When thinking of family vehicles, vans are the obvious choices, and since family vehicles are expected to be reliable, there isn’t a better name than Honda. The Honda Odyssey is a midsize van that has set itself in a position that almost makes it a benchmark for its segment. Talking about reliability, Honda has proven it by selling over 107,000 units, and to further favor the Odyssey, NHTSA has been able to record just 214 complaints with 5 recalls so far. The 2011 Honda Odyssey was found to cause troubles majorly in the form of a total power cut down and poor readability on the instrument cluster. No matter how good of a vehicle it may be, there are always rivals that try to occupy the segment and for the Odyssey, the major rivals include the Nissan Quest, the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Kia Sedona.
User complaints and problems
Electrical Problems
- Instrument cluster – The users complained about the instrument cluster being unreadable while driving under sunlight. This was a very common issue and there were no fixes to it as it was a cluster design flaw.
- Alternator – The users constantly received a low battery warning. The dealers were contacted for help and they found out that the alternator was faulty. This was a common issue with the car and the users had to get the alternator replaced.
- TPMS – The TPMS light always stayed on and was said to not go away even after getting the tire pressure over the recommended levels. The dealers found the sensor to be faulty and had to replace it.
Mechanical Problems
- Engine – The contact was on the highway, driving at roughly 70 mph when the car suddenly started to lose power while vibrating. It was reported that there was a missing when the gas pedal was depressed and the car ultimately entered limp mode. The contact drove to a dealer nearby and they noticed the emission failure warning displayed and upon inspection, they were able to find the piston rings to have been damaged. The engine had to be repaired and the piston rings needed to be replaced.
- Engine cooling – It was noticed that the engine temperatures were rising drastically and after parking the car, users were able to smell burnt oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealers where it was identified that there was an oil leak that was falling over a hot exhaust component that caused the burnt smell and in order to fix the issue, they had to replace the engine pan gasket, crankshaft, and main bearing bolt.
- Powertrain – It was said that there was a ticking noise that was heard while driving at low speeds. Users stated that the noise gets stronger when making a turn and this was identified to be caused by a faulty CV joint which was replaced.
Safety Problems
- Seatbelt – The rear middle seat has a seatbelt that hangs from the roof of the Odyssey and the belt goes across the beck of the occupant to clip in place. It was said that the seatbelt was locked and the only way to free the occupant was by cutting the belt. The occupant suffered a bruise on the neck and the dealers replaced the whole seatbelt unit.
Interior Problems
- Seats – The second-row captain seats were said to be faulty and unsafe as the contact was involved in a collision and due to the impact, the seats completely detached. This threw the occupants into the back of the front seats, causing them injuries to the face and body.
2011 Honda Odyssey recalls
|
S. No. |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
17th November 2017 |
17V725000 |
Second-row seats may tip forward when braking. |
The seat may not have been properly latched to the seat striker, leading it to slide forward during braking. This may increase the risk of injuries. |
Dealers will install a bracket to the second-row outboard floor strikers. |
|
2. |
27th December 2016 |
16V933000 |
Second-row outboard seats may stay unlocked. |
An unlocked second-row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash. |
Dealers will install an additional bracket and springs to both second-row outboard seats. |
|
3. |
18th January 2013 |
13V016000 |
Driver’s airbag module may be missing. |
The absence of more than one riven could later the performance of the airbag during deployment. |
The airbag module will be inspected and replaced if necessary. |
|
4. |
21st March 2011 |
11V181000 |
Front door glass. |
The window may come off the track and make it inoperative. This could also lead the glass to shatter into the cabin. |
The affected window glass will be replaced. |
|
5. |
15th March 2011 |
11V180000 |
Windshield wiper failure. |
One of the front windshield wiper linkage rods may bend or separate. |
Front windshield wiper rod will be replaced. |
Should you buy the 2011 Honda Odyssey?
There really is no reason to skip the 2011 Honda Odyssey and that has been proven by the limited issues officially recorded. Honda as a brand is also very supportive and carries a large service network, making it easy to maintain the vehicle. They have also been able to address some major concerns through recalls pretty early on since its launch. The Honda Odyssey without a doubt would be a great purchase but to utilize most of your deal, make sure to get the engine health checked and make sure there are no leaks underneath the vehicle. It is also advisable to get the alternator checked as a replacement later could cost a lot. That being said, the Honda Odyssey is definitely the right pick in this segment.
