2025 Honda Odyssey Complaints Rose to 175 From 32 in a Year
Most reports say the engine does not restart at a light. NHTSA has an open probe. The file shows no recall for this on the van.
Story in Brief
- The 2025 Odyssey drew 175 complaints from August through October 2026, against 32 a year earlier.
- All light vehicle complaints rose 7.7 percent over the same span.
- By word match, 133 of the 175 use a term for the stop and start feature.
- NHTSA investigation EA25004 lists the Odyssey through model year 2025 and shows no close date.
- A complaint is an owner's report, not a finding. Test before you sell a part.
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Owners sent NHTSA 175 complaints about the 2025 Honda Odyssey from August through October 2026, up from 32 in the same months of 2025, the federal complaint file shows. That is the kind of van a shop may now see for a second opinion, with a report that it stalled at a stop light.
A complaint is an owner's report. It is not a finding of a defect. NHTSA has an open investigation that covers this van, and it has not closed. The file shows no recall for this problem on the 2025 Odyssey.
The Count and How It Was Made
This is an Auto Mechanic USA count from the complaint file dated November 3, 2026. The steps are simple enough for anyone to repeat.
- Keep vehicle complaints on light vehicle brands, by the date NHTSA received them.
- Count each ODI number once in a group, because one complaint can repeat across components.
- Compare August through October 2026 with August through October 2025.
- Flag a model and system with at least 60 recent complaints and at least double the year before.
That screen returned 12 rows. All light vehicle complaints rose only 7.7 percent over the same span, from 18,669 to 20,109, so double is well outside the trend. The Odyssey held three of the top six rows, so the count then went one level down, to model year.
Top rows on the screen. Distinct complaints, August through October of each year. Auto Mechanic USA count.
| Model | System | 2025 | 2026 | Recall Noted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMC Sierra 1500 | Engine and Cooling | 151 | 315 | 25V274, filed April 2025 |
| Ford Escape | Rear Cameras | 17 | 154 | 25V695, filed October 2025 |
| Honda Odyssey | Electrical | 81 | 203 | None on file since 2023 |
| Honda Odyssey | Engine and Cooling | 85 | 188 | None on the 2025 model |
Recalls already on file may help explain two of those rows. GM recall 25V274 covers 6.2 liter engines in 2021 to 2024 trucks, and 86 of the 315 Sierra complaints use the word recall. Ford recall 25V695 covers rear cameras and has a phased remedy. Of the 154 Escape complaints, 133 use the word recall and 153 are on 2015 or 2016 models.
The 2025 Odyssey has no such recall to point to. By model year, it made the largest move in the file, at 175 complaints against 32.
Age alone does not explain it. A van gets more miles and more owners as it ages, so a one year comparison can flatter the old number. So compare two model years at the same age. The 2024 Odyssey drew 8 complaints from August through October 2025. The 2025 Odyssey drew 175 at the same point, one year later. Sales figures were not part of this count, so it is not a rate.
The rise also does not look like a single burst. The count was 25 in April 2026, 33 in May and 50 in June. It then held at 58 or 59 a month from July through October. No single day had more than 10 of the 175, and they came from 34 states. The NHTSA complaint lookup matched the monthly counts for this van.
What Owners Describe
Of the 175, 133 use a term for the stop and start feature, such as idle stop or auto stop. That is 76 percent, by word match. A random check of 25 of the 133 found all 25 were about that feature. Honda calls it Auto Idle Stop.
The common report runs like this. The engine shuts off at a light as designed. The driver lifts off the brake. The engine does not restart, warnings appear on the dash, and the van sits in traffic until the driver restarts it. Owners file the same event under different headings, with 105 complaints tagged engine, 90 electrical and 49 other or unknown. A complaint can carry more than one tag. That is why a model year count reads better than a system count here.
The reports in this set carry little harm so far. One of the 175 is flagged for a crash. None is flagged for a fire or an injury. Those flags come from the owner's own report.
What NHTSA Has Open
NHTSA opened Engineering Analysis EA25004 on March 26, 2025, under the subject no restart after auto start and stop engages. The investigation file shows no close date. It lists these Honda and Acura vehicles, and every row runs through model year 2025.
Complaints using a stop and start term, model years in the EA25004 scope only. August through October of each year. Auto Mechanic USA count.
| Vehicle | Model Years in Scope | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Odyssey | 2018 to 2025 | 37 | 174 |
| Honda Ridgeline | 2020 to 2025 | 9 | 44 |
| Honda Pilot | 2016 to 2025 | 38 | 42 |
| Acura MDX | 2016 to 2025 | 22 | 41 |
| Honda Passport | 2019 to 2025 | 12 | 29 |
| Acura TLX | 2015 to 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| All six | 119 | 331 |
The record says the work began with Pilot complaints in June 2022. It says Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 on January 6, 2023. The repair has two stages. The first is an engine software update. The second, used if the update fails, can include a starter assembly, starter relays and a valve adjustment, depending on the vehicle. The record also says Honda extended warranty cover to 10 years with unlimited miles for vehicles that need the second stage.
Read the list of vehicles closely. The record names the Pilot, TLX, MDX, Passport and Ridgeline in those bulletins, with set model years. It does not name the Odyssey. NHTSA widened the probe to newer vehicles it calls substantially similar. So do not assume a 2025 Odyssey falls under that bulletin or that warranty extension. Check it by VIN.
One more caution. Publicity can raise complaint counts. Of the 175, 14 cite the investigation number. Some of the rise may be owners learning where to report, and not more failures.
What a Shop Should Do When One Rolls In
A 2025 van may still be under factory cover, so the first job may be to send it to a dealer with good notes. If the owner came to you first, these steps keep the record clean.
- Run the VIN for open recalls and print the result.
- Write down the owner's words. Note where it happened, the air conditioning setting and the warnings shown.
- Scan all modules and save stored codes before you clear anything.
- Test the battery and starting system, and write down the results. Of the 175, 57 mention a starter or battery, so owners may already have replaced one.
- Check Honda service information for any bulletin that matches that VIN.
- Do not sell a starter on this complaint alone without a test that points to it.
- Tell the owner to get any dealer visit in writing, and that the owner can file with NHTSA directly.
This count does not show why these vans stall. It shows that reports jumped, on one model year, while a federal probe is open. A shop should treat it as a reason to test carefully, not as a diagnosis.
Reader Mail
- Is the 2025 Odyssey under recall for this?
- The recall file shows no recall for this problem on the 2025 Odyssey as of the file date. Run the VIN, because that can change.
- Does the 10 year warranty extension cover a 2025 Odyssey?
- The NHTSA record does not say so. It names other Honda and Acura models for those bulletins. Check by VIN with Honda.
- Why count by model year and not by system?
- Owners file the same stall under engine, electrical or other headings. A model year count catches them all. Each complaint number counts once.
- Does a jump in complaints prove a defect?
- No. Complaints are owner reports, and publicity can raise them. Only an investigation or a recall can reach a finding.
Record and Data Links
- Complaint flat file, FLAT_CMPL, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints by vehicle, 2025 Honda Odyssey, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Investigation record EA25004, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Investigation flat file, FLAT_INV, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall flat file, FLAT_RCL_POST_2010, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 25V274000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 25V695000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration