2013 HONDA ODYSSEY Electrical System Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat heater was malfunctioning. The contact stated that upon engaging the seat heater, the seat heater was intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact noticed a strong burning odor inside the cabin. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure was duplicated. The dealer retrieved DTC: B1C61; and recommended that the front driver's side seat back element and cushion heater be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,900.

Mileage: 87,900

I’m reporting a repeat engine misfire on my 2013 Honda Odyssey (P0303 – cylinder 3). Honda repaired this issue in 2018 under Service Bulletin 13-081, which followed the Soto v. Honda settlement. Now in 2025, the exact same failure has returned—same code, same cylinder, same symptoms. Honda issued a new bulletin, 25-061 (June 17, 2025), covering 2013–2016 Odysseys with misfire codes P0301–P0304. It extends powertrain warranty coverage to 10 years or 150,000 miles, and includes a grace period through Jan 31, 2026 for any affected vehicle, regardless of mileage or age. My vehicle meets all criteria, yet Honda refuses full coverage, saying my VIN isn’t flagged and they can’t override that due to NHTSA restrictions. This seems inconsistent. The bulletin clearly applies to my make, model, year, and exact engine fault. The misfire affects drivability and long-term engine health. I’ve been a loyal Honda customer, servicing the vehicle at authorized dealerships and covering related repairs myself. In addition to the engine problem, I’ve experienced electrical instability due to a faulty battery cable, which required replacement. I’ve also had to address a damaged transmission drain bolt—caused during prior dealer maintenance—which complicated fluid service and added cost. I’m asking NHTSA to review whether more VINs should be included under this bulletin, and whether Honda is limiting support too narrowly despite formally acknowledging the defect. I’m providing invoices, diagnostics, estimates and service records to support this including the video inspection.

I drove the car to the spot to park my car , with the normal way as always, lower the speed so I can get into my spot. All of sudden , I felt like something pushed really hard behind my car and it moved forward really fast , I couldn't expect anything like that happened at the moment and lost control , it hit the parking pole so hard and my front end broken

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle's gauges would begin to fluctuate, the electrical systems would begin to malfunction, and the vehicle would display all icon options on the instrument panel. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer a total of 5 times where they could not successfully identify the exact cause of the failure. The contact was told that the alternator may be at fault. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case regarding the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 56,432.

Mileage: 56,432

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS WHILE ENGAGING THE KEYFOB, THE POWER WINDOWS AND POWER LOCKS OPERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH HONDA OF SEATTLE LOCATED AT (2005 AIRPORT WAY S, SEATTLE, WA 98134) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO REPLACE THE BATTERY IN THE KEY FOB. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO USE THE ALTERNATE KEYFOB HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 199,248.

Mileage: 199,248

CAR ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION ON LOCAL STREET. A BAD/DEFECTIVE FRONT SPOOL VALVE LEAKED OIL ON THE ALTERNATOR AND THE ALTERNATOR WENT BAD RIGHT WAY. WHICH CAUSE ENGINE TO SHUTDOWN WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. TRY TO START THE CAR, IT WON'T START, NEITHER ELECTRICAL POWER. ITS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, LIKELY WASNT DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. DEALER MAINTENANCE SHOP ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT ALOT HONDA ODYSSEY HAVE SPOOL VALVE LEAKED OUT TO CAUSE THE ALTERNATOR GOES BAD & SHUT DOWN THE CAR.

Mileage: 150,000

ENGINE IS BACKFIRING DUE TO PISTON MALFUNCTIONING.

