2021 HONDA ODYSSEY Forward Collision Avoidance Problems

29 complaints about Forward Collision Avoidance

29
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Deaths

High Severity Issue

This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.

This Problem Across All Years

All Forward Collision Avoidance Complaints (29)

Sep 24, 2025

My van is braking when there are no cars or dangers in front of it. Sometimes there's a metal plate on the ground or speed bump when it brakes. Other times there's nothing in front. The car slams on the brakes and I cannot override it with the gas pedal. This puts my kids and I in danger of being rear-ended. This most commonly happens around 7:30am or 4pm when I'm taking kids to school or dropping off. I'm often in the carpool like or headed to the school when the car slams on the brakes. It's very frightening. The dealer cannot find an issue and cannot replicate the problem.

Sep 24, 2025

My van is braking when there are no cars or dangers in front of it. Sometimes there's a metal plate on the ground or speed bump when it brakes. Other times there's nothing in front. The car slams on the brakes and I cannot override it with the gas pedal. This puts my kids and I in danger of being rear-ended. This most commonly happens around 7:30am or 4pm when I'm taking kids to school or dropping off. I'm often in the carpool like or headed to the school when the car slams on the brakes. It's very frightening. The dealer cannot find an issue and cannot replicate the problem.

Aug 25, 2025

Vehicle applied brakes for no reason. Lost ability to see reverse camera during backing up. Half of the instrument cluster went dim to become barely visible. Radio screen freezes randomly. Engine cuts out or shudders intermittently.

Jun 30, 2025

2021 Odyssey EXL the Electric parking brake 'issue' warning comes on while driving and collision mitigation warning / lane assist switches off and flashes in console; when this happens the car continues to run but the dashboard warning lights comes up for Parking brake / Collision Warning and or Lane assist. It gets cleared after I turn on/off the car couple of times and drive for approximately 5 miles. Those features had to be turned on manually, once the car is in parked mode, again. The issue started in the car at around 48K miles. Never had any issue with it before that.

Apr 3, 2025

It started that all the sensor in our car started to go off. We were told we had a bad battery, even thought we had replaced it new just last year. Once we had the battery checked and alternator. The sensors started to act up again, out tail gate started to malfunction. Wouldn’t automatically close. A few weeks ago driving down the road the tail gate opened and the anti theft system started going off while the car was running and still going. Come to find out there is a water leak in the rear that has gotten into the rear fuse box and has cause substantial corrosion. The latch to the tail gate is broken. Honda is telling us our extended warranty doesn’t cover any of this, even though it is common knowledge, that the water leak is a known problem from 2018-2021. We just found out a few days ago.

Mar 16, 2025

All of my assist lights just came.on one after another saying there was a malfunction with the emmision light continues to go.on go.off even after I paid 580 to have the car serviced for the assist lights. Now the lift gate stopped working three weeks ago yesterday with all the rain that poured now the lift gate is open and will.not latch.

Mar 16, 2025

All of my assist lights just came.on one after another saying there was a malfunction with the emmision light continues to go.on go.off even after I paid 580 to have the car serviced for the assist lights. Now the lift gate stopped working three weeks ago yesterday with all the rain that poured now the lift gate is open and will.not latch.

Jan 22, 2025

I was driving in light snowfall when several alerts notifying me that the radar sensor was not working. This is common in snow fall. Later I cleared off the radar unit cover (The Honda logo on the front of the car). The alerts remained. I took it to the dealer and they dubiously told me it was "damaged by snow". This is impossible. It was light snow. There was no collision or impact. This device should be durable. It has no moving parts. But Honda wants me to believe that it simply stopped working from driving in a light snow. They want $1300 to replace. How do I know the next one won't conk out after the first snowfall? These units should have a lifetime warranty with only exceptions for collisions or impact damage. If the unit is damaged by snowfall, it's clearly too fragile and should not be on the market. It's a HUGE safety concern that the vehicle's advertised safety systems can be toppled like a house of cards from one light snowfall.

Jan 22, 2025

I was driving in light snowfall when several alerts notifying me that the radar sensor was not working. This is common in snow fall. Later I cleared off the radar unit cover (The Honda logo on the front of the car). The alerts remained. I took it to the dealer and they dubiously told me it was "damaged by snow". This is impossible. It was light snow. There was no collision or impact. This device should be durable. It has no moving parts. But Honda wants me to believe that it simply stopped working from driving in a light snow. They want $1300 to replace. How do I know the next one won't conk out after the first snowfall? These units should have a lifetime warranty with only exceptions for collisions or impact damage. If the unit is damaged by snowfall, it's clearly too fragile and should not be on the market. It's a HUGE safety concern that the vehicle's advertised safety systems can be toppled like a house of cards from one light snowfall.

