2021 Honda Odyssey: What to check before buying
Owners have filed 108 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, airbags, and automatic emergency braking. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2021- Owner complaints
- 108
- Recalls
- 6
- Crashes reported
- 2
- 4 injuries
Your inspection sheet
Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2021 Honda Odyssey: inspection sheet
Paperwork and questions
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Walk-around and cabin
Engine off, key in hand0/3
Cold start, engine bay, and underside
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
Test drive
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Which Odyssey is it?
EPA figures for each version of the 2021 Honda Odyssey. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | FWD | 22 mpg |
- Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Odyssey that averages well under the EPA 22 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.
Why these checks: what owners reported
NHTSA complaints for the 2021 Honda Odyssey, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Electrical34No crashes
Power tailgates stop working after water leaks into the hatch and soaks the tailgate control module. Leaks trace to seals near the rear window, roof rail, or door, and the dash shows a power tailgate problem warning. One repair ran $1,311.51, and some tailgates fail again after repair. Other reports describe the center screen going black, loud speaker crackling, and a Network Connection Lost message that takes out the backup camera and blind spot monitor. A recall covers this, but not every VIN is included. Scattered reports mention stalling at stops and false driver-assist warnings.
Airbags15No crashes
Most of these complaints are about an open air bag recall that dealers cannot complete because replacement parts are not available. Owners describe waiting months, some about a year and a half, and calling several dealers with no luck. Most have had no actual failure. A few report the passenger side curtain air bags going off while driving with no collision, one at about 8,000 miles. Honda denied warranty coverage in one of those cases. Another owner says the supplemental restraint system stopped working.
Automatic emergency braking101 crash
Automatic emergency braking brakes hard with nothing ahead, sometimes over speed bumps or metal plates, and the gas pedal cannot override it. One false stop in an intersection ended with a bus hitting the van from behind. Dealers often cannot reproduce the problem. A second pattern is a Radar Obstructed warning after rain or light snow that stays on after the grille emblem is cleaned. While it is on, automatic braking and adaptive cruise control do not work. One dealer quoted $1300 to replace the radar unit.
Engine5No crashes
Stalling at stops is the main pattern. When the idle stop feature shuts the engine off at a light, it sometimes fails to restart as the driver lifts off the brake, and the van has to be restarted by hand. For some owners, the software update in bulletin 23-008 and a new battery did not fix it, and the problem can return years later. A separate report describes losing power with a flashing check engine light while accelerating onto highways in cold weather, which Honda addresses in service bulletin 24-085.
Transmission5No crashes
The van hesitates for a second or two when accelerating from a stop, then lurches forward. One owner reports this at 14,000 miles. Others say the van shifted itself into neutral on the freeway or died at a light after weeks of electrical glitches, such as total power loss and sliding doors stopping halfway. Another van would not shift out of neutral in a car wash. In one case of sudden power loss with smoke, the dealer found a failed air conditioning compressor, clutch, and drive belt.
Wipers and visibility41 crash
The interior rearview mirror comes loose from the windshield and hangs down, so it cannot be adjusted. Dealers have tried three or four times without a lasting fix. In one case the driver backed into a parked car in the dark while the mirror was down, and the parking warning did not sound until impact. Separately, driver side mirrors replaced under a recall show distorted, wavy, or double images that make lane changes and merging hard. For one owner, the second replacement was also defective.
Suspension4No crashes
Rear coil springs break, sometimes with a loud pop and a jolt, and can leave the rear tire sitting up in the wheel well. One owner found both rear springs rusted and broken at 57,000 miles and struggled to find replacement parts. Another pattern is wear on the inside edge of all four tires, which can go bald by about 23k miles while the rest of the tread still looks fine. This wear is hard to see without removing the wheel. One owner also reports a popping felt through the steering wheel.
Body and structure3No crashes
Power sliding doors cause injuries. One door closed on a child's hand and cut off a fingertip. Another hit or startled a passenger, who fell and broke a bone, and the owner says the door needed more room than expected. A separate report describes a power tailgate that failed and would not latch at all, so it could not be closed for driving. Days later, both sliding doors also lost power.
In owners' own words
Excerpts from complaints Odyssey owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
After my van sit at home all day while it was raining. I went out side to put something in the back of the van and the tail gate wouldn't open had warning symbol on the dash board. I only have 61,729 miles on my van and no accidents
Filed with NHTSA, May 2025
The main screen went black for 3 mins while driving. Booted halfway back up then crashed again. Booted up again and then worked. Its done this 3 times and I've had van for 6 days. 32k miles one owner. Mint looking
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Took my odyssey to the local dealer a few months back for the recall and dealer told me they wouldn’t have the part until next year. Now this has caused an issue to where my whole airbag system is short circuiting and the dealership wants to fix all the other issues and not fix the open recall. Family safety is at risk.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2024
All passenger side curtain and front passenger seat airbag deployed for no reason while driving down an interstate. No collision. No impact of any kind. Honda denied any warranty d/t impact on tires on passenger side (there was no impact to tires, I have included pictures of the tires).
Filed with NHTSA, July 2022
I was driving through an intersection. My automatic brakes activated for no reason, my car rapidly slowed down in the middle of an intersection, a bus hit my car from behind.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2023
On numerous occasions the forward collision warning has caused hard braking when there is nothing close in front of me. I fear that a close following vehicle will hit me when this occurs. This has not caused an accident yet, but the following vehicle driver must think that I'm a terrible driver for unnecessarily hitting my brakes.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2022
In stop and go highway traffic. Engine cut off when at a stop during "Ecoboost." Had to turn off car and restart. Was able to restart with no problem. Full tank of gas. Fresh oil. No error messages before and after
Filed with NHTSA, April 2025
How the 2021 compares with other Odyssey years
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2021 ranks joint fourth for owner complaints among 9 Odyssey years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
- Electrical3469
- Airbags156
- Automatic emergency braking1034
- Engine525
- Transmission537
- Wipers and visibility41
Recalls to confirm (6)
Recall repairs are free at any Honda dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
25V877000Equipment Adaptive/mobilityDec 2025
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.
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.
24V064000AirbagsFeb 2024
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.
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, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. 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.
23V858000Fuel systemDec 2023
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.
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.
23V431000Backup cameraJun 2023
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.".
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.
23V174000Wipers and visibilityMar 2023
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.".
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.
21V010000Fuel systemJan 2021
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.
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.
Also looking at these instead of a Odyssey?
Cars shoppers compare with the Honda Odyssey, with their own 2021 checklists.
2021 owner complaints, side by side
- Toyota Sienna25
- 2021 Honda Odyssey108
