CarComplaints.com Notes: Aside from peeling paint, the 2008 Honda Odyssey is a pretty reliable, generally trouble-free minivan.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
77,414 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Honda Odyssey body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2008 Honda Odyssey Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #54

Aug 082015

Odyssey

  • 900,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power lift gate struts (?) stopped working causing the lift gate to collapse on my head causing a small cut. After they stopped working, the lift gate would not power lift or stay open unless you manually held it open. My 2005 Odyssey had the same problem and it was fixed with a recall.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #53

Oct 032014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. While driving at approximately 60 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle started to vibrate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the ignition coil and spark plugs were replaced but the failure recurred within 73 miles. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic where the front cylinder head, the head gasket, water pump, and spark plugs were replaced. The contact also stated that the lift gate on the rear of the vehicle was opened, but failed to remain open. The failure recurred multiple times. The VIN was not includedin NHTSA campaign number: 12V060000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 01/21/16

- Spotsylvania, VA, USA

problem #52

Jun 262015

Odyssey

  • 78,000 miles
The car has large chunks of paint peeling from the roof and tailgate.

- Palmyra, VA, USA

problem #51

Mar 202014

Odyssey

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Me and my 3 children pulled into my driveway. As my 6 year old daughter got out of the van (like every other day) she went to pull close the drivers side back sliding door. Without any warning, the door fell off. Completely off!! thank god she was not smashed by the door, because I learned after, it is not light! when I called the dealership, they suggested I drive it up to get looked at!!! drive, without a door and 3 kids!? no way!! also, their response when I told them the door fell off (I was shocked) was "oh yea, that happens sometimes with minivans"! if I knew that, I wouldn't have gotten one! how is that safe at all"!" and they estimated around $400 to fix it!! after calling my step dad over, we figured out what part was needed and got the piece ourselves. It worked for a while and about 6 months later, both sliding doors now won't latch all the way. One of two of the latches (both the back ones) won't latch. One my dashboard, it constantly shows both doors are open. I have to keep the light switched to "off" instead of "door", otherwise, the lights stay on and battery dies. This is very inconvenient and as I am a single mother of 3, I do not have much time nor money to get this issue fixed right away!

- Strongsville, OH, USA

problem #50

Feb 102015

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 119,000 miles
We own a 2008 Honda Odyssey ex that should have been included in the recall for this safety issue, as it has been discovered that the power lift gate can fail as the struts are leaking pressurized gas. The reason the recall come to our attention in the first place is because the power lift gate on our vehicle has failed and has injured an employee. Upon our own research, we entered our VIN number into your database to check for any recall notifications, and the website stated our VIN number was invalid. However, when searching on your website for recalls for the 2008 Honda Odyssey, it is clear that a recall has been issued on 2/16/2012 with a NHTSA recall number of 12V-062. We then contacted the where we had purchased our vehicle. They denied any recall for the power lift gate issue and failed to help us resolve this major safety issue.

- Cornelius, NC, USA

problem #49

Jan 012015

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 98,000 miles
Liftgate struts failed, without warning, liftgate fell on my head as I reached in to grab personal items, causing headache. My 5 year old daughter was standing next to me, if my head would not have stopped the liftgate I cant imagine how seriously she would have been injured. There is a recall for this on the touring model, but not the ex-L however there are numerous complaints about this part failing prematurely, as early as 20,000 miles on ex-L models. Recall should be expanded to include ex-L.

- Gardner, KS, USA

problem #48

Mar 012014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Starting in the spring of 2014, the paint started coming off on the driver side and now the entire front of the roof is coming off.

- Rolling Meadows, IL, USA

problem #47

Oct 042014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
The two struts just suddenly cannot hold the liftgate which it almost hit my wife and kids' head. Should Honda notice these struts failure? known many other people have same problem on 2008 Odyssey ex/exl models.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

problem #46

May 082014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 77,955 miles
The lift gate struts that support the rear door failed with out any indication they were getting weak. They were working fine earlier in the day. But when I tried to open the hatch in the evening it was very heavy an would not stay open, until I supported it with a make shift pole. I replaced the struts with an after market version, but wonder if other owners have had similar failures, especially when the hatch was open.

