Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Honda Odyssey. When the accelerator pedal was depressed at various speeds, the gauges on the instrument panel fluctuated up and then down to zero. The vehicle stalled without warning intermittently. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on three occasions; however the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. In addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, an abnormal sound emitted from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the technician stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 166,700.
Van was parked in driveway. I was washing it and opened the hood. Luckily I noticed that the negative battery terminal was almost cut clean through. There were only a couple of copper strands grounding my Honda van. I do not want to know what would have happened if it had lost electrical connection while driving!!!
Sliding door failure. Both sliding doors failed on jan 17, 2011. The doors were stuck halfway open. I consider this to be a safety issue. Was repaired for the price of $800. Luckily the van was no moving that the time, but we did have to drive it to the mechanic with the doors open.
The vehicle experienced the following: out of alignment, loud bang/ticking, shaking, engine hesitation, inoperative A/C, a contaminated filter with metal shavings, A/C drain tube was rubbing and draining on the steering rack boot, coolant reservoir was empty and the right front seal on the body was damaged due to it being improperly placed, A/C knob was broken, the A/C airflow automatically changed, when the A/C blower motor speed decreased, various dash lights would dim, the hood latch was defective, static shock problem, there was a coolant smell, due to the reservoir fluid level, the sliding door was inoperative, the transmission was defective, the crankshaft pulley and the steering wheel vibrated, the right door seal had come apart, the splash shield clip was missing, the idle speed fluctuated from 750 to 2000 RPM with the vehicle in park/neutral, and immediately after, the MIL …
Automatic sliding doors apply dangerous pressure to people before retracting. I have been hurt twice by being crushed and bruised by doors closing on my body when door was accidently activated while loading children and passengers. The sensor to retract does not operate as indicated by manufacturer. This defect poses serious danger to children. Also, both sliding doors have been malfunctioning since oct 2002. Will almost close, then retract with nothing obstructing them. Dealer has attempted to repair this malfunction four times in the last year starting at 25,000 miles with no success. Faulty junction switches have been replaced and doors rehoned but malfunctions continue to happen approx every couple months and mileage is now at 38,000. Driver side window is very slow to raise. Faulty regulator was replaced oct, 2002. …
2001 Honda Odyssey rear passenger doors do not close or fully retract. My wife took the vehicle to the Honda dealer and it we received an initial estimate of $415 to repair. We received a revised estimate of $717 to replace the right side door switch followed by a third revision of $1033 to replace the control unit. A fourth revision totaling $1955 was received to replace the right side door motor. This did not fully correct the problem. The door open alarm continues to sound. The recommended corrective action now is to replace the interior wire harness. This will be an additional cost. We have declined this repair believing that the wire harness should have been identified early on during the troubleshooting process. I now believe this is a safety and potential fire issue. …
2001 Honda Odyssey - vehicle has been having intermittent electrical problems. Indicator lights come on randomly, but there isn't an actual problem. Recently, the vehicle blew a fuse which operates the radio and overhead lights. Every time the fuse was replaced, it blew again. I had my mechanic investigate the problem. He traced the wire from the fuse box to locate the electrical short. He discovered that the plastic clip that is supposed to be holding the electrical wires broke and the electrical wires are laying on a hot part of the car and all the wires melted together and exposed the wires. I was told that the vehicle is at serious risk for an electrical fire and it is very likely that I will lose all my electrical connections, both of which could result in a very serious, life-threatening accident.
2001 Honda Odyssey van continues to have electrical door problems. Driver side electric door lock will not unlock, very dangerous should there be a vehicle fire or if vehicle were to turn over. Passenger side electric door already had same problem and was fixed. Doors don't fully close properly either. I have heard of many people who have these same issues. Honda should issue a recall and fix for free due to the large number of people who have experienced electrical door problems. Current lock problem occurred 6/5/08; however, have been having issues with door closing properly for years now.
The automatic sliding doors both stopped functioning. I learned that they could be reset by removing fuse #13 for a few seconds and replacing it. This worked until it happened again several months later. This time it didn't help. Now one door works but because the other doesn't I have to turn off the auto-door switch because it buzzes constantly. I have also had the clock light burn out and my Honda mechanic (who specializes in hondas) cannot remove the cover to replace it. I have had several other warning light incidents that May or May not be electrical problems.
The 2001 Honda Odyssey started having problems of stalling while driving on 01/15/10. When the problem occurred again on 01/20/10, we brought it to a Honda dealer for examination. The dealer had it for nine days until 01/29/10 but was unable to make a diagnosis. On 01/29/10, we took the vehicle back. On 02/03/10 and 02/04/10, the stalling recurred so we brought it back to the same dealer. Now, having been unsuccessful to make a diagnosis, the dealer notified us that they would not make any more attempts to repair the vehicle.
Electrical complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Honda Odyssey, 4% of the model year's 619 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Honda Odyssey electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Honda Odyssey, though it has 1 recall 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 2001 Honda Odyssey electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to electrical system 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.