2004 Honda Odyssey: problems, recalls and reliability
13 recalls and 584 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (35% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 584 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the roadway, turned off the vehicle for approximately 30-minutes before restarting the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 284,000.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jan 2026
“The contact owned a 2004 Honda Odyssey equipped with Michelin CrossClimate 2 Tires, Tire Size 255/60R112VXL, DOT Number: Not Available. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an unknown speed and turning a corner, the front driver's side tire suddenly blew out, causing the vehicle to roll a few times, then flip, crashing into a tree where it came to a stop. The air bags did deploy. The driver sustained a fracture to the neck, and he was declared deceased on the scene. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report was filed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Tires · Mar 2025
“I've seen several recalls on the transmission for Honda odysseys that are 2004 just like mine . My transmission has been horrible for the entire time Ive had it. When accelerating, it jumps super hard from 1st into 2nd gear. switching from first gear to 2nd. Sometimes I have to manually switch it into D3 just to get the vehicle moving again. I've found this to be pretty scary at times . I've searched and searched to see if I had a recall for the transmission and I haven't but It did show the SRS system recall which I did have serviced. I'm making this complaint because I feel like my vehicle has been affected and overlooked”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the engine revved up high however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and waited for a while before restarting the vehicle and driving to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic nor a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2023
“As the result of a recall, my driver airbag inflator was replaced. Soon afterwards, my horn started honking when hitting, bumps or moving the steering wheel. I returned the vehicle to the dealership, and they said they adjusted something that seem to help for a short period of time. However, the problem returned upon taking the car to another dealership. I found that the automotive repairman stated that the wrong part for the inflator had been installed. I returned it to the original dealership and they refused to address the problem. The dealer is persons Honda at 15525 Frederick Rd., Rockville, MD 20855.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2023
“The contact owns a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH the driver-side front air bag deploy on its own without any impact, causing the contact to drive off the road and struck a tree and causing damages to the front end of the vehicle. No one was injured. No police report was filed. The vehicle was not towed, but the contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 168,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2023
“The contact owns a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle with an ignition switch failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 308,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2023
“SRS light is on, diagnostic test done at Honda Dealer ($149.00), drivers seat belt buckle was at fault, Dealer ordered part and to install at no cost to me. Light would come on for a week or two maybe longer when vehicle was started. Not sure if my airbags were compromised with this light On. Why was I charged for test, I feel this test cost should also be paid by Honda”Owner report · Seat Belts · Sep 2022
“Good Morning, On Monday, September 19, 2022. I talked with Chris from Honda. com. He told me to take the vehicle back to the same repair dealership where I had issues with repairing the vehicle. I said trusting them is hard for me because they had the vehicle 3 different times and the airbags and vehicle are still not repaired. Chris told me " I will call you back later, by the end of this week". As of yet, I have not heard back from Chris at Honda.com thank you. John Phillips. Ps. receipts were previously submitted.”Owner report · Wheels · Sep 2022
“Issues: 1. The malfunction was a heavy grinding noise from the rear of the vehicle on the passenger side. 2. Also, the recall status was incomplete. 3. The repair dealership inspected the vehicle. 4. No warning lamps or anything appears. 5. The vehicle issues information was sent to Honda.com on August 9, 2022.”Owner report · Wheels · Sep 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 41 of these complaints and injuries in 45 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 13 campaigns
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Odyssey and model year 2003 Acura MDX vehicles. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail causing the front air bags, side curtain air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a noise suppressor unit, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2013. A renotification letter went out on July 11, 2014 for the 2003 Acura and the 2003-2004 Odyssey. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's recall numbers are JC2 (Honda Odyssey) and JC3 (Acura MDX).
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2008 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2008 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2008 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Honda is recalling model year 2002-2004 Odyssey and model year 2003-2004 Acura MDX, Honda Element, and Honda Pilot vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA0, KA1, KA2, and KA3.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured February 13, 2002, to August 13, 2004, and 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to September 23, 2003. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Remedy: Honda dealers will replace the supplemental restraint system electronic control unit (SRS ECU). The recall began on February 22, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's number for this recall is JN6 (Odyssey), and JN7 (MDX). Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-412. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for that campaign need to have the SRS ECU replaced under this campaign.
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Pilot and Odyssey and 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX passenger vehicles manufactured from November 26, 2001, through August 30, 2006. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may deform, which can allow the interlock function of a vehicle with an automatic transmission to be defeated.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated shift interlock lever and, if necessary, replace any necessary part of the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on February 22, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE FUEL PUMP MAY FAIL DUE TO CORROSION OF AN ELECTRICAL TERMINAL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CHECK THE ELECTRICAL COUPLER TERMINAL OF THE FUEL PUMP. IF ANY CORROSION IS FOUND, THE PUMP WILL BE REPLACED. THE RECALL BEGAN SEPTEMBER 27, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR BREAKAGE.
Remedy: ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2004 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Odyssey by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Honda Odyssey reliable?
NHTSA has 584 owner complaints and 13 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Honda Odyssey. The most complained-about area is power train (35% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Honda Odyssey problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 108,872 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Honda Odyssey have open recalls?
13 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.