Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 1999 Honda Odyssey ex. While driving 35 MPH on a clear day the contact smelled something burning and noticed smoke rising from the steering column. He stated that the instrument panel shut off and the lights dimmed. Also , the vehicle began to thrust, jerk, and finally shut off. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. He stated that the engine sounded as if the battery was losing power. The vehicle was towed to his residence and was able to restart a few days later. The contact discovered recalls 00v0300 concerning electrical system:wiring:front underhood, and 03V423000 concerning electrical system :ignition :switch, and called the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was included in the abovementioned recalls. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the trunk would independently open. The contact also stated that the sliding door on the passenger side failed. The contact mentioned that the slider button had to remain deactivated in order for the alert for the slider door to deactivate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 213,000.
The sliding doors on our 1999 Honda Odyssey van have been hard to open for the past year or so. Recently, I pulled the handle to open the sliding door - it snapped off and it is no longer possible to open the door. With instructions from the service manual, I carefully removed the inside door panel to find a broken lever inside. I have not investigated how much it May cost to repair this but I am highly disappointed in the recent quality of Honda products. Over the years, we have owned 3 other hondas with only minor repair issues. The Odyssey is definitely not up to the usual high quality standards. The convenience of the side door is now totally useless. I understand that the replacement part might cost $300 or more. With this outrageous price, I am willing to spend my own time to locate a used replacement mechanism. …
I'm filing this complaint to report three ongoing problems and one new problem, all related to the rear sliding door latches, locks and handles: 1. The door latch on the rear passenger-side sliding door of our 1999 Honda Odyssey lx becomes loose while the vehicle is in motion, causing the interior lights and rear door-open indicator to flash on intermittently. 2. The rear sliding doors often are extremely difficult to open from the outside. The van has been serviced for these two problems at no cost on three separate occasions by a local Honda dealership (trickett Honda). 3. Sometimes the locks on the sliding doors don't engage when the automatic lock button is pushed. 4. The outside door handle on the rear passenger-side sliding door does not retract back into the indented slot and no longer opens the door.
My wife was driving the 1999 Honda Odyssey ex home on the freeway. We were going home after having dinner. And the check engine light went on,we heard a noise and soon after all the dash lights went on followed by stiff steering wheel, and then the Honda completely shut off. We were able to coast to the side off ramp off the freeway. We tried to restart but the Honda would not restart.I had the Honda Odyssey towed to my regular mechanic.he looked at the Odyssey and informed me that my engine was shot.the Honda has not been driven ever since,it is parked and non operational.I do have a Honda invoice that states that they performed safety recall (ignition switch) repair on my Honda Odyssey invoice date of 8/30/2002.
Due to the well documented problem with Honda Odyssey sliding doors being difficult to open (see Honda Odyssey TSB 91, 10/29/02), my door handle broke in the process of attempting to open it. Internet research shows a high number of Odyssey owners have also experienced this problem with handle breakage due to the sticking door problem. The component that breaks is a small, understrength plastic component inside the handle. Because of a broken door handle, during an emergency--and at other times--it could be impossible to open the door and free back occupants, especially if the internal child safety lock is also engaged, blocking attempts to open the door from the inside as well.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Honda Odyssey. While driving approximately 35 MPH on normal road conditions, the passenger side sliding door completely opened without assistance and warning. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and closed the door. The failure continuously occurs while making turns. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 99V158000 (latches/locks/linkages:doors, latch). The recall remedy has not corrected the failure. The vehicle has been repaired. The failure mileage was 500 and current mileage was 183,000.
Side door handle broke off while manually opening door. Pin that handle pivots on appears to be made of plastic - perhaps not strong enough for this use? Sliding door normally would open automatically by means of an electric motor. Automatic meachanism had malfunctioned requiring door to be pulled open by manual means. This door opens with much more resistance than a normally sliding door, probably due to the motor being attached. Knowing this yet not having much experience opening it this way, I gave the door a good tug. There appears to be a fine line between pulling hard enough to get door opened and breaking handle off! Repair cost $185
Problem with power sliding door. On our 1999 ex Odyssey, the passenger side power sliding door closes but not quite all the way, it will not "engage", or "catch". Therefore, the van thinks the door is still open (open door light is on, buzzes continually when put into gear, and interior lights stay on). Because this problem my son got hurt because the door didn't stop when he was getting into the van so the door trapped his arm. The dealer says there is no recall so I have to pay almost $1,000 canadian to get it fix. The Honda dealer doesn't care about this issue so I would like to file this problem in court if it is possible.
Both manual rear sliding doors have been difficult to open since original purchase in 1999. Dealer greased both doors every time the car was serviced, but problem continued. The latches on both doors have broken and now the doors must be opened from the inside. This posses a potential safety hazard if the doors need to be opened from the outside in an emergency. Sliding rear manual door on the passenger side would indicate on the dash to be open. This would happen when cornering or hitting bumps. Overhead light would turn on and off and crackling sound from below steering would be heard.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivan. The sliding doors May not latch properly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the door latch assembly on all odyssey minvans built from December 3, 1999 through December 16, 1999. Also included in this recall are approximately 1,612 odyssey minivans that had the latches…
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivan. The sliding doors May not latch properly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the door latch assembly.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivan. The power door lock remote control actuator unlatches the door in response to input from the remote transmitter. Excessive grease in the actuator could cause a slow return of the activation lever to the proper latching position.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power door lock remote control assembly.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 1999 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 78 complaints about the locks & latches of the 1999 Honda Odyssey, 15% of the model year's 518 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (68 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Honda Odyssey door lock & latch problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 00V-119 (latch, Apr 25, 2000); NHTSA recall 99V-158 (latch, Jun 24, 1999); NHTSA recall 99V-159 (latch, Jun 24, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Honda Odyssey door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to locks & latches problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.