2014 Honda Odyssey engine problems

“About mid-2025, Honda announced a warranty extension campaign (not a formal NHTSA recall) for: * 2013–2017 Honda Odyssey (and some Pilots) * Related to VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) What the problem was: * Piston rings wear prematurely * Oil gets past the rings → fouls spark plugs * Leads to: * Misfires (P0301–P0304) * Oil consumption * Rough running Mechanism: * Cylinder deactivation (VCM) → uneven temps → carbon buildup + ring sticking * Sometimes described loosely as a “piston/gasket issue,” even though it’s really piston rings + oil control What Honda did: * Extended powertrain warranty to: * 10 years / 150,000 miles * Covered repairs like: * Piston ring replacement * Spark plugs, etc. In March 2023 I had multiple piston ring failures costing me almost $4k to fix. I submitted a claim with receipts and the work was done at a dealership. Honda said I had all the appropriate paperwork and would get back to me in 6-9 weeks. That was 7 months ago”

“All of this has been diagnosed and confirmed by Richfield-Bloomington Honda. It is a catostrophic failure of the motor. Cylinder 6 is misfiring. They are recommending a full motor replacement. Last year, I had the piston ring issue on this car and the dealership had to rebuild the motor. The van has about 125,000 miles on it and is good service, including the repaired motor. We are the single owners of the vehicle. After this happened, Honda Corporation was notified, a case was open by both the Richfield Honda Dealership where we purchased our vehicle and by our family. Both were denied. This was a huge safety issue. I was driving home and the check engine light started blinking and the car started shaking. I pulled up to the nearest mechanic (4 miles). They recommended towing it the 200 miles to where I had engine work done the previous year. I was STRANDED in Iowa during this and at the goodwill of some local helpful folks. Luckily, I did not have my kids and I did have cell phone reception where the light went off. This same motor has had two HUGE, vehicle-totaling issues in the last two years.”

“While brake pedal depressed and car coming to a stop at a traffic light, car surged forward as engine revved and hit another car in front of it. Brake pedal was depressed the entire time.”

“The piston ring function has deteriorated causing ring low wear toughness such to the point that sludge has been created fowling the spark plug. This leads to carbon fowling and misfiring of the engine. There have been two incident's one in March of 2025 and the second in Late July of 2025. Both times we after my wife freak out because the car was falling apart she had it towed to a mechanic and both times they said it was caused by what I identified above. A few weeks later a notice of a warrantee exception was sent out and we thought great we will take it in and they will fix it. If we had know about the warrantee extension prior we would have brought it to Honda. Honda told us that unless the lights are on we won't fix it. So they said we needed to wait to it breaks down somewhere and then have it towed to the nearest Honda by Jan. 31st, 2026 and they will fix it. After that tough luck. We are looking for an exception to this rule and I have sent in the necessary information proving that the problem exists as evidenced by two licensed mechanics. If and exception is not granted I will have no other choice but to bring it to the better business bureau and 7 on…”

“On 10/03/2021 I was driving on the road and they car started acting up and the lights on the dashboard all start light up, so I drove to the dealer did a diagnosis on the car came out To be misfire and piston ring 4 fault. So I did the repair that are required for me to operate my vehicle safely. So four years later Honda did the recall. I submitted my documentation and repair receipt. Honda at first denied my claim saying I don’t have a proof of payment ( which clearly shows on my receipt it’s been paid with a Visa card), so I replied back with the Honda dealer’s billing personal contact info so the can verify that it’s been paid. So that takes care that. Then they move on to denying me again saying I don’t have the correct code on my invoice. So I attached the dealer repair managers contact info for them to verify the repair ( which the manager said American Honda should honor the repair since they issue the recall) and after all whose work Honda is still denying it. I did some searching on the net. I am not alone on this. A lot of honda owners are having the same issues did the repair with their hard earned money and when it comes to recall. American Honda…”

“Vehicle: 2014 Honda Odyssey, VIN [XXX] , approximately 88,000 miles. In October 2025, the vehicle developed a strong burning-like odor from the HVAC vents, the temperature gauge rose, and an “Engine Hot” warning message appeared. At the same time, engine performance deteriorated and the engine began misfiring. Due to the overheating warning and drivability issues, I stopped using the vehicle and brought it to Pit Stop Auto Center (203 Clinton Place, Long Branch, NJ 07740) for inspection. Component/system that failed or malfunctioned: The engine head gasket failed (engine/cooling system). The failure resulted in internal oil-to-coolant cross-contamination, with a milky/frothy oil–coolant mixture visible in the coolant reservoir and additional visible oil contamination when removing the coolant cap. The mechanic also stated in a message dated October 29, 2025 that after removing the water pump, they discovered that engine oil was mixed with coolant inside the cooling system. How safety was put at risk: The head gasket failure caused an engine overheating condition (“Engine Hot” warning) and misfiring/reduced performance, creating a risk of loss of power and…”