2015 Honda Odyssey

The contact owns a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at night, the check engine warning light started flashing. The contact was able to pull over. The contact called a mobile mechanic who determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #1, and that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The spark plugs were replaced, but additional repairs were needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs, and piston rings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and determined that there was no warranty coverage for the failure, and no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.

I am reporting an engine defect covered under Honda’s recent warranty extension for 2013–2017 Odyssey / 2013–2015 Pilot vehicles when the MIL comes on with DTCs P0301–P0304. On November 1, 2022, I was stranded on the road when the check-engine light came on. At Honda Muller of Gurnee, the dealer diagnosed misfires consistent with P0301–P0304, explaining the underlying cause as piston ring function deterioration with sludge causing oil to foul the spark plugs. I was told my original warranty had expired only about six weeks earlier (on August 29, 2022). Coverage was denied and I was quoted over $6,000. Because I couldn’t afford the repair, the dealer recommended replacing the spark plugs as a temporary measure only, stating this would not fix the underlying defect. I proceeded with that temporary measure. On November 11, 2022, American Honda formally acknowledged my concern in writing, confirming that Case #13455791 had been opened and escalated to a case manager in direct response to my diagnosis from November 1, 2022. Despite this acknowledgment, my repair request was denied. In 2025 I received Honda’s warranty extension letter acknowledging coverage for this exact defect (including coverage through January 31, 2026). I returned to the dealer seeking repair based on my documented diagnosis, but repair was refused again because the codes were not present that day (the condition is intermittent). This defect affects drivability and safety (loss of power/hesitation and reduced ability to merge or cross traffic). I am asking NHTSA to record this complaint and consider action so that owners with documented prior diagnoses — especially those recognized by Honda corporate — are not refused repairs simply because an intermittent defect isn’t active at the exact moment of inspection. I am reporting an engine defect covered under Honda’s recent warranty extension for 2013–2017 Odyssey / 2013–2015 Pilot vehicles when the MIL comes on with DTCs P0301–P0304.

On March 27th, I was driving my car. My children were with me and we were on the way home from swim practice. With no warning, my engine went crazy. We were sitting at a stop light and the idel became very rough shaking the entire car. The engine was slow to respond to the accelerator and ultimately I decided that it was not safe to drive. I had my van towed to my mechanic who ran diagnostics and confirmed that the spark plugs were misfiring because of oil build up related to a faulty piston ring valve. He explained that it was a common problem with Odysseys. He gave us the options of doing the major repair of the rings that would cost about $5000 or we could replace the failing spark plugs and get 6-8 months out of the car before the same issue would reoccur. Not having a spare $5k on hand we opted for the temporary fix. I recently received a warranty extension from Honda about this exact issue but Honda is refusing to repair my car. They have told me that unless the engine light is on and the appropriate codes are indicated, I can not have the repair covered by the warranty. I took in documents from my mechanic with pictures of the codes, but they will not honor this. They also said that even if they did an inspection that confirmed the piston ring failure, Honda USA would not pay them back for the repairs because the service light and appropriate service codes are not showing. I believe the terms of this warranty extension are in bad faith and put me and my family at risk. Either I spend my own money to repair the car, or I wait until the engine fails and me and my family are stranded on the side of the road. Despite numerous conversations with the service member and customer service, Honda refuses to put in writing their refusal to repair my car under the warranty.

My vehicle has a know issue with Honda Corporate with the variable cylinder management that has lead to 7 miss fires in 4 years. The frequent and excessive miss fires are caused by carbon and oil leaking through the piston rings. Honda has attempted to repair the piston rings but that repair was a fail. I’ve experienced a miss fire after the repair and now require another change to my spark plugs recommended by Honda. I filed a reimbursement case with Honda and was notified they will not resolve the issue or reimburse me for the excessive miss fires, spark plug and coils replaced due to their faulty know engine defect. They announced in July 2025 that they were extending the warranty to cover repairs related to engine misfires (DTCs P0301 through P0304) and will last for 10 years from the original purchase date or 150,000 miles. However they have denied my reimbursement after sending proof of miss fire work and payment.

The engine has experienced a cylinder 1 misfire condition twice in the last month. In each instance, the spark plug has been fouled with oil and caused the ignition coil pack to malfunction. When the failure occurred, the vehicle was in operation at roadway speeds and placed the vehicle into limp mode with a flashing check engine light and deactivating the forward collision monitor and lane departure warning. In each instance, the vehicle has been towed to an independent mechanic shop where the P0301 codes have been found. I have contacted American Honda Motors and was advised that there are no recalls at this point. Looking online, the 3.5L engine appears to have several issues regarding the VCM system that leads to ring failure and oil leaking into the cylinders. There was a class action suit, Soto et al. v. American Honda, that led to Honda extending engine warranties to 8 years, unlimited mileage, but does not correct the issue with the VCM causing damage. Thankfully for me each time the misfire condition has occurred, I have been close to home so that I have not been left stranded.

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. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty or recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 135,000.

A spool valve leak occurred leaking oil onto the alternator which caused it to fail when driving. When it failed, electrical systems started to shut down. At first, the ABS system indicator lit up. Multiple systems started to fail soon thereafter. Upon pulling over on the freeway, the vehicle was unable to go in reverse. The root cause was a spool valve leak that is well known and consequently puts drivers at risk when driving at high speeds. When driving down the interstate, all the electrical systems started to shut down. The ABS system was the first indicator, along with multiple electrical systems soon thereafter. Once pulled over, the vehicle could not go in reverse as well. I now understand this to be a well known issue as published in Honda Technical Service Bulletin TSB [XXX] However, no information was sent to owners even though Honda has known about the issue since at least March 2020. This puts unnecessary safety risks for those driving with oil leaking onto the alternator resulting in electrical system shutdowns and issues driving. I believe a recall and safety notice should be issued. Yes, the component was inspected by Honda and replaced. The first indicator was the ABS system warning light along with many other systems shutting down. This occurred at a high-rate of speed on the freeway. Upon pulling over, the vehicle also could not go in reverse. I am frustrated Honda has known abut this issue for many years, but has not informed owners nor offered to correct the issue leading to safety issues and costly repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)