Selling a Honda Odyssey that has given up

If yours is a 2018 or 2019, run the VIN before anything else. Those two years are under a Honda recall for engine bearings that can seize, and the listed fix is an inspection plus a repaired or replaced engine at no charge. Several Honda warranty extensions also touch the Odyssey, and a few are still running. Each one is below, by generation.

Five generations, by the numbers

Counts are from NHTSA's complaint and recall files as downloaded on October 10, 2026. Every Odyssey complaint here is a single owner's NHTSA report for one model year.

Three campaigns cover years on both sides of a generation change, so they sit in two rows; the Odyssey has 82 in all. One more complaint is filed under model year 1994, which the Odyssey never had. The 12,754 total includes it.

Where Odysseys broke down

1995-1998: the four-cylinder van

The first Odyssey rode on a modified Accord platform and had four swinging doors instead of sliders. NHTSA holds 259 complaints across its four model years. Two recalls are worth checking on any survivor. Recall 99V069 fixed lower ball joints that could wear and separate, collapsing the front suspension. The 124,875 figure counts every vehicle in that campaign: Accords, Preludes, Acura CL, TL and RL models and the Isuzu Oasis were in it alongside the 1997 and 1998 Odyssey. Recall 02V120 replaced ignition switches on 1997-1999 Odysseys whose worn contacts could stall the engine without warning.

1999-2004: the V6 and its automatic

The 1999 brought the 3.5-liter V6 and sliding doors on both sides. It also began the Odyssey's roughest stretch: 4,271 complaints over six model years. Power train is the top category on every one of those years, 1,975 complaints in total, and 589 of the 2002's 960 complaints name it.

Honda responded in stages. In September 2002 it stretched the warranty on about 1.2 million Honda and Acura automatics to seven years or 100,000 miles, coverage that has now run out on every van. Recall 04V176 followed in April 2004 for 2002-2004 Odysseys among 1,099,796 vehicles. Heat could build up between the second gears on the countershaft and secondary shaft, chipping or breaking teeth and possibly locking the transmission. That recall can still be looked up by VIN.

Air bags are the runner-up category on the 2002, 2003 and 2004 (91, 130 and 106 complaints). The 2002-2004 Odyssey is on Takata recall 15V-320 for driver inflators that can burst and throw metal shards, and campaigns 20V026 and 20V027 recheck driver inflators on 1998-2001 vans. In February 2023 Honda told owners of certain unrepaired 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles with Takata Alpha inflators not to drive them at all. If the lookup shows a driver inflator recall still open, a Honda dealer will inspect it and swap the inflator as needed, free of charge. A van sold whole can be loaded where it sits.

Smaller campaigns from this era: 99V158 replaced sliding-door latches on 19,830 of the 1999 vans, and 03V423 and 12V573 fixed ignition switches that let the key come out without the shifter in Park.

2005-2010: fuel leaks and brakes

The third generation kept the V6 and the 5-speed and drew 3,315 complaints. Its recalls bunch into two systems.

• Fuel. Recall 14V112 covered 886,815 of the 2005-2010 vans because the fuel pump strainer cover could break down and leak gasoline, a fire risk. Recall 07V097 swapped fuel pump relays on 2005 vans that could cut power to the pump.
• Brakes. Recall 10V504 replaced brake master cylinder seals on 2005-2007 vans. Recall 13V500 covered 344,187 of the 2007-2008 vans because the stability system could brake hard on its own, without lighting the brake lights. Hydraulic brakes top the 2007's complaints, 125 of 830.

Structure is the leading category on the 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010. NHTSA's category doesn't name the part, so read it as a pointer, not a diagnosis.

2011-2017: second-row seats and misfires

The 2011 added 248 hp and, on the Touring, the first six-speed automatic Honda had offered. Complaints dropped to 1,513 across seven years. The second row drew three recalls: 16V933 (633,753 vans, 2011-2016) for a release lever that could leave an outboard seat unlocked, 17V725 (806,936 vans, 2011-2017) for seats that could tip forward under braking if latched between slide positions, and 18V170 for a reclined left seatback that could stay unlocked on 2014-2016 vans.