Jan 22, 2025

I was driving in light snowfall when several alerts notifying me that the radar sensor was not working. This is common in snow fall. Later I cleared off the radar unit cover (The Honda logo on the front of the car). The alerts remained. I took it to the dealer and they dubiously told me it was "damaged by snow". This is impossible. It was light snow. There was no collision or impact. This device should be durable. It has no moving parts. But Honda wants me to believe that it simply stopped working from driving in a light snow. They want $1300 to replace. How do I know the next one won't conk out after the first snowfall? These units should have a lifetime warranty with only exceptions for collisions or impact damage. If the unit is damaged by snowfall, it's clearly too fragile and should not be on the market. It's a HUGE safety concern that the vehicle's advertised safety systems can be toppled like a house of cards from one light snowfall.

Jan 9, 2025

The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.

Jan 9, 2025

The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.

Aug 30, 2024

After a slight rain, the error of Radar Obstructed is being displayed. Can’t get this error removed or fixed. After searching more I found out that: 1. Honda has a defective design in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) of all Honda Odysseys, models 2018-2023. 2. Namely, Honda has placed the RADAR behind the large HONDA emblem on the front grille. This causes the radar to give a "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning, which disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in the car (Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning). 3. The "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning cannot be reset by restarting the vehicle or disconnecting the battery, requiring recalibration of the RADAR at the cost of $800 each time since it takes several hours to do (per Dealership). 4. The official Honda Odyssey Forum online has countless complaints on the same issue without resolution by Honda. 5. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers since this defect impacts the vehicle's advanced safety features for which buyers incur additional expenses, endangering the lives of passengers. 6. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers by designing a system that requires continuous and substantial expenditures without resolution because it is an engineering problem, i.e., the placement of the radar behind the large, thick plastic H emblem obstructs the radar. 7. I hereby ask that the NHTSA investigate this issue and order Honda to offer a solution in the form of a RECALL that permanently addresses the problem.

Aug 30, 2024

After a slight rain, the error of Radar Obstructed is being displayed. Can’t get this error removed or fixed. After searching more I found out that: 1. Honda has a defective design in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) of all Honda Odysseys, models 2018-2023. 2. Namely, Honda has placed the RADAR behind the large HONDA emblem on the front grille. This causes the radar to give a "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning, which disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in the car (Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning). 3. The "RADAR OBSTRUCTED" warning cannot be reset by restarting the vehicle or disconnecting the battery, requiring recalibration of the RADAR at the cost of $800 each time since it takes several hours to do (per Dealership). 4. The official Honda Odyssey Forum online has countless complaints on the same issue without resolution by Honda. 5. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers since this defect impacts the vehicle's advanced safety features for which buyers incur additional expenses, endangering the lives of passengers. 6. Honda has acted in bad-faith towards their customers by designing a system that requires continuous and substantial expenditures without resolution because it is an engineering problem, i.e., the placement of the radar behind the large, thick plastic H emblem obstructs the radar. 7. I hereby ask that the NHTSA investigate this issue and order Honda to offer a solution in the form of a RECALL that permanently addresses the problem.

Apr 12, 2024

I am writing to urgently bring to your attention a critical issue plaguing the driver assist systems in Honda Odyssey 2018+ vehicles. Despite meticulous maintenance and adherence to manufacturer guidelines, I have encountered a persistent and alarming problem that appears to affect numerous other vehicle owners, as evidenced by online forums and discussions. The issue initially arose during a rainstorm, where I received a warning message stating, "Some Driver Assist Systems Cannot Operate: Radar Obstructed." Despite the weather clearing and thorough cleaning of both the sensors and the windshield camera, the warning persisted. Subsequently, a series of related problems emerged, including: Illumination of the BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT Malfunctioning adaptive cruise control Faulty collision mitigation system Inoperative road departure mitigation system These errors not only pose a significant safety risk to myself and others on the road but also indicate a systemic issue with the vehicle's safety systems. As my vehicle is just past the three-year mark and out of warranty, I am apprehensive about incurring substantial costs for dealership repairs, especially considering the widespread nature of these complaints among Honda Odyssey owners. Extensive research reveals that I am not alone in experiencing these issues. Multiple reports and discussions online highlight similar complaints from other Honda Odyssey 2018+ owners, particularly following exposure to adverse weather conditions. Therefore, I implore the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. It is crucial to identify the underlying cause of these recurring issues and hold the manufacturer accountable for any design flaws or defects contributing to the malfunction of critical safety systems. Furthermore, I urge NHTSA to prioritize public safety and take immediate action to ensure affected vehicles are promptly recalled or repaired to prevent further incident

Apr 12, 2024

I am writing to urgently bring to your attention a critical issue plaguing the driver assist systems in Honda Odyssey 2018+ vehicles. Despite meticulous maintenance and adherence to manufacturer guidelines, I have encountered a persistent and alarming problem that appears to affect numerous other vehicle owners, as evidenced by online forums and discussions. The issue initially arose during a rainstorm, where I received a warning message stating, "Some Driver Assist Systems Cannot Operate: Radar Obstructed." Despite the weather clearing and thorough cleaning of both the sensors and the windshield camera, the warning persisted. Subsequently, a series of related problems emerged, including: Illumination of the BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT Malfunctioning adaptive cruise control Faulty collision mitigation system Inoperative road departure mitigation system These errors not only pose a significant safety risk to myself and others on the road but also indicate a systemic issue with the vehicle's safety systems. As my vehicle is just past the three-year mark and out of warranty, I am apprehensive about incurring substantial costs for dealership repairs, especially considering the widespread nature of these complaints among Honda Odyssey owners. Extensive research reveals that I am not alone in experiencing these issues. Multiple reports and discussions online highlight similar complaints from other Honda Odyssey 2018+ owners, particularly following exposure to adverse weather conditions. Therefore, I implore the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. It is crucial to identify the underlying cause of these recurring issues and hold the manufacturer accountable for any design flaws or defects contributing to the malfunction of critical safety systems. Furthermore, I urge NHTSA to prioritize public safety and take immediate action to ensure affected vehicles are promptly recalled or repaired to prevent further incident

Aug 26, 2023

Once the cruise control is set, it consistently drops below the set speed and surges back up or over the set speed. Set on 62, it drops to 59 or 60, then surges back up to 62 or 63. This happens on perfectly flat roads with no traffic in front or beside the car. The dealership tried to tell me that the camera for the adaptive cruise might be seeing things in its peripheral vision area, but there is nothing there, the shoulder of the road is wide and free of obstacles. I've owned many other brands of vehicle, and never had this trouble with the cruise control on any of them. This is also a safety issue because sometimes it just randomly slows down or speeds up when there are cars behind you or beside you.

Aug 8, 2023

While driving in highway construction zones the car's lane departure system attempted to steer the car along lane markings set before the construction zone was established. In several instances this caused my car to steer, contrary to my steering input, towards Jersey barriers and dangerously close to a collision. The car's collision warning and automatic braking systems then engaged and applied the brakes regardless of following traffic. After the first instance, luckily in light traffic, I became aware of this issue and aware of how to quickly defeat these safety systems. After several additional instances, some in traffic at highway speed, I determined the lane departure system was more dangerous than helpful and I suspended it by a simple dashboard procedure. I am now able to negotiate construction zones without issue.

Aug 8, 2023

While driving in highway construction zones the car's lane departure system attempted to steer the car along lane markings set before the construction zone was established. In several instances this caused my car to steer, contrary to my steering input, towards Jersey barriers and dangerously close to a collision. The car's collision warning and automatic braking systems then engaged and applied the brakes regardless of following traffic. After the first instance, luckily in light traffic, I became aware of this issue and aware of how to quickly defeat these safety systems. After several additional instances, some in traffic at highway speed, I determined the lane departure system was more dangerous than helpful and I suspended it by a simple dashboard procedure. I am now able to negotiate construction zones without issue.

Jun 21, 2023 Crash

I was driving through an intersection. My automatic brakes activated for no reason, my car rapidly slowed down in the middle of an intersection, a bus hit my car from behind.

Jun 5, 2023

While driving on a straight, wide open road at approximately 45mph with no vehicle in any close proximity in front, the forward Collision Mitigation Braking System alarmed and activated and strongly braked, slowing the car quickly down to about 20mph before releasing. Fortunately, there was no one behind me to react to the unexpected slowing down of my car. There was no apparent reason why this should have activated. The CMBS has activated previously in other non-threatening situations but there was usually a condition where you could justify why it made a mistake, such as being in the left lane of a two lane road which curves to the left and a car in the right lane slows to turn right, my car thinks it is in front of me when it is not. Still, these situations result in a danger of getting hit from behind.

Jun 5, 2023

While driving on a straight, wide open road at approximately 45mph with no vehicle in any close proximity in front, the forward Collision Mitigation Braking System alarmed and activated and strongly braked, slowing the car quickly down to about 20mph before releasing. Fortunately, there was no one behind me to react to the unexpected slowing down of my car. There was no apparent reason why this should have activated. The CMBS has activated previously in other non-threatening situations but there was usually a condition where you could justify why it made a mistake, such as being in the left lane of a two lane road which curves to the left and a car in the right lane slows to turn right, my car thinks it is in front of me when it is not. Still, these situations result in a danger of getting hit from behind.