Mileage: 140,000

I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY 4 LANE ROAD AT THEIR SET HIGHWAY SPEED, RIGHT ALONG WITH THE REST OF TRAFFIC. I HAD MY 4 KIDS IN MY 2013 HONDA ODYSSEY, WHICH I TRUSTED, WHEN WITHOUT WARNING, MY VAN SHUT OFF. MY KEY WAS STILL ENGAGED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT OR SOUND. I DID NOT RUN OUT OF GAS. MY BATTERY DID NOT DIE. THERE WAS NO SLOWING DOWN, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. MY CAR DID NOT OVERHEAT. WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY, MY ENGINE SUDDENLY CUT, ALL MY LIGHTS WENT OUT, MY DASH WENT BLACK, AND MY WHEEL LOCKED. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO GO INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND THANKFULLY, MY HAZARDS STILL WORKED BUT THE REST WAS DEAD. I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO STAY MOVING FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND I EVENTUALLY GOT OVER INTO A SMALL AREA BESIDE THE ROAD. SOMEHOW I WASN'T HIT BY THE MANY CARS AROUND ME, INCLUDING TRACTOR TRAILERS. ALL I DID NEXT WAS TURN MY VAN OFF, AND THEN TURN IT BACK ON AND IT STARTED LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. I HAD A FULL DIAGNOSTIC RUN AT OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND NO ONE COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. MY CAR WAS IN MOTION AND DRIVING NORMALLY. I NEEDED TO SCHEDULE A B1 SERVICE (OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION) SOON BUT IT WAS NOT DUE YET.

Mileage: 75,000

I HAD JUST COMPLETED A TRIP TO GREENVILLE, SC AND PULLED INTO MY DRIVE. I HAD TAKEN A LOAD OF ITEMS INTO MY HOUSE WHEN I CAME BACK OUT AN NOTICE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I UNLATCHED THE HOOD TO CHECK ON THE SMOKE WHEN FLAMES STARTED COMING OUT OF FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I START SPRAYING WATER UNDER THE HOOD AS I CALL OUR SECURITY WHICH CALL OUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. OUR SECURITY CAN AND ASSISTED ME TRYING TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN AND FINISHED EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE. THE 2013 HONDA WAS DETERMINED TO BE A TOTAL LOSS BY USAA. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE FIRE. I CONTACTED HENDRICKS HONDA DEALERSHIP IN GREER, SC ABOUT THE FIRE WHERE THEY COULD INVESTIGATE FOR WARRANTY CLAIM/DEFECT. THEY DID NOT DO ANYTHING, THEY HAVE IGNORED MY REQUEST NOR HAS HONDA AUTOMOTIVE OF AMERICA ACCEPTED OR INVESTIGATED.

Mileage: 35,500

THE PROBLEM THAT I AM REPORTING IS THAT TWO OF MY KEYS RECENTLY SPONTANEOUSLY DEPROGRAMMED THEMSELVES. FORTUNATELY NEITHER KEY WAS RUNNING MY IGNITION AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. I TOOK MY KEYS TO MY LOCAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAD THEM REPROGRAMMED. TO BE CLEAR: THIS WAS NOT THE RESULT OF A BATTERY FAILURE, AS THE PROBLEM PERSISTED EVEN AFTER BATTERY REPLACEMENTS. I ASKED MY DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS INCIDENT AND RECEIVED NONE WHATSOEVER. I THEN CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA AND STILL RECEIVED NO EXPLANATION. TO BE CLEAR: ONE OF THE KEYS THUS AFFECTED, A MASTER KEY, HAD ALWAYS BEEN STORED IN A LINGERIE DRESSER DRAWER, AND I MENTION "LINGERIE" TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT NO MAGNETS OR OTHER POTENTIALLY DAMAGING ITEMS WERE STORED WITH OR NEAR THE KEY, AND THAT IT WAS IN A CLEAN, DRY PLACE. THE KEY HAD NEVER BEEN USED EXCEPT WHEN I TESTED IT RIGHT AFTER RECEIVING IT FROM THE DEALERSHIP. (I ONLY FIGURED OUT THAT IT WASN'T WORKING WHEN I MISPLACED THE KEY THAT I USUALLY USED AND NEEDED A TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT.) THE OTHER KEY AFFECTED, MY VALET KEY, WAS ALWAYS WITH ME ON MY KEYCHAIN. IT STRIKES ME AS VERY IMPROBABLE, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, THAT TWO SUCH DIFFERENT KEYS SHOULD ARBITRARILY FAIL UNDER SUCH DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THIS: WHEN THE KEYS FAIL, THEY IMMOBILIZE THE ENGINE. I REQUESTED THAT AMERICAN HONDA AT LEAST ADMINISTER A QUESTIONNAIRE TO DEALERSHIPS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE SEEING THIS HAPPEN TO OTHER HONDA OWNERS, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL THIS INCIDENT IS BEING SUMMARILY DISMISSED. GIVEN THE TRAGEDIES THAT OCCURRED WHEN GM IGNITIONS TURNED OFF UNEXPECTEDLY DURING TRAVEL, RELYING ON A KEY THAT CAN IMMOBILIZE MY IGNITION AT WILL IS UNSETTLING, TO SAY THE LEAST. I WOULD DEEPLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD LOOK INTO THIS INCIDENT. *TR

