Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
In attempting to park in my garage, my van suddenly accelerated through the wall into my dining room. I immediately slammed on my brakes. My house was damaged but no injuries occurred. I was confused blamed myself. Only a few days later, in a slow moving line of traffic, I again felt the acceleration but was able to stop it prior to a collision.
I am a sharp 62 year old with a perfect driving record. I was pulling onto an off-street parking space at a slowed crawl pace. My foot was already on the brake because I had slowed to enter the parking space and I applied more pressure to the brakes to come to a complete stop. The vehicle jumped into a high acceleration moving the parked car in front of me 5 feet which slowed me down. I came to a complete stop only when I turned off the key and removed my foot from the brake. Do not discriminate because I am 62 - this was not operator error.
Accelerator pedal sticks due to carbon buildup on throttle body. Pedal requires additional travel in order to provide response from engine. As a result, excessive pressure is required on the accelerator, causing the car to accelerate suddenly and more rapidly than necessary. Sudden acceleration helped contributed to damage in a rear-end collision at a stop sign. The throttle body has been cleaned twice since the purchase of the vehicle and needs to be cleaned again.
1. Bad automatic transmission causing van to speed forward by itself.van constitute danger to us and other road users. 2. In the NHTSA record, there are no open recall for this vehicle whereas Honda (manufacturer) has recall for automatic transmission open for this vehicle. Why is the government record at variance with that of the manufacturer?
While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle accelerated to 80 MPH without applying the accelerator. The consumer was able to control the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the consumer there was either dirt or carbon build-up in the throttle body which caused the butterfly valve to stick.
In April, our family took a ride (speeds to 50 MPH). Our van's engine began to rev up at stop lights to approx. 5000 RPM's. We had to pump the brakes violently in order to stop, then park. (depressing them once didn't slow it down enough.). After a frightening drive, and similar episodes on the way to the dealer (approx. 5 miles away), the engine had quit racing. They couldn't diagnose anything, but mentioned that perhaps my husband had pressed both the brake and the gas to cause this. No way! Not after driving the van for four years. In May, we drove to colorado (from indiana). After the first 3 hours, we pulled off the hwy., the engine roared when we slowed to about 30 m.p.h.. Again, we pumped the brakes, terrified that we weren't going to stop. The brakes are barely effective, although they were just checked. …
When accelerating from a stand still, the accelerator pedal sticks during the initial range of motion. This forces the driver to apply more pressure than normal in order to break thru the sticking point thus causing the van to surge forward. It is impossible to accelerate safely in a congested area such as the carpool line at our children's school. The dealer has attempted to fix it several times by cleaning carbon buildup. However the problem consistently returns. This is a serious problem that many owners have already complained about. Even the dealer acknowledges it is a common problem with this vehicle. I hope that it doesn't take a child getting run over before someone does their job and forces Honda to fix the problem. Thank you for your help. Dt
Within the first one or two inches of travel, the accelerator sticks, when gentle pressure is applied to start out or accelerates slowly the accelerator does not move, but when additional pressure is applied, the accelerator jumps a half inch or so, this makes it virtually impossibile to start smoothly from a standing stop or, once moving, to gradually and smoothly accelerate, consumer has had the vehicle checked by performing clean carbon build up from throttle plate which still has not resolved problem, also was advised by dealership that vehicle was compared to another Odyssey and showed the same characteristics and the Honda tech-line was contacted, was advised that other Honda Odyssey's would be checked once they came in.
Consumer states in the first one or two inches of travel, the accelerator sticks when gentle pressure is applied to start out or accelerate slowly the accelerator does not move, but when additional pressure is applied the accelerator jumps a half inch, this makes it impossible to start smoothly from a standing stop or once moving to gradually accelerate smoothly, consumer took vehicle in to be inspected and dealership cleaned carbon build up from the throttle plate, however that did not resolve problem.
The accelerator pedal, within the first couple inches of its travel, sticks so that when you try to gently accelerate, you are forced to apply excessive pressure to get past the "sticking point" causing the car to charge forward. Dealer has already removed carbon deposits from throttle body (1/11/01), but problem is now back and is slowly getting worse. I am concerned that unintended acceleration and/or loss of control could result from this problem.
Acceleration complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2000 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2000 Honda Odyssey, 3% of the model year's 675 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Honda Odyssey acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2000 Honda Odyssey, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Honda Odyssey acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.