Honda Odyssey Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Honda Odyssey model year from 1990 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 16,917 federal complaints, 84 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2002–2007, 2018–2019. These years top the Odyssey's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1995–1996, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2021–2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

16,917Complaints on file
84Recall campaigns
37Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Honda Odyssey file with 3,051 complaints, concentrated in the 2001–2003 model years, most often reported around 53,478 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2026 Too early to call 40 2 Driver assistance 2
2025 Too early to call 494 2 Engine 29
2024 Too early to call 145 3 Electrical 9
2023 Typical 150 5 Driver assistance 11
2022 Better year 180 9 Driver assistance 15
2021 Better year 208 8 Electrical 13
2020 Below average 902 14 Driver assistance 53
2019 Avoid 1,606 20 Driver assistance 96
2018 Avoid 1,641 16 Driver assistance 100
2017 Better year 48 2 Engine 3
2016 Typical 355 6 Engine 24
2015 Better year 273 6 Engine 19
2014 Typical 406 5 Transmission & drivetrain 27
2013 Typical 276 6 Engine 22
2012 Typical 325 5 Brakes & stability 27
2011 Typical 291 5 Electrical 22
2010 Typical 340 2 Engine 28
2009 Better year 243 4 Body & structure 19
2008 Below average 617 5 Brakes & stability 50
2007 Avoid 1,039 5 Brakes & stability 81
2006 Avoid 879 4 Engine 64
2005 Avoid 1,046 9 Engine 67
2004 Avoid 715 13 Transmission & drivetrain 58
2003 Avoid 1,095 15 Transmission & drivetrain 78
2002 Avoid 1,117 10 Transmission & drivetrain 77
2001 Below average 721 1 Transmission & drivetrain 48
2000 Below average 785 6 Transmission & drivetrain 53
1999 Below average 664 9 Transmission & drivetrain 44
1998 Better year 89 4 Electrical 7
1997 Few reports 24 3 Electrical 3
1996 Better year 88 1 Airbags 6
1995 Better year 112 1 Airbags 7
1994 Few reports 1 0 0
1990 Few reports 2 0 0

Questions buyers ask

What Honda Odyssey years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2002–2007, 2018–2019 as the Honda Odyssey years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Honda Odyssey problem?

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Honda Odyssey file with 3,051 complaints, concentrated in the 2001–2003 model years, most often reported around 53,478 miles.

What are the best Honda Odyssey years to buy used?

The quietest Honda Odyssey years in federal records are 1995–1996, 1998, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2021–2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-12 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Honda Odyssey only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.