Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Honda Odyssey problems
Owners filed 27 complaints about the 1997 Honda Odyssey with NHTSA between Jun 1996 and Sep 2021. The most-cited component is electrical system (10).
Complaints
27
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system10
- Vehicle speed control3
- Fuel system, gasoline3
- Air bags2
- Tires2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
- Visibility2
- Steering1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Structure1
- Suspension1
- Power train1
- Seats1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
2
0
3
0
4
9
0
3
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 0 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
10 reports1 fire1 related recall
“FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO SPONTANEOUSLY SHUT OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. SINCE THE ENGINE CANNOT BE RESTARTED WHILE NOT IN PARK, THIS REQUIRES COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT THE AID OF POWER BRAKES OR STEERING. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND VARIOUS SPEEDS AND CONDITIONS. IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE SITUATION IN RECALL 05V025000. *TR”
Vehicle speed control
3 reports1 crash
“transmission problem”
Fuel system, gasoline
3 reports
“CONSUMER NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL. VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY A MECHANIC. MECHANIC NOTICED A HOLE IN FUEL TANK THAT WAS CAUSED BY CONSTANT CONTACT WITH METAL UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK *TT”
Air bags
2 reports1 crash
“MY SRS LIGHT IS ON MY 1997 HONDA ACCORD, AND THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIX IT. ALSO, I'VE READ ABOUT A TON OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN ACCORDS, CIVICS, AND CRVS. *AK”
Tires
2 reports
“WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WAS RUNNING ROUGHLY. CONSUMER EXAMINED THE TIRES AND SAW THAT THE TREAD SEPARATED ON THE RIGHT REAR. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON THE LEFT REAR TIRE. DEALER GAVE THE CONSUMER A DISCOUNT ON THE FIRST TIRE, BUT REFUSED ANY DISCOUNT ON THE SECOND TIRE.*AK”
Service brakes, hydraulic
2 reports1 crash
“WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY ANOTHER VEHICLE VEER INTO HER LANE, THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. NLM”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.