The engine is the other thread. Engine leads the complaints on the 2013, 2015 and 2016, and it's named in 84 of the 2016's 270. Honda's June 17, 2025 extension for 2013-2017 Odysseys traces misfires (codes P0301 to P0304) to piston rings weakened by wear and oil sludge, which lets oil foul the spark plugs. It raised misfire coverage from the original 5 years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. The window that covered any of those vans regardless of age or mileage closed January 31, 2026. The older Soto settlement coverage on 2011-2013 vans, 8 years with no mileage cap, has expired, and so has the seven-year paint extension for peeling white paint on 2011-2014 vans.

2018 on: bearings, doors and stop/start

The fifth generation's first two years are the most complained-about Odysseys of all: 997 for the 2018 and 978 for the 2019. Electrical system is the top category on every model year from 2018 through 2025.

• Rod bearings. Recall 23V751 (November 2023) takes in the 2018-2019 vans. The 248,999 figure is the whole campaign, which also covers Pilot, Ridgeline and Acura TLX and MDX models. A manufacturing error can let a connecting rod bearing wear and seize. In November 2024 NHTSA opened recall query RQ24013 to question that remedy, citing 173 owner reports of bearing failure across the Honda and Acura models in the recall.
• Sliding doors. 18V795 for power-door latches that stick on 2018-2019 vans, and 20V437 for outer handle cables that can freeze on 324,196 of the 2018-2020 vans.
• Timing belt and Park. 19V298 for timing belts on 2019 vans that can shed teeth and stall the engine, and 19V299 for a loose battery terminal that can reboot the transmission computer and damage the parking rod.
• Air bags. 26V227 (April 2026) covers 440,830 of the 2018-2022 vans for software that can fire the side and curtain air bags unexpectedly.
• Stop/start. NHTSA opened engineering analysis EA25004 on March 26, 2025 into 2018-2025 Odysseys that fail to restart after an automatic stop, despite Honda's January 2023 service bulletins. Our pull found no recall from it yet.

Honda also stretched coverage on the 2018's torque converter to 8 years or 150,000 miles (code P0741) and on 2018-2019 fuel injectors to 10 years or 150,000 miles. Fuel pump recalls 21V215 and 23V858 cover impellers that can deform and stop the pump. The refreshed 2025 already has 402 complaints, led by electrical (155) and engine (124); we found no bulletin or recall explaining them.

Complaints and recalls, year by year

A recall counts in every model year it lists. NHTSA's file lists fuel pump recall 23V858 under every Odyssey year from 2013 to 2023, wider than the 2018-2020 vans in the December 2023 defect report we read; the counts below follow the file. Thin years are grouped.

Fix the van, or sell it broken?

A repair pays when the quote sits well under what the van would bring running. Once the quote climbs toward that figure, selling it unrepaired is usually the better deal. On an Odyssey, check these first.

1. Look up the VIN at NHTSA's recall search. On a 2018-2019 with a knocking or seized engine, ask a Honda dealer about recall 23V751 before paying for any diagnosis.
2. Misfire light on a 2013-2017? Ten years from the first sale leaves mainly 2016 and 2017 vans first sold after early October 2016, still under 150,000 miles. Ask the dealer to check the VIN.
3. Slipping automatic on a 1999-2004? The 2002 extension is long gone, so it comes down to a written quote. The bad transmission guide covers symptoms and choices.
4. Engine finished on an older van? Read blown engine before you approve a rebuild, and see what a junk car is worth for what moves an offer.

Honda ties its extensions to the VIN, not the owner, so a dealer can tell you what still applies.

Selling the van whole

1. Write down the VIN, the miles, what's wrong, and whether the van rolls and steers.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe where it sits: a driveway, a curb, a shop lot or a garage. A sliding door stuck open, flat tires or a shifter locked in Park all matter to the driver who loads it. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Don't strip it. An offer assumes the van is complete, so mention anything that's already been pulled.
5. When the driver comes, give them the title and the keys, and have your ID out. Plate rules after selling an Odyssey depend on your state; after you sell covers each one. Missing the title? Start with the no-title guide.

Shopping the rest of the lineup? See the Pilot, Ridgeline and CR-V, or every Honda on the site.