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:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,305 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 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Honda Odyssey:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2008 Honda Odyssey Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #30

Sep 182019

Odyssey

  • 117,000 miles

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

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).

- Mckinney, TX, USA

problem #29

Aug 062019

Odyssey

  • 132,734 miles
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.

- Waterbury, CT, USA

problem #28

Feb 282019

Odyssey

  • 108,274 miles
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

- Ridgefield Park, NJ, USA

problem #27

Jun 022018

Odyssey

  • 135,000 miles

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

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 airbags did not deploy.

- Dade City, FL, USA

problem #26

Apr 072017

Odyssey

  • 160,000 miles
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.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

problem #25

Feb 192016

Odyssey

  • 81,000 miles
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.

- Concord, MA, USA

problem #24

Feb 152015

Odyssey

  • 55,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2008 Honda Odyssey. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated and crashed into a brick wall. The contact stated that the air bags deployed, but failed to inflate properly causing the contact to sustain serious injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

problem #23

Jan 202015

Odyssey 4-cyl

  • 125,450 miles
I was coming to a stop at a red light when the car suddenly accelerated forward. I had to turn the wheel to avoid hitting a car in front of me.

- Cranford, NJ, USA

problem #22

Aug 192014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
Autopark Honda replaced drive shafts because there was a popping sound coming while slow turns. I drove away and within 2 miles, all hell broke loose. There was a tremendous amount of metallic noise coming from the car and I nearly lost total control of the car. I could break I think. But steering and engine power were dangerously affected. Me and my kids would have been killed. I suspect the parts used were not of proper quality or the workmanship was poor. I can't decide. The dealership has been perfect with other repairs so I doubt it could have been workmanship but it is hard for me to say. People make mistakes.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #21

Jun 152009

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
Unintended acceleration has occurred six (6) times since the car was purchased new. The first three incidences took place over a four (4) year period starting about 2009 with about 25000 miles on the odometer. In each of these instances the car was entering a parking space moving forward. The brake pedal was applied and the car was almost stopped when the engine begin to race. Pressure was maintained on the brake and the engine speed returned to normal. The car was returned to the dealer for inspection after the first two (2) of these incidences but could not find the problem. In the last two years there have been three additional occurrences. In one instance the brake was applied and the car was at a complete stop at a traffic circle. Although the driver"S foot remained firmly on the brake, the engine began to rev up. The transmission had to be placed in neutral to prevent the car moving forward into traffic. On two other occasions the brake was applied to slow the car down in traffic when the engine"S RPM increase rapidly. To prevent a possible collision the transmission again had to be placed in neutral. Although the problem does not occur frequently when it does occur, there is a safety issue.

- Tallmadge, OH, USA

problem #20

Dec 022013

Odyssey

  • 56,000 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 while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently and without warning. The vehicle was not taken for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #19

Nov 162013

Odyssey

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle decelerated without warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage was 78,656.

- Royersford, PA, USA

problem #18

Dec 052012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
Car brakes apply abruptly and with great force without driver input. Occurs at speeds of approximately 40 mph and rpms between 1500-2000. Usually happens as transmission is in the process of downshifting from 5th to 4th gear. When condition occurs, vehicle will slow approximately 20-30 mph from original speed prior to braking. This condition has presented itself several times in the past year. Honda dealer examined vehicle and found no defect.

- Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

problem #17

Sep 072013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 78,000 miles
My husband, myself and my 3 children (ages 7, 4, and 1) were coming home from the phillies game at approximately 10:30 pm Saturday, September 7th, 2013. Upon entering the on ramp for a major roadway, my husband began accelerating to approximately 50 mph. He had his foot on the gas pedal, when the van braked spontaneously. In a matter of seconds, our speed decreased from 50 to 25-30. Our seatbelts all locked as we were lunged forward. There was a car directly behind us, who had to swerve into another lane to avoid rear ending us. It was as if someone slammed on the brakes, however no one did. This happen 3 or 4 more times within a 5-7 minute time frame, so we immediately pulled over to try and figure out what was happening. I immediately googled this issue and found that there was an ongoing investigation for 2007 and 2008 Odyssey for the same issue. I read that this has something to do with the vehicle stability system, so we pressed the vsa off button and drove home at a speed of 30 mph in case it happened again. No further spontaneous braking occurred once the vsa was off. I took the car into hamilton Honda this morning and spoke to service manager. They are currently evaluating the van. I am waiting to hear what they find.

- Chesterfield, NJ, USA

problem #16

Jun 282013

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 53,500 miles
The vsa light has been on and off for about two weeks, but user manual says it is okay for "normal driving". when I was driving about 40-45 mph, the vsa lights was on. I kept driving normally. Then we I tried to apply brake to slow down, the brake light turned on. After I released the brake, the car seemed to applied brake on itself even harder. It happened many times during the past few weeks and this time I definitely felt it.

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

problem #15

Oct 232012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
As I accelerated onto the road, my Odyssey braked hard and suddenly. The vehicle behind me, also accelerating, jerked and swerved around me to avoid collision (this seen in rear view mirror). I pulled over and stopped, restarted and listened to the engine, and looked for indicator lights. I resumed driving only to have the sudden braking recur a mile up the road. At that point I spoke with my husband on the phone and turned off the automatic braking system. No further incidents so far.

- Owings, MD, USA

problem #14

Aug 012012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
So far, on 3 separate occasions while applying the gas pedal the brakes were engaged and nearly stopped the vehicle. On each occasion it happened during acceleration and speeds went from nearly 40 to 10-15 mph each time. No pressure was applied to the brakes in any of these incidents.

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #13

Oct 242012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
When reaching 2000 RPM's, during cooler weather, the Odyssey makes a very loud humming/vibration. It appears to be coming from the engine compartment under carriage.

- Owasso, OK, USA

problem #12

Oct 012012

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 34,400 miles
About 2 weeks ago...October 1, 2012, I took my Honda back in to Honda. My car had been accelerating on its own. I left my Honda there for 3 days, at which point they determined there was nothing wrong with it, and they would like me to bring it back in to drive it "with them." There is 100% something wrong with my van again! in addition a few days ago, I was putting books in the back of my van, and the hatch struts failed, and the back hatch door fell down on my head.

- Gresham, OR, USA

problem #11

May 032012

Odyssey

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact was entering a parking space and as the brakes were applied, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. She was able to place the vehicle in park and turn the vehicle off to stop the failure. The vehicle was towed to the contact?S residence and was not taken to the dealer for repairs or inspection of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were not available. The VIN was not available.

- Chatham , NJ, USA

Read the next 10 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?