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 2002 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The van completely shuts down no matter where I am. When I try to turn it back on the green key light DOES NOT appear on the dash. The van will still crank but will not turn over. Until the green key light appears on the left side of the dash. I have to sit anywhere from 5 minutes up until 8 hours one day. It does this 3 to 4 times a day. The only warning I get is the green key will start flashing on the dash that's when I know it has shut down. I feel like it has something to do with the immobilizer. Because of the green key. I have changed my key fob battery , regular battery, checked all the fuses. This is very dangerous, it has left my family and myself in some deadly positions. Dar and raining it has shut off on the highway with barely any shoulder to pull off on. Cars and trucks driving past at 60 to 70 miles per hour in the dark and rain a few times we were almost hit. …
I purchased the Honda Odyssey 2002 on tues July 28th 930 pm and was driving home. I lived 1 hour away from the Honda dealership. Upon driving for first 40 minutes of highway around 1020 pm as I entered jersey city, nj the van stalled at very 1st traffic into the city. It came up with 2 indicators: TCS and malfunction indicator lamp. The engine indicator is still on. I tried to drive the van from traffic light and it wouldn't go over 20mph while RPM would move to 4-5. I pulled over and waited 5 minutes, turned off the van and restarted. I drove/made it home slowly with my heart pumping very fast. Please let me know what Honda is going to do to take care of these problems. The van had gone through multi point inspection and we were aware of known issues but these transmission issue was in the clear and happens on my drive home. …
Navigation system malfunction. On approximately 8/16 or 8/17/2017, the clock displayed on the navigation screen became stuck at "0:00". I'm not sure whether this affects the actual navigation function, GPS system, or other electrical (or non-electrical) components. I believe the dvd-based navigation system hardware and software was manufactured by alpine for Honda (and many other auto manufacturers). I have updated my map/software dvd twice since I purchased the car in 2002. I have turned the navigation system and the car on and off several times, removed the software/maps dvd and reinserted it, and performed many other attempts to fix the problem, all without success.
Recently, while driving my car on the freeway my car decideds to shut off which is scary and has happended more than once and not having the speed of control of trying to get over when you are in the fast lane. This has happened numerous of times. My main concern is how many other people have this happened to before. This is very dangerous and a serious situation because you don't know if the car behind you will slow down. I always end up pressing my emergency light right away, hoping the other drivers are paying attention because I am driving with my children in the vehicle. Five kids I take to school everyday and my main concern is there saftey at all times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the air conditioning turned off and the engine lost power. All the warning indicators illuminated. The contact discovered that the alternator bracket was fractured. The failure occurred three other times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Honda Odyssey. While driving at 50 MPH, the key fell out of the ignition as the vehicle continued to move. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,000. Updated 09/21/15
When driving my Odyssey, normally in the 30-50 MPH range, all or most of the dashboard indicator and warning lights will flash intermittently for a brief second or two. The numerous (25 + ) times this has happened is frightening because one thinks the van has stalled. There seems to be no pattern or connection such as playing/not playing radio, A/C, amount of gas, etc. . . I will say 75-85% of the occurences happen on the road leading to our subdivision (usually 30-50 MPH driving). Also, I'm sure there have been instances I have missed it because it can happen so quickly; one actually has to be looking at the panel. Honda says to drive the van since it is not stalling and there appears to be no inherent danger. Honda's policy is they cannot do anything until they replicate the problem. Interesting! What are they going to do when it happens --- there's no time to take a picture. …
I own a 2002 Honda Odyssey which has had several problems. These are 1.windshield that was not seated prperly and would whistle when driving at 55mph. This took 4 visits to the dealer before resolution which was a new windshield. 2. The SRS light for the side restraint system comes on, the dealer states it is because of a sensor but it must be reset by the dealer. I am told not to put anything on the front passenger seat to cause the sensor to go on. I wonder if this includes passengers too? I have also been told tha tplugging my phone into the electrical outlet provided wii also mtrip the sensor. 3. The last and most major problem is the transmission. In July I experienced episodes where after applying pressure to the gas pedal, the rpms would go up but there was no acceleration. Itook the car to the dealer and they were "unable to duplicate the problem". …
A couple weeks ago as me and my 2 toddler sons were going down the road. The vehicle had what seemed a power surge and taillights went out and power went low radio stopped and doors unlocked. Luckily we were close to home I got new fuse for lights radio said error but music didn't matter the next day I had to jump it to got work but seemed OK. The next few weeks I dealt with doors locking and unlocking. And one morning came out both doors were open.I didn't let boys ride after problems escalated one day doors stopped and got stuck in middle when they were getting out. It I replaced some fuses and everything seemed OK but most days battery felt work when starting. I went to get boys and I'm glad I didn't have them when it died in middle of road smoking I got it in parking lot. Called father and we took battery out to go get a new one. …
About 20+ times, while driving and then applying the brakes at low speed, all of the dashboard/instruments panel lights flashes on briefly, then turns off. The Honda dealer could not fix this problem because they could not reproduce this intermittent problem. Then on 10/14/2011, the same thing occurred again but in addition to all of the dashboard/instruments panel lights flashing, the steering wheel locked up where it could not be turned and almost caused an accident (almost ran over a pedestrian). Luckily the brakes still worked. After turning off the engine, pulling out the key, and then restarting it, the problem went away. …
Electrical complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2002 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Honda Odyssey, 4% of the model year's 960 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › interior/under dash (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Honda Odyssey electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2002 Honda Odyssey, though it has 10 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 2002 Honda Odyssey electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries 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.