CSR

Honda · NHTSA safety record

2012 Honda Odyssey

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

242

Complaints

14

Crashes

6

Fires

22

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Honda Odyssey have filed 242 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2011 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 58 of them (24%). The typical failure was reported at 40,000 miles, the median across the 185 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Recalls (5)

SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

17V725000 · November 17, 2017

The defect
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.
The risk
If the seat tips forward during braking, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 806,936 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

16V933000 · December 27, 2016

The defect
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.
The risk
An unlocked second row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 633,753 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

13V143000 · April 15, 2013

The defect
Honda is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 CR-V, Odyssey, and model year 2013 Acura RDX vehicles. During sub-freezing temperatures, the brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism may become slow and allow the gear selector to be moved from the Park position without pressing the brake pedal. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
The risk
If the gear selector is moved from the park position without pressing the brake pedal it can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's campaign recall numbers are S96, S97, and S98.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 204,169 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

13V016000 · January 18, 2013

The defect
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.
The 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.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 748,481 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:FRONT

11V602000 · December 22, 2011

The defect
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012, ODYSSEY VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 31, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2011. THE RETENTION NUT FOR THE FRONT RIGHT LOWER SUSPENSION DAMPER BOLT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER TORQUE, POTENTIALLY ALLOWING THE NUT TO LOOSEN.
The risk
IF THE NUT LOOSENS, THE FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY WOULD ONLY BE ATTACHED BY ONE BOLT, ALLOWING THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO SHIFT TO AN EXTREME INWARD ANGLE, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF STEERING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
HONDA CONTACTED ALL NINE OWNERS BY PHONE ON DECEMBER 19, 2011, AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLES AS NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.

HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) · up to 9 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Inadvertent Deployment of Air Bags

DP26005

Still open defect petition · opened July 13, 2026

the air bags

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a Petition dated May 30, 2026. The Petition is requesting an investigation into inadvertent air bag deployment in model year (MY) 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The Petition contends 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 alleges that the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) conflict and inaccurate data is being recorded for the air bag system. The Petitioner cites 10 complaints received by ODI alleging the same failure. ODI will evaluate these complaints to determine if they are related to the failure cited in the Petition andconduct a technical review under 49 CFR Part 552. This Defect Petition is being opened to evaluate whether to grant or deny the Petition. The Petition can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under NHTSA Number 11744118.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 242.

SERVICE BRAKES 58 24%
ENGINE 39 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34 14%
STRUCTURE 25 10%
POWER TRAIN 24 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 10%
STEERING 21 9%
SEATS 13 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 5%
AIR BAGS 10 4%
SEAT BELTS 9 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 32.

2011 2017 2026
2011 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

3 injured · 80,000 miles

1. BRAKES AND ROTORS ARE UNDERSIZED AND WARPED CAUSING A MASSIVE VIBRATION WHEN YOU BREAK. HONDA DEALERS WORKED 3 TIMES ON IT BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED UNTIL I PURCHASED AFTER MARKET PARTS AND REPLACED THEM. 2. I RECEIVED NO WARRANTY LETTER OR WARNING ABOUT AN ENGINE FAILURE (PISTON RECALL WARNING) LETTING ME KNOW THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED REPAIRS. I WAS ON A TRIP WHEN THE CAR ALMOST STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT A DEVASTATING ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint 10920508. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 43,000 miles

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT ON OCTOBER 21, 2017, WE WERE HEADING TO CABELAS AN OUTDOOR SPORTING GOODS STORE. I WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY STOP SIGNS AND DID NOT NOTICE THE CAR COMING FROM THE LEFT OF ME. BY THE TIME I DID NOTICE I SLAMMED MY BREAKS BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. THE AIRBAGS FOR THIS VAN DID NOT DEPLOY BUT THE LIGHT INDICATOR WAS ON FOR AIRBAGS BEING DEPLOYED. ALSO, THE FRONT SEAT BELTS BECAME LOCKED AFTER THE COLLISION. I WAS LEFT WONDERING WHY MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE MY VAN HOME BUT SHOULD HAVE NOT DONE SO SINCE THE SEATS WERE LOCKED.

NHTSA complaint 11044466. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 96,000 miles

I WAS IN A FRONT END COLLISION. MODERATE ACCIDENT, GOING APPROX 35 MPH HITTING ANOTHER CAR WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO SPIN THE CAR THAT I HIT. MY FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DRIVEN OFF THE SCENE. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT AND HIT THE OTHER CAR WITH THE FRONT OF MY CAR IN HER PASSENGER DOOR. I WAS ON A CITY STREET.

NHTSA complaint 11034008. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

1 injured · crash · 2,400 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR-END COLLISION AND THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. AS A RESULT, THE DRIVER IMPACTED HER HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THE DRIVER SUSTAINED BRUISES AND A MINOR CONTUSION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE SEAT BELT AND DETERMINED THAT THEY WERE OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,400.

NHTSA complaint 10467810. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I own a Honda Odyssey equipped with the Auto Idle Stop (automatic engine start-stop) system. The feature has not operated properly and behaves inconsistently. In addition to frequently failing to engage when the vehicle is stopped, I have experienced several instances where the engine shut off as part of the Auto Idle Stop function and then failed to restart promptly when I attempted to proceed. On several occasions, while stopped at red lights on major roads and highways, the vehicle stalled and took a considerable amount of time to restart. During these incidents, I was unable to move the vehicle when traffic began moving, leaving me stranded in active traffic lanes and creating a

NHTSA complaint 11756147, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
piston rings wore out prematurely on our 2012 honda odyssey. this was caused by the vcm system. its a known issue on hondas. it only had 88,600 miles at the time. we were driving our 2012 honda odyssey in december 2023. the check engine light began to flash. it starting running rough. we had it towed to a honda dealer for inspection. they pulled codes p303 and p304. they said the rings were worn and spark plugs fouled. they said this is a common issue because of the vcm. they peformed a rering job and with all parts and labor the cost came to $4000. we are very disgusted that this issue was already known by honda and they failed to place the vehicle on recall or wave the repair cost. they

NHTSA complaint 11738298, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The 2012 Honda odyssey alternator caught on fire after the battery light came on which luckily I, the driver, was able to put out. The next day I towed the vehicle to Boyd Honda Auto in Oxford, NC, where they confirmed with diagnostic that the alternator was overworking and that there was a seeping spool valve. This seeping spool valve is a manufacturer’s defect.

NHTSA complaint 11735013. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

214,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Odyssey. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. The vehicle mileage was 117,000 at the time of purchase; however, the title listed the mileage at 14,580. The Department of Motor Vehicle reported that the actual mileage as 214,000.

NHTSA complaint 11735117. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

On Wednesday night, the battery light initially came on and after a few minutes the van had this burning smell so I pulled over and the alternator was on fire. I put it out with several bottles of water from papa John’s. Today, at Boyd Honda in Oxford said in the diagnosis that there was a sweeping spool valve that had leaked which must have caused the alternator to blaze because this is a manufacturer’s defect from Honda.

NHTSA complaint 11733644. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

285,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 80,000. It was later discovered, after checking the Carfax report that the mileage was 285,000.

NHTSA complaint 11703691. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda Odyssey

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 24 2
2025 307 2
2024 86 3
2023 94 5
2022 129 9
2021 133 8
2020 446 14
2019 924 20
2018 961 16 3
2017 39 2
2016 266 6
2015 203 6
2014 307 5
2013 210 6
2011 232 5
2010 255 1

Other 2012 Honda models

Every Honda on this site — 187 vehicles, 362 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst