it looked at. This was scheduled for October 18, 2023. On October 15, while stopped at a stop light, the car started to make banging loud noises and when the light turned green and I stepped on the gas, the check engine light came on again and the car sounded so rough I immediately pulled over and called a tow truck and had it towed to the dealership. This was on a busy 45...

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as several warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic on numerous occasions where the spark plug have been replaced each time. The mechanic informed her that the vehicle's variable cylinders were the cause of the failure which had resulted in the spark plugs wearing out at a rapid pace. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was not available.

While driving in October 2022, my car suddenly had the check engine light begin flashing. My car immediately began to lose power and would barely accelerate. Multiple other dash lights then started flashing. I called the Honda dealership who told me to drive it there. I barely made it to the dealership (having to drive slowly, not being able to accelerate, and not knowing if the car was suddenly going to die). The Honda dealership diagnosed it as a failure of the piston rings leading to a catastrophic engine failure. These piston rings needed to be replaced, which could only be done with an entire engine rebuild. This cost approximately $5000. I got the car back and then the next day was driving on a major interstate traveling 70mph. All of the sudden the car completely shut down. It was so extremely dangerous. I had to pull over to the...

This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me on my 2016 Honda Odyssey which has less then 50,000 miles. When the engine cylinders misfire while driving, it causes sudden loss of power and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in the 2008-2013 Honda Odyssey - Honda settled the lawsuit March of 2014. Honda extended the warranty and would fix the issue on the existing 2008-2013 Honda Odysseys. Honda has not fixed the problem and they continue to sell vehicles with this known issue and not disclosing it to their customers. It remains a safety issue while driving.

The exact issue was reported for 2011-13 Honda OdesseY Models, All TRIMS and HONDA was issued a extended warranty for those vehicles and Honda is denying the same warranty extension for 2016 Honda Odessey models. The details are published in Service Bulletin 13-081 , which says

This is a problem with the car’s variable cylinder management. It causes the spark plug to degrade, the engine cylinders fill with oil and damages the piston rings. This has happened to me twice now, where the engine cylinders misfire while driving, causing sudden loss of control of the vehicle and an inability to drive. The repairs are very costly. There was a class action lawsuit aimed at this very problem in 2013, but Honda has not fixed the problem and it remains a safety issue while driving.

I was driving down a city road and engine light came on as well as traction control light. The car began shaking and lost power slowing down while I had 4 kids in the van. I took it to a Honda dealer the next morning and they said that oil is leaking past the piston rings and fouling the #3 spark plug causing misfiring. They suggested a replacement of the engine as they indicated a head job may not fix the issue. The engine light had come on once before accompanied by the loss of power and shaking about 4-5 months prior but the issue was not found at that time by the Honda service shop as when I brought it in the check engine light was gone. But I I had all the spark plugs replaced as I was at approximately 106,000 miles at that time. Now I'm at...

While driving my family on a major highway, the flashing check engine light was triggered Upon checking the oil level, which was fine, I again slowly drove the van to a mechanic. The mechanic removed all spark plugs and checked the coils. Spark plugs 1-3 all had oil on them causing them to foul and the coil on piston 3 was destroyed. This very same issue was the cause of a class action lawsuit for which honda issued recalls and extended warranties for vehicles ranging from 2008 - 2013, yes the issue continued in honda vehicles such as mine until 2018. I am now forced to pay for a repair that should have been covered under a voluntary recall. Oil in the spark plugs is a known fire hazard and this willful neglect by honda placed the lives of myself and my family at risk. Even more shameful is that...