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:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,906 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Honda Odyssey Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Mar 102019

Odyssey

  • 109,000 miles

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

I have spent over $4000 in repair costs and my car just shut down completely and will not start. I have had to have my car towed three times once to Honda dealership and twice to a repair shop. All this msoney spent and car still doesn't work right, now it just stopped working completely. All lights on dashboard start flickering then car starts stopping itself while all lights go crazy. Car starts stalling itself while I'm driving making it extremly unpridictable and unsafe. Car has gotten so hot that it melted a new battery that needed to be replaced along with alternator. Still after all this still not working right all the electricals go crazy brakes, locks and everything else now car has completely stopped. Yet no one can find out what's wrong. It has happened on road and on highway very unpridictable. Curtis Honda in milford had my car for 4 days couldn't find anything yet it stalled and stopped on me only a day after picking it up from milford dealership. They could not find or would not find why. All lights go crazy and stop shut off my vehichle. After all this vehicle started I drove it around town all of a sudden all lights started going crazy and started stopping on it's own until it completly died.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

problem #30

Feb 132019

Odyssey

  • 175,000 miles
Driving vehicle and alternator over heated and caught on fire while we were in the vehicle

- Denham Springs, LA, USA

problem #29

Feb 142019

Odyssey

  • 138,000 miles
Lift gate opened one day and the next day it had no power. Also the rear windshield wiper will operate even when turned off. Vehicle was parked in driveway when lift gate was discovered. I was driving down the city streets when I noticed the rear wiper.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #28

Feb 192019

Odyssey

  • miles

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

Passenger right sliding door once it close, when it shift in gear rear sliding door automatically try open.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #27

Jan 192019

Odyssey

  • 131,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. While driving various speeds in the rain, water leaked through the roof and dripped onto the A-post, front driver's side air bag, and electrical components. The failure caused the electrical system to shut down, and the power doors and windows did not work. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

- Knoxvile, TN, USA

problem #26

Dec 292018

Odyssey

  • miles
Vehicle was parked in space at work. The engine turned off. Sometime, later, the interior lights, front and rear lights came on. A few second later, the alarm went off. This happened numerous times. Took to Honda dealership, thought the issue went away. The issues come back again.

- Lowell, MA, USA

problem #25

May 072018

Odyssey

  • 154,488 miles

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

Right rear passenger door does not latch while stationary. Will not open or close unless physically forced.

- Warrensburg, MO, USA

problem #24

Aug 052018

Odyssey

  • 160,000 miles
While stationary in a parking lot, while opening the passenger side sliding door the entire door jumped out of the channel, almost falling on top of myself and others and damaging the side of the car and rendering the door useless. The bearings for the door appear to be factory originals and are made of a cheap plastic that has broken. This appears to be dangerous and common for odyssees. I have never had a car ever have a door jump out of a track like this and I have had astro vans since the 1980S, and still currently own a 2002 that has never had such an issue. Sliding doors should not be able to spring out of tracks this way or use such easily broken, unreliable parts.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #23

Nov 202017

Odyssey

  • 48,000 miles
The alarm went on at around 2am and kept on going. Switched if off using key fob. Checked all doors and windows and nothing was open. After about ten minutes it started going off again by itself. As I was watching at that time, there was no reason for the alarm to go off. The same thing repeated over several nights and this became an issue for us and neighbor's. from then on, I have started taking out the horn fuse when parking. As this happened a few months ago, I have given an approximate date below. I am having this checked by a dealer, though I doubt they can find the cause as this occurs randomly. This has however become a major headache.

- Warrenville, IL, USA

problem #22

Nov 102017

Odyssey

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the front driver's door failed to open. The contact rolled the window down and attempted to open the door from the outside handle while within the vehicle, but the door still failed to open. The contact had to use the front passenger door to exit and enter the vehicle. The contact also stated that the lock would turn when the key was inserted into the door, but the door would not open. The contact attempted to remove the driver's side interior door panel, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (pearson Honda, 14001 hull street rd, midlothian, va, 23112), but they were unable to remove the panel and asked for permission to possibly damage the panel, but at the expense of the contact. The contact did not authorize the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

- Powhatan, VA, USA

problem #21

Sep 242016

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 99,500 miles

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

Turning onto highway, heard a loud bang, checked my dash, no warning lights illuminated, thought it was a rock or road debris that hit the vehicle. Continued toward our destination at 55 mph, about a mile down the road the ABS lighted up, then the vsa, then the TPMS, then the seatbelt light, then the radio went out, the gauges were next, finally the battery light came on, I let the vehicle come to a halt using very little brakes. As soon as I stopped the engine died and no lights would come on, had to manually unlock and manually open the door. Called the Honda dealership, said it would be towed in that day 24 Sept 2016, there was no accident, but for this to happen with no warning whatsoever, is of concern to me. I don't know if this is a hardware or software glitch, we had the vehicle in for maintenance just this past week, timing belt, rear brakes, oil change. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you for considering this statement.

