2015 Honda Odyssey POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

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.

The van shifts very odd when going forward. It doesn’t shift smooth from 2-3 gear and it’s not just our van my parents have the exact same year and model and it does it in theirs as well! I have read many complaints online about this but I don’t know if it’s the motor or the transmission but something is wrong with it. Being that we have literally 2 of the same year and model vans I can’t see where this is a one off deal. I think there has to be something to it.

Very dangerous drivetrain issue. Transmission shifting issues led the transmission to total failure even after a recommended transmission flush and fill by a reputable Honda dealer. Issue was confirmed by an independent local repair shop. The vehicle itself has low mileage, (@69,600 mi.) No warning lamps prior to the transmission malfunction and failure.

WHILE DRIVING, THE IDLE STARTED TO BECOME ROUGH AND ENGINE VIBRATION INCREASED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ADDITIONAL WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED IN THE DASH. ERROR CODE P0302 WAS THE PRIMARY ERROR CODE FOR MISFIRE CYLINDER 2 WHEN THE ERRORS WERE SCANNED AT HOME AND CONFIRMED BY SHOP AFFILIATED WITH CAR DEALERSHIP. THE SPARK PLUG IN CYLINDER 2 WAS INSPECTED AND IDENTIFIED TO BE FOULED AND COVERED IN OIL. ADDITIONALLY THE CERAMIC WAS MISSING FROM THE SPARK PLUG. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 50,785 MILES, AND THIS ISSUE IS SIMILAR TO THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT/SERVICE BULLETIN 13-081 ISSUED TO HONDA VEHICLES (INCLUDING HONDA ODYSSEYS 2011-2013) . HOWEVER, THIS TIME HONDA IS TELLING ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT A POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ISSUE AND THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS ALTHOUGH THE PROBLEM FOLLOWS THE EXACT DECISION MATRIX FOUND IN THIS SERVICE BULLETIN FROM THE LOGGED ERROR CODE TO THE FOULED SPARK PLUG IN A YOUNG MOTOR. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED BY THE SAME HONDA DEALERSHIP SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED AT 16K MILES.

THE VEHICLE MAKES HARD SHIFTS IN LOWER GEARS, CAUSING A LACK OF ACCELERATION AND THEN A LURCH WITH ENGINE/TRANSMISSION CLUNK. OCCURS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A SLOWED OR STOPPED POSITION, SO VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR IN MOTION WHEN THIS OCCURS. HAS HAPPENED BEFORE BUT DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPLICATE. SIMILAR COMPLAINTS WITH LACK OF RESOLUTION FOUND IN ONLINE FORUMS AS WELL. PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN SINCE ACCELERATION IS ALTERED AND SHIFTING IS SLOWED. HAS OCCURED ON RESIDENTIAL ROADS AND HIGHWAY AND AT VARYING OUTDOOR TEMPERATURES.

MY HONDA ODYSSEY WAS EXPERIENCING A BUCKING SENSATION THAT OCCURRED PERIODICALLY BUT STOPPED AFTER BEING RESTARTED. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHO DIDN'T FIND ACTUAL PROBLEM BUT DURING AN EVALUATION OF THE VEHICLE DETECTED A WEAKENED ENGINE MOUNT AND LEAKING SPOOL VALVE, BOTH OF WHICH COULD HAVE LEAD TO A LOSS OF THE ENGINE IF CONDITION PERSISTED. BOTH NEEDED REPLACEMENT AT HIGH COST, AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THIS WAS NOT A SINGULAR EVENT WAS SEEN IN ANOTHER CUSTOMER'S ODYSSEY THAT AFTERNOON. CONSIDERING SO-CALLED RELIABILITY OF HONDA, THERE'S NO REASON FOR ENGINE MOUNT TO HAVE ISSUES AND THERE WAS A HINT THAT THERE IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE SPOOL VALVE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE LEAD TO SERIOUS ISSUES. HOWEVER THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM INVOLVING THE 'SLIPPING OF THE TRANSMISSION' STILL PERSISTS AND REPRESENTS ANOTHER POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS VAN. THE 'SLIPPING ISSUE' OCCURS WHEN ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING AROUND 20 MPH OR WHEN ACHIEVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS OFF RAMP. IT DOES STOP AFTER THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND THEN TURNED ON AGAIN. SOME OF THESE ISSUES MAY BE MORE COMMON THAN HONDA IS LETTING ON.

2015 ODYSSEY VEHICLE'S JERKING EXPERIENCE STARTED DURING A STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. WITH THREE KIDS AND TWO ADULTS, WE WERE EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED. THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL DURING THE LOW SPEED, 5-20 MPH. I WENT AWAY LATER THAT DAY AND WE WENT ABOUT OUR BUSINESS. AFTER WE GO BACK TO OUR HOME, WENT TO THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER AFTER MAKING AN APPOINTMENT. OF COURSE, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE VIOLENT JERK EXPERIENCE. THEY SAID UNTIL THEY SEE IT, THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. IT WAS INITIALLY AROUND 30K MILES WHEN THIS STARTED NOW OVER. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN A FEW MONTHS BUT HONDA IS NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY.