Mileage: 3,800

I WAS DRIVING ON I-15 IN RURAL SOUTHERN UTAH (WHICH HAS A HIGH SPEED LIMIT), ON CRUISE CONTROL, AND SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER. THE VAN CONTINUED TO COAST (NO LOCK UP OF GEARS OR ANYTHING) AND I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION (WHICH WAS STILL ON) AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. THE VAN STARTED UP WITHOUT PROBLEMS AND I HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. *TR

Mileage: 4,000

OUR 2013 HONDA ODYSSEY WITH 22,000 MILES WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY FOR 2 DAYS AND SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED. THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS AND THE FIRE DAMAGES OUR POP-UP CAMPER AND THE SIDING ON OUR HOME. *TR

Mileage: 22,000

THE VIEW SCREEN WHICH IS SHARED BY THE CLOCK, RADIO, PHONE AND BACK UP CAMERA DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN WEARING POLARIZED SUNGLASSES THE BOTTOM RIGHT QUADRANT AND PART OF THE BOTTOM LEFT QUADRANT OF THE SCREEN ARE BLACKED OUT WITH A YELLOWISH EDGE. THIS MAKES BACKING UP ON SUNNY DAYS HAZARDOUS BECAUSE THE ODYSSEY DOES NOT HAVE GOOD VISIBILITY IN THAT AREA AND IS A RISK OF COLLISION. WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THE AREAS OF BLACKNESS WERE DIME SIZED, BUT HAVE PROGRESSIVELY INCREASED IN SIZE. THE HONDA DEALER AND CONSUMER LINE SAY THAT THIS OCCURS WITH ALL HONDAS THAT HAVE A VIEW SCREEN AND THAT THE SOLUTION IS "DON'T WEAR SUNGLASSES WHEN BACKING UP". *TR

Mileage: 8,900

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING WOULD AUTOMATICALLY ACTIVATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED HIM THAT THE HUMIDITY SENSOR ACTIVATED THE AIR CONDITIONER AUTOMATICALLY AND THAT THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,500.

Mileage: 3,500

AIR CONDITION IN THE VEHICLE COMES BY ITSELF AND GOES OFF AFTER CERTAIN TIME EVEN THOUGH THE SWITCH IS OFF. WE GET COLD IN THE VEHICLE AND DOESN'T HAVE ANYWAY TO SWITCH IT OFF. DRIVER NEED TO SWITCH OFF FAN WHEN IT'S TOO COLD AND SWITCH ON THE FAN WHEN THE CABIN BECOMES HOT. HAVING DRIVERS MIND IN MAKING THIS MANUAL OPERATOR JOB, HE/SHE LOOSES THE CONCENTRATION ON THE ROAD. HAVING KIDS IN THE BACK THE CAR AND COMPLAINING ABOUT TEMPERATURE IS MOST ANNOYING THING FOR THE DRIVER AND MAKE DRIVER IRRITATING. THIS HAPPENS IN THE NEW HONDA VEHICLE IS UNBELIEVABLE. *TR

Mileage: 5,150