- Estero, FL, USA

problem #45

Apr 142014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The liftgate struts failed suddenly and no longer support the heavy door. There was no gradual deterioration. Ours is a manual version - not powered and for some reason isn't covered by the recall 12V062000, even though it uses the same part that was determined to be defective in that investigation - NHTSA action number : PE11034. It was determined that it failed at unacceptable rate and the number of complaints from manual liftgates is higher than those of the powered liftgates. This is at least as dangerous as a powered liftgate situation, especially for my wife and 3 young children. The investigation and recall needs to be expanded to cover all models using this part, not just the powered doors.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #44

Mar 102014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 92,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear lift gate door would independently open. The contact would experience difficulty in manually closing the lift gate door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the rear struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number:12V062000 (structure) due to the authorized dealer stating that the failure was only associated with the power lift gate models. The contacts stated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure as the power lift gate and on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92500... updated 06/03/14 updated 06/13/2014

- North Charleston, SC, USA

problem #43

Feb 242014

Odyssey

  • 76,116 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear hatch would close independently. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number 12V062000(structure) but was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 76,116.

- Lake Grove, NY, USA

problem #42

Dec 062013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Issue is the same as with recall notice 12V062000. The gas filled struts are not holding the lift gate open. Issue became more noticeable when weather was cold. Recall should not be limited to power lift models as the same struts are used for other models. I read many complaints regarding this issue when I researched online. My model is the LX.

- Sugar Land, TX, USA

problem #41

Nov 192013

Odyssey

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the automatic liftgate was opened however, it independently and abruptly closed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 12V062000 sructure:body:hatchback/liftgate). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,000.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #40

Oct 102012

Odyssey

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while in park, the tailgate would not remain open. He also stated that the lift gate lock could not be unlocked with the key or manually. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not listed under recall NHTSA campaign number: 12V062000 (structure). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Oswego, IL, USA

problem #39

Sep 042013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
The liftgate/tailgate on the Honda Odyssey 2008 exl does not stay up. It falls down due to the weight of the liftgate and has the potential to injure the person using it. This is a non powered liftgate. Honda did have a recall on the powered liftgates for the 2008 exl, but not for the non powered ones.

- Woodbury, MN, USA

problem #38

May 192013

Odyssey

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear lift gate independently closed with an abnormally large amount of force. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the struts would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #37

May 142013

Odyssey

  • 53,940 miles
I tried to open the trunk and realized it felt like dead weight. I lifted it, closed it slowly and tried again. I'm guessing the pneumatic lift is not working. This could have been very dangerous if I lifted it and let it go without realizing the weight. For now, I cannot use the trunk.

- West Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #36

Apr 222013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 47,550 miles
The rear tailgate strut failed on my Odyssey ex- important to differentiate from the ex-L, which was affected by a recall for the same thing (NHTSA campaign #12V062000). The recall did not apply to the ex nor LX models. Problem is the ex-L, ex & LX models share the same strut part #74820-shj-A21, price $63.91/each. The parts information is right off Honda's own website. The recall makes no mention of failures to any motors, generators or power locks. The only reference is to the strut itself. If the strut is the problem, why doesn't the recall apply to all '08 Odyssey if all Odyssey share the same part? I called Honda for an explanation & the rep said they would only pay for repairs to models covered by the recall. Since my vehicle wasn't, they wouldn't pay &, as it stands now, I'm out $213.71, which is the cost for both parts & labor. I believe I am entitled to reimbursement of the full cost of replacing the struts & I also believe all '08 Odyssey models should be recalled for this problem as failure of the part poses a serious risk of injury to anyone standing under the door, which happens alot while loading/unloading the vehicle.

- New Hyde Park, NY, USA

problem #35

Jan 012013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear power liftgate would not remain open when activated and would close abruptly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that both power liftgate gas struts would need to be replaced. There was a recall associated with the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 12V062000 (structure). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000...updated 06/24/13 the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired by Honda at no cost the owner. Updated 06/28/2013

- Stanardsville, VA, USA

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