Nov 30, 2022

Exiting a construction zone (I-70 westbound near Mt. Comfort, Indiana) at approximately 60 to 65 mph, our 2021 Honda Odyssey, without warning, momentarily applied unwarranted automatic emergency braking. The brakes were actuated for (an estimated) one second and resulted in an abrupt (approximately) 10mph reduction in speed. A large SUV traveling directly us was forced to take immediate action by making a sudden lane change in order to avoid a serious collision. The involuntary braking action on the part of the vehicle placed the passengers of both vehicles in grave danger. The only warning indication provided by the vehicle was an orange-box “BRAKE” warning displayed on the dashboard and the accompanying warning beeps, both simultaneous to the actual brake actuation. No indications or warnings appeared prior to or after the actual braking. No obstacle or object on the roadway was visible to either the driver or front seat passenger. All traffic lanes were clear for a minimum of 100 yards ahead of the vehicle. Weather was clear and dry. The pavement was dry and clear of any debris. The construction zone where the incident occurred carries both east and westbound traffic on the normally westbound (north) side of the expressway. The left side of the traffic lanes are lined with continuous, concrete “Jersey” barriers. The incident took place at the western end of the zone, at the point where the westbound lanes expand from two to three lanes. This is approximately where the left-side parallel-to-traffic barriers end and a small, separated section of angled-to-traffic barriers is revealed, along with some other barrier sections in the median area between the roadways. This incident (November 26, 2022) was the second time this malfunction has occurred in same vehicle in approximately the same area on I-70. On August 11, 2022, an essentially identical event took place under similar conditions. The vehicle has not been inspected by Honda or any other authorities.

Aug 4, 2022

The VSA modulator has repeatedly failed. When it fails, all of the safety systems report errors - air bags, ABS brakes, high beams, traction control, blind spot detection, parking sensors, etc. Additionally, the power sliding passenger doors and tailgate will not open, even manually. I have taken it into Honda dealerships on 3 separate occasions. On 6/14/21 (vehicle mileage 7,453) they cleared the error codes and reset the system and reported it was fixed. On 2/26/2022 (vehicle mileage 21,077) it happened again and they reported the VSA modulator as defective and replaced it under warranty. On 7/29/2022 (vehicle mileage 26,916) it happened again. This time the dealership disconnected and reconnected the VSA modulator and it decided it was fixed. At the time of the issue I was driving the van at approximately 30 mph on flat streets through my town. I've expressed my concerns that this defect renders the vehicle extremely unsafe. Over the past two weeks I've contacted Honda Corporate repeatedly requesting further repairs or assurances that this error would not occur again and have been passed around to case managers' voice mailboxes and have been unable to speak to anyone about my concerns. While no injury or crash has occurred yet, I am concerned that this if this occurs again, myself or my family could be hurt.

Aug 4, 2022

The VSA modulator has repeatedly failed. When it fails, all of the safety systems report errors - air bags, ABS brakes, high beams, traction control, blind spot detection, parking sensors, etc. Additionally, the power sliding passenger doors and tailgate will not open, even manually. I have taken it into Honda dealerships on 3 separate occasions. On 6/14/21 (vehicle mileage 7,453) they cleared the error codes and reset the system and reported it was fixed. On 2/26/2022 (vehicle mileage 21,077) it happened again and they reported the VSA modulator as defective and replaced it under warranty. On 7/29/2022 (vehicle mileage 26,916) it happened again. This time the dealership disconnected and reconnected the VSA modulator and it decided it was fixed. At the time of the issue I was driving the van at approximately 30 mph on flat streets through my town. I've expressed my concerns that this defect renders the vehicle extremely unsafe. Over the past two weeks I've contacted Honda Corporate repeatedly requesting further repairs or assurances that this error would not occur again and have been passed around to case managers' voice mailboxes and have been unable to speak to anyone about my concerns. While no injury or crash has occurred yet, I am concerned that this if this occurs again, myself or my family could be hurt.

May 23, 2022

On numerous occasions the forward collision warning has caused hard braking when there is nothing close in front of me. I fear that a close following vehicle will hit me when this occurs. This has not caused an accident yet, but the following vehicle driver must think that I'm a terrible driver for unnecessarily hitting my brakes.

May 23, 2022

On numerous occasions the forward collision warning has caused hard braking when there is nothing close in front of me. I fear that a close following vehicle will hit me when this occurs. This has not caused an accident yet, but the following vehicle driver must think that I'm a terrible driver for unnecessarily hitting my brakes.

Feb 24, 2022

While driving with no vehicles or obstacles stopped in front of me, my car automatically braked hard.

Feb 20, 2021

HI THE VEHICLE SHOWS SPEED LIMIT OF 70 IN 25 OR 40MPH ZONES. THE VEHICLES SYSTEM KEEPS GOING OFFLINE EMERGENCY BRAKING AND COLLISION. EVERY TIME I TAKE TO HONDA DEALER I AM BEING TOLD TO GO SEE WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND THEY CAN'T FIND A ISSUE.

Mileage: 380