2018 Honda Odyssey Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe two clusters of trouble: a hesitation or shudder in the 9-speed transmission that shows up at low miles, and a family of driver-assist and camera faults that light up the dashboard and disable adaptive cruise, lane keeping and collision braking. A separate group of complaints describes engine knocking that in some cases led to a dealer recommending engine replacement, and many owners mention the fuel pump recall campaign as the reason their van lost power.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine knocking and low oil pressure leading to engine

   Mentioned in 11 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a rhythmic tapping or knocking from the engine bay that is loudest when the engine is warm and at low RPM, and sometimes for a second or two on a cold start. Owners report the noise being accompanied by a flashing check engine light, loss of power on the road, or a van that would not restart. In several cases dealers diagnosed worn connecting rod bearings or a failed timing belt and recommended replacing or disassembling the engine. Reported across a wide mileage range, with many complaints above 80,000 miles and a few as low as 35,000.

   Recall 23V751000

   What to check: Listen for a knock at idle with the engine warm and check for a cold-start rattle; ask for oil change records and whether the van's VIN is included in the connecting rod bearing campaign.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicle has recently and suddenly developed a loud engine knocking sound which sounds like an engine bottom-end knock (crankshaft or connecting rod). The sound is dependent upon engine RPM and is most noticeable at low RPM and when the engine is warm. The knocking sound is severe for the first 1-2 seconds on cold engine start, until oil pressure is developed. There are two known incidents believed to be caused by this issue: 1. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11638291, filed 2025-01, 122,463 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light and attempting to make a left turn on an exit, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact called 911 and the Fire Department; however, there was no fire. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine and starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11709779, filed 2026-01, 167,000 miles
2. 2
   Fuel system

   Engine loses power, stalls or will not respond

   • 184 complaints (18%)
   • median 55,500 mi at 5.5 yrs old (58 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,971 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report pressing the accelerator and getting no response, sometimes with a check engine light, sometimes with no warning at all, and occasionally with the engine stalling while driving. Many of the complaints mention the fuel pump recall campaign and say the remedy part was not yet available, so the vehicle had not been repaired. Dealers in other cases could not reproduce the symptom or suggested a software update. Spread from roughly 10,000 to over 150,000 miles, often at highway speed.

   Recall 23V858000

   What to check: Ask whether the low-pressure fuel pump recall has been completed on the vehicle and keep documentation; test-drive at highway speed and note any hesitation under acceleration.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the failure has caused the vehicle to hesitate while attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions while driving on the interstate and the freeway. A dealer was contacted. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11676600, filed 2025-07, 108,900 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11589845, filed 2024-05, 80,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Sliding door and liftgate latch faults

   • 92 complaints (9%)
   • median 17,000 mi at 1.5 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,251 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe power sliding doors that will not latch or fully close and reopen on their own, sometimes with a door-failure message and a chime on the dash. Some report the door binding because of a kinked or damaged wiring harness, and others say the liftgate has jammed or opened unexpectedly. Complaints mention dealer diagnoses of failed latch actuators, door motors or harness repairs, and in some cases the symptom returned after repair. Reported from under 10,000 miles up to about 170,000, sometimes in cold weather or after rain.

   Recall 18V795000Recall 20V437000Recall 23V158000

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors and the liftgate several times, watch for hesitation, grinding or reopening, and ask whether the door latch and harness recalls were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My driver side sliding door won't close all the way and keeps reopening when I am in park position. It has been looked at multiple time and recalls have been done but still does it every day. Because it doesn't do it all the time the dealership doesn't want to fix it. It's been doing it since we bought the car new since 2018.”

   NHTSA complaint #11361045, filed 2020-09, 5,456 miles

   “Since late last year, my 2018 Odyssey had been having some issues with the sliding door. Sometimes it doesn't close till I hit the button multiple times so finally, I took it to the dealership. They told me my cess harness is kinked and would cost me $485 for replacing it. The door had at least a couple of different recalls in the past year. The vehicle has only 6500 miles and these wires are not suppose to go bad that fast.”

   NHTSA complaint #11413720, filed 2021-04, 6,300 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission hesitation, shudder and hard shifting

   • 179 complaints (18%)
   • median 34,500 mi at 2.9 yrs old (51 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $8,507 (median of 10 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the van hesitating or shuddering when they step on the gas, particularly when pulling away from a stop or accelerating to change lanes, with the engine revving as if it had slipped into neutral for a few seconds before re-engaging. Some report hard or jerky shifts and occasional downshifts into neutral at highway speed. Several say dealers told them the 9-speed unit has known characteristics or performed a control module software update, and that the behavior returned afterward. Mostly reported between roughly 5,000 and 80,000 miles, often during low-speed acceleration or turns.

   Recall 19V2990001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the van from a stop and at highway speed and feel for hesitation, shuddering or a pause before it engages; ask whether the transmission control software was updated and whether the torque converter has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had this very problem in my 2018 ex with nav res. I'll be on the highway, going 65mph+, and I will accelerate to change lanes or pass and the engine will seemingly stall for several seconds. As I press the gas, the car actually decelerates as if it's coasting in neutral. After a few seconds, it reengages, the engine revs a little, and the car begins acceleration. I also often notice that the van does a similar thing when I'm accelerating from a stop to enter traffic or make a turn. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300974, filed 2020-01, 41,000 miles

   “From the day I bought my car the brakes have squealed when applying them at a low rate of speed. There have been multiple times I have tried to accelerate and the gas took an extended time to work. Once I was trying to switch lanes and when I accelerated the van didn't go any faster and I almost caused an accident. The van shifts extremely hard. Everything the van shifts around 20-30 MPH the entire vehicle jolts back and forth. This is a huge safety issue and the dealers will not acknowledge it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11301300, filed 2020-01, 5,000 miles
5. 5
   Forward collision avoidance

   Driver-assist and collision system warnings lighting up

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe several warning lights coming on together - collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, lane keeping, adaptive cruise and auto high beam - after which those features stop working. Owners report the warnings appearing at startup or while driving, sometimes after a windshield replacement or in rain, and dealers telling them the front camera needs recalibration or replacement. Some also note the van becoming hard to accelerate while the warnings are present. Reported from around 30,000 to over 100,000 miles, with several complaints tied to windshield work or weather.

   What to check: Start the van and confirm no driver-assist warning lights stay on, and ask whether the windshield has been replaced and whether the forward camera was recalibrated afterward.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Land departure system is automatically activated, but not turned on. Periodically, even when not leaving the lane, system overrides my actions. Rather frightful when unaware as to what is going on. It felt like a tug-of-war. This occurred while driving on two lane roads.”

   NHTSA complaint #11390557, filed 2021-01, 35,500 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11595421, filed 2024-06, 55,000 miles

Buying note. Have the van inspected for transmission hesitation and engine noise on a proper test drive, and confirm in writing which of the fuel pump, connecting rod bearing and door latch campaigns have already been done, since owners frequently report waiting on parts.

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.