- Hilo, HI, USA

problem #20

Aug 152016

Odyssey

  • 105,000 miles
The navigation system has been experiencing a failure to read the dvd which also is causing the backup camera system to fail while driving. The only fix to the problem is to restart the vehicle. The dvd for the navigation system in version 4.92 and was placed in the vehicle less than 5 years ago due to problems with the navigation system at that time while under warranty. I contacted Honda today and was informed by one representative that they were aware that dvds are wearing unusually fast, but there was nothing they could do except advise contacting the seller of the dvd to buy a new one for $149. I had spoken to someone yesterday who advised me to contact the dealer who had to replace components of the navigation in 2011 while under warranty. I did that and the dealer is unable to do anything more. I contacted the seller of the dvd and they were unable to provide a replacement for the failed dvd. I contacted Honda a second time today under the recall department and they advised me that there were no reports of these problems available to them and that this is not a covered item by recall or warranty. The case # is 04926816. Since they advised me they were unaware of this problem the second time with the recall contact I advised them I would make the NHTSA aware. Essentially the navigation system and backup camera system all shutdown due to unusual wear on the dvd under the drivers seat in the dvd reader and when a glitch in reading the dvd is encountered the entire system shuts down including backup cameras. I especially find this unusual as this dvd would virtually never be removed so all of the wear and tear is from inside the dvd reader leading to this failure. This failure can happen on startup, or while driving. This last occurred 2 days ago, but has occurred now over a 6 month-1yr period of time intermittently.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #19

Jan 172016

Odyssey

  • miles
Only the driver window opens. When trying to open the passenger side or the two back windows I only hear a click and nothing happens. The security lock switch is not engaged. I searched online and found that so many people have the same problem which seams to be the "master window switch." It costs about $200 for parts plus the labor cost.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #18

Jan 022015

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 60,600 miles
The battery drains overnight making it so the vehicle has to be jumped the next morning. When jumping the vehicle, a bit of steam is emitted from the front right side of the engine compartment accompanied by a loud "jet engine" or "tv static" sound. Once jumped, the car will start throughout the day. However, something overnight is causing the battery to drain. The website carcomplaints.com has the issue listed with very similar incidents to what I just explained. This needs to be investigated. Always, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Lufkin, TX, USA

problem #17

Aug 112014

Odyssey

  • 106,200 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact's vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V112000 (fuel system, gasoline) and 13V500000 (electrical system). After the repairs were completed, the contact found bolts that were left in the cupholder. The dealer stated that the bolts belonged to another vehicle. The contact was concerned that the repairs were not performed adequately. The failure mileage was 106,200.

- Urbana, IL, USA

problem #16

May 232014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the vsa warning light illuminated and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the 60,000 mile service was performed. The contact was advised by the mechanic that a pressure sensor in the control unit (part number: 6601) had failed, which resulted in the vsa modulator needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired at that time. The contact later received notification that her vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V500000 (electrical) and took the vehicle to an authorized dealer. The dealer installed and updated the yaw rate sensor under the recall but did not perform the calibration. The vsa warning light continued to illuminate and the dealer advised the contact that the yaw rate sensor could not be calibrated with the system until the vsa modulator was replaced at her expense. The vsa modulator was not replaced. There was a second recall initiated prior to the recent recall under NHTSA campaign number: 10V098000 (service brakes, air) which involved repairs to the vsa modulator by removing any existing air in the braking system, followed by the application of sealant and caps to prevent air from entering the braking system. The contact's vehicle was not included in the recall campaign pertaining to the vsa modulator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 60,000. Kmj updated 9/11/14 updated 1/20/2015

- York, PA, USA

problem #15

Jun 042013

Odyssey

  • 111,785 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle jerked abnormally as the instrument panel lights flashed randomly. The vehicle also stalled without warning. The contact then shifted into park and neutral but the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the battery and alternator was replaced but to no avail, the failure later recurred. The dealer advised the contact that the battery and alternator would need to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 111785.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #14

Jan 132014

Odyssey 6-cyl

  • 26,950 miles
The car alarm horn going off for no reason at 2 am in the morning. Hit the lock button on the remote and alarm stopped. When daylight, found driver side door was not locked but all the other doors were locked. Then another incident in a week, 4 am the car alarm horn going again. Shut it off with remote. Within 5 minutes the car alarm horn went off again. Shut it off with remote and went outside, opened the driver side door with key. Then locked all the doors with manual switch on driver side door panel and closed the driver side door. The vehicle, while a 2008 model has less than 27,000 miles. This should be a recall for Honda automobiles in general from reading complaints.

- Brandon, FL, USA

problem #13

Jan 072014

Odyssey

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 13V500000 (electrical system) the dealer informed the contact that the part needed to repair the vehicle would not become available until the spring. The dealer was unable to provide an expected date for the part to become available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA

problem #12

Jan 062014

Odyssey

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that after receiving notification of NHTSA campaign I.D. number 13V500000 (electrical system) the contact called the dealer to make an appointment. The dealer informed the contact that the parts needed to repair the vehicle would not become available until spring 2014. The contact called the manufacturer who confirmed. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

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