KnownCarProblems2021 Honda Odyssey Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 147 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Odyssey, most often about the electrical (38% of complaints, typically around 33,000 miles). It is 22nd of 27 Odyssey model years by number of complaints and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2021 Honda Odyssey problems
Electrical
56 complaints · 38%Half of these problems showed up before 33,000 miles. Parts named most often: starter assembly.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the engine turned off; however, once the accelerator pedal was depressed, the auto start/stop failed to operate as intended. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started to work…
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the radio displayed a blank screen. In addition, the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera turned on and off. Additionally, there was a cracking sound coming from the speakers. The dealer was contacted by phone and…
Other or unspecified
34 complaints · 23%Engine
27 complaints · 18%The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. While the contactâs wife was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose automotive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway before stalling. The vehicle was unable to be restarted and was later…
Driver assistance
24 complaints · 16%Parts named most often: automatic emergency braking, warnings, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection.
Air bags
16 complaints · 11%The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the passengerâs side curtain air bags deployed without incident and without warning. An automated security feature in the vehicle called him immediately upon deployment of the air bags. The contact was asked if he needed…
Body and structure
10 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "passengerâs sliding door failure" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the rear passengerâs side sliding door failed to fully open upon entering or exiting the vehicle. The…
Visibility and wipers
9 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: rearview mirrors/devices.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v174000 (visibility), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair was completed; however, while driving from the dealer, the contact noticed that the replacement side-view mirrors displayed a…
Backup camera
8 complaints · 5%Parts named most often: rearview system braking, warnings.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera display flickered on and off. The contact stated that while using the GPS, the display went blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer attempted to reset the rear-view camera display; however, the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2021 Honda Odyssey recalls
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 7, 2026. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are bol, wo9, ooa, wom, xoh, noc, pod, boe, uof, pob, eog, aoi, qo8, toj, do7, and sok. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24v064. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning may 29, 2026.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 acura tlx, 2019-2024 rdx, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 mdx, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 honda ridgeline, 2017-2022 pilot, 2019-2021 passport, 2018-2026 odyssey, 2019-2022 insight, 2019-2021 hr-v, 2018-2020 fit, 2020-2022 cr-v hybrid, 2017-2022 cr-v, 2017-2018, 2021 civic type r, 2017-2021 civic hatchback, 2016-2020 civic coupe, 2016-2022 civic, 2017-2022 accord hybrid, and 2016-2022 accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags: software
Risk: Air bags that deploy unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ecu) software or replace the ecu, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed may 27, 2026. Owners may contact honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is unw. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning april 16, 2026. The information in your report suggests that honda (american honda motor co.) may have been aware of this issue more than five business days before filing a report with
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2018-2022 odyssey vehicles. A software programming error can cause the side and side curtain air bags to deploy unexpectedly.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Risk: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters was mailed january 27, 2026. Owners may contact vantage mobility customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
Full defect summary
Vantage mobility, llc (vm) is recalling certain 2021-2026 honda odyssey, 2021-2025 chrysler pacifica, and toyota sienna vehicles equipped with qrt-deluxe and qrt-max wheelchair restraints. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed march 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are xhp and vhq.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 pilot, accord, civic sedan, hr-v, odyssey, 2020 civic coupe, fit, 2021-2022 civic hatchback, 2021 civic type r, insight, 2020-2021 cr-v, cr-v hybrid, passport, ridgeline, accord hybrid, 2020 acura mdx, 2022 acura mdx, 2020-2022 acura rdx, and 2020-2021 acura tlx vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed september 6, 2024. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are kgc and kgd. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21v-215 and 20v-314.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 honda accord, civic coupe, civic sedan, civic hatchback, civic type r, cr-v, hr-v, ridgeline, odyssey, acura ilx, mdx, mdx hybrid, rdx, rlx, tlx, 2019-2022 honda insight, passport, 2020 honda cr-v hybrid, 2018-2019 honda clarity phev, fit, and 2015-2020 honda accord hybrid, pilot, acura nsx vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Backup camera: display function
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the most cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 24, 2023. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are eel, zem, and sfc.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 odyssey, 2019-2022 pilot, and 2019-2023 passport vehicles. Due to a faulty media oriented systems transport (most) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111, "rear visibility."
Visibility and wipers: exterior
Risk: Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed january 17, 2024. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is fe5.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 pilot and ridgeline, and 2020-2022 passport and odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111, "rear visibility."
Fuel system: storage
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Braun will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles. If evidence of a fuel leak is present, a new fuel tank assembly and a new honda charcoal canister will be installed, free of charge. The recall began february 22, 2021. Owners may contact braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.
Full defect summary
Braun corporation (braun) is recalling certain 2018-2021 braun-modified honda odyssey vehicles. The fuel tank assembly installed by braun may be susceptible to the fuel tank overfilling into the charcoal canister. If the charcoal canister fills with a sufficient amount of fuel, fuel may leak out.
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 side air bags
Summary
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. These complaints concern model year (my) 2018-2022 honda odyssey vehicles manufactured by american honda motor co. (honda). Honda issued recall 26v227 on april 9, 2026, to address concerns of inadvertent side air bag deployment. In the recall filing, the company stated that â[a]s of april 2, 2026, honda has had 130 warranty claims, 25 reports of an injury, and no reports of death related to this issue from january 24, 2017 â april 2, 2026.â honda states that the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic
No restart after auto start/stop engages
Summary
On june 3, 2022, the oï¬ce of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe22005 after the agency received voqs and several ï¬eld reports concerning the auto idle stop (ais) feature on 2016-2019my honda pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traï¬c light or road intersection with the ais function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5l engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On january 6, 2023, honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019my honda pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 acura tlx, 2016
Questions about the 2021 Honda Odyssey
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Honda Odyssey?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (56 complaints, typically around 33,000 miles); other or unspecified (34 complaints); engine (27 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Honda Odyssey have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 21, 2026 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2021 a bad year for the Honda Odyssey?
- It is 22nd of 27 Odyssey model years by number of complaints, with 147 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.