This issue is also characterized as "excessive oil consumption" but in our case the first warning we saw was that the engine started misfiring terribly causing a very noticeable vibration.

When we got the car home we checked the oil and found it was "empty" (nothing showing on the dipstick). At first I thought the engine had seized/died due to total loss of oil, but the dealer said there was still 2 quarts in bottom of pan (they said stick doesn't show anything when >2 quarts low) and that this was all due to the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) recall issue and that the plugs were fouled because the rings malfunctioned and let oil into the combustion chamber.

Thankfully my car is less than 8 years old and Honda is covering it. But I still have an engine with a VCM feature that causes it to eat too much oil and has 3 pistons with rings that will likely fail again leading to costly plug fouling, more work, etc., this time after the warranty expires.

The Ody club website has a method of disabling the VCM which I may pursue.

https://www.odyclub.com/forums/52-2005-2010-odyssey/234113-vcm-better-way-disable.html

There are other methods as well.

Here's the deal folks, several model years of Honda Odysseys, Accords, Pilots and Crosstours with the 6 cyl variable cylinder management engines have a misfire problem that was recently part of a class action law suit settlement that I believe started in the state of CA. The rings on some pistons are positioned such at the time of manufacturing that the gaps align and oil gets into the cylinder. Result, excessive use of engine oil and spark plug fouling that leads to an engine misfire problem that results in the check engine light finally flashing and the engine not running properly.

As part of the class action law suit Honda has agreed to fix this problem when it happens up to 10 years after purchase of the vehicle if you agree to be part of the class action. Basically this means if you don't do anything and therefore agree not to sue them independently they'll 'fix' the problem. THIS IS BAD!!! I had my vehicle repaired when this finally occurred at 66800m. Prior to this we had the oil level get so low that the check engine light came on. They literally have to tear your engine apart and replace the rings on the particular pistons that are positioned in a manner that creates the problem.

I'm pissed! I've been a fan of Honda in the past due to the reliability of their motors and spent almost $30k to buy a used Odyssey with about 40k miles thinking I'd have a reliable vehicle for years to come. Let's make them pay! Do your research and avoid these vehicles! I'm trading the thing off as I'm not comfortable with a vehicle that's now had it's factory motor completely tore apart and put back together. Talk about a recipe for more problems down the road which certainly won't be covered because the problem has been 'fixed' already.