2015 Honda Odyssey Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 2015 Odyssey most often describe rough or jerky transmission behavior — hard shifts, clunks and shuddering at low speeds and around certain highway speeds — and, less frequently, engine misfires tied to oil-fouled spark plugs and piston ring wear. Power sliding door faults, random electrical/no-start glitches and cracked sunroof glass also appear repeatedly, and most reports arrive between roughly 20,000 and 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Rough, jerky or clunking transmission shifts

   • 24 complaints (12%)
   • median 32,500 mi at 3.8 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • filed 2014–2025

   Complaints describe hard shifts and clunks, most noticeable going from first to second gear after a stop or when accelerating out of a yield or turn. Some owners report a shudder or vibration while driving between about 20 and 60 mph, and a few describe the van lurching or feeling as if it briefly loses power. According to the complaints, dealers have flushed transmission fluid, updated transmission software and in some cases replaced the torque converter, with mixed results and some owners saying the behavior returned. Mostly reported between roughly 8,000 and 70,000 miles, often during stop-and-go or low-speed acceleration.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the van at low speed and from a stop, and feel specifically for clunks or shudder between first and second gear and around 40-60 mph. Ask whether the transmission software update and a fluid change have been done, and get any warranty coverage in writing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On the freeway, driving 65mph but it feels like the RPM is a little high, we approached traffic possible gear went to a lower gear, when the speed tries to speed up again I felt a jolt, we felt it the entire van multiple time when accelerated speed or from lower gear to higher gear auto. Then we reached the streets of stop and go, from lower gear switching to high gear we eel the big jolt, like we hit a very big dip when ever it switch gear. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11276899, filed 2019-10, 92,000 miles

   “Purchased car new in 2015, Honda Odyssey, have had shifting issues between gears jerking. Problem started within past year, seems to get a little worse and you can feel it shifting rough. I see various others with same issue, could this be a future recall I hope, I have 65k miles so that would be sad product to have this occur. This is my first Honda and thought they were reliable vehicles, don't have money to replace the transmission. Please help.”

   NHTSA complaint #11151774, filed 2018-11, 65,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Intermittent no-start and electrical glitches

   • 21 complaints (10%)
   • median 14,588 mi at 3.0 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners report the van occasionally not starting with the push button, complete battery power loss with nothing left on, warning lights flashing, and instrument panel flickering. Some also describe camera displays failing to show the side or rear view. Dealers are described as often unable to reproduce the problem, and in some cases door lock actuators, a control module or the alternator area were identified as needing attention. Spread from very low mileage up to about 115,000 miles, with no clear mileage pattern.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the van several times cold and warm, test the side and rear cameras and the alarm, and ask whether any battery, alternator, door lock or module repairs are on record.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I tried starting the car several times it wants to turn off and on by itself. The instrument panel lights flick on and off while this is happening. The whole electrical system glitches and the car engine wants to turn over then shut off. I have to push the start/stop button on the dash to stop it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10893873, filed 2016-08, 5,000 miles

   “When using the push button to start my car the car randomly won't start. Lights come on the dash but the engine doesn't turn over. I have taken my car to the dealer and they cannot identify anything wrong. I have children and having a car that won't start randomly makes my day really stressful. I never know if my trip to run errands, get groceries or to pick up my kids will be followed by my car not starting. This car is really unreliable in its current state. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11192039, filed 2019-03, 28,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine misfire with oil-fouled spark plugs

   • 37 complaints (18%)
   • median 73,532 mi at 6.3 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $5,000 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe the check engine light coming on or flashing, hesitation or loss of power when accelerating, and a rough-running engine. According to complaints, dealers have diagnosed misfires on individual cylinders and found oil reaching the spark plugs, with spark plug replacement and, in some cases, piston ring replacement recommended. Several owners mention the repair was offered but not performed because of cost. Reported from about 30,000 miles upward, with the most recent complaints above 90,000 miles.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check whether the check engine light is on or recently cleared, ask for any misfire or compression diagnostics, and look at service records for spark plug and piston ring work. A service bulletin describes this oil-fouling and misfire pattern, so ask whether any related repair has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to lose power upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. A warning message appeared on the instrument panel that instructed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for service. The contact initially took the vehicle to a dealer but due to a high volume of customers, the dealer could not service the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11566093, filed 2024-01, 133,597 miles

   “The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked and lunged forward while depressing the accelerator pedal, as the vehicle would shut off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that oil had leaked onto the alternator. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11645346, filed 2025-02, 135,000 miles
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Power sliding doors fail to open or close

   • 12 complaints (6%)
   • median 40,000 mi at 4.1 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   Complaints describe power sliding doors that stop partway, reverse, get stuck open or refuse to close by either the power or manual method. Several owners say the dealer attributed the problem to dust or gravel, and one owner reports the rubber coating on the door cable peeling off and bunching up. Others describe a snapping cable in the rear door. Mostly reported between about 20,000 and 80,000 miles, with some described as ongoing since the van was new.

   What to check: Operate both sliding doors several times from the key fob, the dash switch and the handles, and listen for grinding or uneven travel. Check the door tracks and cables for frayed or peeling coating and ask whether any door mechanism work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The van has power sliding doors. Ever since it was new, we have had problems with the doors not closing. We have been told several times by the dealer that it is because we live on gravel. I finally took the van apart myself and found that the rubber coating had come off the cable that closes the door and bunched up and would let it slide freely. I bought a new and within a month it was doing the same thing. The coating was coming off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11044380, filed 2017-11, 20,000 miles

   “Door almost killed my daughter. We were getting kids buckled in and my 2 year old daughter fell down. I went to the other side to help her. When I opened the door I saw she was stuck between the door and the seat and the door was moving back on her. Her head was jammed between the sliding door cup holder and the side of the van. I am 220lbs and with all my might was holding the door from opening all the way and I think crushing her head (as the door going back with the cup holder on the floor- was pinning her head between the door and the van). …”

   NHTSA complaint #11098306, filed 2018-05, 30,000 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Sunroof glass shattering while driving

   • 15 complaints (7%)
   • median 41,000 mi at 2.7 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2022

   Owners describe a loud bang followed by the sunroof glass breaking, with shards or solid pieces flying and the opening appearing to come from below or without any impact. Complaints say it happened at highway speeds with no other vehicle or debris involved. Dealers are described as unable to explain the cause, and repairs were handled case by case. Reported from near-new mileage to about 102,000 miles, usually at highway speeds.

   What to check: Inspect the sunroof glass closely for chips, star cracks or a replaced panel, and ask whether the glass has ever been replaced or repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving 65 m/h when I hear a small explosion , wasn't sure where the noise came from. After that I see some solid material flying from the front of the car all the way to the back. I parked the car on the side of the freeway and when I look on top of the roof I saw the moonroof broke and noticed the hole was coming from bottom up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10786177, filed 2015-10, 3 miles

   “My sunroof exploded when driving down the freeway. The glass remained intact however it shattered. The glass was raised and there were no foreign objects that ever came into contact. There were no temperature changes. It just shattered after a loud boom something similar to a gunshot.”

   NHTSA complaint #11131736, filed 2018-09, 47,000 miles

Buying note. Test the transmission carefully at low speed and from a stop, since rough shifting is the most common report, and confirm any check engine light history and piston ring or spark plug work. Check the sliding doors, sunroof glass and starting behavior, and get any prior repair records in writing before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.