KnownCarProblems2011 Honda Odyssey Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 235 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Honda Odyssey, most often about the electrical (28% of complaints, typically around 2,000 miles). It is 18th of 27 Odyssey model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2011 Honda Odyssey problems
Electrical
66 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 2,000 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery, instrument cluster/panel, alternator/generator/regulator, instrument panel.
My wife drives the kids to and from school a couple of times a day. Everytime she gets home the "batt low see manual" message comes up. I have taken it to the dealer 3 times and they say there is nothing they can do about it. They say it is normal. I think the biggest issue you have here is false alarms. How do I know…
Car failed to respond to keypad lock transmitter, and then failed to start 3 consecutive attempts. This same car's previous battery died completely approximately 4 weeks after initial purchase and was replaced just 4 months ago. Car has also had numerous incidents where voice recognition and cellphone blu-ray…
Brakes
43 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
Front brakes pulsating severely and steering wheel shaking 2-3 inches back and forth when applying brakes... Now it happens at all speeds.
The vehicle shakes quite a bit when braking from highway speeds, such as when entering an interstate highway offramp. Apparently this is caused by prematurely warping brake rotors.
Engine
28 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
12/23/13-while driving on i95 at 65mph the vehicle engine shut off without warning but the radio/lights remained on, vehicle became difficult to steer and brakes had to be pushed to the floor, vehicle came to a stop on the side of the road approx 300 feet later. Vehicle restarted and was driven to dealership, dealer…
While slowing down for a traffic light, engine was running rough and misfiring. Cel was flashing and check vsa and emissions came on. Found out engine oil level was literally zero. Called Honda. Later found out there is a service bulletin for this issue. Took it to dealership and they followed tsb11-033. Honda rep…
Body and structure
20 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
I purchased a 2011 white Honda Odyssey from a small time dealer on nov 2012. I observed that the roof of the car had its paint peeling off after about a year 2013 nov. I went to a reputed dealer, who acknowledged the paint issues with Honda but told that 2011 models are not one of those. He contacted Honda and came…
8 months ago while vehicle was park, rain came inside the van behind rear view mirror down through the radio.04/01/16 while driving(highway) in the rain water again came inside the van behind the rear view mirror.talked to service tech. She stated this a common problem with Honda, but they still have to charge for…
Transmission
19 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 16,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
Tl contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated the transmission shifted hard while slowing down under 30 MPH. The contact could feel and hear the transmission down shifting, and the failure became progressively worse. The dealer test drove the vehicle and confirmed that the transmission was defective and…
As soon as the transmission shifts to the second gear, the entire car will shudder. Same thing happens often on the third, fourth, and fifth. Another thing that happens on the transmission is that when it's in overdrive in the sixth gear, the RPM will jump about a hundred or two, up and down, randomely. When it's also…
Other or unspecified
18 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles.
The check engine light comes on periodically, I get oil change station to turn it off. That usually last for several months. Then usually at a gasoline fill up, when they put gas cap back on, I crank up, and the check engine indicator comes on again! They tell me that it is an oxygen sensor code.
I was parked in our level driveway, while the car was running, and got out of the car after making sure it was in park. Shut the door, and the car rolled down the driveway over a small hill and hit the railroad tracks in front of out house. No one was injured.the parking mechanism on this vehicle did not operate…
Wheels and tires
15 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 6,500 miles. Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
We purchased a brand new van with continental contipro contact tires (brand new). After about 15,000 miles we noticed the tires becoming brittle and blistering. Several tires were losing air. We brought it to a mechanic for a routine oil change and when it was put on the lift he found 6 places that small pebbles had…
Have a recurring issue with TPMS light on my Honda mini-van. Have been to the dealer several times to have it looked at, the code coming back is "radio frequency third wheel", and this light on the dashboard will not shut off. The dealer told me this is something they cannot fix. Honda corp needs to acknowledge the…
Seats
14 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: critical fasteners.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Odyssey. While driving approximately 5 MPH and pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated and the brakes failed to work. The vehicle crashed into some gardening blocks around a tree. There were no warning indicators illuminated. There were no injuries and a police report was…
Passenger side door motor assembly and cable. Coated cable rusted and snapped. Substandard cable quality. Premature failure. Car was stationary. Cable snapped and popped outside of the vehicle potentially injuring person standing near door. Door unable to close without unreasonable force posing danger to passengers…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Honda Odyssey recalls
Seats: mid/rear assembly
Risk: If the seat tips forward during braking, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket to the second row outboard floor strikers, free of charge. The recall began april 2, 2018. Owners may contact american honda customer support & campaign center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is s0g.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2011-2017 honda odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats can slide sideways to one of two positions. If a seat is placed between either of the two positions when attaching the seat to the vehicle floor, the seat will not latch properly to the seat striker, allowing the seat to tip forward unexpectedly during braking.
Seats: mid/rear assembly
Risk: An unlocked second row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional bracket and spring to both second row outboard seats, free of charge. Interim letter has been mailed, and a second notification will be sent . Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is kd5.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 odyssey vehicles manufactured august 17, 2010, to october 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have second row outboard seats that have a release lever that allows the seats to move for easier access to the third row of seats. This release lever may remain in the unlocked position allowing the seats to move unexpectedly.
Air bags
Risk: The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver's airbag during deployment. This could potentially increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a honda dealer. The dealer will inspect the driver's airbag module and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on march 14, 2013. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 pilot and 2011-2013 odyssey passenger vehicles manufactured from march 13, 2008, through december 21, 2012. One or more rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing.
Visibility and wipers: visibility
Risk: The window may shatter into the passenger cabin causing a risk of injury to the vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace either the passenger's and/or the driver's front door window glass, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 28, 2011. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2011 honda odyssey vehicles. There is a potential failure with the driver and the front passenger door power windows in which the window may come off the track causing the window to become inoperative and preventing it from being rolled up or down or it could drop into the door.
Visibility and wipers: windshield wiper/washer
Risk: The windshield wipers may fail to operate, decreasing the driver's visibility in adverse weather conditions increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper rod free of charge. The safety recall began on april 28, 2011. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2011 honda odyssey vehicles. If the front windshield wiper blades become frozen to the windshield and the wiper motor is switched on, one of the front windshield wiper linkage rods may bend or separate from the motor due to insufficient stiffness of the rod.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Inadvertent deployment of air bags
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has completed its review of a petition dated may 30, 2026. The petition requested an investigation into inadvertent air bag deployment in model year (my) 2011-2017 honda odyssey vehicles. The petition contended that air bags can deploy absent a sufficiently severe event to trigger a deployment, such as an impact, rollover event, or g-force threshold breach. The petition further alleged that the diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) and supplemental restraint system (SRS) conflict and inaccurate data is being recorded for the air bag system. An air bag is a supplemental vehicle occupant restraint system that deploys a cushion designed to inflate in millisec
Questions about the 2011 Honda Odyssey
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Honda Odyssey?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (66 complaints, typically around 2,000 miles); brakes (43 complaints, typically around 30,500 miles); engine (28 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Honda Odyssey have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 17, 2017 (seats). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Honda Odyssey?
- It is 18th of 27 Odyssey model years by number of complaints, with 235 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.