AFTER REVERSING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY (SLOWLY) AND PUTTING THE CAR IN DRIVE I NOTICED A HARD CLUNKING SOUND. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A ROUGH SHIFT. WHEN I CONTINUED TO DRIVE DOWN MY BLOCK 5-15 MPH TO THE STOP SIGN IT CONTINUED. IT FEELS LIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE IS CRASHING INTO YOU AND SLAMMING ON THE BREAKS. YOU LOSE 'CONTROL' OF THE GAS PEDAL (YOUR FOOT IS ON THE GAS, YOU HEAR A LARGE CLUNK AND THE GAS PEDAL DOESN'T MAKE YOU GO FORWARD ANYMORE, FOR A COUPLE SECONDS) IT IS A NERVE-RACKING FEELING AND ISN'T CORRECT. MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN 2014 (2015 MODEL) IT ONLY HAS 32K MILES ON IT. REGULAR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED. IT HAS HAPPENED A HANDFUL OF TIMES IN THE PAST 3-4 MONTHS AND SEEMS TO TEMPORARILY CORRECT ITSELF ONCE THE CAR IS PUT IN PARK, TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON... I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECREATE IT FOR ANYONE WHILE THEY ARE IN THE VEHICLE, EXCEPT MY CHILDREN WHO ARE SCARED WHEN IT HAPPENS. WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK AND GOES TO DRIVE THERE IS ALSO A HARSH TRANSITION; A CLUNK HAPPENS WHEN SHIFTING. IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. YESTERDAY 10/2/18; I DROVE ROUGHLY A MILE WITH NO ISSUES UNTIL I CAME TO A STOP SIGN, WHERE I DIDN'T MAKE A COMPLETE STOP AND IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN. I WAITED TO POST, IT HAPPENED AGAIN THIS MORNING 10/4/2018; THE VAN WAS COLD (PARKED ALL NIGHT) BACKED UP, CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, PUT IT IN DRIVE, CLUNKED LIKE IT MISSED FIRTS GEAR, THEN CONTINUED TO CLUNK AS I DROVE BETWEEN 40 AND 60 FEET. STOPPED, PUT IT IN PARK, TURNED IT BACK ON AND DROVE AWAY WITH NO ISSUE. SHALL SEE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WORK TODAY.

HAD MY VEHICLE DROVE ON FREEWAY FOR AN HOUR AND WHEN PULLING ON TO A SHOPPING CENTER, THERE WAS A STOP AND GO. AT THAT POINT THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION STARTING JERKING AND SHAKING. THERE WAS SOUND FROM ENGINE/TRANMISSION LIKE SOME METAL CRUSHING OR BREAKING. STOPPED THE VEHICLE FOR A WHILE AND THE ISSUE DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. DEALER NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THIS ISSUE AND SO NO FIX.

WHILE ACCELERATING AFTER BEING STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, THE CAR MADE A CLUNKING NOISE AND THE CAR JERKED SEVERELY AS WE ACCELERATED INTO GEAR. IT HAPPENED AT LEAST 2 MORE TIMES AFTER BEING STOPPED AT A COUPLE OF STOP SIGNS. IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING WHEN IT HAPPENED AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE DRIVER'S ATTENTION IS TAKEN AWAY WHEN IT HAPPENS. THE SCARIEST PART IS NOT KNOWING WHEN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. WHEN THERE IS A NEED TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY ACROSS TRAFFIC, WE ARE WORRIED THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AGAIN OR THAT THE CAR WON'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WHILE THE ISSUE IS OUTSTANDING. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE ISSUE THAT HAVING READ OTHER FORUMS IS HAPPENING TO OTHERS WITH 2014 AND 2015 ODYSSEY'S AND THE DEALERSHIPS ARE BOT UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSE OR FIX FOR THE ISSUE DUE TO IT HAPPENING SPORADICALLY. THIS CALLS FOR ACTION BEFORE IT LEADS TO SOMEONE BEING HARMED. IT'S A MAJOR ISSUE AND PRESSURE NEEDS PUT ON HONDA TO FIX THE ISSUE!

I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC FOR AN HOUR OR SO, IN FIRST OR SECOND GEAR. AFTER A WHILE, ANYTIME WE WOULD ACCELERATE TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WE EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT JERKING AS IF WE JUST RAN OVER SOMETHING. THIS HAPPENED CONSISTENTLY EVERY TIME WE ACCELERATED TO OR DECELERATED TO 20MPH. TOOK IT INTO HONDA THE NEXT DAY AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. THE JERKING WAS VERY STRONG AND CONSISTENT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR DRIVING. WE ARE STILL PLANNING TO CALL HONDA, IT SEEMS LIKE OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE BUT NO ROOT CAUSE HAS BEEN FOUND. *TR