Problems · by component
2008 Honda Odyssey vehicle speed control problems
30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Honda Odyssey cite vehicle speed control, 6% of all 499 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
30
6% of all complaints
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“VEHICLE AFFECTED IS A 2008 HONDA ODYSSEY. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS WOULD ERRONEOUSLY ACTIVATE AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY DECELERATE. DURING THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE IF COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, AUTO WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR WHEN ACCELERATOR PRESSED. WORKED BETTER IN D2, STILL HAVING SAME ISSUES. AND REVERSE NOT WORKING AT ALL. BURNING SMELL LIKE THAT OF RUBBER. BATTERY LIGHT WAS ALSO ON, HAD NOT BEEN ON BEFORE. VIN# IS (XXXXX). TAKING THE VEHICLE INTO MCKINNEY HONDA DEALERSHIP OF NORTH TEXAS HONDA GROUP. INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 9/18/2019, WILL BE TAKEN TO DEALER 9/19/2019 REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
“TAKATA RECALL . ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL WITH NO OTHER INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND REVING OF ENGINE AND SHIFTING ISSUES.”
“WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN SHIFT CHANGE AND SLOW DOWN YOU WILL FEEL A JERKING FEELING OR IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS PULLING THE CAR BACK BEHIND AND PUSHING IT AT THE SAME TIME, A FRIEND WHO IS A MECHANIC TEST DROVE MY VAN AND HE SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS THE GIVING UP, I RESEARCH ABOUT THE HONDA MINI VAN IT HAS BEEN NOTORIOUS TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, MY VAN ONLY HAS 108274MILES ON IT AND IT IS CONSIDERED LOW MILEAGE TO HIS AGE, AND IT CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF SUDDEN JERKING WHILE RUNNING ON 40MPH TO 60MPH”
“THE PROBLEM THAT CREATED THE UNSAFE CONDITION WAS UNINTENTIONAL SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE TO COMPLETE THE STOP WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE 2008 ODYSSEY WAS GOING VERY SLOW (JUST MADE A RIGHT TURN ON ROAD) IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, FOR THE HOUSE WE WERE VISITING WAS ON THE CORNER. WE THEN TURNED ANOTHER RIGHT TO PARK IN A PRIVATE PARKING AREA. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD WHILE THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AND SOUNDING VERY LOUD. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY DOWN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES (LURCHES) FORWARD WHILE IMMEDIATELY GOING OVER A RAILROAD TIE (ABOUT 7 INCHES HIGH), GOING UP IN THE AIR (ALMOST ROLLING), THEN STRIKING A TREE WHICH SLOWED THE CAR DOWN. DESPITE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE, THE ODYSSEY KEPT REVVING AND THRUSTING FORWARD EVEN AFTER STRIKING THE TREE. THE IMPACT OF HITTING THE TREE WAS VERY HARD, AND THE ACCIDENT LEFT 2 OF THE PASSENGERS WITH SEATBELT IMPRINTS ON THE NECK AND CHEST. THE MINIVAN FINALLY STOPPED BECAUSE THE DAMAGE WAS SEVERE, INCLUDING A BURNING SMELL AND FLUID LEAKAGE FROM THE CAR. WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND GOT WORD THAT OUR ODYSSEY WAS TOTALED. THE…”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE GRADUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT DEALER WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.”
“VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, IN DRIVE WITH BRAKE APPLIED, ON A CITY STREET AT A RED LIGHT, DRY CONDITIONS. SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION/REVING/ENGINE SURGE OCCURRED--WITH SUCH FORCE THAT I INITIALLY THOUGHT I'D BEEN REAR-ENDED. I APPLIED PRESSURE TO BRAKES AND PUT CAR IN PARK. FOR A MOMENT, IT SEEMED AS IF THE BRAKES FAILED--NOT SURE. SURGE CONTINUED FOR A NUMBER OF SECONDS, THEN SUBSIDED. HAD CAR TOWED. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, NO EVIDENCE OF EVENT IN COMPUTER HISTORY. I KNOW I DID NOT HIT BRAKES AND GAS SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND BESIDES, HONDA SAYS THERE'S A BUILT IN SAFETY DEVICE THAT LIMITS SURGE TO 30%--THIS WAS MORE MARKED. NO RUG PAD UNDER GAS PEDAL EITHER. EXPERIENCED DRIVER WITH IMPECCABLE RECORD.”
Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.